Kochi, Oct 15 — Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan, who had pursued former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the CMRL-Exalogic financial dealings, has found fresh ammunition in the Kerala High Court's dismissal of appeals against the order for registering an FIR in the Masappadi case.
Welcoming the Division Bench verdict on Thursday, Kuzhalnadan said the argument that a case could not be registered had been rejected.
He said Vijayan should now face the allegations legally instead of trying to prevent the investigation.
“If his hands are clean and he has nothing to hide, why is he so afraid of an FIR?” he asked, recalling Vijayan's repeated claim that his hands were clean and there was nothing to fear.
The remark carries a touch of political irony.
Vijayan's assertion that his hands were clean had earlier gone viral, with the CPI-M and the Left camp repeatedly invoking it to defend the former Chief Minister.
Now, Kuzhalnadan has turned the same argument back on him.
The Congress legislator has often targeted Vijayan both inside and outside the Assembly over the alleged financial dealings between Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) and Exalogic Solutions, a company linked to Vijayan's daughter, T. Veena.
But the political tide had appeared to turn against Kuzhalnadan when the High Court last year dismissed his plea seeking a probe in the same controversy, citing a lack of evidence to sustain the relief sought.
The CPI-M seized the opportunity to attack him, subjecting him to the kind of political criticism it routinely directs at its opponents.
To compound his troubles, a Vigilance probe was announced into his landholdings at a popular Kerala hill station, giving the Left fresh grounds to target him.
The latest Division Bench verdict, however, has changed the political conversation.
The court dismissed appeals filed by Vijayan, Veena, former minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas and others against the single judge's direction to register a Vigilance FIR.
It held that the appellants were not entitled to challenge the preliminary order through those appeals.
Kuzhalnadan said he had earlier refrained from approaching the CBI because he did not want to hand Vijayan over to the BJP.
For a politician who was repeatedly ridiculed by the Left for pursuing the case, the verdict offers a measure of vindication. The investigation has yet to establish guilt, but for now, Kuzhalnadan has reclaimed the political initiative.