Lakhs paid for a favourable verdict: Rauf

KOCHI: In yet another controversy in the ice cream parlour case, it has come to light that K A Rauf, co-brother of Industry Minister P K Kunhalikutty, deposed that Justice K Thankappan and Justice K Narayana Kurup were together paid an amount of `30 lakh for issuing orders favouring Kunhalikutty in the case.According to the deposition, the then Advocate General M K Damodaran was paid `32.5 lakh for filing an affidavit in favour of the accused. 

Rauf had stated that Justice Thankappan and Judge Sathyan read out verdicts prepared by those connected with the accused. Justice Thankappan was paid `25 lakh for getting four orders in favour of the accused, Advocate General M K Damodaran was given `32.5 lakh and Justice Narayana Kurup was given `5 lakh through his son-in-law, Rauf said in his deposition. 

He had also stated that Kunhalikutty had scuttled the Kothamangalam sex case. “Justice Kurup, who had dismissed a plea for CBI probe into the ice cream case, was given `5 lakh for a favourable judgment,” Rauf said adding that the money was given through Sunny, son-in-law of Justice Kurup. Sunny was contacted through former ADGP K C Peter.   In his deposition, Rauf said that Kunhalikutty was willing to give anything for blocking a CBI inquiry.  



When the case came up in the Supreme Court,the State as well as the police were asked to file affidavits. At that time, the then Advocate General M K Damodaran was contacted, Rauf said adding that he along with Kunhalikkutty had met Damodaran at least 10 to 30 times.Though Damodaran wanted Kunhalikutty to close a loan liability of `69 lakhs for Malabar Aqua Farm Ltd in which his wife had a share, a settlement was reached by giving him `32.5 lakh.   Later, when the case was filed in the JFCM court, K V Joseph was appointed prosecutor and the order to incorporate his name in the panel was obtained from the department.

The case came up before Judge Sudheer, who had mentioned the name of Kunhalikkutty at seven places, Rauf deposed.  Additional Advocate General Beeran was contacted to shift the case from Judge Sudheer. When the appeals for shifting the case came up before Justice Thankappan, the draft order for Thankappan was prepared by Advocate Anil Thomas, Special Government Pleader to Advocate General. Later, the case was shifted to Sathyan, Principal Sub-judge. 

Judge Satyan was also paid `20 lakh for the judgment in their favour, he deposed. Prosecutor Anoop Kishan was given a questionnaire to be asked to the witnesses. “All the witnesses were taught on the basis of the questionnaire in the house of Majeed at Chalappuram,” Rauf said. When the girls were scared of deposing, Kunhalikkutty accompanied him to meet the girls and assured that everything had been arranged through the judge, Rauf’s deposition said.

Of the total, `36 lakh given to five girls, `11 lakh was given to Rejina, who had mentioned Kunhalikutty’s name in the affidavit. Immediately after the trial at Kozhikode court, she was admitted to Vivek Mental Hospital. Rejula, who had also named Kunhalikutty, was given `3,15,000.Rauf deposed that he along with Kunhalikutty went to Potta to meet  Fr Panakkal regarding the Kothamangalam case. After a closed door meeting with Fr Panakkal, Kunhalikkutty asked him to pay `1 lakh and that everything had been settled.  Rauf alleged that even members of NHRC were bribed.