The ED pasted a summons at Pinarayi Vijayan's residence for questioning in the CMRL case. The action drew CPI(M) criticism as Vijayan's legal challenge remains before the Supreme Court.
Thiruvananthapuram,Oct 17, 2026 14:08 IST
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday, October 17, pasted a summons outside Kerala Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan's residence, asking him to appear for questioning on October 23 in a money laundering case linked to Cochin Mineral and Rutile Limited (CMRL), news agency Press Trust of India reported.
The summons was issued on Friday under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act after the ED registered a case based on a recent FIR filed by the state police. Vijayan, a former Kerala chief minister, has moved the Supreme Court against the Kerala High Court order that led to the FIR.
An ED official from Kochi visited Vijayan's residence near Bakery Junction in Thiruvananthapuram and pasted the two-page summons near the entrance. Officials told PTI that the step was taken to ensure Vijayan received the summons and appeared for questioning. He was not at home when the officials arrived.
Senior CPI(M) leader V Sivankutty later visited the residence and spoke to the staff. He criticised the ED's action, saying Vijayan was in Kannur to attend a party conference and was not absconding.
"He went from here to Alappuzha and then to Kannur. After completing a two-day meeting, he will return to Thiruvananthapuram. If they wanted, they could have served the notice directly to him," the former education minister said.
Sivankutty said an ED official had first visited the residence alone in the morning to serve the summons but returned after finding that Vijayan was not there. According to his account to PTI, the official later returned and asked the staff to witness the pasting of the summons, but they refused. ED officials then came back with police personnel and pasted it, he added.
"This is a case pending before the Supreme Court. Any action in the matter should be taken only after the Supreme Court delivers its verdict," Sivankutty said.
He also questioned the decision to paste the summons, saying the procedure was generally used when a person could not be traced. "Treating someone who had been the chief minister and now the Leader of the Opposition in this manner is completely unjust, anti-democratic and highly deplorable," he said.
Asked whether Vijayan would appear for questioning, Sivankutty said it was for the leader to decide.
The Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau registered two FIRs on October 12 against Vijayan and his family members, including his daughter Veena T and son-in-law and former minister P A Mohamed Riyas, in connection with the alleged CMRL bribery case.
The Kerala High Court had on October 9 directed the bureau to register a case based on a report submitted by the ED to the state police. The central agency sought the registration of a case based on material collected during its investigation and searches under the anti-money laundering law.
The ED has alleged that CMRL made fraudulent payments of Rs 2.78 crore to Veena's now-defunct company, Exalogic Solutions, in the guise of payments for IT consultancy services. The agency had earlier said it seized handwritten notes during searches linked to Veena and that these contained details of certain fund transfers to Dubai.
Vijayan approached the Supreme Court on Friday to challenge the High Court order directing the registration of an FIR. The ED has now summoned him for questioning on October 23 in the money laundering case linked to CMRL.
- Ends