Kochi: The Kerala High Court yesterday dismissed Leader of Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan's plea for a federal probe into a sex scandal allegedly involving a state minister.
The court had earlier this month asked the state police to submit their case diary and investigation report in the scandal that dates back to the early 1990s and allegedly involves Industry Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty, an Indian Union Muslim League leader.
After going through the police documents, the court found that the investigation was going on smoothly and dismissed the petition of V.S. Achuthanandan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) who is a former chief minister.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice J. Chelameswar asked the special investigation team to complete the probe, to be monitored by the high court from now, within three months, while declining to order a Central Bureau of Investigation probe.
Achuthanandan as chief minister ordered a fresh inquiry in the wake of fresh revelations. Even after almost seven months the investigations have not reached anywhere, Achuthanandan's counsel argued.
So far, 81 witnesses have been examined and even after the government changed the investigation team appointed by the Achuthanandan government has continued, the court noted. The case of sexual abuse of a minor girl, allegedly involving Kunhalikutty, now the Industry Minister, had been closed by the courts in 2006.
An ice cream parlour in Kozhikode was allegedly involved and the scandal came to be known as the "ice cream parlour sex case". Rauf, whose wife is Kunhalikutty's sister-in-law, made the allegations against Kunhalikutty in January.
Achuthanandan ordered Additional Director-General of Police Vinson M. Paul to begin a new inquiry. Achuthanandan has alleged that after a Congress party-led government took over following the April assembly elections, the inquiry had become ineffective.
The court had earlier this month asked the state police to submit their case diary and investigation report in the scandal that dates back to the early 1990s and allegedly involves Industry Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty, an Indian Union Muslim League leader.
After going through the police documents, the court found that the investigation was going on smoothly and dismissed the petition of V.S. Achuthanandan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) who is a former chief minister.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice J. Chelameswar asked the special investigation team to complete the probe, to be monitored by the high court from now, within three months, while declining to order a Central Bureau of Investigation probe.
Achuthanandan as chief minister ordered a fresh inquiry in the wake of fresh revelations. Even after almost seven months the investigations have not reached anywhere, Achuthanandan's counsel argued.
So far, 81 witnesses have been examined and even after the government changed the investigation team appointed by the Achuthanandan government has continued, the court noted. The case of sexual abuse of a minor girl, allegedly involving Kunhalikutty, now the Industry Minister, had been closed by the courts in 2006.
An ice cream parlour in Kozhikode was allegedly involved and the scandal came to be known as the "ice cream parlour sex case". Rauf, whose wife is Kunhalikutty's sister-in-law, made the allegations against Kunhalikutty in January.
Achuthanandan ordered Additional Director-General of Police Vinson M. Paul to begin a new inquiry. Achuthanandan has alleged that after a Congress party-led government took over following the April assembly elections, the inquiry had become ineffective.
