Kerala High Court Denies Stay in Pinarayi Vijayan Corruption Case

The Kerala High Court declined to grant an interim stay on October 13 regarding a judicial order for the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau of Kerala to lodge First Information Reports (FIRs) against former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter Veena T, and son-in-law P. A. Mohammad Riyas. The court noted that petitions must be numbered and admitted before a stay can be considered, stating, "That is the procedure."

The legal actions stem from an October 9 directive by a single judge, based on evidence provided in a sealed cover by the Enforcement Directorate. The primary allegation involves fraudulent payments of 2.78 crore rupees made by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited to Exalogic Solutions, a defunct company owned by Veena T, for purported IT consultancy services between 2017 and 2021.

In addition to the Exalogic case, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau of Kerala registered a separate case against Mohammad Riyas, a former Public Works Department minister, for allegedly amassing wealth through corruption and illegally funneling funds to the United Arab Emirates. Veena T is named as the second accused in both investigations, while Pinarayi Vijayan is the first accused in the Exalogic-related corruption case.

The appellants argued that the original order violated principles of natural justice because they were not heard and claimed a statutory bar exists as the Serious Fraud Investigation Office is already probing the transactions. During the proceedings, the court questioned why the state government conducted a preliminary enquiry instead of acting immediately on the federal allegations.