List palm oil case before another court: Judge
September 24th, 2011 - 2:54 pm ICT by IANS
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 24 (IANS) Judge P.K. Haneefa, criticized for ordering a reinvestigation in the palm oil case allegedly involving Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Saturday requested the high court to place the case before another court.
The chief whip of the Kerala assembly P.C. George had Sep 10 hit out at the Special Vigilance Court judge accusing Haneefa of violating the apex court guidelines in the case.
Following the case now becoming a topic of media discussion and with him being attacked, Haneefa said he requested the high court to make suitable alternate arrangements for the case to be heard again.
After the vigilance department ruled there was no case against Chandy in the import of 15,000 tonnes of palm oil in 1992 while he was the finance minister, Haneefa Aug 8 ordered another probe.
George sent his petitions to President Pratibha Patil and the chief justice of India and Kerala high court chief justice, among others.
George Saturday told reporters that he will not withdraw his complaint.
“My complaint as an ordinary citizen of this country is that this judge has violated the rule of the land and especially a few Supreme Court judgments by ordering a reinvestigation. He has challenged even the apex court and hence I have made this complaint,” George said.
Chandy reacted by saying: “I have always said that I have no complaints against the judiciary.”
Veteran Communist Party of India-Marxist leader M.V. Jayarajan said: “The plan to put pressure on the judiciary appears to have clicked with Chandy and George playing their cards well.”
Haneefa had Friday asked all the concerned parties in the case to be present at the hearing Saturday.
The case was registered in 1997 when the Communists were in power.
Former chief minister K. Karunakaran, then food minister T.H. Mustafa and bureaucrats P.J. Thomas and Jiji Thomson were charged by the vigilance department with causing a loss of Rs.2.32 crore by importing the oil from Malaysia at an enhanced price.
The Special Vigilance Court March 14 had permitted a further investigation, just before the assembly polls.
- Kerala chief whip petitions against judge - Sep 10, 2011
- High court strikes down observations against Chandy - Dec 02, 2011
- Vigilance gives clean chit to Chandy in palm oil case - Jan 07, 2012
- Chandy gives up vigilance portfolio after probe order - Aug 09, 2011
- Palmoline case: Kerala government not averse to re-probe - Oct 18, 2011
- Court stops probe against Chandy in palmoil case - Sep 27, 2011
- Court dismisses plea to probe Chandy in palmoil scam - Oct 28, 2011
- Kerala opposition demands Chandy's resignation - Sep 26, 2011
- Kerala palm oil scam: Fresh probe ordered in Chandy's role - Aug 08, 2011
- Kerala palmolein scam to be re-investigated - Mar 14, 2011
- Kerala assembly session begins Monday - Sep 25, 2011
- Kerala special prosecutor in Palmoil case resigns - Feb 16, 2012
- Kerala seeks re-investigation of palm oil import case - Feb 26, 2011
- Monday could bring the blues for Chandy - Mar 12, 2011
- Scandals from past jolt Kerala opposition (Letter from Kerala) - Feb 14, 2011
Tags: alternate arrangements, apex court, c george, chandy, chief justice of india, chief minister, chief whip, communist party of india, communist party of india marxist, finance minister, food minister, j thomas, jiji, k karunakaran, kerala assembly, marxist leader, palm oil, president pratibha patil, supreme court judgments, thiruvananthapuram