Kerala solar scam: Police probe won't be based only on prime accused Saritha Nair's 'letter'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police probe team, led by Director General of Police Rajesh Diwan, formed to further probe the Kerala solar scam has decided to not just base its investigation on a 2013 'letter' by main accused Saritha Nair who has made serious allegations of corruption and sexual exploitation against a number of Congress leaders.

The police team held a first round meeting and informed state Police Chief Loknath Behra that they should tread cautiously on the allegations levelled in the letter, including against former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, according to police sources in the know.

Senior Congress leader Benny Behanan, whose name figures in the solar scam report, said that anyone who knows politics knows that this report is "being used to settle political scores".

"It's being used politically for known political reasons as the entire report touches in detail about her 'letter'. We are also taking it forward, and are seeking expert legal opinion on what we need to do to tackle this 'politically' motivated report," said Behanan.

The multi-crore solar energy investment fraud that rocked the then Chandy government in 2013 was led by Saritha Nair and her live-in partner Biju Radhakrishnan.

On November 9, the Pinarayi Vijayan government placed the Justice G. Sivarajan (Retd) judicial probe report - that indicts the office of Chandy -- in the Assembly.

The contents of the report have come under fire from the Congress leadership as they say the probe was based largely on what they claim to be a "forged" letter by Saritha Nair, which claims she was sexually exploited and she paid bribes to leaders like Chandy, his cabinet colleagues, legislators and other leaders.

On October 11, Vijayan at a press meet said that based on the report a case would be registered against all, including Chandy. But he went back on it, and after tabling the report in the Assembly he said that further probe would be conducted, based on which cases would be registered.

The veracity of the letter has already been questioned as well as the credibility of Saritha Nair as she on a few occasions changed her statements, police sources said.

Chandy and others got a boost when the Congress high command backed them. The Congress maintains that Vijayan was settling political scores through the solar scam report.

Chandy and others are waiting to see what the next move of the police probe will be.