Kerala Transport Minister Thomas Chandy resigns over land grab allegations

Chandy is the third minister quitting Kerala govt in just 18 months; he was alleged to have got a road constructed through government-owned land

Thomas Chandy

Battling land grab charges, Kerala Transport Minister Thomas Chandy on Wednesday submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who forwarded it to the Governor.

Chandy was alleged to have got a road constructed through government-owned land and levelled water bodies to facilitate easier access to his Lake Palace Resort located near the Punamada Lake in Kerala.

Chandy is the third minister quitting the Kerala government in just 18 months. The first to go was Industries Minister E P Jayarajan who quit last year. Saseendran followed in March this year.

Speaking to the media at the Secretariat later, NCP leader T P Peethamabaran said the resignation letter had been handed over to Vijayan. "All the details will be told to you at 2 pm".

Sources close to Chandy said he will approach the Supreme Court on Thursday and it has been decided that the slot meant for the Nationalist Congress Party in the cabinet will be left vacant.

"Chandy's resignation letter has been forwarded to the Governor," Vijayan said while leaving his office.

On Tuesday, the Vijayan government suffered a setback when the Kerala High Court dismissed a petition filed by Chandy for quashing the Alappuzha Collector's report, which alleged land grab by Chandy's resort.

Earlier on November 8, the High Court had pulled up the state government and asked whether it would take the same stand 'if the encroachment was done by a common man'.

Also, a Kottayam vigilance court had ordered verification of the land encroachment allegations filed against Chandy.

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