The Kerala High Court reserved its order on Wednesday on the apology tendered by Cashew department Secretary K. Biju for allegedly including accusatory remarks against the judiciary in a government order. The court also directed that a copy of the order be served to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) immediately.The government order was issued granting sanction to the CBI to prosecute two former officials of the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation in connection with alleged irregularities in the import of raw cashew between 2006 and 2015 by the corporation.Apology reissuedMr. Biju had issued the order on July 2, allegedly accusing the State of having been coerced into granting the sanction by the court. However, on July 6, he reissued the order after reportedly deleting the controversial statements, upon the advice of the Advocate General, and apologised to the court.The court asked him to modify the apology following which Mr. Biju filed a revised apology in court on July 14. The court stated that the apology would be considered, and it would determine whether to accept the apology and close the matter or proceed with contempt. The court had also noted that a copy of the first order was produced by Mr. Chandrasekharan in a press conference held on July 2.Principles of justiceWhile considering the apology, Justice A. Badharudeen orally remarked that even though the sanctioning authority for prosecuting public servants is the government, such an order should follow the records and evidence, based on the principles of justice. The sanction order was requested to prosecute INTUC State president and former KSCDC chairperson R. Chandrasekharan and former managing director K.A. Ratheesh, in a contempt of court petition filed by Kadakampally Manoj of Kollam. Published - July 15, 2026 08:00 pm IST