Kerala - Kochi   

CBI told to file statement high court round-up

Kochi: A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Friday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a statement on the progress of investigation in the SNC Lavalin case.

When a writ petition seeking to expedite the investigation in the case came up for hearing, the CBI submitted a report on the progress of the investigation. However, the court returned the report and asked the CBI to file it in the form of a statement.

The case related to alleged irregularities in the award of contract for the modernisation of the Pallivasal, Sengulam and Panniyar hydroelectric projects and extension work of the Kuttiyadi Irrigation Project to the Canada-based company SNC Lavalin. The CBI took over the investigation on a directive from the High Court.

The CBI had earlier stated that it was not under any political pressure to “slow down” the investigation. In fact, no time limit could be fixed for completing the investigation, as the investigation outside the country had to be undertaken. No government or political leader had interfered with the investigation.

Justice R. Basant has granted bail to Govindankutty who was arrested on charges of distributing and publishing seditious materials. He was arrested on December 20, 2007 from a lodge in Kakkanad in Ernakulam in a raid conducted in the wake of the arrest of Maoist leader Mallah Raja Reddy.

Granting bail, the court ordered that he be released on bail on his executing a bond for Rs.1 lakh with two solvent sureties to the like sum to the satisfaction of the magistrate concerned.

The Director General of Prosecution had submitted that the investigation was almost complete and that he had no objection to Govindankutty being released on bail.

The other conditions set by the judge were; he shall not leave the jurisdiction of the Ernakulam Sessions Court; he should appear before the investigation officer on the first and third Mondays of every month between 10 a.m. and 12 noon until further orders.

As many as eight persons whose land was acquired for setting up HMT at Kalamassery have filed a petition seeking to cancel the sale of land to a Mumbai-based company and to implead themselves as respondents in the writ petition seeking a CBI inquiry into the land deal.

In their petition, they said the government had no authority to sell the land for any other purpose other than industrial.

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