Thiruvananthapuram: In a major setback to Congress-led UDF, Cabinet on Wednesday initiated vigilance probe against former chief minister Oommen Chandy, former power minister Aryadan Mohammed and Mr Chandy's aides for cheating solar case accused Saritha S Nair and colluding with her in cheating her customers.
Former home minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan will face criminal charges for shielding Mr Chandy from a criminal probe. The Cabinet also constituted a special investigation team headed by DGP Rajesh Dewan to probe Mr Chandy, Mr Mohammed, former ministers Adoor Prakash and A. P. Anil Kumar, K. C. Venugopal and Jose K. Mani, both MPs, and Hibi Eden, MLA, for rape, sexual harassment and outraging the modesty of women based on Ms Nair's letter of July 17, 2013. The Cabinet took these decisions based on the recommendations of Justice Sivarajan Commission which probed the solar fraud case and the legal opinion received from the advocate general and director general of prosecutions on the action to be taken.
The commission report along with action taken report will be tabled in Assembly within six months. With the commission finding Mr Chandy had personally and through others received bribes, cases would be registered under relevant provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act against Mr Chandy and others.
Petitions will be filed in the courts concerned for further investigation against Mr Chandy and his personal staff Tenny Joppen, Jikkumon Jacob and gunman Salim Raj.
A case will also be registered and probe initiated by the SIT against the then power minister Aryadan Mohammed whom the commission found had helped Ms Nair illegally.
