The Kerala High Court rejected a petition from Industries Department Principal Secretary Mohammed Hanish regarding a contempt of court case linked to alleged corruption in the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation Limited (KSCDC). Justice A Badharudeen’s order for Hanish to appear in court over the government’s refusal to grant prosecution sanction against accused KSCDC officials was upheld by a Division Bench. The court emphasized that the State government’s denial of prosecution sanction to former KSCDC officials had led to a contempt case due to hindering further action by the CBI.
The court highlighted that despite prima facie evidence against the accused officials in the corruption case, the government’s repeated refusal for prosecution sanction had impeded progress. The Division Bench criticized Hanish’s stance on the lack of evidence, questioning how an authority could dismiss existing court findings. It affirmed the Single Bench’s decision to summon Hanish and clarified that he could seek discharge if not found guilty of contempt.
The case stemmed from a petition by Kadakampally Manoj alleging corruption in cashew procurement by KSCDC, leading to a CBI investigation in 2015. The CBI sought sanction to prosecute former KSCDC chairman R Chandrasekharan and former managing director K A Ratheesh, which was initially denied by the State government. Despite court orders for reconsideration, the sanction was repeatedly refused, prompting contempt proceedings against Hanish. The Division Bench’s ruling allows the contempt proceedings to proceed as directed by the court.
