THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Leader of the Opposition Achuthanandan has alleged that while the Vigilance state special unit had probed former finance minister K. M. Mani's case, the investigation into the allegations against excise minister K. Babu was handed over to a unit having jurisdiction only in Ernakulam, Thrissur and Palakkad.
He said this was the reason why Kerala Congress (M) was accusing the government of double standards. By getting the matter investigated by the Ernakulam unit, home minister Ramesh Chennithala has tried to derail the probe right from the beginning.
DySP Ramesh had investigated Babu's case. The officer has the right to summon witnesses of that particular district alone. Chennithala has made a mockery of the probe by handing it over to an officer with limited powers, he said.
Achuthanandan said if the allegation that bribe was paid to Babu in the minister's chamber had to be probed, then it has to be entrusted with a unit having state-wide jurisdiction. Or it should have been handed over to the Thiruvananthapuram unit.
The Opposition leader said instead of taking such measures and by handing over the probe to an officer whose track record was questionable, it is clear to everyone that there was an attempt to give a clean chit to the minister.
Achuthanandan demanded that the preliminary probe report submitted by the officer should be rejected outright.
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