Thiruvananthapuram, May 2 (Inditop) Leader of Opposition in Kerala assembly Oommen Chandy Saturday asked Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan to overlook the state advocate general’s opinion and give a nod to prosecute Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan in the SNC Lavalin corruption case.
Advocate General C.P. Prasad reportedly submitted a sealed letter to the chief minister’s office earlier in the day, saying the government need not give the sanction for Vijayan’s prosecution as the charges against him were not clear.
“The advocate general failed in his constitutional obligations and Achuthanandan should overlook the advice and give the nod for the prosecution of Vijayan,” said Chandy.
Vijayan has been accused of wrongly awarding contracts to Canadian company SNC Lavalin for renovation of two hydro-power projects 12 years ago when he was the state power minister. Vijayan has been named ninth accused in the case.
Bharatiya Janata Party state unit president P.K. Krishna Das also lashed at the advocate general for “functioning as a CPI-M supporter”.
“It is a shame that he has given such an opinion favouring Vijayan and he should be ousted from his post,” Das told reporters here.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in February wrote to Kerala Governor R.S. Gavai seeking permission to prosecute Vijayan. According to rules, the governor’s permission is necessary to prosecute a minister or a former minister.
On Feb 4 the state government sought legal opinion on the CBI’s plea to prosecute Vijayan.
rounak