Kerala HC orders issue of notice to Chidambaram in lottery case

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday ordered an issue of notice to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on a public interest suit seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged irregularities in the sale and distribution of lotteries of other states in Kerala.

The order was issued by a bench comprising Chief Justice J Chelameswar and P R Ramachandran Menon. The suit by one SivanKutty, claimed that in some cases, Chidambaram’s law firm and his wife, Nalini, had appeared for promoters of other state lotteries. The notice will be served to Chidambaram through the Lok Sabha Speaker. The bench also ordered issue of notice to Central and state governments, CBI, Director of Bhutan Lottery and the state of Sikkim. Admitting a petition by Congress MLA V D Sateeshan, pleading for a CBI probe, the bench criticised the Centre for not initiating any action on the basis of a letter sent on the issue by the state Chief Minister.

“The ball is in the court of the Centre. The Central government has to take action in this regard,” the bench observed.

“The matter requires examination. An MLA of the ruling party in the Central government had to approach the court for intervention in the matter,” it said.

When senior counsel for the Sikkim government disputed the petition’s maintainability, stating the vigilance report preferred by the petitioner was considered by the High Court in its 2006 judgement, the court said “There is something more than vigilance report in the Chief Minister’s letter”. The state government said it had not sought the dismissal of the petition and was for a CBI probe. It said public interest and reasons cited by the petitioner were “not bonafide”.