The acquittal assumes significance as it may pave way for Saseendran's return to the cabinet. File Thiruvananthapuram: Nationalist Congress Party leader and former Kerala minister, A K Saseendran, has been acquitted in the sensational sleaze talk case that led to his resignation from the Pinarayi Vijayan-led cabinet.
The chief judicial magistrate court here on Saturday annulled the case against him after the complainant, a woman journalist, said she wanted to withdraw the complaint. The woman had earlier told the court that she was not sure if the voice in an audio clip featuring the sleaze talk was that of Saseendran or not. She also told the court that Saseendran had not tried to sexually abuse her.
The acquittal assumes significance as it may pave way for Saseendran's return to the cabinet. Expressing happiness over the court's decision, Saseendran said it was up tohis party leadership to decide if he should be made a minister again.
In March 2017, Saseendran resigned as transport minister over the audio clip in which he is heard having a lewd phone conversation with the woman journalist of a Malayalam TV channel. The conversation was telecast the day the channel commenced its operations.
This was first termed as a "honey trap" but the woman filed a case against the minister in the court in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Pinarayi Vijayan government saw this as an act of unethical journalism and ordered a judicial probe as well as police probe, and the police arrested five journalists, who are all currently out on bail.
Trouble arose for Saseendran when three persons filed petitions to be impleaded in the case and asked the court not to allow withdrawal of the petition.
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