More than a century ago, a Namboodiri woman who was tried for promiscuity shook Kerala by boldly naming all those with whom she had had relations. Kuriyedathu Savithri—better known by her pet name Thathri—was the young wife of an old man. In a chastity trial that went on for several days, Thathri named more than 60 prominent men, condemning them for life.
A similar tale is unfolding once again in Kerala. The new Thathri is Lakshmi Nair—better known as Saritha Nair—a woman in her early 40s, who is an accused in a cheating case involving the sale of solar power units. Saritha and her second husband, Biju Radhakrishnan, launched Team Solar Renewable Energy Solutions Private Limited in 2011, which sold solar energy products to institutions and households. After Saritha and Biju flaunted their connections with the then chief minister Oommen Chandy and his office, many people invested in their projects. Some of the investors who lost their money went to the police, Saritha and Biju were arrested and cheating cases were registered against them.
The scam attracted wide public attention after the media revealed details of phone calls between Saritha and some of Chandy’s personal staff. Saritha, on her part, gave contradictory statements about politicians involved in the scam and kept adding and dropping the names at will. Despite making many allegations, she never substantiated any of the charges. Though she had initially called Chandy a “father figure’’, she later accused him of sexually abusing her. Chandy, however, claimed he was innocent and set up a judicial commission—retired judge G. Sivarajan—to probe the allegations. The solar scam was a hot issue during the 2016 assembly elections and it played a key role in the humiliating defeat of the Congress-led United Democratic Front.
The commission, after four years and umpteen rounds of sitting, submitted its report earlier this month. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan revealed some of its explosive contents and ordered criminal and vigilance inquiry against the accused named in the report. They are charged with offences including rape and corruption.
“The decision for a VACB [vigilance and anti-corruption bureau] inquiry and to register criminal cases against the accused has been taken by the cabinet on the basis of the legal opinion given by the advocate general and the director-general of prosecutions,” said Vijayan. He said the report “directly blamed’’ Chandy and his personal staff for helping Saritha and that a special investigation team would probe the allegation of rape. Other senior leaders facing the probe include former Union minister K.C. Venugopal, former state ministers Aryadan Muhammed, Adoor Prakash and A.P. Anil Kumar.
Chandy said he had nothing to fear and that it was his government which ordered the judicial inquiry. But he complained that the Vijayan government refused to give him a copy of the commission’s report although he had filed a request under the Right to Information Act. Chandy is now planning to go to court for making the report public. An official at the chief minister’s office, however, said the government was only obliged to submit the report in the assembly within six months. “We will do that,’’ he said.
The Congress, especially the faction led by Chandy, is in disarray. Chandy had remained the most visible face of the party in the state even after the assembly election debacle, despite not holding any official position. But with the solar case, he is facing perhaps the gravest crisis of his political career. The young Turks in the state Congress are likely to use this as an opportunity to push for a generational change in leadership. “The solar case should be a wakeup call. The so-called adjustment politics has to come to an end and we have to go on an aggressive mode against the CPI(M) and the BJP,’’ said V.T. Balram, MLA, one of the most prominent faces among the younger lot.
Saritha said she was happy that justice prevailed. “I was fighting all alone against the heavyweights, even risking my life. I am not concerned about the political fallout,” she said.
Legal and criminal experts, however, said there were loose ends in the commission report. The discrepancies in the letters written by Saritha, too, stand out. “I clearly remember Chandy’s name was not there in her first letter. There were 13 other names. Now the final list has only 11 names. What happened to the other names and how did Chandy’s name appear in the final letter?’’ asked retired director-general of police Alexander Jacob, who had deposed before the judicial commission. He was DGP (prisons) when Saritha was jailed.
“A person who is an accused in 42 cases of financial misappropriation and with a questionable moral code is now in a position where she can point fingers at anyone. How terrible is that?’’ asked a senior police officer who, too, had deposed before the commission. “It is as if the future of Kerala politics depends on whom Saritha will name.”
