Kochi: High drama marked the Kochi Corporation council meeting on Friday, with a confrontation between the ruling UDF and the opposition cutting short proceedings within minutes, as the LDF intensified its demand for Mayor VK Minimol’s resignation over a vigilance probe into a corruption case against her.

Trouble began the moment the meeting commenced at 3 pm. LDF councillors, who had arrived with placards, surged towards the dais and raised slogans as the mayor took her seat. A banner reading “corrupt mayor resign” was unfurled, reducing the council hall to a din and leaving little room for formal deliberations.

With the protest showing no signs of relenting, Minimol hurried through the agenda, placing on record resolutions, condoling deaths and appreciating corporation officials, including the secretary, for their role in helping Kochi emerge as the state’s top performer in plan fund utilisation.

Councillors of the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) attempted to push back with counter-slogans, but failed to match the intensity of the protest. In just 13 minutes, the mayor declared the agenda approved and adjourned the meeting. The LDF councillors, however, continued their agitation inside the hall for nearly 10 more minutes before moving the protest to the corporation office entrance.

Speaking to the media later, LDF parliamentary party secretary PJ Yesudas said: “Returning money she collected could not erase the corruption”. He asserted that the protest would continue until the mayor stepped down, and alleged that due process was flouted in awarding works related to the new Indira Canteen project.

However, responding to the allegations, Minimol dismissed them as politically-motivated, noting that similar charges had been raised by the LDF during previous election cycles. She maintained that she had not received any formal notice in the case and would contest the matter legally. Questioning the basis of the allegations, she said it was illogical to treat a transaction routed through her account as a bribe, adding that the purpose of the amount had been clearly recorded in official meeting minutes. “Why would I receive the money through my account if it was a bribe,” she asked.

The row follows a recent directive issued by the Enquiry Commissioner and Special Judge (Vigilance) in Muvattupuzha, ordering an investigation into the allegations against the mayor. The court termed a probe “necessary” while considering a complaint filed by BB Ajayan, secretary of the Peringottu Residents Association in Palarivattom.

As per the complaint, Minimol, while serving as Palarivattom councillor in 2018, allegedly received ₹3 lakh from the residents’ association after assuring them that a road, damaged during the transport of construction materials to a nearby apartment complex, would be restored. The company involved in the construction had already deposited ₹5 lakh as a repair security. Subsequently, the restoration work was carried out by a contractor using corporation funds.

An earlier vigilance inquiry had found no grounds to register a case, pointing out that the money was returned on February 16, 2021. However, the court observed that a public servant was not authorised to collect money in a personal capacity for public works, and held that returning the amount did not wipe out potential criminal liability.

With the court-ordered probe now underway, the controversy has sharpened political fault lines within the corporation, signalling more confrontations between the UDF and the LDF in the days ahead.