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Supreme Court Stays Kerala Vigilance Probe on Vijayan

By Drooid · Oct 21, 2026, 10:06 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Supreme Court Stays Probe

The Supreme Court stayed the vigilance probe into Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and family for one week.
Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana granted relief while the FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act stays registered.
FIR alleges Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited paid Rs 2.78 crore to Veena T’s Exalogic Solutions.
Enforcement Directorate summoned Vijayan for questioning on October 23 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Summary

Congress Resents Probe

Congress leaders resent the UDF government’s lenient handling of Vijayan payoff probe.
Minister K Muraleedharan defended the inquiry, saying the cabinet acted on Enforcement Directorate (ED) allegations.
KPCC chief Sunny Joseph warned members against public criticism, calling it detrimental.
MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan urged the party to recall past struggles against Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) amid the scandal.
Senior MP K Sudhakaran pledged support to Kuzhalnadan and doubted government has backbone.

History

Historical Context

The Supreme Court’s 1995 one-week stay of a CBI probe into Karnataka chief minister S. M. Krishna’s Rs 3.5 crore land-deal scandal created a precedent for halting high-profile investigations. In October 2023, the court similarly stayed the Enforcement Directorate’s probe of Kerala minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Cochin Minerals after his Oct 23 summons, prompting Congress and CPI(M) criticism and reviving debate over anti-corruption reforms.

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Supreme Court Stays Probe

The Supreme Court stayed the vigilance probe into Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and family for one week.
Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana granted relief while the FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act stays registered.
FIR alleges Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited paid Rs 2.78 crore to Veena T’s Exalogic Solutions.
Enforcement Directorate summoned Vijayan for questioning on October 23 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

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