BAR BRIBERY CASE
KERALA FINANCE MINISTER KM MANI RESIGNED
കെ .എം മാണി രാജി വച്ചു
Kerala finance minister KM Mani resigned from
the Oommen Chandy government on 10th November,2015,Tuesday following
mounting pressure from the Congress and other allies of the ruling UDF, a day
after the Kerala High Court declined to halt a probe against him in a bribery
case.Initially, he was reluctant to quit citing
technical reasons in the verdict but later budged after the Congress toughened
its stand and made it clear he had no alternative. Other allies of the ruling
UDF -- the Muslim League, RSP and JD (U) -- also favoured his resignation to
salvage the situation.“I resign from the ministry to uphold values I
cherished all these years.” Mani said as he pledged all support to the Oommen
Chandy government. Chief whip Thomas Unniyadan also quit his post.The resignation came after the High Court on
Monday reversed a state vigilance department decision to clear him in the bar
bribery case, saying the decision on whether to step down or not was left to
him.
The 82-year-old Mani, whose Kerala Congress
(M) has eight MLAs in the assembly, did enough bargaining before caving in. He
wanted to make his son Jose K Mani, an LS member, finance minister but this
demand was turned down.The Chandy government has a wafer-thin majority of four
MLAs in the 40-member house, making it difficult for the UDF to antagonise the
veteran.
Mani, who heads the third largest party in the
UDF, is an important player in the state’s politics and has been a member of
the assembly without a break since 1965.The HC had criticised the government
for spending taxpayer money to defend a minister facing serious corruption
charges.“The fundamental principle that justice is not
only done but should also appear to be done is applicable not to the judiciary
alone but equally applicable to the other two pillars of the state,” the court
observed in a stinging judgment.The case began last October when a bar owner
Biju Ramesh alleged Mani was bribed Rs 1 crore by the Kerala bar owners
association to ensure that 418 bars closed by the government as part of phased
prohibition were reopened.The vigilance bureau, which probed the case, said in
its report the there was no evidence to chargesheet the minister. A vigilance
court then ordered a fresh probe after this was challenged by Opposition leader
VS Atchuthanandan, and that was subsequently upheld by the High Court.
Prof. John Kurakar
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