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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Solar commission issues non-bailable arrest warrant against Saritha Nair
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Solar commission issues non-bailable arrest warrant against Saritha Nair

A non-bailable arrest warrant issued against Nair for failing to depose before the commission

A file photo of former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy. Photo: MintPremium
A file photo of former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy. Photo: Mint

Bengaluru: A judicial commission investigating Kerala’s so-called solar scam has issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against prime accused Saritha Nair for failing to depose before the commission despite several reminders.

Nair had produced some digital documents before the commission on 13 and 17th May, in support of her allegations against several prominent public personalities. However, she did not turn up for cross-examination by the counsels of other accused persons, including former ministers against whom she had leveled allegations, citing medical conditions, said C. Harikumar, advocate of the commission, over phone from Kochi.

The commission has directed state police chief Loknath Behera to issue an arrest warrant under section 16(10) Code of Civil Procedures and to ensure her presence at its next sitting on 27 June, New Indian Express website reported on Thursday.

The controversy broke in 2013 when accused Nair’s live-in partner Biju Radhakrishnan was arrested for allegedly duping investors who had put crores of rupees into a company called Team Solar. Her phone records allegedly showed that she was in touch with senior officials and politicians, including those in then chief minister Oommen Chandy’s office.

The case was considered a setback for not just the previous state government but also for the Congress party, which subsequently lost the assembly election held in May to main opposition Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) by a huge margin. The Congress’s tally went down from 39 seats in 2011 to 22 in the election.

Harikumar said Justice G. Sivarajan, who heads the commission, had on Wednesday itself directed Nair’s counsel to ensure her presence on Thursday. She would be granted exemption from next sitting if she has serious medical issues, but the order wants a medical board to confirm this, he said.

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Published: 23 Jun 2016, 09:46 PM IST
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