The central government has ordered an inquiry into the allegations that Kerala Minister of Higher Education KT Jaleel received assistance from the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Union Home Ministry has ordered that the investigation be conducted on the basis of the about 10 complaints received from Kerala against the minister and a report be filed.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will investigate if FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act) was violated in accepting foreign aid without central approval. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will look into complaints that religious texts were brought from the UAE and distributed in the state.
A complaint filed by Panthavoor Siddiq seeking permission to prosecute Jaleel in court for violating the law as a minister is among those received by the Centre.
Minister Jaleel had not obtained prior central approval to accept the assistance from UAE. The minister himself has stated that he had received an assistance of Rs 5 lakh and that he had brought religious text.
The texts, which came in about 30 packets at the UAE Consulate, were transported in a government vehicle. Also, according to Section 35 of FEMA, Centre’s prior approval is needed to accept any foreign reward or assistance that exceeds Rs 1 lakh.
