Solar scam: Bail plea of Chandy's ex-aide rejected

The bail plea of Tenny Joppan, former personal assistant of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, was rejected by a magistrate court today as police stepped up search for former director of Public Relations Department in the alleged solar panel scam.
While keeping up the demand for resignation of Chandy, the Opposition LDF also trained guns on Home Minister Thiruvanchur Radkahrisnan, accusing him of shielding actor Shalu Menon, who is said to have connections with the prime accused in the solar fraud case.
The bail plea of Joppan, arrested on June 28, was turned down by the Chief Judicial Magistrate at Pathanamthitta.

The scam pertains to alleged fraudulent deals running into crores of Rupees indulged in by a firm run by Saritha and Biju by duping clients for solar panel installation schemes.
A close aide of Chandy for long, Joppan was arrested based on a petition of businessman Sreedharan Nair, alleging that he had been duped of a huge sum by the solar case accused Saritha Nair and Biju Radhakrishnan promising a plant installation deal with Joppan acting as middleman.
Police stepped up search for former Director of Public Relations department, A Firoze, who figures as an accused in a 2009 cheating case involving Saritha Nair and Biju Radhakrishnan. Anticipatory bail plea was rejected by a court here on Tuesday.

Firoze was suspended from service a fortnight back after his alleged links with fraudsters involved in the scam surfaced.

Police case against Firoze is that he introduced Saritha and Biju to a builder in the city, saying the latter was an official of Asian Development Bank and from whom they duped Rs 40 lakh promising to arrange a contract with the ADB.
Home Minister Thiruvananchur Radhakrishnan is facing the heat with local media beaming photos of him with Shalu Menon at her house at Changanassery in Kottayam district. She is under scanner for her alleged links with Biju.
The Minister, however, sought to downplay the visit, holding that as a public servant he would have to meet many people.

The Opposition LDF has launched a struggle across the state demanding resignation of Chandy over the scam.