Solar scam: Commission to recall, examine former CM Chandy

Kochi, Aug 18 (PTI) A judicial commission probing thesolar panel scam today decided to "recall" and examine formerChief Minister Oommen Chandy and 20 other witnesses again"considering the evidences available with the commission". A commission source said that Justice G SivarajanCommission probing the scam also decided to examine 28 newwitnesses, including UDF convenor P P Thankachan. Twenty-one witnesses, including Chandy, his former gunmanSalim Raj and his former personal staff member Jikkumon havealready been examined and they will be recalled "as certainaspects has to be clarified again" following revelations ofprime accused Saritha S Nair during her disposition before thepanel, as well as "documentary and oral evidences availablewith the commission". The Commission has also decided to examine Saritha again,the source said. Chandy, during his stint as state Chief Minister, haddeposed before the Commission in January this year. During the deposition, he had maintained that the chargesagainst him and his office were ‘politically motivated’ anddenied any wrong-doing. The then Kochi-based commission had held the sitting inThiruvananthapuram at the Government Guest house to enableChandy to depose before it. Government had appointed retired High Court judgeSivarajan as the one-man commission on October 23, 2013 toprobe the scam, pertaining to alleged cheating worth crores ofrupees by Saritha and Biju Radhakrishnan by offering solarpanel solutions. The two allegedly canvassed business by using high levelnames, including that of Chandy. While Saritha was granted bail after remaining behindbars for some nine months, Radhakrishnan is still in jail inconnection with the alleged murder of his wife. PTI TGB APRIKA