THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A succession of disclosures against him in a corruption scandal have left Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy precariously placed ahead of state elections. Here are the 10 latest developments in what has been dubbed the "solar scam".
A court has ordered that the Chief Minister, who belongs to the Congress, be named in a police case or FIR in connection with the scandal. The politician's appeal against that verdict will be heard later today.
The Chief Minister's biggest challenge lies in the multitude of allegations leveled by Saritha Nair, accused of duping industrialists by promising them cheap solar panels that were never delivered.
With her partner, Biju Radhakrishnan, she dropped Mr Chandy's name and flaunted her access to some of his top aides to land valuable deals.
Ms Nair was arrested in 2013 and then granted bail, and has been making damaging statements against the Chief Minister in her testimony before a retired judge investigating the scam.
Ms Nair has said that she paid 1.9 crores as bribes for the Chief Minister to his aides. Mr Chandy has said that claim is baseless, and has pointed out that he suspended three of his aides who seemed to have close links with Ms Nair.
In its defense of the Chief Minister, the Congress is referencing earlier media interviews of Ms Nair in which she claimed that the opposition Left offered her 10 crores to make statements against Mr Chandy. The Left has rejected that claim.
The Chief Minister gave his side of the story over 11 hours on Monday to the judge investigating the scam. He was cross-examined. Never before has a Kerala Chief Minister been questioned by a judicial commission.
The opposition has been holding daily protests outside the government headquarters in the state capital of Thiruvanthapuram.
A leaked audio tape has added to the ruling party's troubles. A Congress spokesperson can be heard advising Saritha Nair to "play safe" during her cross-examination. The spokersperson has denied that he was trying to coach Ms Nair.
The opposition says the Chief Minister has to resign. Assembly polls are due in Kerala this year and the solar scam is the opposition's main weapon against Mr Chandy and the United Democratic Front that his Congress party leads.
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