Kochi: In its bid to save the tainted management of the Kerala State Cashew Development Board (KSCDC), the United Democratic Front (UDF) government has refused to honour the commitment it had made to the Kerala High Court to conduct a vigilance probe into allegations of corruption against it.
In an affidavit filed in the High Court on June 22, 2015 in a case seeking an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation, the government told the court that the state cabinet had approved ‘in principle’ the report of the P H Kurian Committee which had inquired into the allegations of corruption in the public sector company and “it was decided to conduct a thorough vigilance probe into the various allegations made and considered by the committee.”
Vigilance sources, however, told Deccan Chronicle that they have received no communication from the government to initiate a probe into the charges. “We have only read it newspapers about the investigation,” they said.
The government which told the court that it had accepted the expert committee report in principle, however, has refused to implement one of its key recommendations to remove managing director K A Ratheesh and the board of directors from their positions.
“The committee is of the firm opinion that reconstitution of the Board and removal of the managing director is a prerequisite for the effective implementation of the above recommendations, and it recommends so,” the report said.
However, instead of removing the management which has come under cloud, the government recently decided to offer an additional Rs 30 crore to the company.
