Probe ordered into alleged irregularities by Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter's firm: Centre to Kerala HC
Kochi, Jan 15: The Centre on Monday told the Kerala High Court that it has issued an order under the Companies Act for an investigation into the alleged irregularities by the software firm of Veena T, the daughter of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Orders have been issued under section 210 (investigation into affairs of company) of the Companies Act and the same will be produced on record by the next date of hearing, it said.
Noting the submission, Justice Devan Ramachandran directed the Centre to file on record the order issued by it before January 19 and listed the matter for hearing on January 24.
The court said that by then the respondents, including the chief minister, his daughter, her firm, Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) and Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation Ltd, were at liberty to respond to the Centre's order.
The court was hearing a plea by Shone George, a lawyer and son of veteran politician P C George, seeking an investigation into Veena's company under the Companies Act and action against it by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO).
The petitioner told the court that only action under the Companies Act had been initiated and insisted that this was a matter where the SFIO also had a role.
In view of the petitioner's contention, the court directed the Centre's lawyer to "obtain specific instructions, if any further action by the SFIO has been ordered or found warranted by the next posting date".
A controversy erupted in Kerala after a Malayalam daily reported last year that CMRL had paid a total of Rs 1.72 crore to the chief minister's daughter between 2017 and 2020.
The news report cited the ruling of an interim board for settlement and said that CMRL previously had an agreement with Veena's IT firm for consultancy and software support services.
It also alleged that although no service was rendered by her firm, the amount was paid on a monthly basis "due to her relationship with a prominent person".
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Tigress found dead in Chandrapur after attacking forest guard
Chandrapur (PTI): A tigress was found dead in a forest range in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district on Sunday, just an hour after critically injuring a forest guard during an operation to steer her and her three cubs away from human settlement, officials said.
The tigress, identified as T-84, was found dead in the vicinity of Ratnapur village under the jurisdiction of Sindewahi Forest Range, they said.
The exact cause of the big cat's death will be ascertained after an autopsy, a senior officer of the forest department said.
According to officials, the tigress, aged 9 to 10 years, had wandered close to the village, along with her three cubs, and locals had attempted to drive her away from the spot, after which she retreated into a field.
On being alerted, a team of forest guards and other staff tried to move the tigress back toward the forest, and during this process, the three cubs got separated and the tigress attacked forest guard Sajjan Parekar, who sustained critical injuries, they said.
The injured forest guard was immediately admitted to a hospital in Sindewahi for primary treatment and later shifted to Chandrapur for further medical care.
An hour after the attack, the tigress was found dead in a paddy field, the official said.
According to preliminary information, the tigress's organs were intact and in good condition. The carcass has been sent to the Transit Treatment Centre (TTC) at Chandrapur for a high-level examination and post-mortem.
The forest department has launched a search operation to track the missing cubs, the official said.
