Cashew scam: HC allows Industries Minister to file plea to drop his personal appearance

A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Thursday directed Industries Department Principal Secretary APM Mohammed Hanish to file an application seeking to recuse himself from appearing before a Single Bench in the ₹600 crore cashew import scam on Friday.

On Wednesday, he filed an appeal against the Single Bench order ordering his personal appearance in the contempt of court case related to the Friday scam.

The contempt petition was filed by Kadakkampally Manoj of Kollam. In his plea, Mr. Manoj cited how the earlier HC order before October 15 had to be complied with. However, the Chief Secretary issued a Cabinet Order on October 28 denying sanction to the CBI scam probe, as he claimed.

In April, the HC quashed a state government order denying sanction to a CBI probe into the ₹600 crore cashew nut import scam. The court further summoned Mr. Hanish to appear before it in a contempt plea filed after the rejection of sanction in the CBI probe into alleged corruption in the importation of raw cashews between 2006 and 2015 by the Kerala Cashew Board.

In October 2025, the Supreme Court expressed its displeasure with the state government for refusing to sanction the CBI probe against R. Chandrasekharan, former chairman of Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation (KSCDC), and PA Ratheesh, former CEO of the corporation, in a corruption case.

The state government has thrice denied permission to investigate the case to the CBI and also maintained that it was not a case of contempt of court. The government has reportedly opted for a vigilance inquiry to ensure that prima facie “offences” warrant investigation. Later, the HC department ordered a CBI probe, taking into account the seriousness of the allegations and finding, prima facie, materials necessary for an investigation by an independent agency.

Published – 21 May 2026 21:01 IST