Titanium case: HC stays vigilance court order, notice to Oommen Chandy

Kochi, Kerala: Kerala High Court on Monday stayed for three weeks, a Vigilance court order directing further probe in a case of alleged corruption in effluent treatment plant project, at a state-owned firm in 2005 during previous tenure of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, while issuing a notice to him and others.

Admitting a petition by retired IAS officer and former chairman of Travancore Titanium Products (TTP) T Balakrishnan, one of the accused in the case, Justice K Abraham Mathew issued notices to Chandy, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and PWD Minister V K Ibrahim Kunju and other respondents.

According to the petitioner, there was no prosecution sanction to proceed against the accused who are public servants. It was also contended that by the judgement, the vigilance court "had pronounced the guilt even before registration of the crime".

The petition has been posted after Onam holidays, which will end on September 7.

The Thiruvananthapuram Vigilance Court had on August 28 ordered further investigation in the case relating to alleged corruption in the setting up of an effluent treatment plant in TTP while rejecting Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau's report which had given a clean chit to Chandy.

The order was passed on petition by an employee of the company.

While opposition demanded Chandy's resignation in the wake of the vigilance court order, the Chief Minister has made it clear that he would not quit and was prepared to face any probe.