The Kerala HC reserves the order on the basis of the apology sent by the cashew department secretary

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict on the apology tendered by cashew department secretary K. Biju for allegedly including incriminating remarks against the judiciary in a government order. The court also directed that a copy of the order be served on the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) immediately.

A government order was issued sanctioning the CBI to prosecute two former officials of the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation in connection with alleged irregularities in the importation of raw cashews between 2006 and 2015 by the corporation.

Apology reissued

Mr. Biju issued the order on July 2, reportedly accusing the state of being forced by the court to grant the sanction. However, on July 6, he reissued the order after purportedly deleting the controversial statements on the advice of the Solicitor General and apologized to the court.

The court asked him to amend the apology following which Mr. Biju filed a revised apology in the court on July 14. The court said it would consider the apology and decide whether to accept the apology and close the matter or proceed with contempt. The court also noted that a copy of the first order was produced by Mr. Chandrasekharan at a press conference held on July 2.

Principles of justice

While considering the apology, Justice A. Badharudeen orally observed that even if the sanctioning authority for prosecuting civil servants is the government, such an order should follow on record and evidence based on principles of justice.

The sanction order was sought to prosecute INTUC state president and former KSCDC chairman R. Chandrasekharan and former CEO KA Ratheesh against a court motion by Kadakampalla Manoj of Kollam.

Published – 15 July 2026 20:00 IST