Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Friday ordered the registration of an FIR under anti-graft law against former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and others in the alleged Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) bribery case, based on a report submitted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Justice A Badharudeen allowed a plea filed by advocate K M Shajahan, who argued that the police should register an FIR rather than conduct a preliminary inquiry into the allegations contained in the ED report. A detailed judgment is awaited.
The ED had told the court that an FIR could be registered against Vijayan, his daughter Veena T, and her husband, P A Mohamed Riyas, based on the report it had submitted to the state police.
The agency argued that its report could be treated as a preliminary inquiry report and that an FIR could be registered on that basis.
The state government opposed this position, contending that the report submitted by the agency was insufficient to register an FIR and that a preliminary inquiry was necessary.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government in Keralam recently ordered a police inquiry following a letter from the ED to the state police chief seeking a probe against Vijayan, Veena and Riyas.
The ED has sought the registration of a case based on what it described as 'evidence' gathered during its investigation and searches conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The agency has alleged that CMRL made fraudulent payments totalling Rs 2.78 crore to Exalogic Solutions, Veena’s now-defunct company, under the guise of 'IT consultancy services'.