Whistleblower petitions CM against Abraham

T'puram: Close on the heels of the CM's chief principal secretary KM Abraham writing to the former demanding a probe into the alleged conspiracy by public activist Jomon Puthenpurackal and two others, the whistleblower has hit back, warning Vijayan against taking any such step.

In his letter to Vijayan on Saturday, Puthenpurackal said the Kerala high court had already ordered a CBI probe into Abraham's alleged amassment of wealth, based on his petition. He argued that any parallel probe initiated by the state govt, as sought by Abraham, would be "illegal and procedurally invalid."

The Kerala high court last week ordered a CBI investigation into Abraham after nearly a decade-long legal battle led by Puthenpurackal.

Amid growing calls for his resignation, Abraham, who currently serves as KIIFB CEO, addressed speculation in his Vishu message to its staff, saying he would leave the decision on his future to the CM.

Vijayan, who had earlier taken a hard stance that no official would be removed based on mere allegations, appeared to soften his position. Reacting to the court-ordered probe against his trusted aide, Vijayan said Abraham too "has grievances" and is pursuing legal options — hinting he might not act immediately.

In response, Puthenpurackal cautioned Vijayan against falling in line with Abraham's request, calling it an attempt to dilute or derail the CBI probe. "This is a cover-up move," the activist alleged.

Abraham, 66, retired as chief secretary in 2017 and has since remained one of Vijayan's closest advisors. With letters from both Abraham and Puthenpurackal now before him, Vijayan finds himself at the centre of a political and legal storm — even as CBI sleuths are expected to soon serve a notice on Abraham. The bureaucrat is likely to move division bench of the high court or the Supreme Court seeking to quash the high court's single bench order. PTI