PAYYANUR: Congress workers are cross over the UDF leadership’s plans to give Payyanur seat to RSP. It is said that the RSP and the UDF are likely to swap Kaipamangalam (Thrissur district) and Payyannur (Kannur district) seats.
The Congress workers in Payyanur have publically stated that they are not going to accept the above seat arrangement. It is reported that RSP Kannur district secretary Illikkal Agasthy may contest from Payyanur. Most Congress leaders and workers here say that they will never ever allow a non-Congress man to contest from Payyanur. They feel that allowing a non-Congress man to contest from Payyanur that has a legacy identified with National Freedom movement will be equivalent to deceiving the people of Payyanur.
Payyanur today woke up to sights of posters against the Congress leadership’s move to give the seat to the RSP. The posters have appeared in the name of Save Congress. Congress Payyanur constituency president K Jayaraj and Congress workers are even planning to tender a mass resignation and field a Congress man in Payyanur, if the chief minister and the Congress leadership are not intervening to solve the above crisis.
HC declines to stay vigilance case against K M Mani
KOCHI: In a setback to Kerala Congress (M) leader and former state finance minister K M Mani ahead of the Assembly polls, the Kerala High Court on Friday refused to stay proceedings against him in the bar bribery case pending in the Vigilance Court in Thiruvananthapuram.
Justice P D Rajan rejected the plea of 82-year-old Mani seeking to stay the proceedings against him till the state Crime Branch files an inquiry report in a case against a Vigilance Superintendent of Police accused of conducting a false probe in the bar bribery case involving the KC-M leader.
Mani argued that SP R Sukeshan, the Investigating Officer in the case, is accused of instigating Kerala Bar Hotel Association Working President Biju Ramesh to level allegations against four state ministers in the bar bribery scam related to renewal of licences of the liquor bars.
The vigilance case was filed based on the allegation by Ramesh that Mani had accepted Rs one crore for renewing licences of more than 400 bar hotels.
Refusing to stay the proceedings against Mani, who resigned as minister after the vigilance case was registered last year, the judge came down heavily on police for the manner of investigation being conducted in both the bar bribery scandal and the conspiracy case against Sukeshan.
Directing the police to file a detailed counter affidavit in the petition filed by Mani, he said there was no urgency in this matter and deferred to May 19 for further consideration. The court also refused repeated prayer by Mani’s counsel to post the case for consideration during the vacation.
When Mani’s counsel contended that the case against the former minister was false, Justice Rajan orally asked, “How can your own police register a false case against a powerful minister?”
The Vigilance Court, Thiruvananthapuram will consider the case against Mani on April 16, exactly a month before the state goes to Assembly polls.
The high court observed that no efforts have been taken by the probe agency to ascertain the authenticity of electronic data collected during investigation in the case against the Vigilance SP with regard to the allegations against his investigation in the bar bribery scandal.
While Mani’s petition came up for hearing on Thursday, Justice Rajan had directed the Crime Branch to submit the progress of investigation conducted against Sukeshan.
Though some attempts were made by the petitioner to show scientific records to prove his charge against Sukeshan, the court observed that it was not admissible as Forensic Science Laboratory in Thiruvananthapuram was not equipped to carry out such a scientific probe.
The court also observed that no material has been collected so far in the conspiracy case against Sukeshan. Mani is set to seek election from his home constituency Pala in Kottayam in the May 16 Assembly polls.
Justice P D Rajan rejected the plea of 82-year-old Mani seeking to stay the proceedings against him till the state Crime Branch files an inquiry report in a case against a Vigilance Superintendent of Police accused of conducting a false probe in the bar bribery case involving the KC-M leader.
Mani argued that SP R Sukeshan, the Investigating Officer in the case, is accused of instigating Kerala Bar Hotel Association Working President Biju Ramesh to level allegations against four state ministers in the bar bribery scam related to renewal of licences of the liquor bars.
The vigilance case was filed based on the allegation by Ramesh that Mani had accepted Rs one crore for renewing licences of more than 400 bar hotels.
Refusing to stay the proceedings against Mani, who resigned as minister after the vigilance case was registered last year, the judge came down heavily on police for the manner of investigation being conducted in both the bar bribery scandal and the conspiracy case against Sukeshan.
Directing the police to file a detailed counter affidavit in the petition filed by Mani, he said there was no urgency in this matter and deferred to May 19 for further consideration. The court also refused repeated prayer by Mani’s counsel to post the case for consideration during the vacation.
When Mani’s counsel contended that the case against the former minister was false, Justice Rajan orally asked, “How can your own police register a false case against a powerful minister?”
The Vigilance Court, Thiruvananthapuram will consider the case against Mani on April 16, exactly a month before the state goes to Assembly polls.
The high court observed that no efforts have been taken by the probe agency to ascertain the authenticity of electronic data collected during investigation in the case against the Vigilance SP with regard to the allegations against his investigation in the bar bribery scandal.
While Mani’s petition came up for hearing on Thursday, Justice Rajan had directed the Crime Branch to submit the progress of investigation conducted against Sukeshan.
Though some attempts were made by the petitioner to show scientific records to prove his charge against Sukeshan, the court observed that it was not admissible as Forensic Science Laboratory in Thiruvananthapuram was not equipped to carry out such a scientific probe.
The court also observed that no material has been collected so far in the conspiracy case against Sukeshan. Mani is set to seek election from his home constituency Pala in Kottayam in the May 16 Assembly polls.
Another Keralite’s name appears in Panama Papers
NEW DELHI: Another Keralite has been named in the Panama list of firms in tax havens.The Keralite identified as Bhaskaran Raveendran, native of Thiruvananthapuram, has been named in a massive leak of 11.5 million tax documents exposing their secret offshore dealings. He is the third Keralite named in the list.
