File photo of Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy
In the middle of the heat and dust of election season, Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy has been severely reprimanded by the state's High Court. "The alleged involvement of the members of the personal staff of the Chief Minister's Office in criminal acts in multiple instances" has been brought to their attention, the judges said. They added that these cases "raise serious questions" about the activities of Mr Chandy's office, for which he is "answerable to the state."
The comments by the judges were made in a hearing about a former security guard who worked in Mr Chandy's office and is accused of land-grabbing in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.
The court also referred to what is known as Kerala's solar scam which saw a former aide of the Chief Minister being arrested for allegedly colluding with a couple who gipped entrepreneurs by charging them large amounts for equipment to generate solar energy which was never delivered.
Kerala elects 20 Members of Parliament; the state votes on April 10.
NDTV's opinion poll shows Mr Chandy's UDF - the incumbent coalition anchored by the Congress- getting 10 of the 20 seats; the Left, which got four seats in the last election in 2009, is likely to gain six.