Amid Demands For His Resignation, Defiant Kerala Minister Thomas Chandy Seeks Action Against Collector Anupama Who Submitted Report Against Him

Amid demands for his resignation, the defiant Kerala Transport Minister Thomas Chandy has moved the high court seeking action against the Alappuzha district collector, T.V. Anupama who had submitted a report against his company's alleged reclamation of paddy field for constructing a road to a lake resort.

In his petition, Chandy, the richest minister in the Kerala cabinet, alleged that all sorts of "wild and baseless" allegations were being raised against his Water World Tourism Company, targeting him "with the set agenda orchestrated" by his political rivals, interested parties and the media.

The district collector of Alappuzha also fell into their hands, Chandy submitted.

As the allegations continued, based on the "intervention" of the office of the minister for revenue, an unfair inquiry was conducted by the district collector fully discarding the principle of natural justice, Chandy submitted.

Chandy contended that he represented the Kuttanad Assembly constituency for the last 11 years consecutively and throughout his public life, he has unblemished record.

After he became a minister on April 1 this year, some interested parties have started targeting him with irrelevant allegations laced with malicious political intentions, Chandy submitted.

Chandy submitted that he filed the writ petition challenging the "arbitrary, unreasonable, biased and malicious administrative actions" taken by the district collector.  

The Kerala High Court, considering a PIL yesterday seeking registration of an FIR against Chandy, came out against the state government for its inaction against the minister for violating rules to construct the road through paddy fields.