Kerala HC to hear Pinarayi Vijayan’s appeal in CMRL bribery case on October 26
The court will hear appeals of former Kerala CM, his daughter Veena T and son-in-law P A Muhammed Riyas against in relation to the CMRL bribery case
Kochi, Oct 23 (PTI) The Kerala High Court on Friday posted to October 26 the appeals filed by former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his family members challenging a single judge's order directing the registration of an FIR against them in the alleged CMRL bribery case.
The appeals filed by Vijayan, his daughter Veena T and son-in-law P A Muhammed Riyas MLA, came up before a Division Bench comprising Justice Sathish Ninan and Justice P Krishna Kumar, which posted the matter for further hearing on Monday.
Even though Vijayan's counsel submitted that the Supreme Court has stayed the VACB probe only for a limited period, the court said that the appeals will be considered on Monday.
Last month, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) wrote to the state police seeking registration of an FIR against Vijayan and his family, based on evidence gathered during its investigation into alleged payments by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) and searches conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Instead of registering a case, the state police decided to conduct a preliminary inquiry based on the ED's report.
On October 9, the High Court directed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to register a case based on the ED report submitted to the state police.
Two FIRs were subsequently registered, following which the ED initiated separate investigations under the PMLA against Vijayan and his family.
On October 15, the High Court rejected applications by Vijayan, Veena and Riyas seeking permission to appeal against the single judge's order.
They then approached the Supreme Court, which stayed the VACB investigation for a week and directed them to pursue an appeal before a Division Bench of the High Court.
However, the apex court has not stayed the ED investigation.
ED had issued a notice to Vijayan to appear for interrogation on Friday.
However, he sent a letter to the agency citing the Supreme Court order and ongoing Assembly session to skip the interrogation, officials said.
According to the VACB's FIR, Vijayan allegedly abused his official position and adopted corrupt and illegal means to secure illicit pecuniary benefits for himself, his daughter and her company.
The FIR alleges that Veena and her now-defunct company, Exalogic Solutions, received Rs 3.28 crore from CMRL and Empower India Capital Investments Pvt Ltd through their respective bank accounts under the guise of information technology consultancy and marketing services. PTI