Sex, Sleaze And Solar : Former Kerala Congress CM Chandy In The Dock 

The Left Front government in Kerala has ordered a Vigilance probe today (11 October) against former Congress chief minister Oomen Chandy for his role in the scam, reports Mathrubhumi. Criminal cases will also be filed against other former ministers for their role in taking bribes and abetting Saritha Nair’s solar company that was at the centre of the scam.

A judicial commission, which probed the Kerala solar scam that had rocked the previous Congress-led government headed by Oommen Chandy submitted its report last month. It was handed over to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan by Justice G Sivarajan, four years after the commission was constituted, a day prior to the end of its tenure.

The then CPI(M)-led LDF opposition had launched a massive agitation, including a 30-hour siege of the secretariat, demanding Chandy's resignation as the scam took a political turn after two members of the chief minister's staff – Tenny Joppen and Jikkumon – were removed for their alleged links with Saritha.

However, the matter didn’t end there. In April 2016 – prior to the Assembly elections that saw the fall of Chandy’s government – a letter purportedly written by Saritha surfaced, accusing Chandy of sexually abusing her at Cliff House – the official residence of the Chief Minister in Thriruvananthapuram. The letter was dated 19 March, 2013.

Claimed to have been written by her under the custody of the Perumbavoor police, she also alleged to have been raped by a Union Minister. While Chandy claimed that it was a ploy to dislodge him in the 2016 elections, Saritha admitted to writing the letter, but hid it from the Solar Commission during the probe, saying that she was embarrassed and afraid of the consequences.

Chandy later filed a defamation suit against Saritha, who claimed he ‘misused’ the close relationship their families had. She also claimed that she was a frequent visitor in her household.