Kochi: Former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will not appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Kochi on Friday for questioning in the CMRL-Exalogic pay-off case. He has informed the agency in writing that he is unable to attend, citing the Supreme Court’s interim order and the ongoing session of the Kerala Legislative Assembly, which is scheduled to conclude on October 29.
The ED had summoned Vijayan to appear at its Kochi zonal office at 11 a.m. on October 23. The notice was issued under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), seeking relevant documents and records and the recording of his statement. The summons was pasted on a pillar outside his residence in Thiruvananthapuram after household staff reportedly declined to accept it.
The ED’s money-laundering investigation concerns alleged payments of ₹2.78 crore by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) to Exalogic Solutions, a company owned by Vijayan’s daughter, Veena Vijayan. The agency alleges that the payments were made under the guise of IT consultancy and marketing services. These are allegations and have not been established in court.
Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court will hear on Saturday an appeal by Vijayan and others challenging the order directing the registration of FIRs in the case. The hearing follows the Supreme Court’s intervention on Wednesday, when it set aside a High Court Division Bench order that had rejected the petitioners’ request for permission to appeal against a Single Bench directive to register FIRs.
The Supreme Court granted a temporary stay on investigations arising from the FIRs, allowing the petitioners to pursue their appeal before a Division Bench. The FIRs were registered by the Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The apex court clarified that its interim order did not express any opinion on the legal validity of the separate money-laundering proceedings initiated by the ED. The agency is considering its next course of action, including whether to issue a fresh summons after the High Court hearing. The outcome of Saturday’s proceedings is expected to shape the next stage of the legal challenge.
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