AGENCY
NEW DELHI, Apr 4
Senior Congress leader and Opposition leader in the Kerala Assembly on Friday demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) filed a charge sheet against the CM’s daughter in the case involving Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL).
Speaking to media persons in Kochi, Satheesan said the SFIO’s inclusion of Chief Minister Vijayan’s daughter Veena Vijayan as an accused in the monthly pay-off case is an extremely serious matter and he should take its moral responsibility and resign from office.
“We demand the Chief Minister to take moral responsibility for the case against his daughter and resign from his post. The public now wants his resignation. The situation will worsen if he continues to cling to power,”. Satheesan said.
“Veena Vijayan’s company received Rs 2.7 crore without providing any service, because she is the daughter of Chief Minister Vijayan. In this situation, the Chief Minister should take moral responsibility for the corruption and resign. It is not appropriate for Pinarayi Vijayan to continue as the Chief Minister even for a moment,” he added.
BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has also demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the wake of SFIO filed a charge sheet against the CM’s daughter, Veena Vijayan in the monthly pay-off case. He also announced that the BJP will hold demonstrations all over the state demanding Pinarayi Vijayan’s resignation.
BJP leader and former union minister V Muraleedharan on Friday said that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should step down after the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) filed a charge sheet against his daughter Veena Vijayan in connection with the monthly pay-off case He asserted that the Kerala CM had lost its moral authority to remain in power.
RSP leader NK Premachandran MP said that the charge sheet in the SFIO case is based on clear evidence. Veena Vijayan received money as she is the Chief Minister’s daughter. The Chief Minister has a legal and moral responsibility on it. He should resign as Chief Minister immediately
KPCC president K Sudhakaran said there is “clear evidence” in the case. “The chief minister and his daughter will not be able to evade the evidence. This will shock every Left worker in the state,” Sudhakaran said.
The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) has filed a charge sheet against Veena Vijayan , daughter of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and others in the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) pay-off case.
The SFIO filed the charge sheet in the Ernakulam District Court on Wednesday.
Veena has been booked under section 447 (Punishment of fraud) of the Companies Act (CA Act) . The offense is punishable with imprisonment for a term of at least six months, but which may extend up to ten years. .
The charge sheet accuses Veena of fraudulent payment of Rs 2.7 crore made by CMRL to her company, without providing any services. The Delhi High Court on April 3 refused the CMRL’s petition seeking to stay the ongoing SFIO investigation.
The SFIO has registered multiple charges under the Companies Act (CA), 2013 against the accused individuals regarding the fraudulent payment cases.
Earlier, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs granted permission for prosecution proceedings against Veena Vijayan, daughter of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) monthly payment case on the basis of the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) charge sheet.
The Ministry also granted approval to prosecute CMRL Managing Director Sasidharan Kartha, and CMRL Chief General Manager of Finance P Suresh Kumar, among others
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs in January 2024 issued an order handing over the probe into the affairs of Exalogic Solutions, the firm owned by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter Veena Vijayan , as well as Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) and Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation Industrial( KSIDC) to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO)
The Income Tax Interim Settlement Board(ITISB) has found that Rs 1.72 crore was given to Veena Vijayan’s firm Exalogic Solutions by the CMRL company without rendering any services
Meanwhile, the CPI-M leaders rallied behind CM Pinarayi Vijayan, terming the filing of the charge sheet a politically motivated move.
Politburo member and interim coordinator Prakash Karat said the move against the CM’s daughter will be faced legally. CPI-M Kerala secretary MV Govindan, state finance ministers KN Balagopal and industries minister P Rajeeve and party central committee members KK Shailaja and AK Balan, came out in defense of the CM and his daughter.
