Chandy files defamation case against Achuthandan

Thiruvanthapuram, April 28: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Thursday filed a Rs.1 lakh defamation case against CPI-M leader V.S. Achuthandan after he said there were 136 cases of corruption against Chandy and his cabinet colleagues.

Achuthandan, at an election rally in Kannur earlier this week, said there were as many as 31 cases of corruption registered against the chief minister. Chandy threatened that if Achuthandan did not withdraw his statement, he would take legal steps. In his petition filed at a court here, Chandy said Achuthandan made the “baseless” statement to belittle him and his colleagues ahead of the May 16 Kerala assembly polls. Earlier on Thursday, Chandy in his Facebook page said that while there was not a single case against him or his cabinet ministers, there were cases against Achuthandan and quite a few candidates from the Left Front opposition. (ians)