Kochi: Justice S.S. Satheeshachandran of Kerala High Court on Wednesday reserved the bail plea of actor Shalu Menon, an accused in the solar scam, for orders. The court will pass the verdict in the case after going through the case diary.
Director- General of Prosecution T. Asaf Ali, opposing the bail, submitted that the case diary reveals shocking developments in the solar case. 
He  submitted that Shalu Menon received Rs 46 lakh from Biju Radhakrishnan. Shalu herself received Rs 20 lakh from the premises of a textile shop in Kochi.
He further submitted that Biju Radhakrishnan along with Shalu cheated many persons. Biju cheated many saying  that he is an official of the Asian Development Bank and making many other claims.
He also submitted that Shalu Menon is Biju’s third wife and produced the letter allegedly sent by Biju to Shalu when both were in custody. Meanwhile, counsel for Shalu argued that she is innocent in the case and that she was arrested without collecting any evidence.
Only after her arrest,  the SIT collected material to implicate her in the case. Shalu’s counsel denied the contention that she was married to Biju.
Allies cover Chandy
With allies pledging support and courts not passing any “harsh” comment, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy rejected the Opposition demand for his scalp and resolved to sort out all UDF issues in talks with Congress leaders in New Delhi on July 28/29.
An upbeat Chandy, at two press conferences in a span of hours, quipped, first with a nonchalant smile, that “I am not going to quit… that’s for sure”. 
Later in the afternoon, he parried questions on the leadership change as if he did not have to state the obvious again and again.
The petition filed by controversial business man M. K .Kuruvila is due for hearing on August 8 and bail applications of solar scam accused are in for routine change of jurisdiction at the High Court.
By which time, the high command would put its seal on the imminent Cabinet shuffle and work around long-standing demands of major allies, the League and K C(M) .
Wednesday curiously witnessed the focus shifting from the demand for Chandy’s resignation to that of the Chief Whip, Mr P C George, who had by default deflected the heat off Chandy. Towards the evening, the big question on TV discussions was whether the whip would step down.
That’s not to be, at least for now. But George took cover, saying Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan must atone for the Solar embarrassment.    The day’s developments started off with JD leader M P Veerendra Kumar and League general secretary E T Mohammed Bahseer reaffirming faith in Chandy’s leadership.  The League did not see the need for a leadership change but hoped the high command would put the Kerala house in order.
Basheer’s tone was different from Industry Minister P K Kunhalikutty’s nuanced statement the other day that it was for Congress to decide its leader.
With the League’s open support, Chandy faced Congress MLAs at the Assembly Hall, where he once again heard the hurrahs. He was then joined by PCC president Ramesh Chennithala in talks with Muslim League and Kerala Congress (M) bilaterally and jointly. Meetings were reassuring, said Chandy’s aides, adding that allies wanted effective steps to bail the Ministry out of the Solar eclipse.