CBI files case against Kerala Congress, BJP leaders

The CBI has registered a case against Congress leaders including Kerala former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and AICC general secretary K C Venugopal and BJP national vice president A P Abdullahkutty in connection with a sexual assault complaint filed by a woman accused in a solar power project.

While a FIR was filed against Chandy, Venugopal and Congress MPs Hibi Eden and Adoor Prakash and Abdullahkutty in a court in Thiruvananthapuram, FIR against Congress leader A P Anilkumar was filed in Kochi. Various offences, including rape, were invoked against the accused in the nearly one decade old incident.

The Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala referred the case to CBI considering a petition given by the woman in January this year. The alleged incidents took place during the term of the Oommen Chandy government of 2011-16. The woman accused in the solar project scam later gave the rape complaint against political party leaders.

Though the Pinarayi Vijayan government ordered a police probe, a home department report said that there were no adequate evidence against the accused, especially Chandy. The woman had alleged that Chandy sexually abused her at the Chief Minister's official residence in 2012.

Chandy reacted that the case was politically motivated and he had no reasons to be scared and the allegations were totally baseless.