SC Halts CMRL Bribery Probe Against Pinarayi Vijayan for a Week, Warns ED Against Overreach

The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted one week of relief to former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, staying the investigation into the alleged Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) bribery case involving him, his daughter and her husband.

A vacation bench comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana allowed the three to approach a division bench of the Kerala High Court against a single judge’s order directing the registration of a first information report (FIR).

The bench also warned the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against exceeding its statutory powers, stressing that the agency must not interfere in the legal domain of other authorities.

“Don't extend your hand beyond your statutory limits,” the court told the ED, clarifying that it was not questioning the agency’s authority to investigate money laundering or prosecute related offences.

The key concern was whether the ED’s communication to Kerala authorities, reporting suspected corruption under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), had been used to trigger a corruption FIR and investigation without sufficient independent legal scrutiny. The court stressed that after the ED informed the state about a suspected offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act, it was for the state authorities to act according to law.

The bench also observed that the Kerala High Court had “acted in haste” by directing the registration of an FIR. However, the Supreme Court did not rule that the ED had acted illegally or examine the merits of the allegations. It stayed the investigation for a week to allow the petitioners to seek relief from the High Court’s division bench.

On October 9, a single judge directed the state Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to register a case based on information supplied by the ED. On October 15, the High Court rejected appeals by Vijayan, his daughter Veena T, and her husband P A Mohamed Riyas, holding that an accused has no legal right to be heard before an FIR is registered in a corruption case.

The ED has alleged that CMRL made fraudulent payments of ₹2.78 crore to Veena’s now-defunct company, Exalogic Solutions, under the guise of IT consultancy services.

The allegations remain unresolved, and the Supreme Court’s interim order does not amount to a finding on guilt or innocence.