The Keralam government Wednesday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to inquire into allegations against former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan and members of his family in the CMRL-Exalogic case, escalating scrutiny of a politically sensitive matter involving alleged financial transactions between a private mining company and his daughter’s now-defunct IT firm.
The inquiry will be supervised by Crime Branch ADGP H Venkitesh, while Superintendent of Police Vikraman has been appointed the inquiry officer, sources said. The SIT also comprises three Deputy Superintendents of Police and six Circle Inspectors. The team was constituted a day after the Congress-led UDF government ordered a police inquiry based on information provided by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), but stopped short of registering an FIR at this stage.
Preliminary inquiry first
The government’s decision followed legal scrutiny of the ED’s communication to State Police Chief Ravada Chandrasekhar seeking action against Vijayan, his daughter T Veena, her husband and former minister P A Mohammed Riyas and others. The ED has sought action under the Prevention of Corruption Act in connection with alleged transactions involving Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) and Exalogic Solutions, the IT company formerly owned by Veena.
The UDF government decided on a preliminary Crime Branch inquiry after obtaining the Advocate General’s legal opinion. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said Tuesday that the government was required to act on the information furnished by the ED and that the inquiry had been ordered after examining the applicable legal provisions.
The ED had shared its findings with the state police under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, which permits the agency to provide information to another authority when material gathered during its investigation indicates a possible violation of another law.
The allegations centre on payments made by CMRL to Veena and Exalogic. The ED has alleged that the payments were not for genuine consultancy and IT services and has sought investigation into whether they were linked to alleged benefits extended while Vijayan was Chief Minister. Vijayan and the CPI(M) have rejected allegations of wrongdoing.
Satheesan rejects ‘revenge’ charge
Chief Minister V D Satheesan Wednesday defended the decision to order the inquiry, saying it followed legal advice and Supreme Court judgments and was not an attempt to politically target the former Chief Minister or his family.
Satheesan cited the Supreme Court’s judgment in Vijay Madanlal Choudhary versus Union of India while arguing that information formally shared by the ED under Section 66(2) of the PMLA could not simply be ignored by the state authorities.
The government has also relied on the Supreme Court’s Lalita Kumari judgment, which permits a preliminary inquiry in certain categories of cases, including corruption matters, before a decision is taken on registration of an FIR.
The Chief Minister maintained that the government was following the legal process and that further action would depend on what emerged from the inquiry.
CPI(M) calls case fabricated
The CPI(M), meanwhile, has accused the UDF government and the ED of politically targeting Vijayan. CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan Wednesday described the case as “fabricated” and claimed there was no evidence against the former Chief Minister.
Govindan said the party would challenge the proceedings both legally and politically. His assertions are contested by the ED, whose findings prompted the state government’s preliminary inquiry.
The SIT will now examine the material forwarded by the central agency and determine whether there is sufficient basis for further criminal proceedings. Since no FIR has yet been registered, the inquiry remains at a preliminary stage and the allegations against Vijayan, Veena, Riyas and others have not been judicially established.