ED summons Pinarayi Vijayan in CMRL case for 23 October

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), India's federal financial crimes agency, has summoned former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to appear for questioning at its Kochi office on Friday, 23 October 2026, in a money laundering case linked to Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL), according to reports. Vijayan, now Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, and his family deny any wrongdoing.

He has asked the Supreme Court for protection from arrest. ED sources said the summons was for questioning only, according to DT Next.

Key points

• Summons to appear at the ED's Kochi office at 11 AM on 23 October 2026, reports said.
• The case concerns payments by CMRL, a private mineral sands company, to Exalogic Solutions, a now-defunct IT firm run by Vijayan's daughter, Veena.
• The ED alleges the payments, of about ₹3 crore, were bribes made under the guise of IT consultancy; reports give ₹2.78 crore and ₹3.28 crore.
• Vijayan, his daughter and her husband, Kerala politician P.A. Mohamed Riyas, have approached the Supreme Court; the CPI(M) calls the probes a "political witch-hunt".

What the case is about

The ED alleges that CMRL made payments to Exalogic Solutions, the IT company of Vijayan's daughter T. Veena, for consultancy services that weren't actually provided, and that the money amounted to bribes. Reports put the amount at ₹2.78 crore (about $287,000) or ₹3.28 crore, depending on the source. The ED began its probe in 2024 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The case has moved through several courts. The Kerala High Court on 9 October directed the state's Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to register a case based on a report the ED had sent to the state police, according to DT Next. A Division Bench of the High Court earlier dismissed a plea by Vijayan, Veena and Riyas against a Single Bench ruling, Onmanorama reported.

The three have asked the Supreme Court to quash the Single Bench verdict and the Vigilance FIRs. The court is scheduled to sit on 26 October but has indicated it may hear the plea earlier, reports said.

Pinarayi Vijayan ED summons: what each side says

Vijayan and his family deny the allegations. Vijayan has rejected the existence of a diary that investigators say they found during a search in May, saying "no such diary ever existed", Onmanorama reported.

The CPI(M), Vijayan's party, has described the multiple investigations as a "political witch-hunt".

The ED hasn't commented publicly beyond sources. ED sources said the summons was for questioning and that there was no intention to arrest him, DT Next reported.

Why it matters: Vijayan led Kerala for ten years, from 2016 to 2026, and remains the most senior leader of India's main Left party. A central agency questioning him, months after his party lost power in the state, will be read through a political lens by both his supporters and his opponents. For readers abroad, it's another example of how India's federal investigative agencies have become central to political contests between parties.

What happens next

Whether Vijayan appears on 23 October may depend on the Supreme Court. Reports said a decision on appearing would be taken after the court considers the plea.

The facts of the CMRL case will be tested in court, not on television. Until then, the only thing that's certain is the date: 23 October, and a decision in Delhi that may come before it.