Minister resigns after adverse report on sexual misbehaviour

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 4 (UNI) Kerala Public Works Minister P J Joseph today submitted his resignation to Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan after an ''adverse inquiry report'' over his alleged sexual misconduct with a woman co-passenger onboard a private airliner.

Mr Joseph resigned from the Cabinet a day after Inspector General of Police B Sandhya, who inquired into the allegations, filed her report to the government.

Talking to newspersons after submitting his resignation, he said the report against him was incomplete, but did not want to continue in the Ministry as it would have an adverse effect on it and himself.

The resignation of the most experienced man in the Cabinet is seen as a major setback to the three-and-a-half-month-old CPI(M) Left Democratic Front Government.

The 65-year-old Kerala Congress(J) leader, who had held key portfolios like Home, Revenue, Excise, Education and Housing in different governments in the past was in the eye of a storm after a copassenger lodged a complaint with the pilot of the Chennai-Kochi Kingfisher flight on August three, that the person who sat behind her misbehaved with her when the cabin lights were switched off for take off.

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