Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Monday came down heavily on the Pinarayi Vijayan government for refusing to grant sanction to the CBI to prosecute two key accused in the multi-crore Cashew Development Corporation corruption case.
The Single Bench asked why the government was “protecting the corrupt” and warned that it would be compelled to record such an observation in its order if the state government continued its present stance.
The criticism was directed at the government’s decision to deny prosecution sanction for former Corporation chairman and Congress leader R. Chandrasekharan, and former Managing Director P.A. Ratheesh.
The Bench observed that a government committed to the rule of law should not be seen shielding individuals facing serious corruption allegations.
The petition challenging the denial of a sanction will be taken up again next week.
The CBI had earlier sought permission to prosecute the two after identifying large-scale irregularities in cashew imports, estimated at around Rs 500 crore.
The investigation covered transactions between 2006 and 2015, following a High Court directive that handed over the case to the central agency.
After nearly five years of inquiry, the CBI reportedly found substantial financial discrepancies and submitted its final report, prompting the request for sanctions.
While the High Court had once quashed the state government’s earlier refusal and asked it to reconsider the matter within 45 days, the Industries Department — upon re-examination — again rejected the CBI’s plea.
In the latest order denying sanction, the government argued that the CBI had failed to produce any new evidence beyond what was already available in its original report.
The state government contended that although the agency had pointed to procedural lapses and administrative errors in procurement, it could not establish that the accused had derived any illegal benefit, misused official position, or acted with criminal intent.
The CBI, however, maintains that the scale and pattern of the irregularities warrant prosecution.
With the High Court’s sharp criticism now on record, the state government will face renewed scrutiny when the matter is heard again next week.
(IANS)
