Kerala Congress leader jailed in graft case

Kerala Congress leader jailed in graft case

Agencies Posted online: Thu Feb 10 2011, 11:04 hrs
New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Thursday awarded one year rigorous
imprisonment to former Kerala Power minister and Congress leader R
Balakrishnan Pillai and two others in the Idamalayar dam corruption case.
A Bench of justices P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan convicted the former
minister while reversing the acquittal order passed by the Kerala High
Court.
The apex court upheld the prosecution plea that the former minister has
entered into a criminal conspiracy that caused a loss of over Rs 2 crore to
the Kerala State Electricity Board by awarding contracts for construction of
a power tunnel and surge shaft of the Idamalayar hydro electricity power
project to contractor Paulose (now deceased) at extra ordinarily high rates.
The apex court, upholding the appeal filed by the then Leader of the
Opposition and present Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, said the high court
had committed a grave error by overlooking the clinching evidence marshalled
by the prosecution and the conviction rightly awarded by the special court
in Kerala.
The apex court also expressed concern that cases of corruption relating to
political personalities have been dragging endlessly in the country and
pointed that in the present case, though the scandal took place in 1982, the
prosecution was launched only in 1991.
The Bench said there was clinching evidence to prove Pillai's involvement in
the award of the contract despite the fact that the electricity board was an
independent body and was not under the control of the government to warrant
his interference.
The Supreme Court also directed all trial courts in the country dealing with
corruption cases to expeditiously dispose of the matters and asked high
courts to monitor them and seek quarterly reports from them on disposal
rates.
In all, there were 11 accused in the case. Eight of them were acquitted by a
special court whereas Pillai and two others were sentenced to five years
rigorous imprisonment.
The high court, however, on an appeal, had acquitted Pillai and two others
of the charges. As the state did not file any appeal against the accused,
Achutanandan, the then Leader of the Opposition, challenged the acquittal.
Pillai, during the arguments took the stand that the Leader of the
Opposition has no locus to challenge the acquittal but the apex court
rejected the plea and reversed his acquittal.

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