Thrissur: The Vigilance special court has quashed a government order of 2011 that removed the names of three people from the list of accused in the Malabar Cements graft case.
The three - industries department former Chief Secretary and Cements former board chairman John Mathai, directors N Krishna Kumar and T Padmanabhan Nair - will now have to face trial in the case.
The trial in the graft case will begin on March 25. As per the Vigilance case, Rs 20 crore was laundered in the company over three transactions from 2004 to 2008.
The Vigilance report had flagged a corruption of Rs 2.78 crore in the purchase of limestone at an inflated price from the company, ARK, which is owned by V M Radhakrishnan. Also, a corruption of Rs 16.17 crore in the purchase of fly ash from Thoothukudi was also suspected.
A total of 29 people were named as accused in three cases. Three people, including John Mathai, were dropped from this list of accused.
Human rights' activist Joy Kaitharam had approached the court against this. It was alleged that the accused were removed over political pressure and influence. Though the trio had approached the upper court against the Vigilance action, the High Court ordered that the trial court can take a decision.
In reply to the government’s contention whether Joy Kaitharam had the right to intervene in the case, the Vigilance special court pointed out the instance of CPM veteran V S Achuthanandan intervening in the Balakrishna Pillai case.
Saseendran, who was the company secretary, and his children were found dead in January 2011. While pointing out that Saseendran was a witness in the graft case, the petitioner contended that the trial into the case on his death would be affected by removing the accused from the list.
Saseendran, 46, and his children Vivek, 10, and Vyas, 8, were found hanging at their house at Kanjikode at 2 am on January 2, 2011. After state police probe, the High Court handed over the case to the CBI. In July 2018 Saseendran's wife Teena was found exhausted in a Kochi flat and died soon after.
Saseendran had testified against Malabar Cements contractor V M R Radhakrishnan. The latter was arrested by the CBI on March 19, 2013 and was charged with abetment to suicide.
