State to go against CBI stand in other state lotteries
Posted on: 18 Dec 2012
Thiruvananthapuram: In the controversial other state lottery cases, the state government is planning to go against the CBI stand. CBI has submitted a report in the CBI court stating that the other-state lottery owners have not violated law in most of the cases.
The State government is of the stand that they would'nt agree to the CBI claim which stated that cases framed by ADGP Sibi Mathew and crime branch with evidences, will not stand. The state police had registered as many as 33 cases on various charges and among them, CBI stated that 21 would be made void. The state will fight against this.
Former MLA Joseph M Puthussery filed a petition with the state government against the CBI stand. As per the letter, finance minister KM Mani sought advocate general's legal advice and KP Dandapani had given his advice too and said the state government can be party to the case against CBI stand at this juncture.
There were allegations during the LDF government that the other-state lottery mafia are making crores of money by cheating. The then Chief minister VS Achuthanandan had entrusted charge of the case to Sibi Mathews. As the case is related to other states too, the opposition demanded to hand over the case to CBI. Though the decision of CBI probe was taken during the regime of VS itself, the notification was issued during Chandy government. But CBI had made a U-turn which indeed shocked everyone. There are allegations that after P Chiadambaram took charge as union financé minister, the CBI made taken a change in stand. Chidambaram's wife Nalini earlier represented other-state lottery vendors in court.
