Kerala High Court orders criminal case filing against former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan
The Kerala High Court directed that an FIR be lodged under anti-graft legislation against former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and others over the alleged CMRL bribery case.
A bench of the Kerala High Court rejected a preliminary inquiry and instructed authorities to register a first one outlet's report under the anti-corruption law. The decision follows a report submitted by the Enforcement Directorate concerning alleged bribery linked to the Chennai Metro Rail Limited project. Former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and additional unnamed individuals are named in the order. The court’s directive signals a formal criminal investigation into the matter.
Why it matters
The ruling initiates a criminal probe into a former chief minister, highlighting potential corruption in a major infrastructure project.
How the sides frame it
HIGH AGREEMENTBoth camps report the High Court's order to register a criminal case against former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, citing the Enforcement Directorate's bribery report, though left-leaning coverage highlights the petition and specific payment details while centrist coverage stresses the rejection of a preliminary inquiry and the formal FIR directive.
LEFT
Left-leaning coverage foregrounds the lawyer-filed petition and the Enforcement Directorate’s evidence, including the ₹2.78 crore payment to the former chief minister’s daughter’s firm, portraying the court’s order as a response to concrete graft allegations.
CENTER
Centrist coverage frames the story around the court’s rejection of a preliminary inquiry and its directive to file a first-one outlet's report, presenting the decision as a procedural step following the Enforcement Directorate’s bribery report.
The left emphasises
- petition by lawyer K M Shajahan prompted the court
- ED presented evidence of a ₹2.78 crore payment to Veena's now-defunct company
- court rejected the state government's claim that only a preliminary inquiry was justified
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