Solar scam inquiry commission refuses to ban media

KOCHI: The Solar Scam Inquiry Commission on Tuesday dismissed a plea to prevent media from reporting statements given by witnesses before the Commission until a final report is filed.
The plea that was filed by a former college lecturer was brought before the justice G Sivarajan Commission by advocate Pinku Thaliyath. It was stated that top politicians may have cooperated with Saritha on the "innocent belief" that she is engaged in solar energy business genuinely and as it is their duty to encourage such ventures.A thorough probe is needed to find whether Saritha and Biju are being used by anyone to target the chief minister and his men alone, the petition filed by the woman senior citizen had said.
An order passed by the Commission said the allegations that are being considered by it are not secret and were in fact discussed in detail in the Legislative Assembly. "Transparency is the order of the day. The citizens of this land are entitled to know what is happening in the Commission, which enquires into a matter of public importance at their cost," the order stated. Commission of Inquiry Act grants the Commission the discretion to make hearings private if required, the order said.
A detailed order is being passed as some newspaper articles have portrayed as if it is the Commission's responsibility to restrain the media, the Commission said. "I have found an article by Sunitha Krishnan, who is a social worker, stating that the judicial commission must intervene. Has she understood this world? Transparency is the order of the day. There's nothing to hide," the Commission stated.