Clean chit likely for Kerala Minister accused of trying to 'amicably settle' molestation complaint

Kerala Forest Minister and NCP leader A K Saseendran, who was accused of trying to settle a molestation complaint, was learnt to be given a clean chit by the police.

Saseendran was accused of asking the father of a woman, who alleged that another NCP local leader of Kollam district tried to molest her, to settle the case amicably. After a telephone conversation of the minister with the woman's father, who is also an NCP worker, came out last month the police received complaints against the minister.

According to the sources, the police received a legal opinion that the minister's conversation with the woman's father could not be considered as an attempt to scuttle the case. The legal advice had even cited dictionary meanings of the words used by the minister in the telephone conversation to justify that the minister did not press the woman's father to withdraw the complaint or settle the case.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had earlier backed the minister. He said in the Assembly that Saseendran, being an NCP leader, only enquired about the matter as he thought that it was an issue between two NCP workers -- the father of the complainant woman and the accused.

The minister did nothing wrong in this, the chief minister had held.

The Opposition Congress and the BJP had earlier demanded the resignation of Saseendran in view of the allegations that came up last month.