Kerala High Court blocks challenge to FIR registration in CMRL bribery case

The Kerala High Court on Thursday rejected a petition by former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter Veena and son-in-law PA Mohammed Riyas seeking permission to contest a single-judge order that mandated the registration of FIRs against them in the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) payoffs case. The division bench, comprising Justices K Natarajan and Johnson John, had earlier deliberated on whether individuals not named as parties could challenge the order.

The FIRs were filed following a report from the Enforcement Directorate that alleged a payment of ₹3.28 crore to Exalogic Solutions, a company run by Veena, as a bribe to Vijayan. The petitioners argued that the single-judge decision was made without hearing them, violating natural justice. Earlier, Justice A Badharudeen had allowed a separate petition by lawyer-activist KM Shajahan seeking directions for the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to book Vijayan and others under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Vijayan and Riyas have dismissed the ED’s claims as baseless and politically driven. A comprehensive court order is awaited.