Vigilance says case cannot be filed against CM Vijayan and Veena as there no proofs in Kuzhalnadan's plea

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The interim report filed at the Vigilance Special Vigilance Court states that a case cannot be filed against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his daughter Veena.

The court considered the petition filed by Mathew Kuzhalnadan demanding an investigation into the multi-crore rupee mineral sand mining corruption under the guise of the Disaster Management Act. "The petition is not legally maintainable. There is no sufficient evidence in the complaint to prove the allegations made in the complaint. Not a single section of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been adduced in the petition. A similar complaint is pending in the High Court," the report reads. The detailed argument on the petition will be heard on May 27.

CMRL owner SN Sasidharan Karta along with his daughter, CMRL, KMML, Indian Rare Earths and Exalogic are the opposing parties in the case.

CMRL owner Sasidharan Kartha bought land for mineral sand mining in hTrikunnapuzha and Arattu Puzha, but the mining permit was not given due to a 2004 state order and central laws. It is alleged in the petition that Veena is entering into an agreement with CMRL in a situation where Kartha's efforts to obtain exemption for land under the Kerala Land Acquisition Act have also failed and after this the Chief Minister directly intervened and directed the Revenue Department to re-examine Kartha's application.

Millions of ilmenite and 85,000 tonnes of rutile were mined from the mouth of Thottapalli spillway in the guise of 2018 floods for 'protecting' the people of Kuttanad. According to the petition, CMRL is procuring these from KMML at a rate of Rs 464 per cubic meter, even though the mining permit belongs to the government-owned KMML.