Kochi/ Thiruvananthapuram: A decision on who is going to be the representative of the NCP in the state cabinet is likely to be clear by Tuesday with the P.S. Antony Commission, probing the sleaze talk between former minister A. K. Saseendran and a woman TV reporter, set to submit the report on Tuesday. Sources said that the Commission would hand over the report to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. If Saseendran is given a clean chit by the Commission, he would be eligible to become a minister again. The NCP leadership has already made it clear that whoever gets a clean chit first, Saseendran or Chandy, he would be the party nominee in the Pinarayi Vijayan ministry.
Saseendran quit in March following the telecast of the audio clip containing his sex chat with the lady. Thomas Chandy, the other NCP MLA who succeeded him, was forced to submit his papers on Wednesday in the wake of allegations of encroaching government land and backwaters. The Commission has prepared the report after examining 60 documents and collecting evidence from 17 persons. Saseendran appeared before the Commission twice. Although the deadline for submitting the report was on December 31, the Commission completed its work more than a month ago.
The Commission report will be crucial for the fortunes of Saseendran and Chandy. Meanwhile, the woman who raised the allegations against Saseendran has already approached the High Court seeking permission for withdrawing the case. In her petition, she stated that the matter was settled out-of-court. The HC is scheduled to hear the matter on November 24. When asked about the prospects of Saseendran’s return to the ministry, NCP state president T P Peethambaran Master said that all these matters would be discussed after the Commission submits its report.
“We cannot pre-empt what are the findings of the Commission. There is also a petition before the high court. We will have to wait for the resolution of all these issues before taking a call on the next minister,” he said. When contacted, Saseendran said that he had appeared before the Commission twice. On the possibility of coming back to the ministry, the Alathur MLA said, “This is a lengthy process. We have no idea about the conclusions of the judicial panel. So I cannot say anything on the future possibilities,” he said.
