Oommen Chandy obtained copy of CBI report back in December 2022; but waited for court order

Thiruvananthapuram: Amid the heated debates on the CBI report exonerating former Chief Minister and Congress leader the late Oommen Chandy in the sexual assault case related to the solar scam, it is revealed that Chandy was not ready to publicise the report before getting the court's approval even after receiving it. CBI submitted the final report before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, Thiruvananthapuram on December 26.

According to Chandy’s former additional private secretary R K Balakrishnan, he had obtained a copy of the CBI’s report on the next day after it was submitted before the court and handed it over personally to the former chief minister at the latter’s residence ‘Puthuppally House’ in Thiruvananthapuram.

However, it is not known where Chandy had kept the copy of the CBI report.

The report was approved by the court after Chandy’s demise and immediately before the Assembly bypoll at Puthuppally in Kottayam district, which was necessitated due to his death. The complainant in the case had moved a petition against the court’s decision, but it was rejected.

During the last days of his life, when he was desperately ill, Chandy did not disclose the contents of the CBI report even with his close relatives or aides. 

‘Chandy wished to read full report’

Chandy’s former additional private secretary R K Balakrishnan said the Congress leader wished to read the entire report. “Only a few sections of the report had appeared in the media. So, I obtained a copy of the full report and handed it over to Chandy, who read it completely that night itself. However, Chandy wanted to wait till the court approved the CBI report,” said Balakrishnan.

He revealed nothing: K C Joseph

Meanwhile, a senior leader of the Congress and a confidante of Chandy K C Joseph said that he was unaware of the presence of the CBI report with the former chief minister. 

“Normally, Chandy handed over such reports to me to read and we discussed them. But, he neither gave any hint that he had obtained a copy of the CBI report nor revealed its contents. Probably, Chandy felt that the court would not approve the report if it was publicized. He also could have thought that revealing the contents of the report would lead to another controversy,” said Joseph.

No idea on report: Daughter

Maria Oommen, Chandy’s daughter, also said that she did not know that her late father had collected a copy of the CBI report in December last year. “In normal cases, he informs me about such developments. But, he did not do so in this matter. Even if he had told my mother about it, she would have informed me,” said Maria.