- Allegations involve illicit payments to daughter Veena’s company.
The Kerala High Court on Monday granted relief to former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his family by staying an order directing the registration of an FIR against them in the alleged Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) bribery case. A Division Bench also suspended the FIRs registered by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) and its investigation until further orders. The court admitted appeals filed by Vijayan, his daughter Veena T and son-in-law PA Mohamed Riyas, listing the matter for hearing after four weeks.
FIR Probe Put On Hold
The bench, comprising Justices K Natarajan and Johnson John, passed the order while hearing appeals against an October 9 ruling by a single judge directing the VACB to register an FIR based on a report submitted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Senior advocates representing the appellants argued that the ED’s findings did not establish a cognisable offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act. They also challenged the decision to issue the direction without hearing Vijayan and his family.
Vijayan’s counsel, Siddharth Luthra, argued that the transactions were already being investigated by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) and questioned the need for another agency to investigate the same allegations.
The state government said it had complied with the single judge’s order by registering the FIRs, although it did not agree with the ruling. The ED opposed granting interim relief.
Supreme Court Intervention
The family had approached the Supreme Court after the High Court rejected their applications seeking permission to appeal against the single judge’s order.
On October 21, the Supreme Court stayed the VACB investigation for a week and directed them to pursue their challenge before a Division Bench. However, it did not stay the ED’s investigation.
The High Court’s latest order pauses the VACB proceedings pending further consideration of the appeals.
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Alleged Rs 3.28 Crore Payments
According to the VACB’s FIR, Veena and her now-defunct company, Exalogic Solutions, allegedly received Rs 3.28 crore from CMRL and Empower India Capital Investments Pvt Ltd under the guise of IT consultancy and marketing services.
The FIR alleges that Vijayan abused his official position to secure illicit financial benefits for himself, his daughter and her company.
Thiruvananthapuram, Keralam | Former CM and LoP Pinarayi Vijayan says, “I have always placed my faith in the country’s legal system at every stage. I was firmly confident that the law would take its own course. Today’s position taken by the Kerala High Court is a reflection of that.”
— ANI (@ANI) October 26, 2026
Reacting to Monday’s development, Vijayan said he had consistently placed his faith in the country’s legal system and remained confident that the law would take its course. He described the High Court’s decision as a reflection of that confidence.
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