Kerala land grabbing case: Vigilance court orders probe against former minister Thomas Chandy over misappropriation of funds

Kottayam (Kerala): A court in Kottayam on Thursday directed the Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to register a case against former state minister Thomas Chandy for allegedly violating rules in laying a road through paddy fields to a lake resort owned by him in Alappuzha district. [caption id=“attachment_4210961” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Thomas Chandy. News18[/caption] Kottayam Special Vigilance Court judge V Dileep gave the direction after perusing a Quick Verification report submitted by the VACB. The court posted the matter to 18 January for further hearing. Chandy had resigned as minister on 15 November last year over land grabbing allegations related to his resort. Acting on a petition by a lawyer, the court had on 4 November directed VACB to undertake a quick verification into the complaint that he had violated rules in constructing the road to his resort and file its report. Chandy, a businessman-turned politician, is likely to be charged under various sections of the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, VACB sources said. Petitioner Subhash has alleged that Chandy illegally carried out land filling in a one kilometer stretch through the middle of a paddy field to construct the road to the lake palace resort owned by the Water World Company, headed by him. He had also submitted in the court a report of Alappuzha District Collector TV Anupama which stated that the lake resort owned by Chandy had violated rules. Chandy, who was the lone NCP nominee in the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government, had resigned from the cabinet on 15 November last after the Kerala High Court rapped him over the adverse report by Alappuzha district collector. He had joined the ministry in April last year following the resignation of party colleague AK Saseendran over allegations of sexual misconduct.