Sleaze row: Judicial Commission submits report to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Thiruvananthapuram: The Judicial Commission, which probed the sleaze talk allegations against former minister AK Saseendran, submitted its report to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday.

The details of the two-volume, 405-page report are not yet known.

The state government had appointed the Justice P S Antony commission in March this year after a newly launched Malayalam television channel came out with a sleaze audio clip, purported to be of Saseendran, following which he had resigned.

Later, Justice Antony told reporters that a comprehensive probe was held and that the chief minister will provide report details.

Only 17 of the 22 witnesses appeared before the commission.

"Media should be guided by public interest, not commercial interest...The copies of the report will be sent to the Information and Broadcasting ministry and Press Council of India," he said.

The commission has also made observations on the right to privacy, extent of freedom of media and its misuse, he said.

Reacting to the submission of the report, Saseendran said he had appeared before the commission as and when summoned.

"Whatever I knew, I have told the panel," he said.

The former transport minister said he was positive about the outcome of the report.

"I have no negative thoughts.. I have only positive thoughts about the report," he said.

Saseendran, was NCP nominee, in the cabinet.

After his resignation on March 26 this year, another party MLA, Thomas Chandy, was sworn in as minister.

However, Chandy, had to resign on November 15 after the Kerala High Court made stinging observations with regard to his decision to challenge Alappuzha district collector's report which found large scale violations of land rules by a luxury lake resort owned by him.

Meanwhile, security officials stopped media personnel at the Cantonment gate of the Secretariat saying they had no permission to allow the media inside the complex.