Overview
- K. M. Shaji used a Range Rover owned by a friend as his official vehicle and defended the choice by saying his government-assigned van had clocked over 400,000 kilometres and was unsafe for long trips.
- Televised visuals first showed the car at the friend’s home in Thillankeri on Saturday and reporters said it was parked without the ministerial number plate normally allocated to cabinet ministers.
- The Hindu reported that the private vehicle had borne the Keralam State 13 registration plate reserved for ministers, a detail that other outlets and TV visuals dispute and that remains unresolved in published accounts.
- Opposition parties and activists accused Shaji of violating his oath of office and of a conflict of interest, while IUML leaders said they were unaware of any party direction to return the car.
- Shaji has posted defiantly on social media and signalled further public remarks, and the episode has heightened scrutiny of ministerial ethics and the rules on using private vehicles and state insignia.