AI Camera Case: Court Uninterested, Says Opposition Leader V D Satheesan

Ernakulam: Opposition Leader V D Satheesan has responded after the High Court dismissed the petition filed alleging corruption in the AI camera project. He said the High Court is no longer encouraging public interest litigations and that this reflects a new attitude of the judiciary.

“The court had no interest in considering the case, even though strong evidence was presented. Nowadays, the High Court does not take up public interest litigations,” Satheesan told the media.

When reminded that the petition on the K-Fon project was also dismissed, and that political allegations were repeatedly failing to stand, Satheesan repeated the same reply.

The public interest litigation filed by V D Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala alleging corruption in the AI camera project was dismissed by the High Court. The court said that the allegations were not backed by evidence and that the petitioners failed to produce any. The court also clarified that it would not interfere with the contract. The verdict was delivered by a division bench headed by the Chief Justice.

The petition had demanded that the contract signed with companies for installing the cameras be cancelled, and that an investigation be conducted under the supervision of the High Court. It also sought to halt the functioning of the cameras until the probe was completed. Initially, the court had ordered that payments to contractors should only be made with its approval, but later allowed payments to be released in phases. The petitions, filed in 2023, were heard in detail before the judgment was reserved.

“No Further Response; Rahul Issue Closed,” says Satheesan

Opposition Leader V D Satheesan avoided questions on the actions to be taken against MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, who is facing sexual harassment allegations. He stated that the explanation regarding not removing him from the MLA post has already been given, and that there will be no further discussion on the matter.

When reminded that Congress MLAs M Vincent had been jailed and Eldhose Kunnappilly had gone into hiding in connection with rape cases, Satheesan said only that the court verdicts would be examined. He also did not give a clear answer to whether Rahul would be denied a ticket to contest elections or suspended from the party for a long term.

Satheesan also ended the press conference without responding to questions about demands, including from women MLAs, seeking Rahul’s resignation.