Pinarayi Vijayan and daughter challenge FIR order in Kerala High Court

Pinarayi Vijayan, the Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly and former Chief Minister, along with his daughter Veena T, have appealed to a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court. They are challenging a single-judge order that directed the registration of First Information Reports (FIRs) against them in connection with an alleged bribery case involving CMRL.

The appellants contend that the single judge's direction, issued on October 9, violated the principles of natural justice because they were not heard or made parties to the proceedings before the order was made. They are seeking an interim stay on the direction.

The case stems from information provided by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding alleged fraudulent payments of Rs 2.78 crore made by CMRL to Exalogic Solutions, a now-defunct company founded by Veena T, under the guise of IT consultancy services. Following the High Court's initial direction, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau's (VACB) Special Investigation Unit-1 registered two FIRs against Vijayan and his family members.