Oppn slams Kerala govt over Sidharthan death case, asks why there is delay in handing over documents to CBI
The Kerala government's handling of the Siddharthan death investigation, transferred to the CBI, has come under scrutiny after it was revealed that the notification was not promptly forwarded to the Centre.
FollowThiruvananthapuram: After the Pookode Veterinary College student Siddharth's death case was transferred to the CBI, the opposition is gearing up to raise concerns about the government's apparent negligence in handing over documents. They intend to hold the Chief Minister accountable for the fallout. Criticism has been directed at the Home Department, which is accused of avoiding responsibility by blaming officials. The opposition plans to highlight the violent politics of the SFI as a widespread tool against the ruling government.
Following the controversy surrounding the non-handover of notification regarding Siddharthan's death investigation to the CBI, the documents will now be directly handed over to the central government today. A DySP-ranked officer has been appointed for this task to ensure the transfer of documents.
Special Cell DySP Srikanth, who reached Delhi with the documents on Tuesday (Mar 26), will hand over the documents to the Personnel Ministry and the CBI Directorate today. The notification was also sent through e-mail yesterday. The documents are being handed over to the CBI 17 days after the notification. Three officials were suspended the other day for failing to deliver the notification.
Until yesterday, the government stated that the notification issued on March 9, entrusting the investigation to the CBI, was handed over to the Centre on the 16th. However, it has now emerged that the notification was only given to the CBI unit in Kochi on the 16th, not to the Centre. The proforma report, which is required to be forwarded along with the notification, was issued only today. The CBI's ability to proceed with the investigation hinges on receiving the proforma report, which includes the translation of the FIR and the case timeline. Officials from the Home Department were responsible for delivering the documents to the Center by assigning a DySP-ranked officer.
