Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today said State Information Commissioner K Natarajan, who allegedly attempted to influence probe into the land allotment case involving CPI-M veteran V S Achuthanandan, was named for the post by the Marxist leader when he was the chief minister.
Natarajan`s name was proposed by Achuthanandan and then Home Minister and CPI-M politburo member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan seconded it, Chandy told reporters after a Cabinet meeting.
"Of course I was also in that committee as Opposition leader. I told the committee that a case was pending against Natarajan and then Balakrishnan said it was nothing serious," Chandy said when asked about Achuthanandan`s comment yesterday that he saw a `conspiracy` to weaken his case during trial, which will come up next week.
"I do not need the help of any loyalist to conduct my case. This is a conspiracy by those in the government and some other interested parties," Achuthanandan had said.
"Some are trying to conspire against me in the name of extending help," he had said.
Inquiry into the allegation against Natarajan was progressing and government would take further step on the matter after getting the report.
ADGP (Vigilance) was probing the matter, sources said.
Achuthanandan had come under a cloud in the case pertaining to allotment of land to his relative, an ex-serviceman in Kasaragod during his tenure as chief minister. The case will come up at the vigilance court in Kozhikode on October 17.
Achuthanandan had also said Natarajan was made Information Commissioner by a panel, including Chandy, the then Opposition Leader.
The controversy was triggered after an audio tape of Information Commissioner and former DIG K Natarajan`s purported telephonic talk with Vigilance DySP V G Kunhan, an investigating officer in the case, asking him to spare Achuthanandan, was aired by a leading Malayalam TV channel on Sunday.
PTI
