Kochi, May 29 (IANS) In an escalation of the high-profile CMRL-Exalogic monthly payment controversy, Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited on Friday moved the Kerala High Court Division Bench seeking an urgent halt to the Enforcement Directorate’s money laundering investigation, days after raids at the residence of Opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan and offices linked to the company.

The appeal challenges the recent single-bench order that permitted the ED probe to continue and directed company officials to cooperate with investigators.

CMRL has now sought immediate intervention from the Division Bench, arguing that the ED’s parallel investigation is legally untenable since the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) is already conducting a detailed inquiry into the transactions.

The company has also contended that the allegations do not attract provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and therefore the ED lacks jurisdiction to pursue the case.

The legal move comes amid rapidly intensifying developments in the politically explosive case involving Veena Vijayan and her company Exalogic Solutions, which allegedly received Rs 1.72 crore from CMRL without providing corresponding services.

The ED’s action began soon after Justice T.R. Ravi dismissed petitions filed by CMRL officials seeking to quash the investigation. Within hours of the verdict, ED teams launched coordinated searches at Pinarayi Vijayan’s rented residence in Thiruvananthapuram, as well as at the homes and offices of top CMRL executives, including Managing Director Sasidharan Kartha.

The raids triggered massive political reverberations and violent protests in the capital, with CPI(M)-DYFI workers allegedly attacking ED vehicles after the searches.

So far, multiple CPI(M) workers have been arrested in connection with the attack case, further intensifying the confrontation between the Opposition and central agencies.

Meanwhile, the ED is understood to have completed preliminary analysis of key digital and banking evidence seized during the raids.

Investigators are reportedly preparing fresh summonses for Sasidharan Kartha and other company officials, while indications are growing that Veena Vijayan herself could soon be called in for questioning.

One of her bank accounts has already been frozen by the agency, according to Vijayan, who admitted it on Friday.

The appeal filed by CMRL has now become crucial not just legally, but politically as well. If the Division Bench declines immediate relief, the ED is expected to accelerate its next phase of action, including detailed interrogations.

With the case now moving simultaneously through courtrooms, investigative corridors and Kerala’s turbulent political arena, the coming days are likely to determine whether the ED’s probe gathers unstoppable momentum or encounters a judicial hurdle.

–IANS

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