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Saritha, Biju sent to jail for three years in Kerala solar scam

The case relates to the complaint filed by K Baburaj, a US-based Malayali, that the duo duped him of Rs11.9 million promising partnership in their company, Team Solar.

Trivandrum: In the first judgment in a series of 33 cases related to the sensational solar scam that rocked Kerala in 2013, a court in the state has sentenced Saritha S Nair and her live-in partner Biju Radhakrishnan to three year rigorous imprisonment.

The two, who have been found guilty of cheating, conspiracy, impersonation and forgery, have also been imposed a fine of Rs7.5 million and Rs4.5 million by the First Class Magistrate Court at Pathanamthitta.

The judge said that the prosecution had succeeded in proving all but one charge related to destruction of evidence against the accused. The court has granted bail to Saritha. Biju is already in jail serving life term in connection with the murder of his wife. Both said they will challenge the verdict in the higher court.

The case relates to the complaint filed by K Baburaj, a US-based Malayali, that the duo duped him of Rs11.9 million promising partnership in their company, Team Solar. The case was investigated by a special investigation team headed by Additional Director General of Police A. Hemachandran on the orders of the court.

The complainant had approached the court after the complaint he reportedly lodged with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala did not elicit any response. The scam had brought the chief minister’s office under cloud after some members of his personal staff were found involved with the accused.

This prompted the opposition to put the chief minister himself in the dock and mount a massive agitation for his resignation. The revelation by an industrialist in Pathanamthitta that Saritha had taken him to the Chief Minister for a personal assurance over the amount he invested in the project strengthened the opposition allegation.

The accused in the case had cheated several people and agencies to the tune of nearly Rs100 million by showing they had connections with the chief minister and other higher-ups in the government. They had also allegedly forged the letter pad of the Chief Minister to woo clients.

The home minister has cited the judgment in the case as a vindication of his earlier stand that the government will not intervene in the investigation. He claimed that the law had taken its course in the case.

news@khaleejtimes.com