THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Vigilance director N. Shanker Reddy has rejected a recommendation to drop a Vigilance case against Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash in connection with a Rs 25-lakh bribery case pertaining to his stint as food and civil supplies minister in the previous UDF ministry.
The case was already charge-sheeted in February 2011. The Vigilance northern-range unit in Kozhikode, which conducted a further investigation into the case, had recommended dropping of the case citing inconsistency in the allegation of the complainant, Congress local leader N.K. Abdul Rahman.
The Vigilance director, however, rejected the recommendation as the complainant stuck to the allegation and even his statement was recorded before a magistrate. The VACB would submit a report at the Kozhikode Vigilance court suggesting that the trial against the minister and four others charge-sheeted may resume.
Incidentally, Mr. Reddy’s unfavourable action against a minister came at a time when he was facing allegations from the Opposition of favouring the UDF government by scuttling the bar bribery probe against former minister K.M. Mani and Excise Minister K. Babu.
According to VACB sources, the further investigation was initiated on the basis of a letter written in the name of the complainant Mr. Rahman that the allegations against the minister were baseless.
