Thiruvananthapuram: Former finance minister K.M. Mani scaled down the compensation he wants from liquor baron Biju Ramesh in the ‘bar bribery’ defamation case.
From the Rs 10 crore he had demanded initially when he filed the suit on March 12, 2015, he has whittled the compensation down to Rs 20 lakh.
In a petition filed in the Vigilance Court here on Saturday, Mr Mani said that though he had suffered a loss of reputation as a result of Biju Ramesh’s comments he did not want a higher compensation amount.
The stated reason for lowering the compensation amount is that the Rs 15 lakh surety bond he will have to deposit was too huge.
Mr Ramesh had in March 2015 alleged that Mr Mani had demanded a bribe of Rs 1 crore for delaying the new liquor policy, adding that Rs 50 lakh was handed over to the minister at his official residence.
He also alleged that Mr Mani had the habit of demanding bribes from jewellers to bakers during pre-budget consultations.
Mr Mani’s petition also has a plea to exempt him from furnishing the bond. Significantly, Mr Mani’s latest move comes close on the heels of the re-investigation ordered into the bar bribery case. The Thiruvananthapuram Vigilance Special Court had on August 27 ordered a re-investigation into the scandal on the basis of an affidavit filed by former investigating officer R. Sukesan.
The vigilance SP, in his affidavit, stated that that his ‘factual report’ was tampered with to protect Mr Mani. Mr Sukesan also stated that the probe was incomplete as most of the bar owners were not interrogated.
The Vigilance also filed a progress report of the bar bribery case on Saturday, informing the court that 21 documents were secured from seven witnesses. The case however was postponed to November 30.
