Kochi: Kerala High Court on Wednesday declined the
prayer of opposition leader in the assembly V S Achuthanandan,
seeking a direction to call for an Action Taken Report on a
fresh case registered on basis of disclosures in the Ice Cream
Parlour sex case against Industries minister P K Kunhalikutty.
The order in this regard was issued by a division bench,
comprising Acting Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justie P R
Ramachandra Menon after hearing senior counsel Rajendra Sachar
and Advocate General K P Dhandapani.
The bench observed that considerable progress has been made
in investigation, subsequent to the last date of hearing.About
22 witnesses were examined and AG had given an undertaking
that investigation was likely to be completed in 90 days.
The AG today assured the court that the case diary and
status report can be produced on December 22.
The Court had in September this year said it would monitor
progress of the investigation, registered on the basis of
disclosures by Kunhalikutty's brother-in-law K A Rauf that he
had allegedly tried to influence witnesses, but had declined a
plea by Achuthanandan to order a CBI probe.
Achuthanandan in an Interlocutory application today sought
to call for an ATR, alleging that government was trying to
defeat the court's decision for monitoring the case.
The case relates to allegations that surfaced in late
1990s that an ice cream parlour in Kozhikode was used as a
cover for luring young women into sex rackets.
IUML leader and current Industries Minister Kunhalikutty
was embroiled in the case and quit as Industries minister in
2004 in connection with the scandal.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, November 23, 2011, 22:54