HC posts plea for stay on probe order against FM to Nov 9

Kerala High Court today declined to grant an immediate stay on a Vigilance court order directing further probe against state Finance Minister K M Mani in the bar bribery scam and posted the matter to November 9.
Justice B Kemal Pasha posted to November 9 the prayer for stay by the Vigilance department, saying, "We will finally hear the matter on Monday." The Vigilance department pressed for a stay order today itself.
Earlier, the Judge wanted the Vigilance and Anti Corruption bureau to explain as to how the department was aggrieved by the October 29 order of Special Vigilance Court in Thiruvananthapuram which had rejected its final report seeking to close the case against Mani, who has been accused of taking bribe to renew bar licences in 2014.

The observations were made by Justice Pasha when an appeal by the Vigilance Additional DGP seeking to set aside the Vigilance Court order came up for hearing before him.
State Advocate General K P Dandapani assailed the Vigilance court judgement, saying due to the order, the Vigilance department was not in a position to investigate cases in the state.
He submitted that in the vigilance's inquiry report there was no evidence of demand and receipt of bribe. The only evidence was that one man had gone inside the house of the Finance Minister.

Counsel for Leader of Opposition in Assembly, V S Achutanandan, contended that the Vigilance petition was not maintainable and the proper remedy was to file a revision petition. He also opposed the grant of stay.

The Vigilance Court while ordering further probe into the bar bribery case against Mani had observed that there are "sufficient materials for making out a prima facia case."
Special Judge John K Illekadan had passed the order for further probe, rejecting the final report of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to close the case against Mani.
"From an overall analysis of the materials available on records and from the events which followed in quick succession in the case, it can be seen that there are sufficient materials for making out a prima facia case in respect to the alleged incident," the judge had observed.

An FIR had been filed against Mani in Thiruvananthapuram court last year after a 'quick verification' by the Vigilance department on the allegations made by Kerala State Bar Hotel Owners's Association working President Biju Ramesh that the Minister had accepted Rs one crore as bribe for renewal of licence to 470 Indian Made Foreign Liquor bars in the state.