No fund-raising campaign for Mani, says CPM

The CPM on Monday denied reports that the party was involved in a campaign to raise funds for helping former Idukki secretary M M Mani to fight legal battle in the Supreme Court. “There is no need for the party to go on a fund collection campaign to help Mani to meet the expenses in the court. The party had made it very clear earlier itself,” CPM Idukki district secretary K K Jayachandran MLA said.

The party will decide about fund collection if need arises, Jayachandran told ‘Express’. He added that the party was prosperous enough to meet such expenses. The clarification comes in the wake of reports that the party was not able to make enough funds as expected.

Meanwhile, the party sources said the legal expenses at the Kerala High Court and the Supreme Court were much lower than expected.

Mani had filed two petitions challenging the police against conducting further probe in the Youth Congress leader Anchery Baby murder case, which was settled by a court many years ago. Though the petition was rejected by the court, another plea challenging the police against lodging a second FIR in the same case will be taken up by the SC in the coming days.