Pinarayi Vijayan Moves Supreme Court Challenging Kerala High Court Order to Register FIR in CMRL Alleged Bribery Case:

Former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has approached the Supreme Court to challenge a Kerala High Court order directing the registration of an FIR in the alleged CMRL bribery case. He has also sought protection from coercive action after his lawyer informed the court that the police had reportedly registered the case. The Supreme Court indicated that it would consider his plea after the Dussehra holidays, when it reopens on October 26.

Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra mentioned Vijayan’s plea before Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, seeking an urgent hearing. He told the bench about the reported registration of the FIR and requested protection for Vijayan against coercive steps. The Chief Justice said the matter could be taken up after the holidays, while leaving open the possibility of an earlier hearing if a bench was available during the break.

On Thursday, the Kerala High Court rejected pleas by Vijayan, his daughter Veena T and her husband, P A Mohamed Riyas, seeking permission to appeal against an October 9 order directing the registration of an FIR. The High Court division bench said that a person accused of corruption has no legal right to be heard before an FIR is registered.

The three had argued that the single judge issued the order without giving them an opportunity to present their side. The October 9 order directed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to register a case based on a report sent by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to Kerala Police.

The ED had sought the registration of a case following its investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The agency alleged that Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) made sham payments worth Rs 2.78 crore to Exalogic Solutions, a now-defunct company linked to Veena. According to the ED, the payments were shown as fees for IT consultancy services.

Vijayan’s Supreme Court petition challenges the High Court’s direction to register the FIR and raises the question of whether people accused of corruption must be given a hearing before a case is registered. The Supreme Court has not yet delivered a final decision on his plea or his request for protection from coercive action.