Kerala minister ejects after misbehaviour in the air

Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan said the cabinet would decide on further action.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala public works minister PJ Joseph put in his papers on Monday, a month after his fateful air travel from Chennai when a former television newsreader accused him of misbehaving with her. Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan, who forwarded the resignation letter to the governor, said the cabinet would decide on further probe into the scandal.

The minister, who had demanded investigation by a female police officer into the incident, termed the preliminary probe report by IG B Sandhya as "incomplete". "The government should see whether the allegation would stand. Even then, I don't want to continue as minister under a shadow of doubt or defame the government or the Left Democratic Front," Joseph told reporters after submitting his resignation.

In her report submitted on Sunday, the IG said that the victim stood by her allegations and it was possible that such an act might have occurred on board. She ruled out any conspiracy theory as propounded by Joseph. Though Joseph was firm on staying after meeting the CM on Monday morning, he retracted after a meeting of his party Kerala Congress (Joseph) at his residence.