In the monthly payment case of Kerala’s Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday (May 27) raided the premises associated with former Chief Minister of the state and current opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan. ED officials launched search operations at a total of 10 places, including his rented house in Thiruvananthapuram and his residence in Kannur. Along with this, searches are also being conducted in the offices related to this case.
Apart from this, the investigation agency’s action is also going on at the residence of CMRL Managing Director Sasidharan Kartha and the residence of former minister Mohammed Riyas in Kozhikode. According to officials, the premises were searched under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Kerala. These included Vijayan’s rented residence in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram.
#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram: Enforcement Directorate is conducting searches at 10 premises in Keralam, including the residences of former Chief Minister and present LoP Pinarayi Vijayan, in the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) case. pic.twitter.com/fmHZbftho0
— ANI (@ANI) May 27, 2026
Permission to proceed with investigation in ED
This action of ED has taken place after the decision of Kerala High Court in which the court had allowed the agency to continue the investigation of the case. A few days ago, the Single Bench of the High Court had given permission to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to proceed with the investigation in the CMRL monthly payment case. The court had rejected the petitions filed by CMRL employees including MD Sasidharan Kartha, Chief Finance Officer KS Suresh Kumar, Anju Rahel and Chandrasekaran seeking to stop the investigation.
The Kerala High Court had rejected the petition filed by CMRL seeking quashing of the ED action in the ongoing investigation of bribery and money laundering. The court also rejected the company’s appeal to extend one week’s time to appeal in the High Court.
what is the allegation
ED started investigation after the findings of SFIO (Serious Fraud Investigation Office) investigation. In which it was found that a company owned by Veena Vijayan was allegedly paid lakhs of rupees for services that were not provided. Also, widespread allegations of bribery and money laundering are also included. After the ED issued summons and began the search, company officials moved the court alleging harassment in the name of inquiry and argued that there was no evidence to justify an ED investigation against the company.
Question on validity of transaction
After the investigation by the Interim Board for Settlement Board of the Income Tax Department, questions were raised on the legality of these transactions, because these transactions were not considered valid as business expenses. Following these findings, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs had ordered an SFIO inquiry in January 2024. Later in April 2024, ED issued summons to CMRL officials, after which the company moved the court against the agency’s action. ED argued in the High Court that action can be taken even without FIR under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Along with this, the agency also informed that SFIO had already registered a complaint in this matter in April 2025.
Leave a Reply