‘Benami company’: Plea seeks vigilance probe into allegations against CPM leader P P Divya

Kochi: A petition has been filed in high court seeking a vigilance probe into the allegations that the Kannur district panchayat awarded several contracts to a private company, which is allegedly a benami company of P P Divya, former president of the district panchayat and a local CPM leader. Considering the petition filed by KSU state vice president Mohammed Shammas, the bench of Justice A Badharudeen sought instructions from the state govt on whether the vigilance department had taken any action on the complaint that the petitioner had already submitted before them. HC then adjourned the petition to Aug 26. In his petition, Shammas alleged that the company, Carton India Alliance Pvt Ltd, is a benami company of Divya and that the two directors of the company are close associates of Divya and her husband, V P Ajith. The petitioner further alleged that a proper examination of the company's real status, the financial capacity of its two directors and their close ties with Divya and Ajith would reveal that the firm is a benami company. It was further alleged that the works related to girl-friendly pre-fabricated modular toilets in 11 schools in Kannur district were awarded to Steel Industries Kerala Ltd (SILK) by the panchayat, but the execution of those works was entrusted to Carton India Alliance without inviting tenders for sub-contracts. Shammas alleged that even without executing the works, the company had received Rs 72.17 lakh as part payment, and in another project involving 16 pre-fabricated modular toilets in schools, the company had similarly obtained Rs 72.55 lakh. The petitioner also pointed out that though he had filed a petition before the vigilance director on Feb 21, 2025, no action, not even a preliminary inquiry, had been initiated so far. He therefore sought a directive to the vigilance director to conduct a preliminary inquiry and to take further action on his petition.