In a significant development in the ongoing legal proceedings surrounding the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) payoff case, a division bench of the Kerala High Court on Monday stayed the First Information Report (FIR) and the subsequent investigation being conducted by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB). The directive brings a temporary halt to the legal scrutiny facing former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter, Veena T, and his son-in-law, CPI(M) MLA PA Mohammed Riyas.
The decision was delivered by a bench comprising Justices K Natarajan and Johnson John. The judges issued the interim order while hearing a series of appeals filed against an earlier ruling by a single-judge bench, which had directed the authorities to register a corruption case and initiate a formal vigilance investigation. Following the division bench's intervention, the court explicitly noted that the judgment of the single judge currently under challenge is stayed until the next date of hearing.
The court further clarified that any ongoing investigation related to the FIR is to be kept in abeyance until further judicial orders are issued. This legal relief follows a previous intervention by the Supreme Court, which had stayed the FIR for a one-week period, providing the petitioners an opportunity to approach the High Court again to challenge the underlying directives.
The case revolves around allegations concerning financial transactions between the private firm, CMRL, and Exalogic, an IT company previously managed by Veena T. According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has been probing the matter under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, bank records indicate that Veena and her now-defunct firm received approximately ₹3.28 crore from CMRL. The investigating agency has alleged that these payments were made without any corresponding services rendered or valid invoices to justify the transfers.
Specifically, the allegations suggest that CMRL paid ₹2.78 crore to Exalogic for consultancy and marketing services that remain in question. The federal agency claims that the nature of these payments lacks evidence of legitimate professional work, leading to the probe into alleged corruption and money laundering. These claims form the crux of the accusations that have embroiled the former Chief Minister and his family in protracted legal battles.
Following the High Court's ruling on Monday, Pinarayi Vijayan expressed his response to the court's decision. He stated that he maintained faith in the country's justice system throughout the various stages of the proceedings. The former Chief Minister remarked that he remained confident that the law would take its own course and described the High Court's verdict as a development that reaffirms his faith in the judicial process.
As the legal proceedings remain on hold pending the next hearing, the case continues to be a subject of intense scrutiny. The division bench’s order serves to pause the administrative and investigative actions mandated by the single-judge bench earlier, effectively shifting the focus back to the merits of the appeals filed by the concerned parties. Further developments are expected as the High Court proceeds with its review of the case in the coming sessions.
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