Kerala High Court seeks response of CBI and State govt. in plea against cashew import scam accused

The Kerala High Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the State government to respond to the allegations raised by K.M. Shajahan, former Additional Private Secretary to the late former Chief Minister, V.S. Achuthananthan, against K.A. Ratheesh, former managing director of the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation and one of the accused in the ₹600-crore cashew import scam.

Mr. Shajahan, through a petition, had alleged that appointing a person who was chargesheeted by the CBI, and for whom prosecution sanction was granted in a major corruption case, to key posts in the government violated the established norms of public integrity and transparency.

He sought directions to the Vigilance Director and CBI Superintendent to dispose of his representations against the continued occupation of Mr. Ratheesh in key official posts and to direct the State to ensure that he is not appointed in important government posts, considering the ongoing corruption case against him.

Posts currently held

Justice A Badharudeen noted that Mr. Ratheesh currently holds the positions of Secretary, Kerala Khadi and Village Industries Board; Managing Director, RUTRONIX (Kerala State Rural Women’s Electronics Industrial Co-operative Federation Ltd); and Chief Executive Officer, Kerala Khadi Workers’ Welfare Fund Board.

The petitioner pointed out that Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan is the chairman of the Kerala Khadi and Village Industries Board, and that Mr. Ratheesh reports directly to him.

Mr. Shajahan further alleged that if Mr. Ratheesh was allowed to continue in his posts during Onam, the State government would lose another ₹300 crore as the Khadi Board was allegedly purchasing substandard materials from unauthorised traders who were not shortlisted by the Central Khadi Board.

Mr. Ratheesh is the first accused in the CBI case concerning the alleged misappropriation in the import of raw cashew by the KSCDC between 2006 and 2015, along with R. Chandrasekharan, the former chairman of the corporation. They are accused of dishonestly awarding tenders to a private supplier to purchase cashews at inflated rates, foregoing store purchase rules.