Kerala editor held for article on Gulf-based businessman
July 3rd, 2010 - 7:55 pm ICT by IANSThiruvananthapuram, July 3 (IANS) T.P. Nandakumar, editor of a periodical and petitioner in a scam related to renovation of power plants in Kerala, was taken into custody Saturday for publishing a defamatory article on a non-resident Indian businessman, police said.
Nandakumar, who edits a Malayalam periodical named Crime, was arrested on a complaint by Abu Dhabi-based businessman Alexander, who hails from the state’s Kottayam district.
Alexander had complained to police here that in Nandakumar’s online magazine there was a write up defaming him.
Sukumara Pillai, who heads the cyber cell of Kerala Police, told IANS that the case has been registered under the Information Technology (IT) Act because the defamatory article came in the online magazine.
“This news had earlier appeared in his periodical and Alexander petitioned a court. In the court Nandakumar had said that he will not publish anything on this unless the petition is disposed,” said Pillai.
“It was then that this news appeared in his online magazine. Since it violates the IT Act, we took Nandakumar into custody from Kochi. We recovered evidence from his Kochi office and then the officers went to a place called Pala, from where this article was uploaded,” said Pillai.
He added that it was a bailable offence.
“The case will go on and if proved guilty, then the accused can get a jail term for nearly three years,” added Pillai.
Nandkumar is a complainant in the multi-crore rupee scam, also known as the SNC Lavalin case, in which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has chargesheeted Communist Party of India-Marxits state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan as an accused.
Nandakumar and Vijayan have also been involvedi in a feud. It intensified after the SNC Lavalin case came into prominence last year.
It was in June last year that the CBI filed chargesheet against nine accused in the Rs.374 crore scam related to the Canadian firm SNC Lavalin which was engaged by the state government for renovation of three power plants in the state.
Vijayan as the state power minister had inked the final agreement in 1997 for renovation of the power plants.
In December last year, Vijayan secured bail in the case.
- Make Kerala home minister accused in Lavalin case: Petition - May 05, 2011
- Pinarayi Vijayan summoned in Lavalin graft case - Apr 10, 2012
- CPI-M politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan asked to appear in court - Dec 19, 2011
- SNC Lavalin scam: Court refuses to include Antony as witness - Jan 04, 2010
- CBI says Kerala government was partisan for Vijayan - Nov 10, 2010
- Antony not to be witness in Lavalin graft case: court - Jan 04, 2010
- Reprieve for Vijayan in SNC Lavalin case - Apr 17, 2010
- Vijayan skips court, counsel wants Antony examined - Sep 24, 2009
- Pinarayi Vijayan gets bail in SNC Lavalin graft case - Dec 30, 2009
- Kerala scam accused Canadian company under scanner at home - Mar 12, 2010
- CBI asks Pinarayi Vijayan to appear in court Sept 24 - Aug 21, 2009
- Vijayan summoned by special CBI court in corruption case - Jun 23, 2009
- CBI questions former Kerala minister in power firm scam - Sep 20, 2009
- Apex court admits Vijayan's case - Aug 31, 2009
- Charges filed against Pinarayi in Lavalin scam - Jun 11, 2009
Tags: abu dhabi, bailable, cbi, central bureau of investigation, communist party of india, complainant, crore, indian businessman, jail term, kochi, kottayam district, nandakumar, periodical, petitioner, pinarayi vijayan, power plants, prominence, rupee, snc lavalin, state secretary