Kerala HC Orders FIR Against Pinarayi Vijayan in CMRL Case

By GlobalDeskNews Staff | October 9, 2026

Pinarayi Vijayan, former Kerala chief minister, against whom the Kerala High Court has ordered an FIR in the CMRL bribery case — Pinarayi Vijayan, Kerala's former chief minister and current Leader of the Opposition. The High Court has ordered an FIR against him, his daughter and son-in-law in the CMRL bribery case. (Photo: Vis M via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Kerala High Court on Friday ordered the registration of a First Information Report against former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter Veena T, and her husband P A Mohamed Riyas in the alleged CMRL bribery case, acting on a report from the Enforcement Directorate. A single bench of Justice A Badharudeen passed the order on a plea challenging the state police's decision to hold only a preliminary inquiry instead of registering a criminal case.

Quick Answer: On October 9, 2026, the Kerala High Court directed an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act against former Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter Veena T, and her husband P A Mohamed Riyas. The court acted on an ED report alleging mining firm CMRL paid Veena's company around Rs 3.28 crore as fake IT consultancy fees.

What the Kerala High Court ordered in the Pinarayi Vijayan FIR case

Justice A Badharudeen allowed a petition filed by advocate K M Shajahan, who argued that the police should register an FIR on the basis of the Enforcement Directorate's report rather than conduct a preliminary inquiry into the allegations it contained. The court directed the registration of an FIR and an investigation under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, against Vijayan, Veena, and Riyas, Mathrubhumi reported.

The petition challenged the Kerala police's decision to examine the ED's material through a Special Investigation Team headed by Crime Branch Additional Director General of Police H Venkatesh, which had been constituted after the state's Advocate General gave a legal opinion. Shajahan's plea also asked that the investigation be handed over to the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, and sought directions on complaints he had filed on September 22. Advocate General Jaju Babu raised a preliminary objection to the maintainability of the petition and argued that the ED's communication did not stop the state agency from independently deciding whether the material disclosed an offence.

The court has so far given only its operative order; a detailed judgment is awaited. The matter had been reserved for orders on September 29. According to Kerala Kaumudi, the court clarified that the vigilance department's stand — that an FIR should be registered only after a preliminary investigation — could not be accepted.

The Kerala High Court building in Kochi, where the single bench passed Friday's order — The Kerala High Court in Kochi. A single bench of Justice A Badharudeen passed Friday's order directing the FIR. (Photo: Attokaran via Wikimedia Commons, public domain)

What is the CMRL-Exalogic bribery case?

The case centres on financial transactions between Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL), a Kochi-based mineral-processing company, and Exalogic Solutions Private Limited, a company associated with Veena Vijayan. The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that CMRL paid approximately Rs 3.28 crore to Veena's now-defunct company under the guise of providing IT consultancy services, without receiving services matching the payments.

The agency forwarded information gathered during its probe to the Kerala Police Chief under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, seeking the registration of a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act and other relevant laws. The ED's case is that the payments could constitute part of a bribery arrangement, and it has sought a separate corruption investigation into the transactions.

Veena has maintained that the money was service charges for her Bengaluru-based IT firm, but the ED says she could not produce supporting evidence. Deccan Herald reported that the agency's findings include statements from several associates, including CPM activists, backing its claims — though some later said they were compelled by the ED to give incriminating statements.

The ED's allegations against Vijayan, Veena and Riyas

The ED's report, submitted to the state government last month, treats the money Veena received from CMRL as a bribe paid to Vijayan himself, which is why the agency says a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act needs to be registered. Deccan Herald reported that the agency alleged Vijayan received Rs 3.28 crore from CMRL through Veena, and that Riyas moved the funds to Dubai through known associates.

The agency also says it found evidence of shady financial transactions of around Rs 20 crore involving Veena and Riyas. All of these are allegations at this stage — no one has been arrested or charged, and the presumption of innocence applies to everyone named.

Why the court's rejection of the preliminary inquiry matters

The Congress-led UDF government in Kerala had decided not to register a case straight away. Its position was that norms and earlier court orders require a preliminary investigation to verify the facts before a formal FIR. Deccan Herald reported that the government believed the ED's report was not by itself sufficient, and that a preliminary inquiry was the correct first step.

The High Court has now overruled that approach, directing registration of the FIR first. For the state government, that is a setback in its own right: the court has effectively said the material warranted a criminal case, not a preliminary look. The next move of the Congress government is crucial, since it must now decide how the investigation proceeds and who runs it.

