Pinarayi Vijayan moved the Supreme Court against the High Court-ordered FIR in the CMRL bribery case. The challenge tests whether corruption suspects can claim a hearing before FIR registration.
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Newdelhi,Oct 16, 2026 11:34 IST
Former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday moved the Supreme Court against a Kerala High Court order directing the registration of a first information report (FIR) in the alleged CMRL bribery case, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
Vijayan has also sought protection from coercive action. The Supreme Court said it would hear the matter after reopening on October 26 following the Dussehra break.
According to PTI, senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, appearing for Vijayan, sought an urgent hearing before a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. He told the bench that an FIR had been registered in the case and requested protection for Vijayan.
The Chief Justice said the matter would be heard when the court reopens. He also said a bench could be constituted during the holidays next week, subject to the availability of judges.
The Kerala High Court had on Thursday dismissed applications filed by Vijayan, his daughter Veena T and her husband P A Mohamed Riyas seeking permission to appeal against an October 9 order by a single judge directing the registration of an FIR against them.
A division bench rejected the applications, holding that “an accused in a corruption case has no legal right to be heard before registering the FIR”. It said the related appeals were also dismissed as a consequence.
Vijayan, Veena and Riyas had argued in their appeals that the single judge did not hear them before issuing the direction to register the FIR.
On October 9, the High Court directed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to register a case based on a report submitted by the Enforcement Directorate to the state police.
The Enforcement Directorate had sought the registration of a case based on evidence gathered during its investigation and searches under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The agency alleged that Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited made fraudulent payments of Rs 2.78 crore to Veena’s now-defunct company, Exalogic Solutions, under the guise of IT consultancy services.
Vijayan has now challenged the High Court’s direction before the Supreme Court, which is expected to take up the matter after the Dussehra break, while leaving open the possibility of a hearing during the holidays if judges are available.
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