Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Thursday dismissed applications filed by former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter T Veena and son-in-law P A Mohamed Riyas seeking permission to appeal against a single-judge order directing the registration of an FIR in the alleged CMRL-Exalogic bribery case.

A Division Bench comprising Justices K Natarajan and Johnson John rejected the applications challenging the October 9 order. The bench observed that the order had not affected the applicants’ right to pursue constitutional and statutory remedies against the registration of the FIR.

“All the applications seeking leave to file appeal are dismissed,” the bench said. The detailed judgment is awaited.

Vijayan, Veena and Riyas had argued that they were not heard by the single judge before the direction to register an FIR was issued.

The latest ruling does not prevent them from pursuing other legal remedies against the FIR, the Division Bench clarified.

Why did the High Court order an FIR?

On October 9, a single bench of the Kerala High Court directed the state Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to register an FIR against Vijayan, Veena, Riyas and others over alleged illegal payments made by Kochi-based Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) to Veena’s IT firm, Exalogic Solutions.

The order followed a petition filed by K M Shajahan, a former additional private secretary to former Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, challenging the state government’s decision to order a preliminary inquiry into the allegations instead of registering an FIR.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is investigating the alleged payments, had also joined the proceedings.

The ED argued that an FIR should be registered based on its findings and recommendation, and that the state Crime Branch could not substitute a preliminary inquiry for the required action. The state government, however, contended that the petition was not maintainable and that a preliminary inquiry could be conducted before deciding whether to register an FIR.

After hearing the parties, the single judge allowed Shajahan’s petition and ordered the registration of an FIR.

What is the CMRL-Exalogic case?

The case concerns allegations that Exalogic Solutions, a company associated with Veena, received payments from CMRL during the tenure of the CPM-led government in Kerala.

The ED has been examining the alleged payments and recommended that the state police register an FIR against Vijayan and others under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The allegations relate to payments allegedly made to Exalogic and their legal implications. They remain allegations and do not, by themselves, establish criminal wrongdoing by the individuals named.

What happens next?

The Division Bench’s dismissal of the applications means Vijayan, Veena and Riyas have not secured permission to appeal against the October 9 order through this route.

However, the court has made clear that they retain the right to pursue other constitutional and statutory remedies against the FIR.

The ruling allows the investigation to proceed in accordance with law, while leaving the applicants free to challenge the FIR through the available legal channels.