The politics: a ruling that embarrasses both sides

Friday's order is uncomfortable for the CPI(M), whose senior leader and former chief minister now faces a corruption FIR. The party initially distanced itself from the probe against Veena, but decided to back Vijayan fully after the ED's report named him.

It is equally uncomfortable for the Congress government. The BJP had been alleging that the Congress government was going soft on the ED's report because of a CPI(M)-Congress understanding. Deccan Herald reported that one reason for the delay was the CPI(M)'s allegation of a Congress-BJP nexus, alongside the Congress's own position that the BJP was misusing central agencies against opposition parties.

The story may not end with these three names. Deccan Herald reported that leaders of the Congress, the Indian Union Muslim League, and the BJP also face allegations of accepting funds from CMRL — and the CPI(M) could now step up its demand for probes against them too. That counter-threat is what makes the next few days politically explosive in Kerala.

The Kerala Legislative Assembly building in Thiruvananthapuram — The Kerala Legislative Assembly in Thiruvananthapuram. Friday's order is a political setback for both the CPI(M) and the Congress-led state government. (Photo: Rmb via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Why it matters

A High Court ordering a corruption FIR against a former chief minister, his daughter, and her husband — an MLA and former minister — is rare anywhere in India, and it lands in a state where corruption allegations have repeatedly reshaped elections. Vijayan is now the Leader of the Opposition, which makes this a case against the man leading the opposition benches, not just a retired politician.

The case also tests the Enforcement Directorate's growing role in state-level corruption cases. The agency built its file under money-laundering powers, then pushed the state police to open a corruption case on its findings. How courts treat ED-sourced material for FIR registration could set a precedent well beyond Kerala.

What happens next

The police must now register the FIR and begin an investigation under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The detailed judgment, when it arrives, will show exactly why the court found the ED's material sufficient. The state government's response — whether it challenges the order, who investigates, and whether the VACB gets the case — will be watched closely.

The CPI(M) is expected to respond forcefully, and its demand for probes into other parties' leaders over CMRL funds could widen the scandal. The BJP, which accused the Congress government of going soft, will likely claim vindication. None of the accused has been arrested, and the investigation will have to establish whether the payments were genuinely for services or, as the ED alleges, a bribe.

Key Takeaways

The Kerala High Court ordered an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act against Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter Veena T, and her husband P A Mohamed Riyas.
Justice A Badharudeen passed the order on a plea by advocate K M Shajahan, rejecting the state's preference for a preliminary inquiry first.
The ED alleges CMRL paid about Rs 3.28 crore to Veena's Exalogic Solutions without receiving matching services, calling it a bribe to Vijayan.
The Congress-led state government had set up an SIT for a preliminary inquiry; the court said an FIR was the correct course.
All claims are allegations; no arrests or charges yet, and the presumption of innocence applies.
The order is a political blow to both the CPI(M) and the Congress government, and the CPI(M) may demand probes into other parties' CMRL links.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did the Kerala High Court order an FIR against Pinarayi Vijayan?

The court accepted advocate K M Shajahan's plea that the ED's report on the CMRL payments disclosed possible offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. It ruled that the police should register an FIR and investigate, rather than limit themselves to the preliminary inquiry the state government had ordered.

What is the CMRL bribery case about?

The Enforcement Directorate alleges that Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited paid around Rs 3.28 crore to Exalogic Solutions, a company linked to Vijayan's daughter Veena, under the guise of IT consultancy services. The agency says no matching services were provided and treats the money as a possible bribe to Vijayan.

Who are Veena Vijayan and P A Mohamed Riyas?

Veena T is Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter and the owner of Exalogic Solutions, the Bengaluru-based IT firm at the centre of the payments. P A Mohamed Riyas is her husband, an MLA and a former public works minister in Kerala. The ED alleges he moved the funds to Dubai through associates.

Has anyone been arrested in the CMRL case?

No. The High Court has ordered the FIR to be registered and an investigation to begin. Arrests, if any, would come later in the investigation. All the ED's claims remain allegations, and everyone named is presumed innocent unless proven otherwise.

Why did the Kerala government not register an FIR earlier?

The Congress-led state government said norms required a preliminary investigation to verify the facts before registering a case, and set up a Special Investigation Team for that purpose. The High Court has now rejected that stand and directed that the FIR be registered.

What happens next in the case?

The police will register the FIR and start the investigation. The court's detailed judgment is still awaited and should explain its reasoning. The political fallout is likely to be immediate, with the CPI(M) expected to respond and possibly demand probes into CMRL's alleged payments to other parties' leaders.