By Ashraf Padanna/Gulf Times Correspondent/Thiruvananthapuram


Pressure is mounting on scam-tainted Kerala Finance and Law Minister K M Mani to resign after the High Court yesterday said it was leaving the decision to his “conscience.”
The court’s observation came as it upheld a Special Vigilance Court’s order for a fresh investigation into the allegations.
Reports said Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had already sought Mani’s resignation, and that the most senior minister in the Congress-led government was likely to put in his papers in a day.
“I’m in touch with other leaders on the phone. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Chandy told reporters.
Mani is accused of demanding a bribe of Rs100mn from hoteliers in return for renewing their licences to serve liquor.
The licences were cancelled under the state government’s prohibition policy.
“Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion,” High Court Justice B Kamal Pasha observed in his verdict on an appeal by the state’s anti-corruption police chief Vinson M Paul to remove a trial court’s observations against him.
The trial court had recently dismissed the closure report of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) that Paul heads and ordered a fresh probe saying an investigator had found prima facie evidence of Mani accepting Rs5mn as the initial payment.
Paul overruled a ‘factual report’ submitted by investigation officer Superintendent S Sukeshan suggesting prosecution of Mani.
“If he continues in power, it’s an affront to democracy,” said T N Prathapan, the Congress Party’s whip in the assembly. “This is a state where even a chief minister (K Karunakaran) resigned some over adverse court remarks.”
Another prominent legislator V D Satheeshan, a vice-president of the Congress in Kerala, backed Prathapan and said the ruling coalition suffered heavily in the recent civic polls due to the corruption charges against Mani.
“I have been holding this view for long,” Satheeshan said. “Otherwise the (Congress-led government) will continue to suffer setbacks in elections”.
Another Congress legislator V T Balram took to the Facebook and demanded that the chief minister sack the tainted minister.
“We have to understand that aspirations of the people and justice are more important than the (interests of) some individuals,” the young leader said in a post shared by scores of followers.
Mani, 82, heads the predominantly Christian Kerala Congress (M) party that has eight legislators in the 140-member assembly and holds three cabinet positions, including the chief whip of the government surviving on a wafer-thin majority of just three seats.
He also chairs the federal Goods and Services Tax Empowered Committee.
“This is the third consecutive slap in the face of the government. Chandy should resign and call fresh elections,” said opposition leader V S Achuthanandan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
Industry Minister P K Kunhalikutty, who leads the 20-member Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), said he expected a decision very soon.
The VACB registered the case last year after Biju Ramesh, a controversial hotelier who lost licences of nearly a dozen outlets in the state capital, said Mani had demanded Rs100mn.
The “working president” of the Kerala Bar Hotels Association accused the minister of accepting half of it in installments at his office and home to reopen 418 bars.
However, other officials of the body refused to corroborate it, and the investigators could not gather any “reliable evidence”.
The allegations came at a time when Mani was in talks with the opposition to topple Chandy and form an alternative government with him at the helm.
Mani’s estranged party colleague and six time legislator P C George said if the minister had any shame, he should not only resign but apologise to the people as well.