Kochi, July 12 : In what could cause further embarrassment to the government, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s legal adviser and senior counsel M K Damodaran is all set to appear in the High Court for INTUC President R Chandrasekhar in the Cashew Corporation graft case.
The VACB had instituted an inquiry against Chandrasekhar to look into corruption allegations during his tenure as the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation’s Chairman.
M K Damodaran would appear for Chandrasekhar in a petition filed by the latter before the High Court seeking a directive to quash the Vigilance inquiry against him.
Damodaran did not appear in person in the High Court on Tuesday, but his office was represented by a junior who informed the Court that the senior counsel would appear for the petitioner during detailed hearing on the petition.
The development is sure to cause severe embarrassment to the government, coming as it does close on the heels of M K Damodaran’s appearing for controversial lottery baron Santiago Martin in the High Court kicking up a political storm.
When confronted by mediapersons, CPI-M State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan feigned ignorance about M K Damodaran appearing in the case against the State government.
Kodiyeri told reporters that he would look into the matter and comment afterwards.
However, on Damodaran appearing for Santiago Martin, Kodiyeri said that it had come to his notice but there was nothing wrong in it since the petition filed by Martin was against a Central agency, not the State government.
Besides, M K Damodaran was not a government pleader but only the legal adviser to the Chief Minister, he said, adding that the former had the discretion to decide whether to appear for Santiago Martin.
