Kochi : Team of officials looking into money handouts given by Thrikkakara president, has submitted its report to the Vigilance Directorate with implications for taking action. The Vigilance team obtained CCTV images showing several councilors leaving the municipality president’s chamber carrying an envelope of cash each.
The probe team secured clear images on six councilors leaving the room, each bringing out with them a Onakodi and a envelope of uniform type. The Director will examine the Vigilance report along with evidences and will likely issue order for further investigations or register a case. Given incriminating evidence in form of visuals, the Director will most likely order further investigations, following which Ajitha Thankappan will be forced to tender resign.
If Vigilance registers a case, the district Congress leadership too will land in trouble. Despite serious charges involved, the district leadership did not initiate any proceeding against Ajitha. Instead, it downplayed the incident as accusations on part of rival faction and appointed a committee subsequently to look into the matter. The committee subsequently came up with a report that whitewashed Ajitha. The report has not been looked into by KPCC up to now.
Will Have To Divulge Source of Money
If Vigilance registers case, Ajitha Thankappan will have to reveal where she got that money from. Proof of corruption could attract a 7-year-imprisonment.
Vigilance is primarily look to fund where Ajitha Thankappan got the money she used to give select 43 councilors Onakodi and a Rs 10,000 ‘gift’ each for Onam. If it is argued that the giveaways were a collective decision of the councilors, a minutes book record with due approval from the Finance Department and Secretary in form of an Order must be produced. That’s an unlikely scenario, given that, the returning of ‘gift’ by a section of councilors indicates the decision was not a formal one.
