CBI gives clean chit to former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy in sexual abuse case

On January 2021, the victim wrote a letter to the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asking for a CBI probe into the case.

The case against Chandy was registered by the Kerala Police on 20 October 2018, after receiving a complaint from the solar scam accused. The case was probed by the crime branch.

The complainant claimed that the former chief minister sexually abused her at his official residence, Cliff House, in 2013.

She also claimed that she was sexually abused by five other senior Congress leaders, including former union minister KC Venugopal.

The CBI took over the probe against Congress leaders Chandy, Venugopal, AP Anilkumar, Hibi Eden, Adoor Prakash and former Congress leader and BJP’s national vice president Abdullakutty in early 2021.

Also read: CPI(M) reluctant to follow sexual assault allegation against its leaders

Politically motivated

The Opposition Congress had then dubbed the move “politically motivated”, saying the LDF government could not find anything against the party leaders and took the decision as elections were around the corner.

According to sources, the CBI probe found no basis for the woman’s allegation against Chandy as there was no evidence to prove that she had gone to the official residence of the then-chief minister on that particular day, and the presence of Chandy at the location, too, could not be confirmed.

The CBI has also found that it was a fabricated case, the sources further said.

Earlier, all the accused were acquitted of the sexual assault allegations levelled against them by the solar scam accused.

After the CBI had absolved Chandy, the woman said she would not proceed against the former chief minister considering his health condition and advanced age. The Congress leader is 79.

Congress expresses happiness

The Congress expressed happiness over Oommen Chandy and some of its other senior leaders being exonerated by the CBI in the sexual abuse complaint and urged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to tender an apology to them and their family members.

The Kerala Opposition party also claimed that the Vijayan-led Kerala government was trying to defame its senior party members including Chandy by handing over the case to CBI.

The state police also could not find any evidence against them though they held inquiries in the solar case three times, it further said.

“The CBI has found that it is a case without any evidence. Pinarayi Vijayan should apologise to the leaders including Chandy and their family members,” Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly VD Satheesan told reporters in Kochi.

VD Satheesan (Facebook/VD Satheesan)

Congress leaders said the CBI had earlier submitted referral reports in the court giving clean chit to four other Congress leaders who were named as accused in the sexual exploitation case filed by the woman.

“Who would owe the responsibility and give an answer for the pain and humiliation suffered by the leaders and their family members?” Satheesan asked.

The opposition leader also said such attempts to intentionally insult political leaders should not be repeated anymore.

Apparently referring to the allegations levelled by the prime accused in the sensational gold smuggling case against Vijayan and some of his senior party colleagues, Satheesan asked why her complaint was not handed over to the CBI.

Vijayan had claimed the complaint against Chandy was handed over to the central investigating agency as the complainant woman had demanded it.

If so, the complaint against the present chief minister also merited a probe by the CBI, Satheesan opined.

Also read: Police books Congress MLA for molesting woman

K Sudhakaran ‘thanks’ Pinarayi Vijayan

Kerala Congress president K Sudhakaran also did not hide his happiness in the acquittal of Chandy and said the central agency conducted an honest probe in the case.

Vijayan had thought that Chandy could be trapped through the case, but his intention did not materialise, Sudhakaran alleged while speaking to reporters in Kannur.

Satirically “thanking” Vijayan for handing over the case to the CBI, the Congress leader said it has actually turned out to be good for Oommen Chandy.

Former defence minister  K Antony and UDF convenor MM Hassan also criticised the LDF government and Vijayan for handing over the case to CBI and said it has now become evident that the solar case was the result of a political conspiracy by the ruling front.

Hassan wanted the chief minister to apologise in the wake of the central agency’s findings.

The solar scam, a multi-crore solar energy investment fraud in Kerala which was uncovered in 2013, was led by the complainant and her partner Biju Radhakrishnan. The scam rocked the Chandy government since there were reports that the then-chief minister and his office had links with the duo.

(With inputs from PTI)