New Delhi, Monday, January 18, 2010: A petition has been filed in Supreme Court to make Kerala Governor RS Gavai’s secretary, additional respondent in connection with the SNC Lavalin case.
The plea was filed by an organization named ‘People’s Council for Civil Rights’ based in Thalassery. Representing the organization advocate T Asifali filed the petition.
The petition was filed in the wake of Supreme Court all set to hear the sensational case on Tuesday.

The petition says, since the Governor gets constitutional protection from being tried in the case his secretary may be made additional respondent in the case.Kerala Governor R S Gavai gave sanction to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to prosecute Communist Party of India (Marxist) State Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan in connection with his involvement in the sensitive SNC Lavalin graft case.
The Governor’s sanction came despite the state government’s recommendation not to give permission to prosecute Vijayan, holding that there was not enough evidence against the Marxist leader.

The case pertains to alleged corruption and irregularities in awarding contract for renovation of three hydro-electric projects-Panniyanr, Chenkulam and Pallivasal-to Canadian firm SNC Lavalin when Vijayan was Power Minister in 1998.
The CBI, which probed the case, had found irregularities in awarding the contract and wanted to arraign Vijayan as ninth accused in the case.

The agency had also stated that the contract had resulted in huge loss to the state exchequer. The CPI (M) has all along taken the position that the case was politically motivated.