Vigilance finds no scope to quiz chief secretary S M Vijayanand, R Sreelekha

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau is learnt to have informed the Vigilance Court here that there was no scope to prosecute ADGP (Prisons) R. Sreelekha in connection with a set of irregularities alleged against her pertaining to her tenure as transport commissioner. The allegations that chief secretary S.M. Vijayanand deliberately delayed actions against Sreelekha were also disproved in the Vigilance probe.

Meanwhile, it is also learnt that the VACB had pointed out that several acts of Ms Sreelekha pertaining to the allegations were unbecoming of a senior officer. Vigilance special investigation unit-I circle inspector T. Shyamlal filed the quick verification report before the Inquiry Commissioner and Special Court (Vigilance) here on Friday. The court will consider the report on February 1. ADGP Tomin Thachankary, who succeeded Ms Sreelekha as transport commissioner, had sent a report to the government about the alleged irregularities by her.

However, in her statement to the Vigilance, Ms Sreelekha was learnt to have said that Mr Thachankary had personal grudge against her and hence he had raised 'baseless allegations' against her. The VACB initiated the quick verification on the basis of a petition filed by private litigant Paichira Navaz. As many as 12 allegations involving financial irregularities to the tune of Rs 3 crore were raised against Ms Sreelekha.

They included the use of Ms Sreelekha's official phone and vehicle by her husband while she went on foreign tour. The phone bill went up to Rs 25,000. However, Ms Sreelekha later repaid the phone bill as well as the expenditure incurred on using the vehicle. While it was also alleged that a road in front of the ADGP's residence at Vazhuthacaud in Thiruvananthapuram was repaired using road safety funds, the VACB found that it was done as per a recommendation of the city corporation. Pertaining to the allegation that the chief secretary deliberately delayed the report, the VACB found that the delay was caused by a general slowdown in file movements during the course of change of government in the state.