THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A petition concerning the misuse of funds in the Kerala Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) is scheduled to be heard today. The verdict from the three-member bench is to be delivered today at 2:30 pm.
Simultaneously, the decision on the petition filed by complainant RS Sasikumar, seeking the exclusion of Deputy Lokayukta Justices Haroon Ul-Rasheed and Babu Mathew P Joseph from delivering the verdict, will also be announced today. The verdict on Sasikumar’s plea to exclude the mentioned judges is also expected today.
In 2018, RS Sasikumar, a former Syndicate member of Kerala University, lodged a complaint against Pinarayi Vijayan and 17 ministers in the previous Cabinet regarding the misuse of CMDRF. The case revolves around the nepotism and favoritism in granting aid from the CMDRF during the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) regime.
The complaint specifically mentioned the allocation of Rs 25 lakh to the family of the late NCP leader Uzhavoor Vijayan. It was also alleged that the family of the late CPI(M) legislator Ramachandran Nair received Rs 8.5 lakh from the CMDRF for repaying a gold loan and vehicle loan, and that Nair’s son was given a job with the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB). Another alleged violation involved granting Rs 20 lakh to the wife of a civil police officer who died in an accident while on escort duty for Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who was the CPI(M) state secretary at that time.
The petitioner contends that the decisions of the cabinet amounted to corruption, favoritism, nepotism, and a lack of integrity while exercising their authority as public servants. The verdict from the full bench on the petition filed in 2018 is expected today.
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