A senior Kerala government official has tendered an unconditional apology to the Kerala High Court after drawing sharp criticism over the wording of a government order sanctioning the prosecution of public corporation officials in a 2015 corruption case.
K Biju, the Secretary of the state’s Cashew Department, appeared in person before the court on Friday to express regret and submit a formal affidavit. The move follows a contempt notice issued to the bureaucrat on Wednesday by Justice A Badharudeen, who warned that the language used in the initial July 2 sanction order appeared to target the judiciary and shield the accused.
Court Takes Note Of Apology
During the Friday proceedings, Justice Badharudeen recorded Biju’s personal appearance and his submission of an unconditional apology regarding the controversial statements in the July 2 order. The High Court has scheduled the matter for orders on July 15, noting that the Advocate General had also opined that the original order constituted ex-facie contempt of court.
In his written affidavit, Biju admitted that the phrasing of the sanction order was inappropriate and could convey the impression that the administration had acted mechanically without independent evaluation, solely under court pressure. He unequivocally withdrew all expressions that could be construed as challenging the correctness, authority, or wisdom of the judiciary, stating that the lapse was involuntary.
Judicial Criticism Of Original Order
The controversy arose from a government order issued on July 2, which granted sanction to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to prosecute several accused individuals, including former Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation (KSCDC) chairman and senior Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) leader R Chandrasekharan.
Earlier in the week, the High Court had strongly objected to the document, with Justice Badharudeen stating that the bureaucrat seemed to blame the court for the prosecution decision. The judge emphasized that a sanction order must be issued independently based on the merits of the case and the prosecution records, rather than attributing the action to judicial directives. The court had also observed that the officer appeared to be attempting to protect the accused. Following these judicial observations, the state government issued a revised sanction order on July 6.
Background Of The Corruption Case
The matter came before the High Court through a contempt petition filed by Kollam resident Kadakampally Manoj, who alleged that the government had failed to comply with court directions to permit the CBI to prosecute the accused officials.
The underlying corruption case dates back to 2015, when the CBI initiated an investigation into alleged financial irregularities within the KSCDC following orders from the High Court. After concluding its inquiry, the central agency had requested the state’s permission to proceed with the prosecution of the officials involved.
