Kerala High Court Grants Temporary Relief to CM Pinarayi Vijayan in Fraud Case

Court Decision on Financial Fraud Case

Kochi: In a significant development for Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter Veena Vijayan, and the Kochi-based mining firm CMRL, the Kerala High Court has issued a two-month stay on a trial court's decision regarding a complaint from the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) related to a financial fraud case.

The interim order was delivered by Justice T.R. Ravi of the vacation bench, who was addressing the appeal made by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) against an April 11 ruling from the Additional District and Sessions Judge-VII in Ernakulam.

The court acknowledged that the petition raised essential legal questions that warranted further examination.

The Additional Solicitor General (ASG) has been notified for the first respondent, and notices will be issued to respondents 2 through 12. The ASG is required to submit their counter-affidavit. Given the fundamental issues regarding the cognizance process and the implications of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (CrPC) and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), the court has directed all parties to maintain the current status for two months.

The court also instructed that the matter be revisited promptly after the court reopens.

Last week, the SFIO submitted its charge sheet concerning an allegedly illicit transaction involving Veena Vijayan’s now-defunct IT company, Exalogic, and CMRL, claiming that her firm received approximately Rs 2.70 crore monthly from CMRL for mining approvals without providing any actual services.

The SFIO had filed this charge sheet in an economic offences court, and the process of issuing summons to the accused was underway when this crucial relief was granted.

Additionally, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has initiated a preliminary investigation into the matter. Previously, both the Karnataka and Kerala High Courts had dismissed petitions from Veena and the state-owned KSIDC, which holds a stake in CMRL.

Both Vijayan and the CPI-M have expressed their commitment to contest the case through legal and political means.