SC notice to Kerala CM in graft case

The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notice to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and others on a CBI plea against their discharge in the SNC-Lavalin corruption case.

A bench of Justice N.V. Ramana and Justice S. Abdul Nazeer also stayed trial in the case pertaining to an agreement with Canadian firm SNC-Lavalin in 1997 to repair three generators, which allegedly caused a loss of Rs 266 crore to the exchequer.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had moved the top court to challenge a Kerala High Court order that discharged Vijayan and six others while allowing the trial of the remaining three accused -- who are Kerala State Electricity Board officials.

The matter related to 1997 when Vijayan was Power Minister in Kerala.

The three accused, who were asked to face trial, too moved the top court to challenge the High Court's order.

On November 5, 2013, a CBI court in the state capital exonerated all the accused, without taking up the case for trial.

However, a year later, the CBI filed a revision petition against the CBI court's exoneration of the accused.

--IANS

pk/tsb/dg