The Kerala High Court on Monday deferred the personal appearance of Industries Principal Secretary A P M Muhammed Hanish until June 1 in a contempt case linked to the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation (KSCDC) graft case. Justice A Badharudeen issued the order after noting that Hanish had filed an appeal before a division bench, questioning the maintainability of the state government's appeal filed on his behalf in the contempt matter.
Background of the Case
The contempt petition was filed by Kadakampally Manoj of Kollam, alleging that Hanish wilfully refused to grant prosecution sanction to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the cashew corporation graft case, despite earlier court directives. The single bench clarified that if Hanish does not obtain a stay order by June 1, he must appear personally before the court on that day.
Allegations of Corruption in KSCDC
The case originates from allegations of large-scale corruption in the import and purchase of cashews by KSCDC. Acting on Manoj's petition, the High Court had earlier directed the CBI to investigate these allegations. Following the probe, the agency named former KSCDC chairman and INTUC state president R Chandrasekharan, former managing director K A Ratheesh, and two others as accused.
Before filing its final report, the CBI sought prosecution sanction from the Industries Department under the Prevention of Corruption Act. However, the request was allegedly rejected multiple times despite the High Court's directions, leading to the contempt plea against Hanish.
