The Hindu : Sack Soopy, demands P.C. George

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 11, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Sack Soopy, demands P.C. George

KOCHI, JAN. 10. The Minister for Education, Nalakath Soopy should be removed from office as there are enough evidence of him accepting bribes for adding 21 more B.Ed colleges to the list of 75 approved by the Cabinet, P. C. George, MLA, has said.

He was ready to present evidence if a judicial inquiry was initiated, Mr. George told reporters here today. He produced a copy of the letter written by the Metropolitan of the Malabar Diocese and Malabar Regional Simhasana Churches, Yuhanon Mor Philoxinos to the Chief Minister.

The Bishop had said in his letter that the St. Gregorios Teachers Training College, Meenangadi, under the Jacobite Educational and Charitable Society, was one among the list of institution given the No Objection Certificate by the Ministry and was later removed from the same on his refusal to oblige the demand for Rs. 2.5 lakh for constructing League House at Malappuram.

The Minister had forfeited his right to continue in office by going against the Kerala High Court verdict restricting the number of new B.Ed colleges to 75, Mr. George said. Action should also be taken against the Secretary of Higher Education, Marapandiyan, for being involved in this.

The Ministry for Education faxed the list of 96 colleges, some of them have not even applied for allotting colleges, to the National Council for Teacher Education on January 1 while the date on the list was December 31, he said, adding that the move by Mr. Soopy to seek the approval of the Cabinet for more B.Ed colleges when the High Court objected to it was evidence of corruption.

The Chief Minister misled the public by denying the receipt of any complaint in this regard during his Cabinet briefing held on January 7, while the Bishop had filed his complaint on January 5.

Also, details of the discussion made in the Cabinet meeting on January 7 on this issue was extensively reported in the media and this was a violation of the Constitutional obligation of the legislators to maintain secrecy over Cabinet proceedings, he said.

The inquiry into the issue should also cover the working of existing B.Ed centres under universities.

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