Oommen Chandy drags Saritha Nair to Kerala HC over letter' claiming sexual abuse
Kochi: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Friday filed a defamation case before the Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Court against two news channels and Saritha S. Nair for broadcasting a ‘fake’ letter alleging that Mr Chandy had sex with her at his official residence.
“The channels and Saritha are trying to antagonise the complainant and are trying to project him before the general public as an unworthy individual,” he argued. Such acts of the accused amount to defamation, he said. Saritha had taken a stand before the High Court that the letter written by her was only a communication made by her to her counsel and that the same was a privileged communication.
The CM asked the channels to produce the news reports as well as the letter aired by them. One news channel, ‘Kairali TV,’ is an establishment of the CPM, an arch rival of the Congress. He further contended that the letter was a newly drafted one made at the instance of the adversaries of the complainant to tarnish the image and reputation of the complainant and to ensure that the UDF fails in the elections.
Read: Saritha Nair may have to produce letter
Mr Chandy contended, “On April 3, Saritha and others released a truncated letter stating that she was raped by the complainant in his official residence, Cliff House, Thiruvana-nthapuram. Common sense fails to comprehend as to how such an incident can occur in the Cliff House, where the complainant is residing with his family and several security guards,” he said.
Saritha was arrested in the solar scam in which she is accused in more than 32 cases. After she got bail in the case, she started blackmailing several innocent politicians. However, truth prevailed on all occasions and the ministry and its members were unscathed by such false accusations, he stated.
She was subjected to comprehensive and exhaustive cross- examinations by various counsel and by the Solar Judicial Commission. Nowhere in her cross-examination or her statement did she allege any acts of immorality by the complaint.
The commission even asked Saritha to produce the letter she allegedly wrote in judicial custody. But she challenged the same before the High Court and the matter is still pending before the court.
Mr Chandy said that his inquiries revealed that such a letter was never written by Saritha while in jail as claimed by her and that the same was drafted later in conjunction with the news channels and Saritha who had definite political intentions to ensure that the complainant is defamed.
Saritha was silent on abuse earlier
DC Correspondent
Kochi, April 8
She was subjected to comprehensive and exhaustive cross- examinations by various counsel and by the Solar Judicial Commission. Nowhere in her cross-examination or her statement did she allege any acts of immorality by the complaint. The commission even asked Saritha to produce the letter she allegedly wrote in judicial custody. But she challenged the same before the High Court and the matter is still pending before the court.
Mr Chandy said that his inquiries revealed that such a letter was never written by Saritha while in jail as claimed by her and that the same was drafted later in conjunction with the news channels and Saritha who had definite political intentions to ensure that the complainant is defamed.
