Now Reading: Kerala High Court to hear Pinarayi Vijayan’s appeal in pay-off case
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Kerala High Court to hear Pinarayi Vijayan’s appeal in pay-off case
The Story in Brief
A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court will on Monday, 26 October 2026, consider an appeal by former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and others against a Single Judge's order directing registration of an FIR in the CMRL-Exalogic pay-off case. The Single Judge had acted on a petition by lawyer K.M. Shajahan, who challenged the government's decision to hold a preliminary inquiry instead of registering an FIR.
The Enforcement Directorate, in a 25-page letter to the Kerala DGP, cited a handwritten notebook seized on 27 May 2026 from the residence of Vijayan's daughter T. Veena, recording deposits and transfers in dirhams. The ED has booked cases against Veena and Vijayan's son-in-law P.A. Mohamed Riyas for money laundering based on the FIR. The Supreme Court had earlier stayed the investigation for 10 days, holding that Vijayan should have been heard before the FIR was ordered.
The state government is expected to argue that a preliminary investigation should have been completed first. The Congress-led government had faced internal dissent over its decision not to immediately register an FIR.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Hindu frames the legal battle as politically significant, detailing Congress infighting and the state government's defence of its cautious approach. The Economic Times focuses narrowly on the ED's evidentiary notebook, reporting figures without political context. The Hindu thus foregrounds the political fallout, while the Economic Times treats the case as a financial crime story. The two outlets share no conflicting facts. The division bench hearing on Monday, 26 October 2026, will determine whether the FIR stands or is set aside.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): thehindu.com (neutral report), economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
