Kerala bureau files two cases against Pinarayi Vijayan and others

what happened

Kerala’s Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has registered two first information reports (FIRs) over financial dealings between Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) and Exalogic. Asian News International reported that former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and others were named as accused. Vijayan’s daughter, T Veena, was listed as an accused in both cases.

Vijayan is the first accused in the monthly payment, or Masappadi, case, while Mohammed Riyas is the first accused in the money-laundering case. The first proceeding was filed under the Prevention of Corruption Act; the second concerns an alleged hawala transaction. The FIRs cite Sections 13(2) and 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, provisions of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, and Sections 12, 13(1)(b), 13(2) and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.

The cases followed a Kerala High Court order instructing the Vigilance Department to act on a report submitted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The dispute concerns transactions between CMRL and Exalogic Solutions, a company linked to Vijayan’s daughter. Last month, Vijayan said the contract was proper and legitimate, the payments had been recorded in the accounts, and the required taxes and remittances to the government had been handled correctly.

why it matters

The FIRs place the CMRL-Exalogic dispute into a formal criminal investigation. Further proceedings could affect Kerala’s political environment and the legal-risk assessment surrounding the individuals named in the cases.