Vigilance Department should be scrapped, says VS

Thiruvananthapuram: Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan has demanded that the state Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau be scrapped in the view of the latest High Court observations.

“The Vigilance department has become a mere bureau to save ministers from court cases. It has become a fraud-group. The government is using the department for its political motives,” Achuthanandan said while talking to the media here on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister refused to react to the court observations.

While hearing a petition on the bar bribery case, the High Court had on Monday observed that the state Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau was not vigilant.

"The vigilance is not vigilant", Justice B Kemal Pasha said in passing remarks apparently referring to the state Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau which is probing the bar bribery charges against some state ministers.

The observations were made while considering a petition to quash a defamation case filed by Kerala Excise Minister K Babu against Bar Hotel Owners Association President Biju Ramesh.

Babu has filed a defamation case against Biju Ramesh before Chief Judicial Magistrate court, Ernakulam, alleging that the bar hotel owner was making defamatory statements against him on the bar issue.

Counsel for Babu contended that why Biju Ramesh is not making a private complaint against the Minister after giving a statement under Section 164 of CrPC.

This prompted the High Court to ask whether or not the government is duty-bound to conduct an inquiry on coming to know about bribery allegations against a minister.

"All citizens have right to know the truth", the court said and directed to produce before it the statement given by Biju Ramesh to the magistrate.

In his statement, the hotelier had accused Babu of taking bribe.