Vigilance probe ordered against Oommen Chandy

Agencies

October 11, 2017

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 11: The Kerala government today ordered a vigilance probe against former chief minister Oommen chandy in connection with the multi-crore solar scam. A decision in this regard was taken on the basis of the findings of the Justice G Sivarajan Commission, which had probed the scam and had last month submitted its report to the government, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today said.

The report will be placed before the state assembly within six months, Vijayan told reporters here after a cabinet meeting. Chandy directly and through four of his former office staff Jikkumon Joseph, Tenny Joppen, Salim Raj and Kuruvilla had allegedly taken bribe from Saritha S Nair, who had floated a solar company, and on that basis a case will be registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, Vijayan said. The government also decided to conduct Vigilance and SIT probe against Chandy's former office staff.

A criminal case will be registered and investigation by SIT will be held against former Home minister, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, who allegedly tried to destroy the evidence and influenced police personnel to help the former chief minister. An inquiry will also be launched against former Power minister, Arayandan Mohammed, who allegedly helped the solar company, chief minister said. Two former Congress MLAs-- Benny Behanan and Thamapanoor have also been brought under the ambit of the probe. The government had also sought legal opinion of the Advocate General and Director General of Prosecutions (DGP) into the commission's findings following which it was decided to launch proceedings against them.

The state government has also resolved to initiate probe against IGP K Padmakumar and DYSP K Harikrishnan who allegedly destroyed evidence. Vigilance case will be registered and inquiry held into a letter by Sarita Nair in which she has levelled allegations of rape and sexual exploitation against senior UDF leaders, including MPs and MLAs.

The commission was appointed by the previous Oommen Chandy government after allegations surfaced about duping of several people of crores of rupees by Saritha Nair and Biju Radhakrishnan by offering solar panel solutions. The CPI(M)-led LDF, then in opposition, had launched an agitation following reports about Saritha's links with the office of the chief minister.

Several politicians, including then chief minister Chandy, were among those examined by the commission. Chandy's former gunman Salim Raj, his former personal staff member Jikkumon had also been examined, after Saritha, the prime accused, deposed before the panel. Chandy had maintained that the charges against him and his office were "politically motivated" and had denied any wrongdoing. Set up in October, 2013, the commission had held 353 sittings, examined 214 witnesses and 972 documents.

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Israel shifts forces deeper into Gaza, strikes hit families trapped inside

News Network

November 21,2025

Local authorities say the Israeli military has expanded the so-called “yellow line” truce demarcation in Gaza City and repositioned its forces deeper into the territory in violation of a ceasefire agreement that came into force on October 10, besieging dozens of Palestinian families.

Gaza’s Government Media Office announced in a statement on Thursday that Israeli forces widened the boundary by shifting the markers, and advanced roughly 300 meters (984 feet) into the neighborhoods of Ash-Shaaf, An-Nazzaz and Baghdad Street.

The move pushed further into civilian areas, trapping families who were unable to flee as tanks rolled forward, it added.

“The fate of many of these families remains unknown amidst the shelling that targeted the area,” the office said, adding that the expansion of the yellow line shows a “blatant disregard” for the ceasefire deal.

On Friday, sources said the Israeli military carried out continued air and artillery strikes inside the so-called “yellow line” east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

According to the reports, Israeli warplanes and tanks targeted areas within the zone. One Palestinian was reported killed and several others wounded in the strikes, the sources said.

The fresh aggression came only a day after 25 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City and Khan Younis on Wednesday.

The media office reported that Israel has consistently violated the truce deal since its implementation last month, with near-daily attacks by air, artillery and direct shootings.

The office said over 400 violations have been documented. These breaches have resulted in the deaths of more than 300 Palestinians and left hundreds injured.

The Government Media Office in Gaza urged the guarantors of the ceasefire — the US, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey — to take swift action to halt the ongoing violations and facilitate the delivery of food, shelter materials, medical aid, and infrastructure equipment.

The so-called “yellow line,” set out in the agreement between Israel and Hamas resistance movement, refers to a non-physical partition where the Israeli military repositioned itself when the truce deal took effect.

It has allowed Israel, which routinely fires at Palestinians who approach the line, to retain control over more than half of the Gaza Strip.

International bodies, including the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, and other rights groups, have concluded that the Israeli war on Gaza amounts to genocide.

In the attacks in Gaza since October 2023, Israel has killed at least 69,546 people and injured 170,833 others, leveling large swaths of the territory and displacing almost all of the population.

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