The Kerala government assured the Supreme Court that it would provide Opposition Leader VS Achuthanandan a copy of the charge sheet in the 1997 Ice Cream parlour sex scandal, involving the state's top politicians, judicial officers and others.
The Kerala government on Thursday assured the Supreme Court that it would provide Opposition Leader VS Achuthanandan a copy of the charge sheet in the 1997 Ice Cream parlour sex scandal, involving the state's top politicians, judicial officers and others.
While recording the state government's submission, a bench of justices GS Singhvi and SJ Mukhopadhyaya also issued notice to it on Achuthanandan's appeal against the Kerala High Court's order refusing to give him a copy of the report submitted by a Special Investigating Team to the high court.
The charge sheet in the case was filed recently in the trial court.
Kerala was rocked in 1997 by the alleged sex scandal, infamously known as "Ice Cream Parlour sex case" following a complaint by an Kozhikode-based NGO, Anweshi that an ice cream parlour was being run as a brothel and a number of girls were being sexually exploited there by high and mighty ones.
The names of several politicians, judicial officers and other VIPs figured in the scam.
Appearing for Achuthanandan, senior counsel Shekhar Naphade sought the apex court direction for a copy of the charge sheet saying after submission of the SIT's report to the high court, a charge sheet has been filed in the trial court.
Former Chief Minister Achuthanandan has alleged in his petition that the present state government is not making any serious effort to bring the accused to book as several influential persons including its sitting Minister for Industries and Information Technology PK Kunhalikutty is said to be involved in the racket.
In his appeal Achuthanandan, stated that one KA Rauf, co-brother of Kunhalikutty, made a disclosure at a press conference on January 28, 2011 that the minister had influenced several key witnesses in the sex scandal to turn hostile for pecuniary benefits.
On the basis of the said disclosure, Kerala police registered a fresh case on January 30, 2011 and on February 2, a Special Investigation Team was constituted, to probe the claim, said the plea by former state CM.
But, "no investigation worth its name was done for the ostensible reason being the change in the Government, having been taken place from May 2011. Kunhalikutty has become a Cabinet minister since May 2011 and wields considerable clout in the government," the appeal alleged.
The high court had earlier held that the action taken report / final report is not a part of the court record and therefore Achuthanandan is not entitled for the same.
Once it is filed in the appropriate court, the magistrate concerned can pass appropriate orders on the said request in accordance with the law, it had said.
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