The Hindu : Front Page : VACB told to withdraw graft cases

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 07, 2006

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VACB told to withdraw graft cases

G. Anand

Thiruvananthapuram: The State Government has ordered the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to withdraw at least six graft cases in which former Government officials, politicians and influential businessmen figured as accused.

A senior official said the VACB had written several letters to the Home Department questioning the legality of the order. "The Government's clarification has to be produced before the court to state why these cases are being withdrawn in spite of clear evidence against the accused. The Home Department has responded to the letters by repeatedly asking the VACB to comply with the Government orders," he said.

The Government has ordered the withdrawal of three charge-sheeted cases relating to the purchase of land for the Sanskrit University in Kozhikode, Palakkad and Ernakulam. The case numbers are CC 21/2000/kkd, 49/2000/kkd and CC 31/2005/TSR.

The Government has also withdrawn the sanction to prosecute an Excise official who was "trapped" by the VACB in March, 2003, on the charge of accepting Rs.40,000 as bribe from a bar owner in Kottarakkara. The VACB has written to the Government asking what public interest was served by withdrawing the case (VC 1/2003).

The VACB has requested the Government to review another order seeking the withdrawal of the case (VC 9/2004) relating to the award of a 30-year contract to a businessman in 2004 for erecting advertisement boards at 310 points along the State's highways. The VACB had found that the PWD contract was given without conducting any competitive bidding. The contractor was given the right to decide the advertisement rates for the boards. The projected loss to the Government was estimated at Rs 20 crores.

The VACB has also objected to the withdrawal of a Rs.43-lakh corruption case (VC 1/94) relating to the sale of processed cashew allegedly at low prices to a New Delhi-based businessman by the Government-owned Cashew Development Corporation in 1991-92. The first case to be withdrawn in the current series was the one relating to the contract given to a private firm for transporting spirit from Maharasthra to Government-owned distilleries during the 1984-86 period. The string of withdrawals has eroded the morale of the VACB, an official said.

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