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.