Kerala High Court acquits Pinarayi Vijayan in SNC Lavalin case

Kochi/Kerala, August 23: On the revision petition filed by the CBI Court on the controversial SNC Lavalin case, the Kerala High Court Justice Ubaid on Wednesday pronounced that there is no proof against the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and thus he shall not face any court trial over this case. But the second, third and fourth accused in the case shall face further proceedings over the case.

The High Court verdict was considered as the one which could decide future of the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The Central Bureau of Investigation has challenged the acquittal of Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other accused in the case by CBI special court. The court has started to pronouncing the verdict by 1.45 pm. Senior Supreme Court lawyer Harish Salve had appeared for Pinarayi in the HC.

Earlier in March, the High Court had directed the CBI and the accused in the case to furnish details of the controversial hydroelectric project. The court had sought several clarifications, including whether the alleged offer made by SNC-Lavalin to provide funds for setting up the cancer center was actually part of the MoU or the first contract.

In a statement filed before the High Court, Pinarayi claimed that SNC-Lavalin did not offer to provide funds to set up a cancer center. He also claimed there was no specific evidence or document against him to implicate him in the case.

SNC-Lavalin Kerala hydroelectric scandal

The SNC-Lavalin Kerala hydroelectric scandal is financial scandal related to a hydroelectric infrastructure contract between the Indian government and Canadian company SNC-Lavalin in 1995 which resulted in an alleged net loss to the Indian exchequer of 374,50,00,000 rupees (Approx US $62 million as of August 2014). 

The contract outlined the renovation and modernization of the hydroelectric power stations at Pallivasal, Sengulam, and Panniar that were originally installed between 1940 and 1964 in the Idukki district of Kerala, India. 

Several politicians were involved and eventually charged in the case, including former ministers of Indian National Congress G. Karthikeyan and Pinarayi Vijayan, the first ever corruption-related prosecution of a Politburo member by the Communist Party of India (Marxist).  However, on 5 November 2013, Pinarayi Vijayan and 6 other accused were cleared of charges by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Court because “the CBI could not prove any of its charges.”