Kerala HC directs vigilance director to produce report on FIF

Kochi, Jun 29 (UNI) The Kerala high court today directed the Vigilance Director to produce the enquiry report into the alleged defalcation of the government grant given to the Federation of Indian Floriculturists (FIF) while Public Works Minister P J Joseph was its president.

Justice K P Balachandran further directed that the details of the clarifications sought by the vigilance director on the report of the Depty SP should also be produced within two weeks.

The Court adjourned the matter for further consideration to July 17.

The court issued this interim directive while considering a writ petition filed by Attukal Surendran of Thiruvananthapuram seeking a direction to the vigilance director to immediately take action against persons found guilty with regard to the grant of money amounting to lakhs of rupees to the federation at the behest of its then president P J Joseph.

When the matter came up for preliminary hearing today, the advocate general submitted that pursuant to the order of the enquiry commissioner and Special Judge, Thiruvananthapuram, dated December one, 2003, the Deputy SP, vigilance, conducted an enquiry into the allegations and a report had been submitted to the director.

The director had sought clarifications from the Deputy SP, but these had not been obtained and hence even the director of vigilance could not decide whether a crime had to be registered, the advocate general said.

UNI XR ARC AD1815