NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will consider the Lavalin case again on September 13. The court has directed not to transfer the case from the list. The directive was from a bench headed by Justice U U Lalit. The court also said the argument should be heard on September 13 itself.

The pleas filed by the CBI against the high court verdict acquitting Pinarayi Vijayan and others and that of Kasthuriranga Iyer and other former officials claiming that the verdict was discriminatory, are under the consideration of the court.

The case is based on violations of terms of contracts signed with a Canadian company SNC-Lavalin for the renovation and modernisation of Pallivasal, Chengulam and Panniyar hydropower projects in Idukki. The main allegation in the case is that the state suffered a loss of Rs 374 crore by showing special interest in awarding this contract to the Lavalin company.

The then state government decided to hand over the SNC Lavalin case to the CBI on March 1 in 2006. The V S Achuthanandan Government decided on December 4, 2006 that a CBI probe was not needed in the case.

The high court ordered to hand over the case to the CBI on January 16, 2007. On June 11, 2009, the CBI filed a charge sheet making the present Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as the seventh accused. On November 5, 2013, a CBI special court dropped the name of Pinarayi from the list of the accused.

The high court also acquitted three people including Pinarayi Vijayan on August 23 in 2017. On December 19, 2017, the CBI filed a plea challenging the high court verdict. On January 11 in 2018, the Supreme Court had stayed the high court order that three officials including Kasturi Ranga Iyer should face trial. The case is in the new bench of the Supreme Court from August 27 in 2020. The Supreme Court had several times postponed considering the case as per the request of the CBI.