THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Wednesday said the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) letter seeking registration of an FIR against senior CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan and others in the alleged CMRL bribery case would be legally scrutinised before any action is taken.
Addressing the media, Satheesan said the law will take its own course of action and tried to delineate the ED’s actions against Pinarayi and his family from those against Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.
He said Congress workers did not vandalise ED assets despite the leaders being questioned by the ED for about 55 hours, which is in stark contrast with the attack on ED vehicles by CPM workers.
He touched on the Congress party’s national leadership’s line that the ED is being used as a political tool, but said the ED’s actions against Pinarayi and his family cannot be seen in that vein.
He said the central agency had presented evidence to substantiate the serious allegations it has levelled against Pinarayi and his family, and the government cannot overlook those.
The state government has already sought legal opinion on the ED letter from the Advocate General. The government is baffled as to whether the VACB can directly register a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act or whether it should conduct a preliminary inquiry before registering an FIR.
Though Home Department sources said the VACB is being considered the best option to hold a probe into the matter, as the ED communique had flagged corruption allegations against the trio and their associates, they are awaiting the legal opinion.
A section of senior bureaucrats and police officers was of the opinion that the ED reached its conclusion after conducting a probe and hence there was no need for another preliminary examination.However, there were apprehensions regarding the legal viability of such a move, following which the Home Department was asked to refer the matter to the state’s legal cell.
Meanwhile, sources added that the 25-page report carried the ED’s narrative about the case and the statements and evidence it relied upon to reach the conclusion that an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act can be registered by state agencies.
The sources further added that the ED has made damning allegations against Pinarayi and linked him directly with corruption. Since Pinarayi and Riyas are public servants, prior approval from the state government is required to conduct a probe against them. Government sanction is also required to register an FIR against them.