Supreme Court tells VS Achuthanandan not to use court to settle scores

New Delhi: Observing that courts cannot be used as a forum to settle political scores, the Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a special leave petition from former Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan challenging the rejection of his plea for a CBI probe into the alleged role of former minister P.K. Kunhalikutty in the ‘Ice Cream Parlour case.’

Though the LDF government in Kerala faced an embarrassment when his counsel R. Sathish insisted that the role of ex-minister must be probed, Kerala’s senior counsel K.K. Venugopal opposed Mr Achuthanandan’s plea stating that this case had witnessed five rounds of litigation. Mr Venugopal submitted that Mr Kunhalikutty was not an accused at all and the petitioner has filed the petition based on a statement made by the co-brother of Mr Kunhalikutty. He said most of those accused had been acquitted and a closure report has been filed in the Magistrate’s court, who is looking into the matter.  

CJI told Mr Sathish “petitioner is a politician. The ex-minister is politician. Somebody makes a statement and you jump into the fray. You are fighting this legal battle in the court to settle your personal scores. You want Supreme Court to allot time to decide this political vendetta? The matter is pending in magistrate court. You (petitioner) can argue before it. Why should we look into this case at all when magistrate is hearing the case?"

According to Mr Achuthanandan, the ex-minister Kunhalikutty and others had hatched a conspiracy and influenced the witnesses, created false evidence and forged documents to save Mr Kunhalikutty from the case. He said the SIT was constituted by the previous LDF government, but the Congress led government came to power Mr Kunhalikutty went on to become a minister and since then there is no progress in the investigation. This was because of the power wielded by the Minister.

Mr Sathish drew the court’s attention to the inquiry report and said they accept that money has been exchanged for acquittal but they don’t know the quantum of money. The petitioner said that despite the constitution of the SIT, the Kerala High Court thought fit to monitor the same because the then police chief Jacob Punnose who was biased, destroyed the legal sanctity of whole procedure for ensuring a fair and impartial investigation.

He said it has come to notice that the monitoring by High Court has been made an empty formality due to the interference in the SIT investigation by others. There is clinching evidence to show that Mr. Jacob Punnose had interfered with investigation conducted by the SIT while monitoring by the High Court.

Kerala to amend law to give VSA post
Amid reports that Marxist veteran V.S. Achutanandan is set to be appointed Chairman of Kerala Administrative Reforms Commission, the LDF government  on Monday decided to amend the relevant law to confer him the post with cabinet rank.

A draft bill to amend the law related to the commission was approved by the state cabinet which met here. The bill is envisaged to make necessary amendments in the present law to remove technical obstacles to confer Achutanandan the post with cabinet rank.