Corp letter row fizzles out due to lack of evidence

Thiruvananthapuram: The LDF ruling council of the city corporation has got another reason to sweep the letter row under the rug with the local self-government ombudsman halting further proceedings in the case for want of evidence. A vigilance probe had also run into a stumbling block with the investigation team being unable to unearth substantial proof of illegal appointments or nepotism.
In its ruling, the LSG ombudsman noted that the complainant has not been able to furnish the original letter reportedly written by mayor Arya Rajendran to former CPM district secretary Anavoor Nagappan seeking candidates for appointments to various temporary posts.
“The photocopy of the letter doesn’t show the signature of the mayor. In the affidavit, the complainant does not say that he has actually seen the letter and only says that he got to know about it from the news reports. If a probe has to be initiated, there has to be a case and as per the affidavit there is no such ground for a case,” says the order issued by the LSG ombudsman.
The ombudsman also mentions in the order that the complainant did not furnish a copy of the letter of illegal appointments. The ombudsman has directed that the complainant can file a fresh complaint as and when he gets the original letter and has halted further proceedings in the case.
The civic body had requested the LSG ombudsman to reject the complaint filed regarding the letter allegedly written by the mayor to the CPM district secretary. The LSG ombudsman had issued notices to the corporation secretary and the mayor based on the complaint filed by Sudheer Sha Palode, district president of Youth Congress.
According to the complaint, the mayor violated her oath of office and misused her powers as a mayor to issue a letter to Anavoor Nagappan, former district secretary, CPM on her official letterhead seeking a priority list of candidates to be appointed by the civic body in the temporary posts created for health centres.
The complainant sought an investigation into the matter and also an investigation into all the appointments made to temporary vacancies since Rajendran assumed office as the mayor. The response filed by the corporation secretary to the ombudsman said that the complaint was not legally tenable and hence it shall be rejected.
The crime branch team probing the case has also failed to make any headway in the case, making it further easier for the LDF to brush aside allegations of illegal job appointments. The process to construct forensic evidence has also been dragging on. The opposition has now run out of options to put the ruling council in the dock as the letter row has fizzled out due to lack of evidence.