Thiruvananthapuram:
In a new twist to the property scam involving P V Sreenijan, son-in-law of former Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan, Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan has recommended a vigilance probe into the alleged amassing of wealth by Sreenijan.
The Chief Minister has ordered a Vigilance enquiry into the charge that Sreenijan had amassed property worth crores of rupees in a short span of time.
Several political leaders and Jurists have demanded a probe into the matter and asked K G Balakrishnan to step down as chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
Allegations of amassing of property had surfaced against Sreenijan recently after a Malayalam TV channel aired a report stating that he had within four years purchased flats, landed properties in prime locations in various parts of Ernakulam and Thrissur districts now valued at over Rs 7 crore.
In Bangalore, responding to a query on the charges against Balakrishnan's son-in-law and his brother K G Bhaskaran which appeared in a section of the media, Law Minister Veerappa Moily said, "I don't have even a single piece of paper to say... these are all the allegations."
"It's only in newspapers and (television) channels", he said on the allegations, adding, "Just because somebody levels charges, they don't become true".
Moily said allegations should be linked to misuse of office, if any, by the former CJI. "There is no linkage between the exercise of duty as a judge and certain property made by his kith and kin", he said.
Sreenijan, a lawyer and former vice president of Youth Congress, had unsuccessfully contested 2006 Assembly polls from Njarackkal assembly constituency in Ernakulam.
As per the TV report, Sreenijan's affidavit to the Election Commission then had stated that he had a bank balance of Rs 25,000 and no landed property.
Justice Balakrishnan had recently faced embarrassment over former Union Minister A Raja allegedly trying to influence a Madras High Court judge in a criminal case, with a sitting judge of the Supreme Court H L Gokhale contradicting him.
Justice Balakrishnan had claimed that the then Madras High Court Chief Justice Gokhale had not named Raja in his report to him, but Justice Gokhale set the record straight in a press statement.
(With PTI inputs)