V S Achuthanandan urges Narendra Modi to probe E K Bharat Bhushan assets

Thiruvananthapuram: Opposition Leader V.S. Achuthanandan on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to issue a ‘reference’ to the Central Vigilance Commission under section 8 (1) (c) of the Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003, for initiating a probe against Chief Secretary E. K. Bharat Bhushan in view of the allegations that he had acquired assets outside the state, including in Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh and Mangalore, disproportionate to his known sources of income.

In a letter to Mr Modi, he said, “I have seen Bhushan’s Annual Immovable Property Returns (IPR) from the year 2011 till 2014, which are available online. He has suppressed crucial information required to be disclosed in column 4, where the officer is expected to declare the actual value of acquired properties. In all four years, he has avoided reporting the income from properties held by himself and members of his family. He has mentioned two newly-acquired properties, one each in Noida and Kochi, which are high-value plots that he acquired during his tenure as Additional Secretary in the Civil Aviation Ministry, holding charge of Director General of Civil Aviation in 2011,’’ Mr Achuthanandan said.

He alleged that the Rs 80-lakh luxury apartment acquired in Kochi in 2011 is known to be worth more than Rs 3 crore at current market rates. It is seen purchased from an individual who is apparently a Moscow-based businessman. This transaction made in the name of his wife Renjana Bhushan is not made with the knowledge of the government and is very dubious in nature, Mr Achuthanandan said.

“Bhushan has not mentioned the flats in Noida or Kochi in his Annual Immovable Property Returns for the subsequent years, i.e from 2012-2014, directly violating the provisions of Rule 16 of the IAS Conduct Rules 1968,’’ he added.

Mr Achuthanandan said that he had placed copies of the 'incomplete' Annual Immovable Property Statements filed by Bharat Bhushan on the table of Assembly and demanded an enquiry. But Chief Minister Mr Oommen Chandy was not inclined to take my allegations seriously.

Mr Achuthanandan pointed out that in gross violation of Rule 16 (2) of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, Bharat Bhushan had, without the knowledge of the state or central governments sold a 40 cent property in Patturaickal, Thrissur district, in the name of his wife, at an astronomical and improbable cost to a real estate developer for constructing 40 flats which are for luxury customers.

For facilitating this commercial activity, he filed a request to the District Collector,Thrissur, in his wife's name, to reduce the minimum fair value fixed for the plot.

He alleged that District Collector, Thrissur under duress from the Chief Secretary reduced the fair value by 50% causing a loss of Rs 20 Lakhs to the state exchequer on account of Stamp Duty evasion alone. Though the Chief Secretary has claimed that the property in question had been 'inherited' by his wife, the shocking fact is that he had never bothered to mention the property in any of the Annual Immovable Property Statements filed by him as required under Rule 16 (1) (2) of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968.

Mr Achuthanandan said it was heartening to note that Centre had taken action against tainted officers of Madhya Pradesh cadre Arvind and Tinoo Joshi who had acquired assets that were eventually assessed as a shocking 3,151% more than what their legal source of income could justify.