NEW DELHI: The CBI has started an investigation in the solar sexual abuse case. Steps to collect preliminary information have started. As part of it, the CBI has asked the plaintiff to appear at the office in New Delhi. The state government had earlier handed over the case to the CBI.

The government issued notification handing over the case arraigning former chief minister Oommen Chandy, congress leaders K C Venugopal, Adoor Prakash, Hibi Eden, A P Anil Kumar and BJP national vice-president A P Abdullakutty, to the CBI.

The complainant had lodged a complaint to the chief minister stating that there was no progress in police investigation in the case. Following this, the government handed over the probe to the CBI. The complaint was that the plaintiff and the accused in the solar case was sexually assaulted in several places including official residences. The complaint was lodged in 2016. The report of the Justice Sivarajan Commission appointed by the government to probe the incident also mentioned sexual abuse.

There was a great political uproar after the case was left to the CBI ahead of the assembly elections. The UDF alleged that the government opposing central agencies including the CBI in gold smuggling and life mission deal, took a different decision in solar case eyeing assembly polls.