NEW DELHI, Oct. 16: Former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday approached the Supreme Court challenging a Kerala High Court order directing the registration of an FIR in the alleged Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) bribery case.
Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, appearing for Vijayan, mentioned the petition before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, seeking an early hearing. He informed the court that an FIR had already been registered in the matter and requested protection for Vijayan against coercive action.
The Chief Justice said the plea would be taken up after the apex court reopens on October 26 following the Dussehra break. He also indicated that a bench could be constituted during the court holidays next week, depending on the availability of judges.
The development follows a setback for Vijayan, his daughter Veena T and her husband P A Mohamed Riyas, after the Kerala High Court on Thursday rejected their applications seeking permission to appeal against a single-judge order directing the registration of an FIR.
A division bench of the High Court dismissed their applications, holding that an accused person in a corruption case has no legal right to be heard before an FIR is registered. It consequently dismissed their appeals as well.
Vijayan, Veena and Riyas had argued that they were not given an opportunity to present their case before the single judge issued the October 9 directive.
The High Court had instructed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to register a case based on a report submitted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to the state police.
The ED had sought criminal proceedings on the basis of material collected during its investigation, including searches conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The agency has alleged that CMRL made payments totalling Rs 2.78 crore to Exalogic Solutions, a now-defunct company owned by Veena, under the guise of information technology consultancy services.
The allegations have brought the financial transactions between CMRL and Exalogic under scrutiny. The matter has also raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the payments and whether they involved any criminal wrongdoing.
The Supreme Court proceedings are expected to address Vijayan’s challenge to the High Court’s order. The allegations against the individuals concerned remain subject to legal proceedings, and the registration of an FIR does not by itself establish guilt.