Coimbatore, October 31: A Coimbatore court on Thursday sentenced solar scam accused Saritha Nair and her husband -- Biju Radhakrishnan -- to three years in prison for their involvement in the 2013 solar scandal which roiled the previous Congress-led government in Kerala. Apart from this, the court slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on them.

According to the case, Nair was the prime accused in the 2013 solar scam. She had floated a company to sell solar panels and was accused of cheating the public and using contacts in the chief minister’s office. Nair also used names of other influential Congress leaders to buy favours. Following this, 40-odd cases of cheating in the scam were registered against her. Aviation Scam: Delhi Court Sends Yasmin Kapoor to Enforcement Directorate Remand Till October 9.

Here's ANI Tweet:

The judicial commission which probed the scam, submitted a report in 2017, stating that Nair's firms got subsidies in return for bribes and sexual favours, and top Congress leaders in the state purchased contracts. Among other influential leaders, then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy was also named, which he had denied.

The Solar scam played a vital role in 2016 Assembly Elections in Kerala, which inclined in Left Democratic Front's favour, and it won 91 seats out of the state’s 140. Due to the scam, Congress-led UDF was reduced to 47 from its earlier tally of 72 seats.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 31, 2019 05:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).