Kerala High Court adjourns Lavalin case to March 9
Court holds that petitioner has no right to intrude into criminal proceedings.
Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Thursday dismissed a plea filed by M.R. Ajayan of Kochi seeking speedy disposal of the CBI’s revision petition in the Lavalin case. The court held that the petitioner has no right to intrude into the criminal proceedings and posted the final hearing to March 9. The CBI counsel submitted that they were ready to argue the case on February 21. Counsel for the respondents, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, however, sought adjournment. Ajayan argued that the case had been adjourned several times earlier on some pretext.
The discharged accused wanted to delay the hearing on the petition so that evidence would be lost by the time the case was heard, the petitioner argued. The case relates to the award of supply contract to a Canadian company - SNC Lavlin Inc.-- for renovation and modernisation (R&M) of three hydro-electric projects, Pallivasal, Sengulam and Panniar, by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) in total violation of the rules and regulations at an exorbitant rate. Mr Pinarayi Vijayan was the then power minister.
The Thiruvananthapuram CBI court had discharged Mr Vijayan and others in the case. The other accused discharged along with Mr Vijayan were former principal secretary (power) K. Mohanachandran, KSEB former member (accounts) K. G. Rajasekharan Nair, KSEB former chairman R. Sivadasan, former chief engineer (generation) M. Kasthuriranga Iyer, KSEB former chairman Siddhartha Menon and former joint secretary (power) A.Francis.
Bid to delay trial, says Chennithala
Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala has alleged that the CPM was trying to delay the trial in the SNC Lavalin case involving Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
“Additional solicitor-general Natarajan did not appear in the High Court when the trial was scheduled to be taken up,” Mr Chennithala told reporters here on Thursday. He doubted that there was an attempt to destroy the case.
He asked the government to disclose the exact location of the proposed Sabarimala airport as it had deputed the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) to study the details. Mr Chennithala said it was improper for the government to remove Susheela Bhat as counsel of the Harrison Malayalam case. The administration in the state had been paralysed after the LDF government assumed power, he alleged. He also said the Forward Block had approached the UDF to join it.