KOCHI: The State Government has filed an affidavit in the Kerala High Court on Wednesday requesting permission to proceed with the palmolein import case against the former Chief Minister K. Karunakaran and others.

The affidavit, filed by G. Vijayakumaran Nair, Additional Secretary, Vigilance, contended that the previous UDF Government's decision to withdraw the case pending in the Supreme Court was erroneous.

According to the affidavit, there is no political vendetta involved in the Government's decision just because V.S. Achuthanandan, who had filed the intervene petition in the Supreme Court against the previous Government's decision to withdraw the case, happened to be the present Chief Minister.

There was no malafides or arbitrariness in the Government decision to cancel the previous Government's request to the Supreme Court to withdraw the case. Corruption was a social menace.

The existing materials warrant trial. Both the High Court and the Supreme Court found that there was material to proceed with the case, the affidavit said.

The Government said that when the previous Government led by Oommen Chandy had decided to withdraw the case, even the Public Prosecutor did not agree with the decision.

In April, 2006, the Supreme Court had permitted the UDF Government to file an application before a Special Court in Thiruvananthapuram for withdrawing the case. However, the application could not be filed in view of the Assembly elections. Mr. Achuthanandan, who was the then Leader of the Opposition, had moved the Supreme Court against the UDF Government's decision.

After the elections, the LDF Government informed the Supreme Court in June 2006, that it would not withdraw the case. The Cabinet annulled the previous UDF Government's decision to withdraw the case.

The case against Mr. Karunakaran was that he and the other accused caused a loss of Rs.2.80 crore to the State exchequer on account of the import of 15,000 tonnes of palmolein from Malaysia at an enhanced price during 1991-92.

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