CMRL-Exalogic 'monthly payment' case: SC to hear arguments on Wednesday

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday regarding the appeal filed by Pinarayi Vijayan in the CMRL-Exalogic 'monthly payment' case. A special bench, comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohanan, has been constituted to hear the matter. All related petitions have been listed.

Pinarayi Vijayan, T. Veena, Mohammed Riyas, and others approached the Supreme Court challenging a Kerala High Court single-bench verdict that directed the registration of a Vigilance case. An appeal was previously filed before a division bench—arguing that the single-bench order was unsustainable as it was issued without hearing the accused—but the division bench declined to intervene. Consequently, an appeal was filed in the Supreme Court.

Siddharth Luthra, the lawyer representing Pinarayi, informed Chief Justice Surya Kant of the possibility of arrest, given that both the Vigilance Department and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had registered cases—an FIR and an ECIR, respectively. He requested an urgent hearing for Pinarayi’s petition challenging the High Court verdict, pointing out that the 82-year-old could end up in custody if not granted any protection from the court.

The Supreme Court, currently closed for the Dussehra holidays, is set to reopen on the 26th. Although the Chief Justice initially suggested listing the matter for the 26th or 27th, the lawyer persisted with his request. Consequently, the Chief Justice assured him that he would look into the possibility of constituting a special vacation bench, subject to the availability of the judges. Following this, a special bench has now been formed to hear the arguments on Wednesday.