The Kerala High Court has slammed the State government for denying sanction for a CBI probe against R. Chandrasekharan, former chairman of the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation (KSCDC), and P.A. Ratheesh, former managing director, KSCDC, in an approximately ₹600-crore corruption case involving the import of raw cashew between 2006 and 2015.
A Bench of Justice A. Badharudeen on Monday wondered whether the government that was committed to ensuring rule of law and fighting corruption was protecting persons facing corruption allegations in the case. The court was hearing a contempt plea filed by Kadamkampally Manoj of Kollam, alleging corruption in the import of raw cashew nuts by the Kerala Cashew Board (KCB) and the State’s refusal to grant sanction for the CBI probe in the matter.
The High Court had ordered an inquiry into the alleged scam in 2015, given its international ramifications. The CBI had reportedly found that procedural violations, opacity in tender modalities, and possible attempts to fix bids had cost the public exchequer ₹600 crore, which reportedly accorded a corresponding benefit to cashew suppliers and their middlemen.
The agency had reportedly found that the KSCDC had purchased raw cashew at higher than prevailing international market rates. Lack of accurate price data on cashew had allegedly resulted in opaqueness in procurement. It also allegedly found that the order to the original bidder had changed hands multiple times through contracts on High Sea Sales (HSS), raising the possibility of fraud in the tendering process and money laundering.
The matter has been posted for hearing the coming week.
Published – November 17, 2025 10:35 pm IST
