Kerala High Court refuses to let Pinarayi Vijayan, kin appeal FIR order in CMRL-Exalogic case
The Kerala High Court on Thursday (October 15, 2026) declined to grant permission to former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter T. Veena and her husband, former Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas, to file appeals against a single judge's direction to register a First Information Report (FIR) against them in the CMRL-Exalogic payoff case.
A Division Bench of Justices K. Natarajan and Johnson John dismissed the applications seeking leave to file the appeals against the October 9 order passed by a single judge of the court.
"All the applications seeking leave to file appeal are dismissed," the Bench said. The court noted that the October 9 order "has not affected the applicants' rights to pursue the constitutional statutory remedy against the registration of the FIR".
The detailed judgment is awaited.
What the ruling means
Under the High Court's practice, an appeal against an order passed by a single judge in writ proceedings generally requires the permission — technically called ‘leave’ — of a Division Bench. By refusing leave, the Bench has cleared the way for the October 9 direction to take effect. Thursday's decision is only on the question of whether an appeal could be filed; it is not a finding on the merits of the allegations in the case.
Mr. Vijayan, Ms. Veena and Mr. Riyas had contended in their applications that they were not heard by the single judge before the direction of October 9 was issued. The Division Bench's order does not alter the fact that the applicants retain the right to challenge the registration of the FIR through other remedies available under the Constitution and the law, the court indicated.
Where the case stands
The case is commonly referred to as the CMRL-Exalogic payoff case, and the FIR is to be registered on the basis of the allegations placed before the court in that matter. As of now, no court has recorded any finding of guilt against any of the persons named, and none of them has been convicted of any offence.
Legal procedures that follow the registration of an FIR include investigation by the police and the right of those named to seek appropriate relief from the courts, including protection from arrest or quashing of the case, if they choose to do so. The applicants in this matter are entitled to the presumption of innocence, as is any person accused in a criminal case.
Reactions and next steps
Thursday's order was confined to the preliminary question of whether the appeals could be heard. Because the detailed judgment has not yet been released, the full reasoning of the Division Bench is not publicly available.
It is also not yet clear whether the applicants will approach the Supreme Court or pursue other remedies before the High Court. Any such step would be a separate legal proceeding, and this report will be updated as the case develops.
Courts in India have repeatedly held that the direction to register an FIR is the beginning of a legal process, not its conclusion, and that investigation must proceed in accordance with the law.
