Kerala: Former SFI leader faces allegations in Kerala University Arts Festival bribery case
By Rashmi Kuttan | First Published Mar 16, 2024, 9:07 AM ISTAkshay, who is the convenor of the arts festival programme sub-committee and is in responsible of overseeing the judges, stated in his complaint that the dismissed former district incharge promised him Rs 5 lakh to influence the judges.
Thiruvananthapuram: Allegations have been raised against a former member of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) in connection with a bribery case related to the Kerala University Arts Festival. Akshay, a member of the SFI central committee, has filed a complaint with MV Govindan, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary, against a former SFI district office-bearer who was removed. Akshay, who is the convenor of the arts festival programme sub-committee and is in responsible of overseeing the judges, stated in his complaint that the dismissed former district incharge promised him Rs 5 lakh to influence the judges. This issue was also raised at a meeting of the SFI district committee. SFI leadership then filed a complaint with the Vigilance on the bribery incident.
Meanwhile, a judge who was accused in the bribe case at the Kerala University Arts Festival committed suicide inside his home in Kannur on March 14. The deceased was identified as PN Shaji, a native of Kannur district. The suicide note stated that he did not take any money and was innocent.
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The festival, which began on March 7 and was scheduled to end on March 11, was overshadowed by controversy. During the festivities, a lawsuit was brought against a judge and two trainers of the 'Margamkali' tournament for alleged bribery to alter results. Shaji, a competition judge, allegedly took a bribe from trainers Jomet and Sooraj, which led to their detention.
The WhatsApp conversations verifying the allegations surfaced yesterday. The messages, including voice recordings, are distributed in groups of students and teachers. The screenshots suspected to have been given to the judges along with the identification documents of the teams are also being circulated.
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