Spy case may keep Karunakaran out of LS

D Jose in Thiruvanathapuram

Things aren't going too well for K Karunakaran. The former chief minister of Kerala, who was looking forward to a stretch in the lower house of parliament, may have to wait it out after his close associate, Prof K V Thomas, was implicated in an espionage case.

A local court had found prima facie case against Thomas for supporting a six-member French team to carry out an ocean survey without authorisation from official agencies. The chargesheet filed by the CBI in the court of chief judicial magistrate K K Uthran said the former MP had made all arrangements to carry out the survey in Indian territorial waters. The chargesheet claimed the French team had claimed they were setting up an aquaculture unit but was actually collecting classified deep seabed profiles around the southern naval headquarters at Kochi.

Chargesheets have also been filed against French national Francois Claval, Madagascar citizen Elle Phillippe and captain S M Furtrado of Goa. The home ministry is still considering chargesheets against four other French nationals and some locals citizens.

The Kochi Niyamavedi, a lawyers forum, which pursued the case with remarkable energy, threatened to challenge the government if it dropped cases against the others. The CBI, which took the case over from the local police last March, completed its investigation in record time.

Karnakuran's followers may have dissuaded him because the Left Democratic Front could drag the case into the election campaign. They feel there's little chance of the Congress bagging the seat which fell vaccant following the dath of Communist Party of India (Marxist) independent Xavier Arrackal.

Things aren't helped by the current infighting between A K Antony and Karunakaran. Karunakaran can't dream of winning without Antony's support.