SC stays CBI probe against Achutha
UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav prays at Dada Miya ki Mazar in Lucknow on Thursday. He also filed his nomination papers
After a second round of litigation in the Supreme Court, former Kerala CM V.S. Achuthanandan on Thursday was able to get a stay on the CBI probe into the “IT Mission” scam case though he did not approach the top court directly.
A bench of Justices H.L. Dattu and A.R. Dave, while admitting a petition filed by CPI(M) leader Thannickal Gopinathan Nandakumar, said, “There will be an interim stay on the probe till next date of hearing.” The bench, meanwhile, issued notices to the CBI, Kerala government and Congress chief whip in the state Assembly P.C. George, on whose petition the Kerala high court had ordered a CBI probe against Mr Achuthanandan, Nandk-umar and others without issuing notices to them after state advocate-general had submitted that the Congress government had decided to hand over the probe to the Central agency. Senior advocate Nagendra Rai, appearing for Nandkumar, submitted to the top court that as per its March 15 order a “revision petition” was filed in the HC but the same was rejected “without assigning any reasons”. Mr Rai raised a pertinent question whether the petition filed by Mr George before the HC and the statement of the advocate-general of the state about handing over the probe to the CBI was “under a design” to ensure that the case is handed over to the Central agency without issuing notices to the respondents, which included the former chief minister and the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly.
Meanwhile, the Kerala high court on Thursday dismissed a petition seeking to quash an FIR against former Mr Achuthanandan and two others accused in the controversial land assignment case in Kasaragod. Dismissing a petition by two of the accused, T.K. Soman, a relative of Mr Achuthanandan and A. Suresh, Justice N.K. Balakrishnan said the FIR cannot be quashed at this stage.
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