Thrissur: Throwing his weight behind Finance Minister K.M. Mani, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said that the order of the Vigilance court to further investigate the bar bribery case against Mr Mani was not the final word in justice.
Mr Chandy, who faced a barrage of questions from mediapersons on the possibility of Mr Mani’s resignation, referred to the resignation of the then forest minister K.P. Viswanathan from his cabinet in 2005 over an adverse remark by the High Court while considering a case related to sandalwood smuggling.“I cannot take a decision in haste in such matters.
K.P. Viswanathan resigned in a hurry and was cleared of the charges after some years. Now, when I think of KP, (who lost his mileage as a political leader after resignation) my conscience still pricks.
What happened to him cannot be repeated in the case of Mani,” he said. Referring to KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran’s statement that the court order on Mr Mani will be judged in the people’s court, he said “I have faith both in the judiciary and in the people. In the palmolein case, there were a lot of protests demanding my resignation when the courts first rejected the plea for closing the investigation. But the party refused to accept my resignation and the courts later approved the findings,” he said.
Asked about the comment of Kerala Police Housing and Construction MD, Jacob Thomas, an officer in the rank of DGP, that 'truth will prevail,' he said the officers should not cross their limits.
