THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Nearly two weeks after the Kerala High Court ordered a CBI probe into allegations against K M Abraham, the central agency on Saturday formally registered a case, marking a dramatic turn in a decade-long legal battle led by activist Joemon Puthenpurackal.
Abraham, 66, currently serves as chief principal secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and is also the CEO of the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). A former Chief Secretary, his stature in the state’s power corridors has drawn immediate comparisons with M Sivasankar, another former top bureaucrat who was jailed twice on separate corruption charges.
The High Court’s order stirred political speculation, especially after CM Vijayan publicly defended Abraham and hinted at taking legal steps. In an unexpected counter, Abraham wrote to the Chief Minister, demanding a probe into an alleged conspiracy involving Puthenpurackal and two others.
Puthenpurackal, unfazed, accused the state of using delay tactics and moved the High Court once more after a week of CBI inaction. The central agency finally registered the case following this move.
The spotlight now shifts to whether Abraham will meet a fate similar to that of Sivasankar, who was suspended after being arrested in the Kerala gold smuggling case and later in the Life Mission housing scam.
CM Vijayan’s earlier remark that “no action will be taken against any official on the basis of mere allegations” may soon be put to the test. On Saturday, law minister P Rajeeve, when pressed by reporters, offered a terse response: “The CM has already said what he had to say. Let’s wait.”
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