Tejaswani graft case: BJP, UDF join hands to maintain status quo

Thiruvananthapuram: In a first for the Council, Congress and BJp joined hands to vote against the suspension of the senior clerk in the Tejaswini case. However it did not reach its logical conclusion, as LDF’s Palayam Rajan raised a point of order, asking whether the council’s ratification was needed on a decision made using the Mayor’s executive powers. There was another first – Appeal Standing Committee Chairperson Simi Jeothish, who has never spoken in the council before, said that she was ready to face any investigation. Interestingly, the LDF, which seemed to insist upon a vigilance inquiry into the Tejaswini issue, avoided any decision on that – following a 2-hour-long debate. The LDF has been alleging corruption in Simi Jeothish deciding to levy lesser tax on the annual rent of Technopark’s Tejaswini building.

It was a procedural lapse, as the power to make such a decision is vested with the Mayor, not the committee chairperson. Committee Clerk K R Mohanan Nair was suspended following the inquiry, as he had allegedly failed to inform the revenue section about the decision. He challenged it in the Administrative Tribunal, which directed his appeal to the council. It was this communication from the tribunal that Palayam Rajan wanted clarity on. He asked whether the tribunal wanted the council’s ratification on the Mayor’s decision, or it only wanted the council to be informed about the decision.

The LDF, on Thursday, argued that the appeal standing committee could not directly issue an order to a complainant. They said that the clerk should inform the revenue section, who should issue an order. The order would be sent to the complainant via the Secretary, or an official appointed by the Secretary, they said. UDF’s D Anil Kumar, Johnson Joseph and V R Sini said that a government official should not be cornered. Sini, who is also a member of the appeal standing committee, said that there should be an investigation.