Law takes its own course, Chandy to Achuthanandan

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Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy Friday asked his predecessor V.S. Achuthanandan not to be jittery when law starts to take its own course after the latter said the state government was raking up baseless cases against his son.

"The policy of the United Democratic Front (UDF) government is very clear and we have no intention to play vindictive politics," Chandy told reporters, reacting to Achuthanandan's statement.

"It is pointless to turn jittery when the law begins to take its own course and such an attitude is not good," he added.

Achuthanandan last week had said that the Chandy government was "raking up baseless cases" against his son. He had said he was being victimised by the UDF government.

Incidentally, the state government Thursday ordered a full-fledged vigilance probe against Achuthanandan's son V.A. Arun Kumar in 11 specific cases which Chandy had pointed to as leader of opposition in a letter to Achuthanandan a few months back.

Achuthanandan, on receipt of the letter, asked the Lokayukta to inquire into it, which was objected to by Chandy because some allegations were out of the ombudsman's purview.

Last week, the state government had passed a government order withdrawing the probe initiated by the Lokayukta and later the vigilance probe was announced.

The 11 allegations include Arun Kumar taking a bribe of Rs.7 lakh from the sandalwood mafia in 2004, and his role in scuttling a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in the lottery scam besides alleged corrupt deals as a state-run organisation's managing director.