George Mathew and Dinesh Parameswaran, natives of Thiruvananthapuram and Pathanamthitta Rani, are the other two included in the list.
The power of attorney of SVS Company operating in Russia is in Bhaskaran’s name. There are reports that the director board meeting of the company was convened at his house in the capital city.
Bhaskaran, a commerce graduate, had worked for the company for 20 years from 1991. He later shifted to Vietnam and worked for a company there for three years. He then returned back to the capital city in 2013.
Meantime, Bhaskaran has denied the news. He said that he had shares in the company while working in Russia. When I left the job, the shares were also given back, he said.
George Mathew and Dinesh Parameswaran, natives of Thiruvananthapuram and Pathanamthitta Rani, are the other two included in the list.
The power of attorney of SVS Company operating in Russia is in Bhaskaran’s name. There are reports that the director board meeting of the company was convened at his house in the capital city.
Bhaskaran, a commerce graduate, had worked for the company for 20 years from 1991. He later shifted to Vietnam and worked for a company there for three years. He then returned back to the capital city in 2013.
Meantime, Bhaskaran has denied the news. He said that he had shares in the company while working in Russia. When I left the job, the shares were also given back, he said.
Saritha refutes Fenny’s statement, challenges CM
KOCHI: Solar scam accused Saritha S Nair has refuted her former counsel Fenny Balakrishnan’s revelation that the letter purportedly written by her in which she had alleged sexual abuse by ministers including the chief minister is fake. She alleged on Thursday that Fenny had taken lakhs of money from leaders when she was in jail and she had proof for that.
She even challenged the chief minister to prove his charge that she was speaking untruth after taking money from his political foes. She also dared the chief minister to come out for lie-detector test.
She asked why there was no interest shown to probe charges against CM and telephonic conversations of Thampanoor Ravi and Benny Behannan.
Saritha said that she would make public videos to prove that her allegations related to leaders including the chief minister are true.
She added that the letter that was leaked recently was written by her.
Earlier, Fenny had said that the letter had many new additions and corrections made in a later stage. The sexual abuse charge made against the chief minister is fake as it was not mentioned in the original letter.
Three get Rigorous Imprisonment for raping Bangladeshi woman
KOZHIKODE: Three persons have been awarded Rigorous Imprisonment for kidnapping a Bangladeshi woman and subjecting her to gang-rape. Pronouncing the order, Erinjapalam Special Additional Sessions court also imposed a fine on the convicts from No 1 to 3 - A B Naufal (30) from Thrikkaripur, Suhail Thangal alias Bavakka (44) from Wayand his wife Sajitha alias Ambika (35).
Naufal was given eight-year imprisonment and asked to pay a fine of Rs 50,000. Suhail Thangal got five years’ imprisonment and his wife Ambika got three-year jail. Each was asked to pay a fine Rs 25000 also.
The convicts from No 4 to 8 – Siddique (25), Abdul Kareem (47), Riyaz (34), Abdu Rahman (45) and T K Moidu (45) were acquitted in the case.
According to the prosecution, the woman who had come to India to visit Haji Ali Majar Masjid after an estrangement with her husband was brought to an apartment in Eranjipalam after she was offered a highly-paid job. There she was eventually raped by five persons.
The first accused, A B Naufal, was the person who first came into contact with the woman on a train at Dumdum station on May 17. He is said to have sedated the woman after making her inhale some poisonous substance.
Later she was brought to the apartment of Suhair Thangal and Ambika at Eranjipalam on May 27. There she was locked up in a room and subjected to rape.
On May 28, she managed to escape the sex racket. Some locals, after coming to know about her plight, took her to Nadakkavu police station.
Naufal was given eight-year imprisonment and asked to pay a fine of Rs 50,000. Suhail Thangal got five years’ imprisonment and his wife Ambika got three-year jail. Each was asked to pay a fine Rs 25000 also.
The convicts from No 4 to 8 – Siddique (25), Abdul Kareem (47), Riyaz (34), Abdu Rahman (45) and T K Moidu (45) were acquitted in the case.
According to the prosecution, the woman who had come to India to visit Haji Ali Majar Masjid after an estrangement with her husband was brought to an apartment in Eranjipalam after she was offered a highly-paid job. There she was eventually raped by five persons.
The first accused, A B Naufal, was the person who first came into contact with the woman on a train at Dumdum station on May 17. He is said to have sedated the woman after making her inhale some poisonous substance.
Later she was brought to the apartment of Suhair Thangal and Ambika at Eranjipalam on May 27. There she was locked up in a room and subjected to rape.
On May 28, she managed to escape the sex racket. Some locals, after coming to know about her plight, took her to Nadakkavu police station.
No changes to be made in liquor policy, says Yechuri
NEW DELHI: If the LDF comes to power in the state, no changes would be made in the liquor policy, said CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechuri. Talking to reporters here, he said the bars closed by the UDF Government will not be opened.
Yechuri announced his stand when the UDF leaders reiterated that there is no clarity in the Left Front’s liquor policy. Yechury said abstinence is their policy. The party’s aim is to bring down liquor consumption. Party state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had clarified the stand on the liquor policy. The controversies over it is unnecessary, he added. The LDF is for abstinence, politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan had announced the other day.
Following that many including the chief minister had asked to clarify LDF’s liquor policy.
Yechuri announced his stand when the UDF leaders reiterated that there is no clarity in the Left Front’s liquor policy. Yechury said abstinence is their policy. The party’s aim is to bring down liquor consumption. Party state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had clarified the stand on the liquor policy. The controversies over it is unnecessary, he added. The LDF is for abstinence, politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan had announced the other day.
Following that many including the chief minister had asked to clarify LDF’s liquor policy.
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