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Kerala HC issues notice to CM, others on plea against Lokayukta order
The bench also issued a letter under Rule 51D of the High Court Rules to CM Vijayan, the second respondent in the case
Kochi: The Kerala high court on Monday admitted a petition challenging a Lokayukta bench’s dismissal of a complaint against chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and several ministers of the previous LDF government in which allegations of nepotism and wayward political considerations were raised in the disbursal of funds under the Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief fund (CMDRF).
Admitting the plea filed by activist RS Sasikumar, the division bench of Chief Justice AJ Desai and Justice VG Arun said, “We will admit it and consider everything.”
The bench also issued a letter under Rule 51D of the High Court Rules to CM Vijayan, the second respondent in the case.
The court sent notices to former ministers like AK Balan, Thomas Isaac, KK Shailaja, KT Jaleel and others as well as the Lokayukta.
On November 13 last year, a three-member bench of Lokayukta Justice Cyriac Joseph and Upa Lokayuktas Justice Harun Al Rashid and Justice Babu Mathew P Joseph had dismissed Sasikumar’s plea ruling that there was no evidence in connection with the charges raised against the CM and ministers of the previous government of corruption and nepotism.
The bench also held that the chief minister is vested with the authority to release funds from the CMDRF.
The petitioner had challenged some cabinet decisions dating back to 2017 as part of which financial assistance was provided to the family of a late NCP leader and a late CPM MLA from the CMDRF. While the CPM heads the government in Kerala, the NCP is its ally. A decision to give financial support to the kin of a civil police officer who had died during duty again from CMDRF was also challenged.
