The applications were filed by Vijayan, his daughter Veena T and her husband, state minister P A Mohamed Riyas. They had argued that the single judge had directed the registration of the FIR without hearing them.
The division bench held that “an accused in a corruption case has no legal right to be heard before registering the FIR”. It said the appeals stood dismissed following the rejection of the applications seeking permission to file them.
On October 9, the Kerala High Court directed the state’s Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to register a case based on a report submitted by the ED to the state police.
The ED had sought the registration of a case based on evidence gathered during its investigation and searches conducted under the anti-money laundering law.
The VACB subsequently registered two FIRs against Vijayan and his family members in connection with the alleged bribery case involving Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL).
The ED has alleged that CMRL made fraudulent payments totalling Rs 2.78 crore to Veena’s now-defunct company, Exalogic Solutions, under the guise of IT consultancy services.
The allegations concern payments allegedly made by CMRL to Exalogic. The case is being investigated by the ED under the PMLA, while the VACB has registered cases following the High Court’s direction.