Kerala HC: Vigilance to Probe Leak of CBI Sanction Order in Cashew Import Case

The Kerala High Court has been informed that the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has initiated a special inquiry into the alleged leak of a government order granting sanction to prosecute two former officials of the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation (KSCDC) in connection with a cashew import scam.

Justice A. Badharudeen on Tuesday directed the VACB to submit a progress report on the inquiry within three weeks. The direction came during the hearing of a petition filed by lawyer K.M. Shajahan, who sought a vigilance investigation into the incident. The petition alleged that an order sanctioning prosecution of K.A. Ratheesh and R. Chandrasekharan, former managing director and chairperson of KSCDC respectively, was made public. It also alleged collusion between the sanctioning authority and the accused persons.

VACB Deputy Superintendent of Police S.S. Baiju informed the court that a special investigation unit is verifying the circumstances of the alleged leak. He stated that appropriate action would be taken based on the findings of the preliminary inquiry.

The two former officials face allegations of dishonestly awarding tenders to a private supplier for purchasing cashew at inflated rates, while bypassing established store purchase rules. This is part of a larger case of alleged misappropriation in the import of raw cashew by KSCDC between 2006 and 2015.

In addition to seeking the vigilance probe, the petitioner had requested the removal of Mr. Ratheesh from his other positions, including Secretary of the Kerala Khadi and Village Industries Board, Managing Director of RUTRONIX (Kerala State Rural Women’s Electronics Industrial Co-operative Federation Ltd.), and Chief Executive Officer of the Kerala Khadi Workers’ Welfare Fund Board. Following the allegations raised in the petition, Mr. Ratheesh resigned from all these posts on August 3.

The court has scheduled the next hearing for September 2.