Lokayukta to probe misuse of relief fund by Pinarayi, ministers

The Kerala Lokayukta has decided to take cognisance of a complaint that the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues had misused the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) for the benefit of deceased LDF leaders, and also for the late escort driver of CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

The full bench of the Lokayukta will issue notices to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and 17 of his cabinet colleagues. The three ministers who have been spared are: agriculture minister V S Sunil Kumar, who was not present at the cabinet meeting that decided to utilise the CMDRF for LDF leaders, and Transport Minister A K Saseendran and Industries Minister E P Jayarajan who were not in the cabinet when the decision was made.

The Lokayukta decision to admit the complaint of misuse against the LDF cabinet was not unanimous. While Lokayukta Pius C Kuriakose and Uplokayukta K P Balachandran said the complaint was admissable, Upalokayukta A K Basheer expressed his dissent.

The complaint was filed by R S Sasikumar, a former syndicate member of Kerala University. In his petition, Sasikumar said the LDF cabinet had illegally transferred funds to the families of NCP leader Uzhavur Vijayan, former Chengannur MLA K K Ramachandran Nair, and Praveen, the escort driver of the CPI(M) state secretary who died in an accident while on duty.

While Uzhavur Vijayan's family was granted Rs 25 lakh, the kin of driver Praveen was given Rs 20 lakh. Ramachandran Nair's loan liability of Rs 9 lakh was also given from the CMDRF. Sasikumar further said the grant of assistance was brought in as an 'out of agenda' item at the cabinet meeting, and also that it was given without even a formal request from the beneficiaries.

Sasikumar's complaint also pointed out the stringent conditions laid down for disbursal of CMDRF. The annual income of the beneficiary should be less than Rs 1 lakh. The CMDRF should not be used for the repayment of loans or for educational purposes. The money cannot be used for the treatment of illnesses other than terminal ones. District collectors have been authorised to sanction up to Rs 25,000 from the CMDRF. The chief minister has the discretion to sanction up to Rs 3 lakh. Anything above this requires the cabinet sanction.

The government's attorney argued that the money allocated in the budget for the CMDRF could be used according to the government's wishes. The attorney also made it clear that the money disbursed was not from the funds collected in the CMDRF after the August floods. He also said there was a committee chaired by the chief minister to monitor the utilisation of the funds. Sasikumar's lawyer, on the other hand, argued that there was a certain compensation a government employee is entitled to. Anything above the legal entitlement is illegal, he argued.

However, while admitting the complaint, the Lokayukta said prima facie he had not found any of the accused guilty of the charges.