Kerala HC rejects plea for CBI probe into letter purportedly written by TVM Corporation mayor
Kochi (PTI): The Kerala High Court on Friday dismissed a plea seeking a CBI probe or a judicial inquiry into the controversial letter allegedly written by Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Mayor Arya Rajendran regarding employing party cadres in the civic body.
Justice K Babu was of the view that there was no substance in the complaint made by the petitioner for ordering a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Advocate K R Rajkumar, who appeared for the petitioner, confirmed the order. The detailed judgement is yet to be made available.
The petitioner, G S Sreekumar -- a former Councillor of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation -- had also urged the court to direct the Vigilance Directorate to register the complaint he had made in connection with the letter.
The leak of the controversial letter had resulted in protests inside and outside the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation office by the BJP and Congress, including their youth and women wings, seeking Rajendran's resignation.
Sreekumar had contended in his plea that Rajendran and LDF Parliamentary Party secretary D R Anil requested the CPI(M) District Secretary to provide the list of party members for appointment to various posts in the Health division of the corporation.
"The above act of nepotism of the Mayor of the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation and one of the councillors is very much against the oath taken by both of them at the time of swearing-in as councillors in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.
"This issue itself is having an epic proportion of corruption which has been institutionalised after the present dispensation has come into existence," the petition, filed through advocate Rajkumar, had alleged.
The petitioner had contended the actions of Rajendran and Anil can be seen as "subverting the employment chances of thousands" who are qualified to do the jobs if the same are advertised.
He had also alleged Rajendran and Anil were creating a cadre for their party inside the Corporation "by systematically employing persons who are affiliated with the CPI(M) only."
The petition had contended that an investigation by a state agency will not suffice in the matter as "there are political bigwigs who are involved in this operation and have the might to have the issue brushed under the carpet".
The alleged letter, written to the CPI(M) district secretary Anavoor Nagappan, had sought the priority list of party cadres to be appointed in temporary vacancies in the Left-ruled civic body.
The young Mayor has right from the beginning denied that she wrote, signed or sent any such letter and claimed that it appeared to be "edited".
She has also said she suspects it to be politically motivated and also brushed aside demands for her resignation by the opposition Congress and BJP, by terming the same as a "joke".
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Conspiracy afoot to 'tarnish' image of Dharmasthala: Deputy CM DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Aug 14 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said there was a “conspiracy” to tarnish the image of Dharmasthala.
His comments come amid an ongoing investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into serious allegations of mass burials in the revered temple town in Dakshina Kannada district.
“A conspiracy is being hatched to destroy hundreds of years of legacy. It is not correct to tarnish someone just like that. It has all happened due to one complainant,” he said.
Noting that some Congress MLAs have called for action against those involved in the slander campaign at the legislature party meeting, he said, “ I have told them that action must be taken against those who are indulging in a slander campaign. The CM has also said that action must be taken against such people.”
“I have information on this case. Religious feelings should not be hurt in any manner. Culprits must be punished,” he told reporters, according to a release from his office.
Responding to a question, Shivakumar said the Congress party will not allow the image of any religious place to be tarnished.
“We see everyone equally when it comes to religion,” he added.
The SIT, formed by the state government, is probing claims of mass murder, rape, and mass burials in Dharmasthala over the past two decades.
The complainant, a former sanitation worker whose identity has not been revealed, alleged that between 1995 and 2014 he was forced to handle bodies—including women and minors—and that some showed signs of sexual assault. He has given a statement before a magistrate.
As part of the probe, the SIT has been conducting exhumations at multiple locations identified by the complainant-witness in the forested areas along the banks of the Netravathi River in Dharmasthala, where some skeletal remains have been found at two sites so far.
