NEW DELHI: Kerala high court on Friday ordered FIR registration under the anti-graft law against former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and others in connection with the alleged CMRL bribery case, based on a report submitted by the Enforcement Directorate.Justice A Badharudeen allowed a petition filed by advocate K M Shajahan, who argued that the police should register an FIR instead of conducting a preliminary inquiry into the allegations in the ED report.A detailed judgment is awaited.The ED had told the court that an FIR could be registered against Vijayan, his daughter Veena T and her husband, P A Mohamed Riyas, based on the report it had submitted to the state police. The agency maintained that the report could be treated as a preliminary inquiry report and form the basis for registering an FIR.The state government had opposed this contention, arguing that the ED report was insufficient to warrant an FIR and that a preliminary inquiry was necessary.
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The Congress-led UDF government in Kerala recently ordered a police inquiry following a letter from the ED to the state police chief seeking a probe against former CM Vijayan, Veena and Riyas.The ED has sought the registration of a case based on “evidence” gathered during its investigation and searches conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.The agency has alleged that Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) made fraudulent payments of Rs 2.78 crore to Veena’s now-defunct company, Exalogic Solutions, under the guise of “IT consultancy services.”
