Solar conspiracy case: court dismisses Ganesh Kumar’s plea to stay proceedings

The Kottarakara Judicial First Class Magistrate Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition filed by Transport Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar seeking a temporary stay on the proceedings of a case related to the solar scam.

The petition, submitted through his legal counsel, requested that all further proceedings in the case be postponed until the conclusion of the upcoming elections. The defense argued that the ongoing witness examinations were receiving excessive media attention and were being politically exploited by opponents to gain an unfair electoral advantage.

The case was originally filed by advocate Sudhir Jacob through advocate Jolly Alex, alleging a criminal conspiracy behind the solar scandal. Evidence collection is currently in progress, during which several key testimonies have surfaced. Advocate Feni Balakrishnan, who previously represented the first accused, Saritha S. Nair, testified that a conspiracy had indeed taken place. He informed the court that while he had initially received a 21-page letter from Ms. Nair while she was in the Pathanamthitta district jail, the document was later expanded into a 25-page one before being submitted to the Solar Commission. He had alleged that the four additional pages were fabricated as part of a conspiracy.

After hearing extensive arguments from both the petitioner and the complainant, the court rejected the plea for a stay.

The court observed that the concerns raised by Mr. Ganesh Kumar’s counsel regarding media coverage and political rivalry were matters occurring outside the judicial sphere. The court maintained that such politically motivated external factors should not be allowed to influence or interfere with the standard legal proceedings of the court.