Kerala High Court seeks time-frame in ex-minister K Babu's case

KOCHI: The high court on Tuesday has asked the vigilance director to submit a time-frame for submitting the final report in the case connected with former minister K. Babu on amassment of wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income. The court has directed the vigilance director to inform the court on how many more days it will take for completing the final report. 

The counsel for the vigilance told the court that a reply from the vigilance director will be submitted on Monday. The court made this directive in a petition filed by Baburam, allegedly, a benami of Babu, seeking to quash the case against him. The investigation official had submitted that the probe is on the final stages and sought another two months for the submission of the final report.

The counsel for Baburam however objected this and then the court has asked the vigilance director to provide a time-frame for submitting the final report.  Mr Babu meanwhile failed to appear before Special Cell of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) for giving a statement on Tuesday. The probe team had served a notice to Mr Babu to appear in front of the VACB last week.  

VACB sources said the former minister had sited medical reasons for his inability to appear before the probe team. “We will wait for a couple of days more before serving him with a fresh notice”, an official said.  The VACB had registered a case against Babu in 2016 and along with two of his friends Baburam and Mohanan as co-accused in the case.