Bar bribery case: HC grants 45 days to VACB to submit report

Justice B Sudheendra Kumar gave the direction while considering a petition filed by Mani challenging the order issued by the vigilance court in Thiruvananthapuram allowing a plea for further investigation in the case. The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) informed the court that it would complete the probe in 30 days and the report could be submitted before the court in 45 days.

Mani's counsel contended that enough time has been granted for investigating the case. The court, however, admitted the government's submission seeking more time to file the report.

In his petition, Mani submitted that the VACB could not conduct further probe in the case in which it had filed the final report saying no offense had been made out.

The vigilance court had ordered for further probe into the bar bribery scandal against Mani in 2016 after superintendent of police, vigilance, R Sukesan filed a petition in the court alleging that former Vigilance Director Sankar Reddy had intervened in the investigation in an attempt to give Mani a clean chit.