TRIVANDRUM, 24 February 2004 — A court yesterday summoned Oommen Chandy, convener of Kerala’s ruling United Democratic Front (UDF), to testify on corruption charges against Education Minister Nalakath Soopy.
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Court in Calicut asked Chandy to appear before it on March 4.
The court was hearing a petition by social activist Jomon Puthenpurakkal seeking a probe into the allegations of a church head that Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leaders close to the minister demanded a bribe for sanctioning a teachers’ training college.
Metropolitan Mar Phelexinos Yuhanon of Jacobite Orthodox Syrian Church had early this month testified before the court that League leaders asked him to give 150,000 rupees and the name of his college was scrapped from the list of new colleges after the bishop refused to pay the bribe.
The bishop also told the court that Chandy and Irrigation Minister T.M. Jacob had given an assurance that the college of his Malabar diocese would be on the list.
He also submitted before the court a copy of his complaint to Chief Minister A. K. Antony which first raised allegations of the bribe by the local leaders for the building fund of League House in Malappuram, an allegation the league denied saying it was part of a high-level conspiracy for tarnishing the party’s image.
The state working committee of the IUML, the second largest partner of the Congress-led coalition, met last week and decided to rally behind the minister.
In his letter to the chief minister, the Metropolitan said the minister had tortured him. He told the court in his testimony that denial of the college was a torture.
