KC Joseph and Benny Behanan testify in solar conspiracy case

Senior Congress leaders former minister KC Joseph and Chalakudy MP Benny Behanan appeared before a Class I court in Kottarakkara on Wednesday to depose as witnesses in the Solar conspiracy case.

Saritha S. Nair is the first accused and former MLA, KB Ganesh Kumar is the second accused in the case filed by former district government pleader Sudheer Jacob.

In his detailed testimony, KC Joseph said that the conspiracy against former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy stemmed from a deep-rooted political vendetta harbored by former MLA, KB Ganesh Kumar.

Mr. Joseph explained that in 2013, Ganesh Kumar had to resign as Minister of Forests and Environment following a case of domestic violence registered by the police based on a complaint lodged by his first wife.

Although top UDF leaders, including the late former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and himself, successfully mediated and resolved the domestic dispute, Mr. Ganesh Kumar’s subsequent efforts to rejoin the Cabinet were strongly opposed by his own father and Kerala Congress (B) President, R. Balakrishna Pillai. Believing Oommen Chandy to be responsible for his political isolation and eventual divorce from his first wife, Mr. Ganesh Kumar allegedly orchestrated a series of reprisals.

According to Mr. Joseph’s statement, this culminated in a conspiracy where a 21-page letter originally written by Saritha S. Nair while she was in judicial custody was tampered with. In collaboration with Mr. Ganesh Kumar, four additional pages containing serious, defamatory allegations against Oommen Chandy and other UDF leaders were forged and appended to create a fraudulent 25-page document.

In further evidence, Mr Behanan corroborated KC Joseph’s statement and offered an identical account of events and a political conspiracy aimed at defaming the late Chief Minister.

Published – 15 Jul 2026 19:20 IST