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A Vigilance Court here on Wednesday has posted to January 25 the trial in the palmolein graft case in which Mr P. J. Thomas, Central Vigilance Commissioner, and the late K. Karunakaran, former Kerala Chief Minister, are co-accused.
Mr Thomas is the eighth accused in the chargesheet filed by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau in 2003.
Inflated price
The chargesheet stated that the accused had caused the State Exchequer a loss of Rs 2.32 crore by contracting import of palmolein through a Malaysia-based firm at inflated price.
Karunakaran was the then Chief Minister, and Mr Thomas, Secretary, Food and Civil Supplies Department.
Karunakaran had moved the apex court seeking a stay against trial in the case. But the ruling Left Democratic Front Government in Kerala opposed this move.
When the case came up on Wednesday, the public prosecutor informed the court that the first accused, Karunakaran, had passed away a couple of weeks ago.
The public prosecutor also stated that, according to the information, the Supreme Court had vacated the stay on the trial.
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