Thiruvananthapuram: The government on Friday decided to initiate probe against Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala relating in the bar bribery case, with quick verification of bar owner Biju Ramesh’s claim now complete.
Steps are being taken to obtain consent from the governor and speaker for the purpose. The Vigilance probe is intended in the wake of new revelations made by Bar Association leader Biju Ramesh and will begin as soon as governor lends his nod.
When Biju Ramesh aired claims of handing bribes to Ramesh Chennithala among others, the government had followed up on that with quick verification by Vigilance. However, though the findings necessitated probe, such investigation mandates approval from the governor and speaker, given that the accused were people’s representatives.
According to Biju Ramesh, bribes were paid from crores of rupees raised from the bar-owning community to then KPCC President Ramesh Chennithala, former Excise Minister K Babu and former Health Minister VS Sivakumar. He said, the lumpsum was sliced between the three as : Rs 1 crore for Chennithala, Rs 50 lakh for Babu and Rs 25 lakh for Sivakumar.
