The Hindu : Kerala News : Taxes Secretary to conduct probe

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 08, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Taxes Secretary to conduct probe

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, APRIL 7. The Chief Minister, A. K. Antony said here today that the Taxes Secretary would conduct an inquiry into the controversies relating to the conduct of online lottery cases in the High Court by the Government advocates. "I have taken note of the media reports on the subject and have asked the Taxes Secretary to look into [the veracity of] the allegations," he said while talking to newsmen after the Cabinet meeting.

Referring to the leader of the Opposition, V. S. Achuthanandan's charge that the Government was intentionally helping the online lottery companies to defraud the State and its people of large sums of money, Mr. Antony said: "If Mr. Achuthanandan gives me the details in writing, I am ready to order a probe. He usually sends me a lot of letters. Let him send one on this topic also."

Answering another question, Mr. Antony said the Government advocate, Ajith Prakash (who had been conducting the online lottery cases initially), was terminated from service on the basis of a complaint that he had `misbehaved' with the Advocate General (AG). "The AG had sent this complaint to the Chief Secretary. The matter was reported to the Cabinet by the Chief Secretary and a decision to remove him was taken," he said.

Referring to a report the AG had sent to the Government giving his comments on various allegations against the Additional Advocate General, V. K. Beeran, he said this report had been remaining with the Forest Secretary all along (for more than two months). He said his office was not in the habit of suppressing any report.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala