Today, On 28th March, The Kerala High Court dismissed petitions seeking an investigation into corruption allegations against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and others. Justice K Babu rejected the pleas, which also named high-ranking officials, including Vijayan’s daughter. The court found no grounds to order a probe into the claims. This marks a significant legal relief for the Chief Minister amid ongoing political scrutiny.
The Kerala High Court dismissed two petitions on Friday that sought an investigation into allegations of bribery and misuse of power involving high-ranking public officials in the state, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his daughter, Veena Thaikkandiyil.
Justice K Babu issued the dismissal this afternoon.
These corruption allegations were linked to the mining and business activities of Cochin Mineral and Rutile Ltd. (CMRL).
The ruling addressed two criminal revision petitions: one filed by Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan and the other by Gireesh Babu, both challenging the decisions of a vigilance court that had rejected their request for an investigation.
After their complaints were dismissed by the vigilance court, they turned to the High Court. While the High Court upheld the vigilance court’s ruling, it also quashed a statement suggesting that Kuzhalnadan’s complaint was politically motivated.
The High Court remarked today,
“”The observation was unwarranted and stands quashed,” ,”
Both petitions submitted to the vigilance court stemmed from a report by the Income Tax Department, which allegedly indicated that Cochin Mineral and Rutile Ltd. (CMRL) made several fraudulent payments to Exalogic and Thaikkandiyil under the guise of obtaining IT and marketing services.
According to the complaints, neither Exalogic nor Thaikkandiyil actually provided any services to CMRL, yet CMRL disbursed Rs.1.72 crores, which supposedly benefited Chief Minister Vijayan.
In his petition, Kuzhalnadan claimed that CMRL was involved in illegal mining activities with support from the Chief Minister, pointing out that this was evident from the circumvention of relevant laws and Central government orders.
Additionally, he alleged that the catastrophic 2018 floods in the state were a man-made disaster, facilitating the extraction of significant amounts of sand for mineral extraction.
Babu’s petition accused several high-ranking officials, including the Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, along with politicians such as Kunjali Kutty, VK Ibrahim Kunju, and A Govindan, of accepting bribes from CMRL.
All these individuals were named as defendants in Babu’s petition.
In August 2023, the vigilance court dismissed Babu’s complaint, followed by the dismissal of Kuzhalnadan’s complaint in January 2024. This led both individuals to file revision petitions with the High Court, arguing that the vigilance court did not fully consider their allegations and that there was sufficient evidence to suggest corruption.
Kuzhalnadan maintained that the rejection of his complaint by the vigilance court violated the procedural guidelines of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), making the order illegal. He contended that his complaint should not have been dismissed outright but should have been examined along with any potential witnesses.
Babu reiterated that all accused parties misused their official roles, resulting in losses to public revenue. He requested the High Court to set-aside the vigilance court’s decision and direct the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to investigate the accused, including the Chief Minister and his daughter.
Kuzhalnadan was represented by advocates Bincy Job, Kuriakose Varghese, V Shyamohan, Sradhaxna Mudrika, and Kaveri Mohan, while Babu was represented by advocates BA Aloor, Archana Suresh, Sunitha KG, Ailin Elezabath Mathew, Dhanya K, and KP Prasanth. Advocate Akhil Vijay assisted the court as amicus curiae in Babu’s case.
Case Title: Dr. Mathew Kuzhalnadan v. Pinarayi Vijayan & Ors., Gireesh Babu v. State of Kerala & Ors.