- The UDF government chose a preliminary inquiry rather than registering an FIR straight away.
- Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the decision followed the Advocate General's legal advice, not politics.
- A nine-member Crime Branch team led by SP P. Vikraman was told to report within a month.
On 22 September 2026, Kerala's Congress-led UDF government ordered a police inquiry into ED's report seeking Pinarayi Vijayan's prosecution under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the Advocate General had advised that a preliminary inquiry could be held before an FIR (first information report, the document that formally starts a criminal case). A nine-member Crime Branch team led by Superintendent of Police P. Vikraman was formed the next day and asked to report within a month.
Claim by claim
Legal prerequisites, and not politics, shaped the government's decision.
Said by Ramesh Chennithala, Kerala Home MinisterThis is a statement about motive, which cannot be checked. The CPI(M) has alleged the opposite, and the High Court later set the inquiry aside as illegal on the facts of this case.
The HinduA preliminary inquiry was legally allowed before registering an FIR on ED's information.
Said by Kerala government, citing the Advocate GeneralThe government relied on the Supreme Court's Lalita Kumari judgment. On 9 October the Kerala High Court held that, because ED's material already disclosed offences, no preliminary inquiry was needed here.
The HinduWhat each side says
Chennithala said the Supreme Court requires police to act on ED's information, but that a preliminary inquiry may come first in corruption cases to check whether a crime is disclosed.
The Hindu · OnmanoramaThe CPI(M) has alleged that the case is political, a charge Chennithala rejected when announcing the inquiry.
The HinduStep by step
Government announces a police inquiry into ED's report.
State Police Chief forms a nine-member Crime Branch team led by SP P. Vikraman.
Not yet known
- ?What the inquiry team would have recommended had the court not stepped in.
Sources
2 outlets across the spectrum. Leanings are a rough guide to who reported it, not a verdict on accuracy.
- The HinduExalogic-CMRL payoff case: Keralam's UDF govt orders police inquiry into ED report seeking action against Pinarayi Vijayan
- OnmanoramaCMRL-Exalogic case: SP Vikraman to head 9-member SIT, Cyber sleuths to aid probe
- The HinduCMRL-Exalogic pay-off case: Kerala Police issue formal orders appointing SIT
Spasht writes original summaries. Follow the links to read each outlet's own report. Revision 1.