The Hindu : Kerala News : Government unhappy over row between officials

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 25, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Government unhappy over row between officials

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, NOV. 24. The Cabinet today decided to summon the Advocate-General, Ratna Singh, and the Director-General of Prosecution, P. V. Madhavan Nambiar, to convey its displeasure over the row between the two over the handling of the ice-cream parlour sex scandal case.

The Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, told presspersons after the Cabinet meeting that it was not proper on the part of the two to kick up a public controversy over the handling of the case.

The Government would summon them and convey its views on the matter.

The Chief Minister said he had received a report sought by him on the row and the postponement of the hearing of the case from Mr. Nambiar.

Mr. Chandy said both the officers were responsible for protecting the interests of the Government.

There was a system for the conduct of the cases and this would be followed in the case of the ice-cream parlour sex scandal case also.

He said the Director-General had asked for the postponement of the hearing, as the issue to be argued was not the vacation of the stay on the trial of the case in the magistrate court. The argument was to be made on the revision petition by the accused for their exclusion from the case. The postponement had not affected the merit of the prosecution case, he said.

(While the Advocate-General alleged that the Director-General had gone to the court without any preparation for arguing the case, the latter retorted that he did not get time or assistance to study the case. The Advocate-General had not briefed the Government properly about the case, Mr. Nambiar maintained).

The Chief Minister declined to reply to questions about the professional conduct of the Advocate-General in various cases where State's interest had allegedly been sacrificed.

On the State Attorney telling the court that no Government order had been issued to probe whether there had been any changes in the testimony of Rejina, alleged victim of sexual exploitation, Mr. Chandy said the probe was actually on.

The State Attorney would have been speaking of a Government order.

It was not the Government but the Director-General of Police who had directed the Inspector-General of Police, Aravind Ranjan, to look into the matter.

Airport at Kannur

The Chief Minister said the Cabinet, in principle, had approved the proposal to build an airport at Kannur on build, operate and transfer basis in view of the public demand.

The decision was subject to some private agencies coming up with a feasible proposal and clearance by the Centre.

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