Palmolein case: Court reserves order

A special vigilance court in Thiruvananthapuram reserved for March 14 for orders on a state government petition seeking further probe into the palmolein grant case.

The prosecution in a petition filed last week had sought court direction for further probe contending that some more persons were likely to become accused in the case.

The petition filed in the Special Vigilance Court hearing the palmoelin case, in which Central Vigilance Commisssioner P J Thomas is also an accused, the government said the investigation agency proposed to condut further probe in the matter regarding the involvement of other persons, who were likely to become accused in the case.

The prosecution's move was seen as an attempt to involve Oommen Chandy, Congress leader who was finance minister in the United Democratic Front ministry headed by late K Karunakaran which cleared the deal in 1992.

The name of Chandy came up in connection with a discharge peitition filed by the then food minister T H Mustaffa, the second accused in the case.

Judge S Jagadeesh after hearing both the state and counsel for Mustffa, reserved for orders the petition of the state.

The original case related alleged corruption in impoprting pamolein from Malaysia, which allegedly caused a loss to the tune of Rs 2.32 core in 1991-92 when Congress leader K Karunarakan was the chief minister and P J Thomas the food secretary and a member of the Board of the Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation.

Thomas has been listed as the eighth accused in the chargesheet filed by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau in 2003.

According to the chargesheet, filed under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penel Code, the caused accused the exchequer a loss of Rs 2.32 crore by importing palmolein through a Malaysia based firm at exorbitant rates.