Solar scam: Probe panel indicts Chandy; former Kerala CM cries foul

Former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Thursday said he does not rule out foul play in preparation of the solar judicial probe report in which he has been indicted. The 1,000 page report was tabled at a special session of the state assembly.

Chandy added that the final victory would be his when the case is finally disposed of.

The report by Justice G. Sivarajan (retd) includes four volumes in English and one in Malayalam, reports IANS.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tabled the report in the Kerala Assembly on Thursday morning and copies of it were given to all the legislators and also to the media.

The allegations regarding the multi-crore solar energy investment fraud that rocked the then Chandy government in 2013 were led by Saritha Nair and her live-in partner Biju Radhakrishnan.

The findings of the report indict Chandy and his office and the way his three office staff had close links with Saritha Nair.

In his hour-long press conference at the state party headquarters here, Chandy said that certain things that have surfaced after the report was submitted last month arouse suspicion.

“I feel there has been lack of transparency on the part of the Left government after the report was submitted. We know the general norm in any commission once it submits its report is that it has to be signed on all the pages. But in this case, it has come to light that one volume was signed by the commission later after the report was submitted,” said Chandy.

The report has recommended for action against Chandy for involving in corruption and also sexually exploiting Saritha Nair.

The Congress leader said the commission also in its report has included the same letter of Saritha Nair in two volumes and “one suspects if this was a Solar commission or a Saritha commission”.

It is in this letter that Saritha Nair accuses Chandy and several of his party leaders of sexually exploiting her.

“The letter that was included is not the 21-page letter which she had written in jail as was seen by the then Jails Director General of police Alexander Jacob. Even Saritha herself had testified before the commission that my name does not figure in the letter. But things have changed and now we see a 25-page letter that has been put in the commission report. How did this happen?” asked Chandy.

Chandy said that even if one per cent of the allegations that have surfaced in the report is true, he will quit public life.