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Kerala orders judicial probe in Netto case

The Kerala government announced its decision to order a judicial inquiry into the allegation of "sexual and official harassment" levelled by former transport secretary and senior IAS officer Nalini Netto against former transport minister A Neelalohithdasan Nadar.

The state cabinet, which took the decision, entrusted Chief Minister E K Nayanar with the responsibility of taking further steps to constitute the commission. Dr Nadar resigned on February 12 following the allegation.

The Janata Dal (Secular), to which Dr Nadar belongs, had demanded a judicial inquiry into Netto's complaint. The JD(S) state leadership said Dr Nadar resigned from the cabinet so that a judicial inquiry could reveal the truth.

Asked if the chief secretary, to whom Nayanar yesterday forwarded Netto's complaint, would take "actions as per law," Nayanar told journalists that the judicial inquiry and the actions as per law could proceed simultaneously.

In this context, Finance Minister T Sivadasa Menon, who was also present, pointed out that an inquiry by a judicial commission and a probe by the Special Investigation Team had progressed simultaneously into the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. There were several such precedents.

Asked why Nayanar had not disclosed that he had received a complaint from Netto at the post-cabinet briefing on February 9, Nayanar said he had received the complaint only after the briefing.

Netto had submitted her complaint, dated February 1, to the chief minister on February 9.

In the five-page complaint, she had described in detail, the alleged misbehaviour of the minister with her in his chamber in the legislature complex on December 21, 1999 where she went for a discussion on some official matter.

UNI

EARLIER REPORT:
Judicial probe against Nadar opposed
Sex scandal forces forest minister to go down

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