Kerala Legislative Assembly speaker P Sreeramakrishnan has given nod to the state vigilance for a probe against opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala of the Congress.
The vigilance initiated a preliminary probe against Chennithala as well as former ministers and Congress leaders V S Sivakumar and K Babu based on a recent statement of a bar hotel owner in Kerala, Biju Ramesh, that they were paid a bribe in 2014 for giving relaxations in then Congress-led United Democratic Front government's liquor policy.
Chennithala was then Kerala PCC president, Babu was excise minister and Sivakumar was health minister.
The fresh move had triggered allegations that the left-front government was misusing power.
The nod was also given for a probe against Indian Union Muslim League MLA K M Shaji for allegedly accepting bribes from school management for upgradation.