Vigilance gives K M Mani clean chit in mass marriage case

In a relief to former Kerala finance minister and K C (M) supremo K M Mani, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau today gave a clean chit to him in a corruption case related to a mass marriage held by his party in Kottayam in October, 2014. Investigators submitted a report in a special vigilance court here, stating that prima facie there was no evidence to prove corruption charges against him.
Vigilance sources said the agency submitted the report and it was now upto the court to take a final decision on this. Special Court (Vigilance) Judge A Badarrudin, in last September, had ordered a Quick Verification against Mani on a complaint that the money used for the mass marriage was raised through "corrupt means".

The complaint had stated that the 150 couples who got married at the function, organised by KC(M) as part of its golden jubilee celebrations, were given five sovereigns gold ornaments and Rs 1.5 lakh cash at the time of marriage. Mani had to resign as Finance Minister from the previous Oommen Chandy government after an adverse remark from Kerala High Court in bar scam on an allegation by state Bar Hotel Owners Association working president Biju Ramesh that an amount of Rs one crore bribe was paid to him for reopening the closed liquor bars.
KC(M)had snapped its decades-long ties with Congress-led UDF and left the front following differences over the bar scam issue.