An Original Petition under Article 227 of the Constitution has
been filed before the Kerala High Court on Wednesday by Issac Varghese,
president of a NGO called All Kerala Anti Corruption and Human Rights
Protection Council seeking a court-monitored probe into the bar licence bribery case involving
state Law minister K.M. Mani.
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| A petition has been filed in the Kerala High Court seeking a court-monitored probe into the bar bribery case involving state Law minister K.M. Mani |
The petitioner says : "The grievance of the petitioner is that though a
case was registered, there is no progress in the investigation. The
investigation team so far has not arrested the accused and the recoveries were
also not effected. It is relevant to note that the investigating agency is
maintaining lethargy in the matter due to political pressure, and for
conducting a fair and impartial investigation, monitoring of this court is highly
warranted in the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case.”
The petitioner contends that “as the accused is a cabinet minister, it is practically impossible for the investigating agency to conduct an efficient investigation into the matter”. It is also pointed out in the petition that immediately upon registration of the crime, the Home Minister made a public statement that registration of FIR against K.M. Mani is only a formality and in fact he is absolutely innocent.
Hence, the larger public interest
demands monitoring of the investigation by the high court, by taking note of
the fact that the investigation is being conducted by a state agency and the
accused in the case is a cabinet minister, contends the petitioner. To inspire
public confidence in the investigation and in justice delivery system, court
monitoring is highly warranted, the petitioner further states.
