The SC has paused the ED probe against former Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan for a week, allowing him to approach the Kerala HC. An advocate clarified this is an interim measure, not relief, while the CPI(M) hailed it as a win for the rule of law.
The decision of the Supreme Court (SC) to put a week’s stay on the Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s investigation against former Keralam Chief Minister (CM) Pinarayi Vijayan is only an interim window to approach the Kerala High Court’s division bench and cannot be termed relief, Advocate M S Vishnu Sankar clarified on Wednesday.
‘Not Relief, But an Interim Window’: Advocate Clarifies
Speaking on the Supreme Court’s decision, Sankar said the court was hearing Vijayan’s plea that he had not been heard by the High Court before it ordered the registration of an FIR in the case. “Today, the court was hearing former CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s case regarding his plea that he was not heard by the High Court while deciding the FIR registration. The matter has been remanded to the Division Bench, giving him seven days to present his case. No further investigation will take place during these seven days. However, the FIR and ECIR registered by the ED and the police have not been stayed by the court,” he told ANI.
He further clarified that the order provided an interim period for the petitioners to approach the High Court for relief and should not be interpreted as a final decision in their favour.
CPI(M) Welcomes SC Intervention, Calls Case ‘Fabricated’
Meanwhile, CPI(M) State Secretary M V Govindan welcomed the Supreme Court’s intervention, describing it as a verdict that upheld the rule of law. He reiterated the party’s position that the case was politically motivated and questioned why the Kerala government had not appealed against the High Court’s order directing the registration of an FIR.
“This is a Supreme Court verdict that upholds the rule of law. This was a fabricated case, and I had said earlier that it was politically motivated. The court has delivered a very encouraging verdict. The government should have appealed. Why did it not appeal? On what basis did it proceed with the FIR so quickly?” Govindan said.
He added that the CPI(M) would continue to challenge what it described as a politically motivated move through both legal and political means.
Govindan also said that Pinarayi Vijayan no longer needed to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the investigation for a week into the FIR against Vijayan, his daughter Veena Thaikkandiyil and son-in-law Mohammed Riyas in the CMRL-Exalogic corruption case, allowing them to approach the Kerala High Court’s division bench against an order directing registration of the FIR. (ANI)
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