Kerala HC orders status quo in SFIO case against Veena Vijayan and others
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Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday ordered a two-month status quo in the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) case involving Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter, which is pending in a sessions court here.
Justice T R Ravi issued an interim order in response to a plea by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd, contesting the sessions court's decision to take cognisance of the SFIO complaint against it.
Additional Solicitor General of India ARL Sundaresan, representing the Union government, confirmed that the High Court's directive prevents the sessions court from issuing notices or summons to any parties, including Vijayan's daughter Veena T.
The ASGI stated that while the company requested a stay on the sessions court's cognisance, the High Court did not approve it.
Earlier this month, the SFIO filed a chargesheet against CMRL, Veena Vijayan, and her defunct IT firm Exalogic over an alleged "illegal payment" scandal.
This action followed the Kerala High Court's dismissal of Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan's plea for a vigilance probe into financial transactions between CMRL and Exalogic.
Reports reveal that the SFIO investigation uncovered a ₹182 crore financial fraud within the mining company, implicating several individuals. The fraud was allegedly executed by inflating non-existent expenses and generating fake bills. The investigation also claimed that Veena Vijayan received ₹2.7 crore from the company without rendering any services, an allegation denied by Vijayan recently at a press conference.
(inputs from PTI)
