Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Monday questioned the intention of opposition leader V D Satheesan in moving a public interest litigation (PIL) over the alleged corruption in the KFON project. The court asked what was the public interest in the petition about a project launched in 2019. In his plea, Satheesan demanded a CBI probe into the alleged corruption in issuing the tender of the KFON project.
“The tender was issued in 2019. Why are you approaching the court in 2024 for it? It should be examined whether the petitioner has public interest or publicity interests,” said the HC. The court also sought the defendant's opinion in considering the plea after receiving the CAG report on the project.
Responding to this, the defendant's lawyer argued that the CAG report would be submitted before the court along with other evidence.
In his plea, VD Satheesan alleged that benamis, or proxies, of those who control the government got the tenders for their gains. “A company which is close to someone in power obtained the tender. This company had given the contract works and monetary gains of the project to another company,” the opposition leader claimed.
