Kochi, April 26: After a petition accused Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of using public funds for his "personal" trips, the Kerala High Court on Friday sought a reply from the state government. Justice P Somarajan directed the state government to file its response to the petition, filed by D Francis, and posted the case for hearing on April 30.

Francis has alleged that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan used Rs 93,295 for air-travel to the UAE in December 2016 and Rs 3,82,807 in connection with his US trip in July 2017 from the government treasury even though the trips were "personal" in nature. He also accused the Chief Minister’s Office of not disclosing the source of the amount used for Vijayan's travel, The Indian Express reported. Pinarayi Vijayan Says PM Narendra Modi Speaking Lies About Sabarimala.

"It is not known whether the initial payments related to the above-said journeys were made by himself or somebody else on behalf of him. Even though the petitioner’s advocate repeatedly made requests, the Chief Minister’s Office has not disclosed the source for such spending," Francis alleged in his petition. He has sought a vigilance investigation into finding the source of the funds spent. Kochi's IREC Among One of the Biggest Projects in Indian History: Pinarayi Vijayan.

"Being a public servant, he is duty bound to disclose the source for all such expenses especially while he is holding the public office. Not only that, by abusing his official position as chief minister, he made pecuniary benefit by way of reimbursements after making his above said personal visits without any public interest," the petition alleged.

The trip to the UAE in 2016 was Vijayan's first official visit to a foreign country after taking over the chief minister, according to local media reports. During the trip, the chief minister visited a labour camp in Al Quoz and inaugurated an Indian school in Sharjah. In July 2018, Vijayan along with Health Minister KK Shylaja had travelled to the US to attend a host of events.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 26, 2019 07:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).