The Hindu : Kerala News : Bailable warrants against MP, MLA

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Wednesday, Dec 12, 2007
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Kerala

Bailable warrants against MP, MLA

Kochi: Ernakulam Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Cherian K. Kuriakose, on Tuesday, issued bailable arrest warrants to the Kerala Congress (J) leaders P.C. Thomas, MP, and V. Surendran Pillai, MLA, on a complaint seeking registration of a criminal case against party chairman P.J. Joseph and other leaders in connection with the selection of Mons Joseph as a Minister.

Mr. Thomas and Mr. Pillai have been cited as witnesses in the complaint.

Alleged manipulation

According to B.V. Raveendran, journalist, there was manipulation in the selection of Mr. Mons Joseph as a Minister at a party meeting.

When the case came up, the magistrate pointed out that the witnesses did not appear before the court despite issue of summons, though Parliament or the Assembly was not in session. Hence, the bailable arrest warrants against them.

The complaint alleged that Mr. P.J. Joseph, MLA; Mr. Mons Joseph, MLA (now Public Works Minister); Eapen Varghese; and K. Francis George, MP, who were arraigned as accused, had “connived to defeat the selection of Mr. Surendran Pillai as a Minister in the State Cabinet and manipulated the lots.” There were 15 lots, out of which three were blank lots. Nobody knew what was in the other 12 lots. Mr. P.J. Joseph could not “wash his hands of by saying that it was an internal matter of his party.” “The issue involves selection of a Minister of the State and it is not a family affair and should not be done in a most illegal manner.”

The court posted the case to December 31.

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