Kerala HC nixes VD Satheesan's plea seeking CBI probe into K-FON project

Kochi, Sep 13
In a setback for Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly V. D. Satheesan, the Kerala High Court on Friday dismissed his public interest litigation (PIL) alleging corruption in the state government's Kerala Fibre Optic Network (K-FON) project and seeking a CBI probe into the same.

This issue had created a wave of protest both inside and outside the Kerala Assembly.

The court stated that at this stage, there are no grounds warranting interference from the Court into the K-FON project.

"We see no reason to interfere with the decisions taken by the respondents that are impugned in the writ petition or to interdict the respondents from implementing the project. We also do not think it is necessary to entrust an investigation into the allegations raised by the petitioner to the CBI at this stage. As already noted above, the report of the CAG when it is made available can be scrutinised by the legislature and appropriate action can be taken if necessary," said the Court.

K-FON was a flagship project of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that he launched in 2021 and aimed to provide high-speed internet connectivity to all people in the state.

This was visualised to be operational through a new optic fibre pathway running parallel to the electric power network of the Kerala State Electricity Board Ltd (KSEB).

After raising a hue and cry over the issue in the Assembly, Satheesan filed a PIL alleging that its contracts were handed over to a single beneficiary company having high-profile connections.

"It is clear that a project which would have been a milestone for the digital accessibility in the state has been handed over to incompetent persons, who have ruined it for making a profit at the expense of the common man," read his PIL.

In his PIL, he also referred to a "corrupt deal" in the installation of AI cameras for controlling the road traffic in the state.