Another Quick Verification against Mani

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 5 (PTI) The Vigilance andanti-corruption bureau noose around Kerala Congress (M) leaderand former state Finance Minister K M Mani seems to betightening further with a special court today ordering a QuickVerification on charges of corruption in the conduct of a massmarriage ceremony by his party in October 2014. The order was issued by Special Court (Vigilance) JudgeA Badarrudin in a complaint that the money used for the massmarriage was raised through "corrupt means". The complaint stated that the 150 couples who got marriedat the function were given five sovereigns gold ornaments andRs 1.5 lakh cash at the time of marriage. The function was organised by KC(M) as part of itsgolden jubilee celebrations. Vigilance had last week filed an FIR in a court charginghim with giving tax exemptions to poultry farmers and anayurvedic medicine manufacturer abusing his position as theFinance Minister in the previous UDF regime. The filing of the FIR comes close on the heels of aVigilance Court here on August 27 ordering further probeagainst Mani in the bar bribery scam case on a petition bythe investigating officer. Mani had to resign after an adverse remark from High Courtin bar scam on an allegation by Kerala State Bar Hotel OwnersAssociation working president Biju Ramesh that an amount of Rsone crore bribe was paid to Mani for reopening the closedforeign liquor bars. KC(M) had recently left UDF following differences withCongress over the bar scam issue. PTI JRK RCKIS