Kochi: The hopes of Mr A.K. Saseendran for an early return as minister suffered a setback as the High Court has posted the hearing to December 12 on the plea filed by the complainant seeking permission for withdrawal of the complaint in connection with the honey trap incident. The court on Tuesday said the complaint can be permitted to be withdrawn only after examining the entire gamut in connection with the allegations. The court also called for the submission of the terms of reference of the judicial commission that probed the matter. The commission has already submitted its report to the state government.
NCP president T.P. Peethamabaran told reporters that the party will wait for the decision of the court. Mr Saseendran said that nobody was delaying the case deliberately. “It is not possible to delay the case in a deliberate manner,” he said.
The woman complainant in her plea stated that she had filed the case on the basis of a misunderstanding and that the matter has been resolved out of court. The court, however, said that there were legal hurdles in withdrawing the case charged by the police based on a complaint submitted in the magistrate court directly by the complainant. The matter has to be examined in its totality, the court said.
The Mahila Morcha has meanwhile filed a petition pleading that permission should not be given to withdraw the case. Two others also filed similar petitions. Mr Saseendran and the complainant are expected to file counter affidavits against these petitions. The P.S. Antony commission which probed the incident has exonerated Mr Saseendran and said that he was trapped in the incident. Mr Saseendran was forced to quit as transport minister after a television channel broadcast a sleaze talk conducted by him with a woman reporter of the channel.
