CBI Special Court Dismisses Plea against Antony in Graft Case

In the graft case, the CBI Special Court has dismissed a petition moved by CPM Kerala secretary Pinarayi Vijayan asking the court to direct the CBI to examine Union Defence Minister AK Antony in the 100-crore case.

While rejecting the plea, CBI special court judge KP Jothindranath said that the court cannot intervene in the case.

CBI, on its part, had opposed the petition arguing that the case cannot be reopened as the chargesheet had been laid.

MK Damodaran, a former Advocate General and Vijayan’s counsel, contended that the investigating officer should look into all the relevant documents for a ‘transparent’ probe.

“The investigating officer should look at all material documents till 2005 relating to the case,” he said.

The case relates to the alleged corruption in the award of contract to S N C Lavalin, the Canadian company, for renovation of three hydel project in 1998 when Vijayan was the power minister.

According to Vijayan, who is the seventh accused in the case, Antony was the Chief Minister till May 1996 and G Karthikeyan was power minister then. The contract, including the supply of materials and consultancy was concluded on February 24, 1996 during the tenure of Karthikeyan.