Life Mission project case: Kerala govt moves HC, demands quashing of 'malicious' CBI FIR

On Wednesday, the Kerala government moved the Kerala High Court seeking a direction to quash the FIR filed by the CBI regarding the alleged FCRA violation in the Life Mission project. It is the state government's flagship housing scheme for all the landless and homeless in the state. In its FIR registered on September 25, the agency has booked Santosh Eapan of Unitac Builders & Developers, which bagged the contract of the project and raided his office and residence in Kochi. 

In its petition, the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government has opposed the CBI probe claiming that the FIR has been registered with ulterior motives. Earlier in the day, the CBI asked Life Mission CEO UV Jose to appear before it at its Kochi office on October 5 with the files related to the Wadakkenchery flat complex project. It has already recorded the statements of Life Mission Thrissur district coordinator Lins David and Wadakkanchery municipal secretary Muhammad Anas. Moreover, Swapna Suresh- an accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case is also likely to be interrogated by the agency. 

Read: Kerala Gold Smuggling Case: Accused Sandeep Nair To Turn Approver; To Confess In CJM Court

Read: Kerala 2015 Assembly Violence: Court Won't Withdraw Case; 6 Of Vijayan's MLAs In Trouble

Opposition up in arms over Life Mission project

The target of the mission is to provide safe housing to nearly 4.30 lakh homeless people in Kerala within a span of 5 years. This entails modern housing complexes with the provision of livelihoods and social services such as primary health care, geriatric support, skill development and financial inclusion. The Kerala government decided to give priority to the coastal population, plantation workers and those who stay in temporary shelters on government land. 

Recently, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala alleged that gold smuggling scam accused Swapna Suresh admitted before an NIA court that she received Rs.1 crore as commission from the project. He also lambasted Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan for not making public a copy of the MoU between the state government and the UAE-based Red Crescent Authority. Red Crescent had agreed to provide Rs.20 crore towards the Life Mission project. According to Chennithala, the commission involved in the case amounts to approximately Rs.9 crore. Disapproving of the vigilance probe ordered by the state government, Kerala BJP president K Surendran opined that this was an attempt to sabotage the Centre's probe and destroy the Life Mission documents. 

Read: Kerala Gold Scam: BJP's Surendran Slams CM Vijayan Over Alleged Communal Turn To Case

(Image credits: PTI)