‘Solar panel report and its procedures illegal’

KOCHI:Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Thursday submitted before the Kerala High Court that the report of the Solar Inquiry Commission, as well as the procedure it followed, were illegal.
Petitioner’s counsel Kapil Sibal, a senior advocate of the Supreme Court, submitted the claim that the petitioner was the chief minister when the Commission of Inquiry was set up was not relevant for the purpose of challenging the legality of the constitution of the Commission. At the time when the commission was set up, several criminal cases were already filed and pending.

While chargesheets were submitted and charges were framed in several cases, persons were convicted in some other cases. However, the commission was running parallel to the investigations with respect to the same allegations in criminal courts and it was illegal, the counsel submitted.

The procedure followed by the commission to allow intervention applications by six persons was illegal. It further compounded the error by allowing the intervenors to cross-examine the petitioner. This process vitiated the entire inquiry. The commission also committed error by extending the terms of reference suo motu, counsel submitted.