Former Congress minister surrenders in court

THIRUVANANTHPURAM: Former Congress minister in Kerala, R Balakrishna Pillai on Friday surrendered in court. He was sentenced to one year imprisonment by the Supreme Court in a graft case.
A special court in Kochi today turned down former Kerala minister R Balakrishna Pillai's request to provide him `A' class facilities in jail. Pillai who surrendered in the court in the morning was sent to the Poojappura central prison.
The Supreme Court on February 11 had sentenced Pillai and two others to one-year jail for corruption in the award of contract for a hydropower project.Pillai had said he would go to prison.
The apex had court approved the prosecution plea that the former minister was instrumental in a conspiracy to cause a loss over Rs 2 crore to the Kerala State Electricity Board in the construction of the Edamalayar hydroelectric power project.The convicts were sentenced under the Prevention of Corruption Act for lapses in the project, whose tunnel developed cracks in the mid-1980s.
The SC bench of Justice P Sathasivam and Justice B S Chauhan reversed the Kerala high court judgment which acquitted all the three. Since the then Congress government in Kerala did not challenge the high court order, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan who was then leader of the opposition had moved the Supreme Court,challenging the acquittal. The apex court allowed Achuthanandans appeal and also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on each of the three convicts.
Pillai, 76, had said he would not seek a review of the decision and go to jail.Chairman of the Kerala Congress (B),a Congress ally,Pillai claimed he was innocent. However, on Friday, Pillai surrendered in the court.