E-Paper
Pinarayi Vijayan fails to appear in court
CPI(M) Kerala secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, arraigned as an accused in a graft case relating to award of contract to a Canadian company in 1998, failed to appear before the CBI special court today.
CPI(M) Kerala secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, arraigned as an accused in a graft case relating to award of contract to a Canadian company in 1998, failed to appear before the CBI special court today.
The court granted bail to five other accused who were present.
Vijayan's counsel M K Damodaran, a former Advocate General, appeared before special court judge K P Jothindranath and filed a petition explaining his absence on medical grounds.
The special court had on June 23 issued summons to all the nine accused, including Vijayan, in the SNC Lavalin case, to appear before the court today.
Lavalin official Klaus Treindl and Lavalin company did not accept the summons, following which the court issued fresh summons to both today.
Those who were granted bail are K Mohanachandran, R Shivadasan, Kasturiranga Iyer, Siddharta Menon, A Francis.They were directed to furnish a bond for Rs 2 lakh with two sureties for like amount.
The court accepted CBI's petition seeking four more months time for further investigation.
CBI had filed a chargesheet listing the then electricity minister Vijayan as the seventh accused in the case pertaining to alleged corruption in the award of contract to the company when LDF government was in power in 1998 for renovation of three hydel projects of Panniyar, Palivasal and Shengulam.
The case has been posted for December 30.
