Saritha Nair has been making startling allegations against Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in her testimony on the solar scam. (PTI photo)
A succession of disclosures against him in a corruption scandal have left Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy precariously placed ahead of state elections.
Here are the 10 latest developments in what has been dubbed the "solar scam":
The Chief Minister won a reprieve today - a lower court's order to register a police case or FIR against him in the solar scam has been stopped by the Kerala High Court. "I am innocent... there is nothing to be relieved about," said the politician after today's court ruling.
The judge whose decision on the FIR was over-ruled today has offered to resign.
The Chief Minister's main challenge lies in Saritha Nair, accused of duping industrialists by promising them cheap solar panels that were never delivered.
Ms Nair, arrested in 2013 and later granted bail, has been making startling allegations against the Chief Minister this week in her testimony for a retired judge investigating the solar scam.
Ms Nair has said that she paid Rs 1.9 crores as bribes for the Chief Minister to his aides. Mr Chandy has said that claim is baseless, and has pointed out that he suspended three of his aides who seemed to have close links with Ms Nair.
The solar scam was posited on the alleged proximity to the Chief Minister that Ms Nair and her partner, Biju Radhakrishnan, flaunted to land valuable clean energy deals.
The opposition Left has been holding daily protests outside the government headquarters in the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram. 64 protesters were reported injured today in clashes with the police.
In its defense of the Chief Minister, the Congress is referencing earlier media interviews of Ms Nair in which she claimed that the opposition Left offered her Rs.10 crores to make statements against Mr Chandy. The Left has rejected that claim.
The Chief Minister gave his side of the story over 11 hours on Monday to the judge investigating the scam. Never before has a Kerala Chief Minister been questioned by a judicial commission.
A leaked audio tape has added to the ruling party's troubles. A Congress spokesperson can be heard advising Saritha Nair to "play safe" during her cross-examination. The spokesperson has denied that he was trying to coach Ms Nair.
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