An RTI reply has revealed that the Kerala government spent Rs 245.62 crore from the state exchequer on litigations during the tenure of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government, covering 789 cases in the Supreme Court alone.
The details, provided by the state’s Advocate General in response to an RTI enquiry by Kasaragod native A.S. Ashraff, show that Rs 38.91 crore was spent on 789 cases in the Supreme Court alone.
As per the details, Advocate Jaydeep Guptha received Rs 8.91 crore for 273 cases, while senior advocate Kapil Sibal was paid Rs 5.62 crore for five cases.
The expenditure covered cases before the Supreme Court, High Court and various tribunals. The RTI reply also indicates that government institutions, including universities, spent public money on litigation concerning disputes with the Governor.
Among the cases listed in the RTI reply are:
- Solar case: Rs 1.20 crore
- Peirya twin murder case: Rs 85 lakh
- Gold smuggling case: Rs 75 lakh
- Life Mission case: Rs 55 lakh
- Tiruvananthapuram airport case against Adani: Rs 56 lakh
- Harrisons Malayalam: Rs 45 lakh
- KIIFB: Rs 45 lakh
- Santiago Martin (Lottery): Rs 17.50 lakh
- Cherupalli Estate: Rs 16.5 lakh
- Sprinkler: Rs 2 lakh
Critics argue that the scale of the expenditure raises a basic question: how much of the money spent from the state exchequer was used to defend cases that were purely matters of government administration, and how much went towards litigation involving political leaders or matters connected to them?
The question assumes greater significance in the backdrop of the ongoing CMRL-Exalogic case involving former Kerala Chief Minister and current Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter T. Veena and his son-in-law P.A. Mohammed Riyas.
Against this backdrop, the RTI figures provide a wider picture of the financial burden of litigation on the Kerala government. Hundreds of cases and crores of rupees in legal fees mean that the ultimate cost of prolonged litigation is borne by the public exchequer, irrespective of the outcome of individual cases.
