Kerala CM should be ready to oust Jaleel: Union Minister V Muraleedharan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should be prepared to expel Higher Education Minister KT Jaleel, said Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Friday, in light of Lokayukta verdict that he was guilty of nepotism.

"The Lokayukta is convinced that the minister was biased. The government should be ready to expel the minister who violated his oath as soon as possible. When the kinship controversy arose, the Chief Minister's approach was to give full support to Jaleel," he said.

Muraleedharan further said that Vijayan should be ready to apologize to the people for his mistakes.

"Jaleel's claim that he would take further action in consultation with legal experts even after the verdict came is a challenge to the legal system," the MoS added.

Earlier in the day, the Lokayukta found KT Jaleel, Kerala Minister for Higher Education and Minority Welfare guilty of 'allegations of abuse of power, favouritism, nepotism and violation of Oath of Office' and ordered that he should 'not continue to hold the post held by him as a Member of the Council of Ministers.'

The findings by the Lokayukta Justice Cyriac Joseph and Upa Lokayukta Harul Ul Rashid are based on a complaint against the Minister, saying that he misused his office to appoint his relative KT Adeeb as general manager in the Kerala State Minorities Development Finance Corporation Limited.

( With inputs from ANI )