The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the investigation in the alleged CMRL bribery case against former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter Veena T and her husband, P A Mohamed Riyas, for one week. The interim order gives them time to approach a division bench of the Kerala High Court against an earlier order directing the registration of an FIR.
A bench comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana permitted the petitioners to seek relief from the division bench. The Supreme Court’s order temporarily pauses the investigation but does not amount to a final decision on the allegations.
Kerala High Court Had Rejected Appeal Requests
On October 15, the Kerala High Court rejected applications filed by Vijayan, Veena and Riyas seeking permission to appeal against a single judge’s October 9 order. The court had observed that an accused in a corruption case has no legal right to be heard before an FIR is registered.
The three had argued that the single judge directed the registration of the FIR without hearing them. They also contended that the original petition was in the nature of a public interest litigation and should have been considered by a division bench assigned to such matters.
Following the High Court’s direction, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau’s Special Investigation Unit-1 registered two FIRs in connection with the allegations.
Enforcement Directorate Allegations
The October 9 order directed the state vigilance bureau to register a case based on a report submitted by the Enforcement Directorate to the state police. The central agency had sought action based on evidence gathered during its investigation, including searches conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The Enforcement Directorate alleged that Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) made payments totalling ₹2.78 crore to Veena’s now-defunct company, Exalogic Solutions, under the guise of IT consultancy services.
These allegations remain subject to legal proceedings and should not be treated as established findings of guilt.
The Supreme Court’s one-week stay provides Vijayan and the other petitioners an opportunity to challenge the single judge’s order before a division bench. Further proceedings will determine how the legal challenge progresses.
Supreme Court of India official website
Conversation
Be kind and stay on topic. Comments are moderated; abuse, spam and personal attacks are removed. Report a problem