Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday denied bail to TO Sooraj and two other accused in the Palarivattom flyover case. The third accused in the case KITCO General Manager Benny Paul was, however, granted bail.
'The primary investigation has revealed many issues with the Palarivattom flyover. It is important to examine the plausibility of a conspiracy in the case,' the High Court observed.
The Vigilance Department had earlier testified in court that several documents were forged to ensure the finalisation of the contract.
According to the Vigilance, the tender was awarded to RDS Projects Ltd. which quoted an amount of Rs 47 crore, ignoring a lower bid of Rs 42 crore submitted by Cherian Varkey Constructions.
The Vigilance had earlier stated before the court that there was additional proof to prove the role of Sooraj, former Secretary of the Public Works Department, in the scam.
Sooraj had purchased property worth Rs 3.3 crore during the flyover construction and Rs 2 crore of this amount came from unaccounted sources, pointed out Vigilance.
The Palarivattom flyover in Kochi was completed and commissioned in October 2016. After cracks were detected on its pillars, the bridge was closed for traffic on May 1, 2019.
Last month the Kerala government decided to demolish the flyover after considering a report submitted by an IIT team headed by E Sreedharan.
