Kerala High Court allows plea to register FIR against ex-CM Pinarayi Vijayan in ‘bribery’ case

The Kerala High Court has permitted the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and several others in a bribery case. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had recommended an FIR be registered against Vijayan, his daughter T Veena, son-in-law Muhammed Riyas, and others for allegedly receiving illegal payments from Kochi-based Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) when the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) was in power.

The state government had previously ordered a preliminary inquiry by the Crime Branch, but the court has now allowed the petition and directed the registration of the FIR. The ED alleges that CMRL paid Veena’s IT firm, Exalogic Solutions, Rs 2.78 crore under the guise of IT consultancy fees, despite the firm not providing any services.

The Income Tax Department had uncovered the alleged payments during Vijayan’s first term as chief minister. If the state government proceeds with registering the FIR, it would mark the second major corruption probe Vijayan has faced in his political career.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.