Insta
Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan (Pic: Twitter)
Kerala's Lokayukta has admitted a complaint alleging misuse of Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) and has reportedly sent a notice to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, reports The Indian Express.
A bench comprising Lokayukta Justice Pius C Kuriakose, and Upa-Lokayukta Justices K P Balachandran and A K Basheer on 15 January, admitted a complaint filed by RS Sashi Kumar.
Reports suggest that was a disagreement among the Lokayukta and one of the Upa-Lokayukta regarding the jurisdiction to probe disbursement of assistance from CMDRF, however, the bench was constituted after deliberations.
The bench decided that the Lokayukta can admit the complaint and has ordered that notices be sent to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his Cabinet colleagues.
However, while admitting the complaint, Lokayukta did clarify that it had not found any of the party guilty of the allegations levelled. It said that it was only seen that there was a warrant for admitting the complaint and conducting an investigation on whether anybody is guilty.
The complaint has alleged favouritism in sanctioning financial aid from the fund to late NCP leader Uzhavoor Vijayan, late CPI(M) MLA K K Ramachandran Nair and to the family of Praveen, a civil police officer who died in an accident while undertaking escort duty for ruling CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.
The complainant has sought disqualification of the chief minister and the other ministers for misusing the fund.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest