The most controversial name of Kerala politics will now have to change. Saritha Nair will be known as Lakshmi Nair from now on, as she had told the solar case enquiry commission that she had changed her name by publishing it in the official gazette in 2013.
Saritha revealed about the name change during her cross examination by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s advocate S Sreekumar.
As per The Times of India report, when Sreekumar asked Saritha if she began using the name Lakshmi after being in jail for six months in connection with an earlier case, Saritha said it was wrong but that she was also known as Lakshmi.
Earlier she said that she had just applied for a change-of-name and she was not sure about Gazette publication as she was arrested by then. But when Sreekumar pointed that in none of the records of the solar case, like bail applications and the petitions in the high court, has the name Lakshmi Nair been used, she agreed that the new name was published in the gazette and she did not collect it.
The report says that the commission observed that in that case she can no longer be called Saritha.
CM's counsel had reportedly alleged that Biju and Saritha changed names to Dr RB Nair and Lakshmi Nair to avoid people recognizing them.
Meanwhile Saritha on Tuesday produced a sealed cover containing "evidences" before a judicial commission probing the scam, claiming that it would "justify" her statements before it.
Deposing before the Justice G Sivarajan Commission last week, she had produced a sealed cover containing details of powerful politicians who allegedly sexually abused her in Kerala.
Saritha, who was allowed by the Commission to produce details of the alleged incidents and supporting documentary evidences in sealed covers, today said the "new sealed cover contains audio and video evidences to justify her statements before the panel" and sought time to produce more such evidences in the coming days too.
Meanwhile, the Commission expressed doubts about its ability to submit the report before April 27 deadline.
The Commission made this observation in view of more revelations about the scam by the witnesses and during cross-examinations of parties.
All the new developments have to be examined and it is a time taking process, the Commission noted.