Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala's finance minister K M Mani was forced to resign, a day after the high court hinted that he had no right to continue in office till he was exonerated from bribery charges.
Mani had earlier rubbished demands for his resignation in the wake of allegations that he was bribed for a favourable policy decision regarding the renewal of bar licences. “(As) law minister (his additional portfolio), I wanted to be the first to uphold the law,” Mani said while announcing his resignation.
The minister's opponents had seized upon the high court's remarks and targeted Mani, who is Kerala's longest serving MLA and has never lost an assembly election. The ruling Congress had always seen Mani as a liability, but chief minister Oommen Chandy's support ensured his continuation. The high court's comments came after the ruling UDF's poor showing in the local body polls recently, six months ahead of assembly elections. This prompted state Congress president V M Sudheeran and home minister Ramesh Chennithala to make it clear to Chandy that they wanted Mani's exit.
Earlier, the Kerala high court, in an unusually scathing judgment, said the principle that justice should not only be done but also seen applied to the executive as well, making it virtually impossible for Mani to continue in office. Mani heads Kerala Congress (M), the third largest partner in the ruling coalition with nine MLAs. Justice B Kemal Pasha was hearing an appeal by the director of Kerala government's Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau against further probe into allegations that Mani had sought £500,000 in bribe to renew licences of over 400 bars. An FIR has been lodged against Mani in the case. The HC said it was leaving the matter to his conscience. Just two days after UDF's dismal showing in the local body polls, the court's order came as handy ammunition for Mani's detractors, especially those within the UDF.
