Thiruvananthapuram: The Supreme Court will hear the admissibility of the special leave petition filed by the CBI, challenging the High Court decision discharging Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan without trial in the Lavalin case, on January 10.
The case is coming up for consideration before Justice R. V. Ramana. According to the CBI, it has enough proof to nail Mr Vijayan, the then Power Minister, who had presided over the crucial decision to award the power contract to SNC Lavalin.
The CBI argument is that it was after discussions with a delegation headed by Mr Vijayan in October 1996 that a contract for technical services signed seven months before was converted into a contract for the supply of goods and services for the renovation of Pallivasal, Sengulam and Panniar power stations.
What was originally a contract for Rs 17.89 crore in February 1996 swelled to Rs 169 crore by October of the same year, barely four months after Mr Vijayan assumed charge as power minister. Such decisions have the active involvement of the political executive and could not have been clinched by bureaucrats. Strangely the High Court had directed officials to face the trial, sparing the minister.
