THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The principal sub courtroom right here on Monday ordered CPM veteran VS Achuthanandan to pay Rs 10.10 lakh as compensation in a photo voltaic scam-related defamation case filed by senior Congress chief Oommen Chandy.
The case was filed in 2014 after Achuthanandan alleged in a TV interview that Chandy, who was the chief minister then, had floated an organization to fleece cash within the identify of solar energy manufacturing. Choose Shibu Daniel additionally directed Achuthanandan, who was the then the chief of Opposition, to pay a 6% curiosity for the quantity with retrospective impact.
Chandy himself had testified earlier than the courtroom in 2019 that the allegation in opposition to him was baseless and had created a picture earlier than the general public that he was corrupt. Reacting to the most recent improvement, a jubilant Chandy mentioned he stood vindicated. Whereas sustaining that reality had prevailed, he recalled the assorted circumstances the CPM had filed in opposition to him over the previous few years.
“Fact has prevailed. Have a look at the collection of circumstances which have ennded in favour of me. Since I had not dedicated something unsuitable, I went forward as per my conscience,” he mentioned. Chandy was represented by former Thiruvananthapuram district public prosecutor A Santhosh Kumar.
Achuthanandan to file enchantment in a better courtroom
Three individuals had testified earlier than the courtroom in whole in reference to the case, however Achuthanandan didn’t flip up attributable to unhealthy well being. The then particular house secretary, who was listed as one of many witnesses by the nonagenarian, had produced six paperwork to buttress Achuthanandan’s claims, however none of them had any hostile remarks implicating Chandy. Regardless of this, the veteran CPM chief had stood by his allegation. Sources near Achuthanandan, in the meantime, mentioned he would problem the order in a better courtroom.
