Half-price scooter scam: Retired Kerala HC judge Justice C N Ramachandran Nair named third accused

Kochi: Retired Kerala HC judge Justice C N Ramachandran Nair has been named as the third accused in the half-price scooter scam. A cheating case was registered by the Perinthalmanna Police against him based on a complaint from KSS, an organisation based at Angadippuram in Malappuram, which served as an implementing agency for the National NGO Confederation involved in the scam.

The complaint, filed by KSS president Danimon, alleges that ₹34 lakh was embezzled through the NGO Confederation between April and November 2014. Along with the first and second accused – Anandakumar and Ananthu Krishnan, Justice C N Ramachandran Nair was named as the third accused in the case.

Meanwhile, Justice C N Ramachandran Nair has responded, stating that he was irresponsibly implicated by the police. He stated that he was named in the FIR solely in his capacity as a patron of the Confederation. Justice Nair clarified that he was only an advisor to the organisation, not a patron, and had no involvement in its operations. He criticised the police for registering the case without even questioning him and added that he had contacted the Malappuram SP to lodge a formal complaint about the issue.

Following the exposure of the half-price scooter scam, Justice Nair had publicly disclosed his association with the organisation. He had previously explained that he became an advisor to the NGO Confederation at the invitation of Anandakumar, one of the accused and the state coordinator of the Sathya Sai Orphanage Trust. Justice Nair added that upon realising that the organisation was engaging in unauthorised fundraising, he resigned from his advisory role in June.