SC Grants 7-Day Interim Relief to Pinarayi Vijayan in CMRL Case
The top court stays the FIR investigation temporarily but leaves the FIR intact, allowing the Kerala High Court to decide on further relief.
- Supreme Court grants seven-day interim relief to Vijayan
- Investigation stayed temporarily, but FIR remains intact
- CPI(M) calls order a procedural correction
- BJP says the accused have not been cleared
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 21st Oct: The Supreme Court has granted seven days of interim relief to former Kerala Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter T Veena and son-in-law, former minister PA Mohamed Riyas, in the ₹278-crore CMRL-Exalogic case.
A bench comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana set aside the Kerala High Court Division Bench’s October 15 order, which had refused the three petitioners permission to challenge a single judge’s direction to register a First Information Report (FIR) against them.
The Supreme Court also stayed the investigation into the FIR for seven days, providing temporary protection to the petitioners. However, it clarified that the FIR would remain in force and that the Kerala High Court could independently consider the appeal and decide whether to grant any further interim relief.
The bench made it clear that it had not expressed any opinion on the merits of the allegations or the validity of the subsequent Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
During the proceedings, the court questioned the procedure followed in registering the FIR and observed that a preliminary inquiry should have been conducted. It also raised questions over the absence of the required approval under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Reacting to the order, former Kerala Law Minister and CPI(M) leader P Rajeev described the interim relief as a setback for what he called the “ED-VD” combination, referring to the Enforcement Directorate and Chief Minister VD Satheeshan. Rajeev alleged that the case against Vijayan and his family was part of a politically motivated campaign.
He argued that every citizen has the right to challenge an FIR and seek judicial relief. According to Rajeev, the Supreme Court’s intervention addressed the procedural issue of denying the petitioners an opportunity to challenge the FIR rather than examining the allegations themselves.
The BJP, however, rejected suggestions that the order amounted to a major legal victory for Vijayan. BJP National Secretary K Surendran said in a Facebook post that the court had not quashed any FIR and had only allowed the petitioners an opportunity to present their arguments.
Surendran also pointed to the Supreme Court’s questions about the state government’s failure to register an FIR, arguing that the observations reinforced concerns about the handling of the case. He maintained that the legal process must continue and that anyone found responsible for wrongdoing must face the consequences.
The intervention comes amid political differences within Kerala over the state government’s earlier position before the High Court. The government had supported a preliminary inquiry, while the single judge had directed the registration of an FIR. Some Congress leaders had questioned the government’s position, alleging that it effectively favoured Vijayan.
The Supreme Court’s observations on the preliminary inquiry have added another dimension to the political debate. While the CPI(M) has portrayed the order as a procedural correction, the BJP maintains that the accused have not been cleared of wrongdoing.
With the FIR still intact and the Kerala High Court free to decide on the appeal and any further interim protection, proceedings in the CMRL-Exalogic case are set to continue.
