Court orders further probe against K M Mani in bar scam

In fresh trouble for Kerala Congress (M) (KC-M) supremo K M Mani, a vigilance court on Saturday ordered further probe against him in the bar bribery scam but the former finance minister said he would face it courageously.

Special Vigilance Judge in Thiruvananthapuram, A Badaruddin, issued the direction for further investigation in the case, which had rocked the previous Oommen Chandy regime with Mani forced to quit as Finance Minister last year.

The order was issued on a petition by Vigilance Superintendent of Police S P Sukeshan under CrPC section 173 seeking further probe against Mani.

The fresh development comes days after Mani severed his three-decade old ties with the United Democratic Front (UDF) unhappy over being denied 'justice' by the Oommen Chandy government.

Mani, against whom first information report has been registered on the allegation that he was paid one crore rupees bribe for reopening closed bars, had to resign unceremoniously after an adverse remark by the Kerala high court in November 2015.

The case itself was a conspiracy by bar owners, he said, adding, audio tapes revealing the conspiracy had come out.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Left Democratic Front (LDF) even before coming to power had pointed out about "the shortcomings" in the investigation,while Communist Party of India (Marxist) veteran P Achutanandan wanted a comprehensive probe to be ordered on an attempt to sabotage the case during the UDF rule.

Questioning the superintendent of police credentials, Mani alleged, "Sukeshan was an officer who frequently contradicted his own reports. He is an officer without conscience."

He also wondered whether the present development was a sequel to his political decision to come out of the UDF.

KC-M has made it clear that it would keep equi-distance from the LDF, the UDF and the Bharatiya Janata Party. However, there were media reports that KC-M was warming up to the National Democratic Alliance and the LDF.

In his petition, Sukeshan, the official who had investigated the case earlier and filed two closure reports giving a clean chit to Mani, also stated that a former Vigilance Director had allegedly tried to sabotage the case by tampering with the case diary.

The case related to the allegation by Kerala State Bar Hotel Owners Association Working President Biju Ramesh that the association had paid Rs one crore bribe to Mani for getting favourable decision for reopening closed bars in 2013-14.

The previous closure report filed by Sukeshan has been challenged by then opposition leader Achuthanandan and is pending in court.