'No corruption in the Brahmapuram case?' Court raps vigilance, dismisses petition seeking acquittal of first accused

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The court expressed surprise at the Vigilance stance after the department filed a petition to exclude the first accused and former KSEB chairman R. Narayanan in the Brahmapuram corruption case.

“Did the Vigilance feel that the accused did not commit the crime now, after 11 years?” The Thiruvananthapuram Special Vigilance Court asked prosecutor Veena Satheesan. The court also asked whether the Vigilance thinks that there was no corruption in the Brahmapuram case. The Vigilance will now have to submit a detailed report explaining the circumstances that led to the exclusion of the accused. The court expressed surprise at the exclusion of the first accused despite Vigilance admitting to corruption. The court questioned how the petition was filed to exclude only the first accused in such a big corruption case. The prosecutor filed the petition to exclude the accused using the government's discretion. This Brahmapuram case had created a lot of controversy in state politics.

Case recommended for trial

A petition was filed after 11 years in a case that was recommended for trial by the High Court, seeking the exclusion of the first accused

Vigilance found that corruption took place in the agreement made with the French company SEMT Pielstick to install a diesel power generator in Brahmapuram.

12 accused

The 12 accused are former KSEB chairmen Narayanan and Y.R. Murthy, former KSEB member R. Sivadasan, former Chief Engineer C.J. Bertram Netto, former Electricity Minister C.V. Padmarajan, the French company's agent in India Debagish Majumdar, company representatives Alfred Hirsch and Andhra Obis, SEMT Pielstick Company, and KSEB members M.K. Parameswaran Nair, G. Krishnakumar, and S. Janardhana Pillai.