Kerala CM gets HC relief in ₹374cr SNCLavalin case

The Kerala high court gave a clean chit to state chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan in a 20 -year-old corruption case on Wednesday and slammed the CBI for making the Left leader a ‘scapegoat’.

Rejecting probe agency’s petition challenging Vijayan’s acquittal in the ₹374-crore SNCLavalin scam, the court said the CM cannot be held accountable for the loss to the exchequer and there was no evidence to prove that he made financial gains from the deal.

The court’s verdict appears to give credence to opposition parties’ charge that the CBI was often used by those in power at the Centre to settle scores with political rivals.

The case pertains to an agreement with SNC-Lavalin in 1996 — when Vijayan was the power minister — to repair three hydel projects, which allegedly caused hundreds of crore to the state exchequer.

“I am really happy truth has finally prevailed. There were many attempts to tarnish me and my party. The verdict will give me enough strength to carry out more people-friendly measures,” Vijayan said.

In 2013, a special court had exonerated him in the case that was later challenged by the CBI in the high court. The latest verdict will help Vijayan gain ground and weaken the position of his arch-rival and former CM V S Achuthanandan, who often used this case to attack him. HTC