THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Even when all eyes are on the Raj bhavan to know if the governor Arif mohammad khan give permission to prosecute the opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala at bar bribery case, the state government has yet to send the file to the Raj Bhavan.
On Saturday, the prime minister Pinarayi Vijayan had given the go-ahead for him surveillance department carry out a new preliminary investigation in the bribery of lawyers case against Chennithala and former ministers K Babu and VS Sivakumar.
However, the government is confused about the need to request the governor’s permission to start the process against the opposition leader. There is an opinion that since Chennithala did not hold any position when the Ban allegations of bribery had
arrive, there is no need to request the governor’s permission now for the Investigation.
Sources said the file is currently in the Interior Department and will be sent to the governor only after clarification is obtained from legal circles.
The governor’s consent is required to initiate the process against the opposition leader, since he occupies the rank of cabinet. The owner of a bar, Biju Ramesh, had alleged that the owners of the bars had given money to Chennithala, the then minister of excise duties K Babu and the then minister of health VS Sivakumar for taking a favorable decision in the opening of bars in the state during the previous UDF rule.
Meanwhile, Chennithala had written to the governor urging him not to give permission for a new investigation, as the watchdog had already investigated the case twice and reported that there was no evidence to prove the allegations made by Ramesh. He also alerted the governor that the case is currently before the court.
The sources said the governor is also likely to seek legal opinion if the government requests his permission.
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