Kerala former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan faces intensified ED probe in CMRL fraud case

India's Enforcement Directorate (ED) has stepped up its investigation into a disputed financial transaction between Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) and Exalogic Solutions, linked to former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his daughter Veena Vijayan. The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) alleges that Exalogic received ₹2.78 crore from CMRL between January 2017 and June 2020 without providing any IT or consultancy services. The ED has frozen roughly ₹18.36 crore across 242 bank accounts and conducted coordinated raids in Thiruvananthapuram and Bengaluru, seizing digital evidence and financial records. In response, CMRL filed an application before the Kerala High Court seeking an immediate stay on the money‑laundering probe, arguing that the Prevention of Money‑Laundering Act does not apply and that the SFIO is already examining the matter. The raids prompted violent protests, arrests of several CPI(M) activists, and heightened political tension ahead of the state assembly's upcoming session.