Thiruvananthapuram: In a major setback to former chief minister Oommen Chandy, a local court in Bangalore ordered him and five others to repay Rs 1.6 crore collected for a solar project. According to sources, Mr Chandy is the fifth of the six accused in a case filed by businessman M.K. Kuruvila. The Bangalore city additional civil and sessions court directed the accused to pay Rs 1,60,85,700 to Kuruvila within six months.
Meanwhile, Mr. Chandy said in a statement that the court had not heard his version in the case and that it was an ex parte order. “After I got a notice regarding the case earlier, I engaged a lawyer. But thereafter no notices were received. I am sure that I could prove my innocence in the case. Further steps in this regard will be initiated soon,” he said. The petitioner had alleged that Rs 1.35 crore was collected from him by a firm named SCOSSA educational consultants in different instalments during 2011-12.
He got convinced about the project after Mr. Chandy, who was the then chief minister, assured him over phone that the centre's subsidy could be availed of for the project. Mr Chandy allegedly spoke to Kuruvila over the phone of his former gunman Salim Raj. The others accused in the case included the private firm's managing director Bindu Nair, one Andrews of Puthupalli who was said to be a cousin of Mr Chandy and Diljith, who was a director of the private firm. Diljith was also said to be a personal secretary of Mr Chandy. Private firms SCOSSA educational consultants and SCOSSA consultants are arraigned as first and sixth accused respectively.
The court also awarded 12 percent interest on the Rs. 1.35 crore to the petitioner. Meanwhile, CPM leader V.S. Achuthanandan has asked Mr Chandy to end his political life and apologise to the people in the wake of the adverse court verdict in the solar case. In a statement here, Mr Achuthanandan said the court verdict had vindicated the allegations raised by the LDF in connection with the solar case. Many more verdicts in the solar case are expected to follow soon, he said. He said the LDF charge that Mr Chandy’s statement before the solar commission was totally false had now been found to be true.
