CM Vijayan's daughter files appeal plea in Karnataka HC to stay single judge bench order

Bengaluru/Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 13 (IANS) The legal battle over the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) probe into Exalogic, the IT firm owned by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter Veena Vijayan, took a new turn on Monday as she moved the Karnataka High Court challenging its single judge's bench order that had refused to stay the probe in February last year.

The division bench issued notices to the SFIO and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, scheduling the next hearing for December 3.

This development comes against the backdrop of the Karnataka High Court’s refusal to stay the SFIO probe into Exalogic last year, a blow to Chief Minister Vijayan, as Veena Vijayan is the company’s sole director.

The court then issued a brief order allowing the SFIO to proceed, with the detailed judgment released later.

The SFIO action is based on findings from an earlier preliminary investigation by the Registrar of Companies (ROC), which itself was triggered after Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan cited a media report quoting an Income Tax official.

The report alleged that Exalogic had received Rs 1.72 crore from the Kochi-based mining company CMRL, in which the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation holds a 13 per cent stake.

The SFIO has already recorded statements from CMRL and KSIDC officials.

With the appeal now before a division bench, all eyes are on Veena Vijayan's next legal move, including the possibility of escalating the matter to the Supreme Court if the order goes against her.

Incidentally, Veena Vijayan's approaching the Karnataka High Court with an appeal plea comes at a time when news surfaced that Vijayan’s son, Vivek Kiran Vijayan, was served a notice by the Enforcement Department in the SNC Lavalin case, where Vijayan’s name is there. The matter is before the Supreme Court.

The Congress-led UDF has sharpened its attack on the first family in Kerala - the Vijayans - terming it as a family which is indulging in illegal business, and these developments come at a time when Kerala is going to have two polls, the local body polls in the coming months and the Assembly election in April/May.

--IANS

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