Chandy gets partial relief in solar scam case
Kochi, May 15: Former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Tuesday got partial relief in the solar scam scam case as the High Court said allegations of sexual exploitation against him need not be taken into account.
The court's direction came while hearing Chandy's petition over the solar scam Commission report. It said findings of the commission based on the letter of accused Saritha Nair which alleges sexual exploitation need not be considered.
However, the court failed to stay the ongoing probe based on the Commission report, which was also another demand of Chandy.
Chandy, approached the court demanding the one member Justice (retired) Sivarajan Commission be stayed as it had gone beyond its brief, and the letter of Saritha was never part of the Commission's terms of reference. Hence, the probe that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ordered based on the letter should not take place.
The multi-crore solar energy investment fraud that rocked the Chandy government in 2013 was led by Saritha Nair and her live-in partner Biju Radhakrishnan, as it came to light that a section of the Chief Minister's office had links with the couple.
The sleaze letter written by Nair when she was in jail names Chandy and numerous other top Congress leaders of sexually exploiting her.
Following the huge public outcry led by the then Left opposition, Chandy in 2014 announced that the Sivarajan Commission will probe the case.
With the change of government in 2016, the report was submitted last year to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Last year, on October 11, Vijayan told the media the judicial report had been accepted, adding that cases would be registered against Chandy and others based on Nair's letter that claimed she was sexually exploited.
Later, the former Kerala Chief Minister approached the high court and brought in senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal as his counsel.
Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said the manner in which Vijayan tried to finish off political rivals based on a 'letter' has fallen flat and the very basis of the Commission report also has lost its credibility.
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Had a very good conversation with friend Modi: Trump
Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Friday said he had a "very good conversation" with his "friend" Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He was referring to the talks the two leaders had on Tuesday.
"I had a very good talk with him, and he's a friend of mine from India, and he's doing great. We had a very good conversation," Trump told reporters here as he headed to Las Vegas to address a roundtable on tax cuts.
Trump had called Modi on Tuesday to discuss the bilateral relationship and share perspectives on the situation in West Asia, where the US and Israel have launched a war on Iran.
The US and Iran declared a two-week ceasefire on April 7. They engaged in peace talks with Washington, insisting that Tehran give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons and uranium enrichment.
The war with Iran has sent gas prices soaring as Tehran blocked the sea lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow gateway for a fifth of global oil supplies.
During the Trump-Modi phone call on Tuesday, the two leaders stressed the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and secure.
According to the US Ambassador to India Sergei Gor, the 40-minute conversation ended with Trump telling Modi, "we all love you".
Tuesday's phone call was the second between the two leaders since the US-Israel war with Iran began on February 28.
