KM Mani had to resign soon after a harsh remark by the Kerala High Court in 2015. (File)
In a major relief to the longest serving legislator of Kerala Assembly, according to sources, the state vigilance today has told a court in Thiruvananthapuram that they have no concrete evidence on the corruption allegation against Kerala Congress (M) leader KM Mani, the former finance minister of the United Democratic Front government led by Oommen Chandy.
It was amidst huge political furore that KM Mani, who also led the then largest ally of the Congress, had to resign over allegations of corruption, after a group of bar owners alleged that he had taken a bribe of Rs 1 crore from bar owners foe re-opening of bars under UDF tenure, but instead, the bars were subsequently shut down by the Congress-led government.
KM Mani had to resign soon after a harsh remark by the Kerala High Court in 2015, even though he maintained that he was innocent and despite being backed by the then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. A year later, in 2016, KM Mani broke ties with UDF, to continue as an independent party.
KM Mani was first elected in 1965 as a legislator, and has served for 50 years as a legislator. There have been rumours about even the Left trying to appease this veteran politician, but has been rubbished by leaders from both parties, officially. But several eyebrows were raised with KM Mani addressing a seminar organised in the sidelines of the state CPM conference in Thrissur last month.