Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has strongly denied allegations that one of his ministers took a bribe of Rs 1 crore as part of a deal to renew the licenses of 418 "sub-standard" bars that were closed last year.
"Allegations against KM Mani are politically motivated and far from the reality," Mr Chandy said at a press conference today, referring to the Finance Minister, who is a leader of Kerala Congress (M), a key ally.
The remarks came after allegations by Biju Ramesh, chief of the Kerala Hotels and Bar Association, on a TV show aired on a regional channel last evening that he was asked for a bribe of Rs 5 crore in return for renewal of licenses of the bars. Mr Ramesh further alleged that he paid part of the sum - Rs 1 crore - to Mr Mani.
The Chief Minister also denied Mr Ramesh's allegations that he had raised the issue of some of his cabinet colleagues demanding bribes during a meeting with him, asserting that no such meeting had taken place.
The government and bar owners across the state are locked in a legal battle over the new "no-liquor" policy that aims to achieve complete prohibition in the state in a phased manner. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had, in August, announced that over 700 bars across the state will have to shut down, adding that only five-star hotels would be allowed to keep serving liquor.
The Kerala High Court had upheld that order on Thursday, asking for the bars to shut down immediately. But it allowed bars in 62 heritage, four-star and five-star hotels to serve liquor.
In an interim relief for bar owners, a division bench of the court yesterday allowed 312 bars to remain open for a month but ordered status quo to be maintained for the 418 bars.