Kerala Court Orders Fir Against Chandy in Solar Scam

Thrissur (Kerala), Jan 28 (IANS) A court here on Thursday directed Kerala's vigilance department to file an FIR against Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in the solar panel scam, following which Chandy said he has done no wrong.

The Thrissur Vigilance Court also directed a first information report (FIR) to be registered against Power Minister Aryadan Mohammed.

The direction was given on a petition filed by activist P.D. Joseph after Saritha Nair, a prime accused in the scam, told the judicial commission probing the matter that she had given Rs.1.90 crore in bribes in two instalments.

She said this was a part of the Rs.7 crore bribe demanded by Chandy through his then staff member Jikumon.

Nair said she had also paid Rs.40 lakh to Mohammed.

In response to the court's direction, Chandy told reporters in Malappuram that he has a clear conscience.

"I have done no wrong. I will face the probe and cooperate with it," he said.

Asked if would resign, Chandy shot back: "For what?"

Chandy's ministerial colleague Mohammad echoed the chief minister's stance, and said: "We have done no wrong. I will face and cooperate in the probe that has been ordered."

Sources close to Chandy told IANS that he was speaking with lawyers to prepare a legal response.

Senior Congress leader from Kerala, A.K. Antony, party president Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Mukul Wasnik, in charge of the party affairs in Kerala, have met and discussed the issue.

State Congress president V.M. Sudheeran has held talks with the high command and state Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has cancelled all his programmes for the day.

Meanwhile, the opposition CPI-M's state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told reporters that Chandy has to quit immediately.

"The court has made its intentions clear through the FIR, and Chandy has only one way now to go forward and that is to quit at the earliest," said Balakrishnan.