M Madhavan Nambiar, the chief of the investigation commission set up by the Kerala government to probe the Sprinklr data transaction scam, is a close associate of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The government was forced to order an investigation after it became clear that the government had allowed the controversial US-based IT firm Sprinklr to ‘steal’ personal data of Covid patients of the state. The controversial firm, which has business transactions with some international pharma giants, is allegedly linked to his daughter’s IT firm.
Earlier the state government had appointed Nambiar, a retired central government officer, as the director of Kannur Airport Director Board. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is the Chairman of the Kannur Airport Director Board. The appointment of Nambiar as the probe panel chief is likely to become a major controversy in the coming days. Needless to say that with this appointment, people have lost their trust in the panel.
In the government had cleverly concealed the fact that Nambiar is one of the directors of the Airport Board in the order GOMS79/2020 issued by the Chief Secretary on April 20. The Chief Minister, too, in his regular 6pm Press Conference has hidden this fact though he had heaped praises on him as an efficient officer who had worked in the Central government as IT Secretary.