L. Laila
| Photo Credit: special arrangement
Twenty-five years is no small period in a lifetime; even more so in the career of a government servant with a service of 34 years.
That is how long L. Laila, 69, a former assistant director with the Kerala agriculture department, had to wait for justice and be cleared of the ‘corrupt’ tag that turned her life and career into one running nightmare. When the Special Vigilance Court, Muvattupuzha, acquitted her of the corruption and forgery charges on May 25, 2025, quarter of a century later, it seemed more like the legal maxim, justice delayed is justice denied, taught the hard way.
“Of course, I am relieved, but it does not compensate for all the humiliation and mental anguish I had to go through and which I would not have survived without the support of my husband,” says Ms. Laila, sitting at her house at Piravom.
She was booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the IPC sections for forgery and falsification of accounts for alleged misappropriation of ₹3.47 lakh while serving as assistant director of agriculture, Piravom, for three years from 1993. It came back to bite her later in 2000 when she was due for promotion. Not only was she denied promotion, but she was demoted as an agriculture officer, a post in which she started her service in 1978.
A prolonged period of litigation ensued, initially in the Court of Enquiry Commissioner and Special Judge, Thrissur, and then before the Special Vigilance Court, Muvattupuzha. The case was that she misappropriated funds allotted for distribution to eight Krishi Bhavans under her jurisdiction by transferring them to a bank account in the name of the Assistant Agriculture Director, Piravom.
“An election was round the corner, and there was a direction to ensure that it didn’t hamper the allotment of funds to important projects. I transferred the funds to the bank account to avoid a potential treasury ban. The funds were eventually transferred to all Krishi Bhavans,” Ms. Laila says.
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) further investigated the case. A supplementary final report filed before the court on September 28, 2024, absolved Ms. Laila of causing any loss to the State exchequer. It had been 12 years since she had retired when that clean chit came, and her two children, who were school-going kids when her ordeal started, were now settled with good jobs as their mother finally stands vindicated.
In the bargain, Ms. Laila lost two promotions, as deputy director and joint director, and related benefits worth lakhs in salary, increment and retirement benefits. She has already written to the Agriculture department requesting restoration of notional promotion and the related benefits.
She is bracing for another round of litigation if that request is turned down.
Published – May 30, 2025 11:57 am IST
