Alappuzha: Alappuzha First Class Magistrate Court II has ordered to make SNDP Yogam General Secretary Vellappally Natesan an accused in the case of the death of Kanichukulangara SNDP Union Secretary's KK Mahesan,who was the Kanichukulangara former SNDP Union Secretary.

The court has also asked to make Vellappally's son Thushar and their aide K L Ashokan as co-accused, for abetment of suicide.

All three were mentioned in Mahesan's suicide note and their statements were recorded early.

The ruling came in a plea filed by Mahesan's family.

On June 24, 2020, Mahesan (54), a confidant of Natesan, was found hanging in the SNDP Union office.

Before committing suicide, Mahesan wrote letters to Vellappally, Crime Branch head and CI, alleging

he was made a scapegoat in a Rs 1.5 crore cheating case pertaining to SNDP's micro-finance scheme.

Mahesan had also shared the letters on social media.

He was the chief coordinator of the organisation's controversial micro-finance scheme. Earlier, Mahesan's kin had alleged that letters written by him on social media before his death told of harassments and tortures that he had endured after the Yogam's botched finance scheme. In his letters, Mahesan spoke of how some people were trying to frame him in fake cases and send him to jail.

As coordinator of the Yogam's micro-finance scheme, Mahesan was also questioned several times by investigators in connection with cases related to the misappropriation of funds.

The controversial scheme
The SNDP Yogam had procured Rs 5000 crores from  banks and Rs 16 crore from Kerala State Backward Classes Development Corporation (KSBCDC) for its microfinance scheme.

These were to be disbursed to Self-Help Groups (SHGs).

The allegations, dating back to 2015, pointed at discrepancies as the SNDP Yogam could not provide enough details of beneficiaries.

The then Leader of Opposition V S Achuthandan had also charged the Utilisation Certificates, which could offer light on how the funds were used, were not provided.

Vellapally has repeatedly denied the charges.