Kerala High Court stays CMRL bribery FIRs against Pinarayi Vijayan for four weeks

The Kerala High Court stayed FIRs and the investigation against Pinarayi Vijayan and his family for four weeks. The temporary relief prompted the CPI(M) to claim vindication and the BJP to object.

In Short

• Court also suspended the October 9 single-judge directive to vigilance authorities
• Enforcement Directorate information formed the basis for ordering case registrations
• CPI(M) called the allegations fabricated and politically motivated against its leadership

The Kerala High Court has stayed for four weeks the FIRs and investigation against former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his family members in the alleged Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd bribery case, news agency Press Trust of India reported. The CPI(M) welcomed the decision, while the BJP described it as “unfortunate”.

The court also stayed an October 9 order by a single judge directing the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to register FIRs against Vijayan, his daughter Veena T and her husband P A Mohamed Riyas, based on information provided by the Enforcement Directorate.

CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan welcomed the verdict and said it upheld the rule of law. He claimed that the order vindicated the party's stand that the alleged CMRL bribery case was “fabricated” to target Vijayan and the CPI(M).

“Though the case was initially projected as being against Veena and her now-defunct company Exalogic Solutions, it was intended to target Vijayan, Riyas and the CPI(M). The High Court has upheld the rule of law by not believing the false narratives in favour of continuing with the FIRs,” Govindan said, according to PTI.

Govindan also alleged that the High Court verdict had exposed a “Narendra Modi-ED-V D Satheesan collaboration” against the CPI(M). “As we said in the past, we will legally and politically oppose the attacks against the party by this collaboration,” he told reporters.

BJP state vice-president Shone George, however, termed the High Court's decision “unfortunate” and claimed that the state government's approach had led to the order.

“From the very start, the state government was thinking of ways to protect Vijayan, Veena and Riyas in the matter. That stand was repeated by the Advocate General who represented the state in the High Court,” George said at a press conference.

“Despite the lodging of the FIRs, the Advocate General told the court that the government was in favour of a preliminary inquiry. We strongly oppose the stand,” he said.

George claimed that no FIR would have been registered if petitioner and advocate K M Shajahan had not approached the High Court seeking the registration of a case.

He also said the High Court had only stayed the single-judge order and temporarily halted the FIRs and investigation. “It has not said that Vijayan has not received bribes or that he is innocent, even though claims in that regard are being made by some,” he said. “No one should be misled by such claims,” he added, according to PTI.

Neither the Congress-led UDF government nor leaders of the ruling front have commented on the High Court verdict. The order has put the FIRs and investigation on hold for four weeks, drawing contrasting responses from the CPI(M) and the BJP.

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