Probe Agency Summons Pinarayi Vijayan in Payoff Case

The Enforcement Directorate has asked former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to appear in Kochi on 23 October in the CMRL-Exalogic case.

On Friday 16 October 2026, the Enforcement Directorate summoned former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to its zonal office in Kochi on 23 October. This is the first time the agency has summoned him in the money-laundering case linked to Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd and the firm Exalogic Solutions. The summons seeks documents, contact details and his statement. It was issued under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. That section lets investigators call a person and record what they say. A summons is not a finding of guilt. The agency has two case files, called Enforcement Case Information Reports, naming Vijayan, his daughter T. Veena, and his son-in-law and former minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas. Veena is an accused in both. He has been called in for the first time.

Why it matters

The agency's report accuses Vijayan of receiving a bribe of a bribe of ₹3.28 crore through his daughter. It says that figure rests on an alleged admission by Suresh Kumar, a former chief financial officer of the minerals company. Riyas is accused of receiving bribe money and moving it to Dubai through Veena and associates. Veena is accused of helping to collect and route the money. Exalogic, which has since shut, is described as the route for sham payments. The company's managing director, S.N. Sasidharan Kartha, is accused of paying. A sister firm, Empower India Capital Investments, is accused of transferring bribes. Last month the agency said it had found handwritten notes of Veena's covering ₹85 lakh allegedly sent to Dubai, with names, amounts and spending. A summons puts a former chief minister in the room. It does not, by itself, prove the notes or the ₹3.28 crore.

Key facts

• Vijayan is summoned to the Enforcement Directorate's Kochi office on 23 October, the first such summons in this case.

• The call is under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, for a statement and for records.

• Two agency case files name Vijayan, his daughter T. Veena, and former minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas.

• The agency report alleges a bribe of ₹3.28 crore, based on a claimed admission by former finance officer Suresh Kumar.

• Investigators say handwritten notes record ₹85 lakh allegedly moved to Dubai.

• A lawyer for Vijayan says he is likely to cite the assembly session, which runs until 29 October, and a case in the Supreme Court.

What's next

On Friday Vijayan moved the Supreme Court against an order to register a police case. On Thursday a division bench of the Kerala High Court had refused him, Veena and Riyas permission to appeal a single judge's order. The state Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has registered two cases of its own. His lawyer says the reply to the agency will point to the assembly, which sits until 29 October, and to the Supreme Court plea. Whether he appears on 23 October is the next fact. An empty chair and a written objection are both possible. Neither is a verdict. Section 50 lets the agency record a statement. It does not let a press note stand in for a court finding. The ₹3.28 crore and the ₹85 lakh notes remain allegations until a court tests them.