NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has stayed the CBI investigation against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's Chief Principal Secretary K M Abraham in the case of amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income. K M Abraham approached the Supreme Court, pointing that the high court order for the CBI investigation was not legally valid. Abraham had mentioned in his plea that the allegations were baseless and that public activist Jomon Puthenpurackal had a personal enmity with him. Former judge R Basant appeared for Abraham. The CBI had registered an FIR before the plea reached the Supreme Court.

The court clarified that prior permission from the government is required to conduct an investigation in the name of a public servant under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The court also pointed out that a CBI investigation without it is illegal. Abraham said in his plea that the flats in Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram were purchased after taking loans and the land in Kollam was acquired as family property.

Meantime, the FIR filed by the CBI says that there is prima facie evidence against Abraham in the case. The CBI was investigating Abraham's assets he garnered from 2003 to December 2015, including the shopping complex in Kollam. The case was initially investigated by Jacob Thomas, the head of the vigilance then. When he left that post, Abraham was given a clean chit.