
Exalogic case: CM Pinarayi Vijayan's replies vague, petitioner tells Kerala HC
Kochi: M R Ajayan, the petitioner seeking a CBI probe into the controversial CMRL-Exalogic case, has filed a counter-affidavit stating that chief minister
Pinarayi Vijayan
, a respondent in the petition, offered only vague denials and evasive responses to the allegations against him.
Ajayan also sought a court-monitored investigation by the CBI into the allegations raised in the petition. He alleged that Exalogic received Rs 1.72 crore from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) as illegal gratification. The petitioner further sought an investigation into the alleged political nexus involving the CM and the companies concerned.
In his counter-affidavit, CM Vijayan described the petition as 'politically instigated litigation.' In response, Ajayan asserted that he has no political agenda and seeks no personal gain. The PIL, he said, is based on publicly available records and adjudicated facts, and is aimed at securing an independent investigation in the interest of justice, transparency and the constitutional right to know.
Follow more information on
Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here
. Get
real-time live updates
on rescue operations and check
full list of passengers onboard AI 171
.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indian Express
19 minutes ago
- Indian Express
On ED's plea, Bombay High Court sets aside magistrate's order accepting EOW's closure report in Topsgrup case
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday set aside a magistrate court's September 2022 decision of accepting a closure report filed by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in a case against Topsgrup Services and Solution Limited. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had relied on the EOW's case to register a money laundering case against Amit Chandole, a close aide of Shiv Sena minister Pratap Sarnaik, and had subsequently probed the leader. Ramesh Iyer, a former employee of Topsgrup and the original complainant, had informed the magistrate that he had no objection to the closure report, claiming that his complaint was filed 'due to a misunderstanding.' The court had then accepted the report, prompting the ED to challenge the decision before the high court. The ED's case was based on an FIR registered on October 28, 2020, based on Iyer's complaint. He had alleged that Topsgrup defrauded the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) of Rs 175 crore. As per the ED, the MMRDA contract awarded to Topsgrup was facilitated by Sarnaik, who allegedly received kickbacks of at least Rs 7 crore. On Wednesday, a single-judge bench of Justice Madhav Jamdar – while allowing the ED's plea – noted that the magistrate 'didn't apply mind' to the 'C' summary report (closure report) and it was accepted solely on the ground that the complainant had given no objection. The EOW had filed the C-summary report in January 2022. The order of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court, dated September 14, 2022, noted the EOW's submission that after reviewing witness statements and relevant documents, it concluded that no cognizable offence could be made out. The high court bench has now sent the matter back to the magistrate court, directing it to reconsider the C-summary report filed by the EOW expeditiously. The high court clarified that it had not examined the merits of the closure report and that all contentions of the parties remained 'expressly kept open.' Justice Jamdar noted that the magistrate was duty bound to apply his/her mind to the facts of the case, the closure report and accompanying material before passing an order, either accepting the report, rejecting it and taking cognisance of the offence and initiating proceedings, or ordering further investigation. 'A bare perusal of said Order dated September 14, 2022 shows that the 'C' Summary Report is accepted without application of mind and only on the ground that the First Informant has given no objection,' the high observed. The bench further noted that the question of whether the case needs to be committed to the special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) would arise only if the magistrate rejects the closure report and initiates proceedings. Accordingly, the high court sent the case back to the magistrate for reconsideration and disposed of the ED's plea.


NDTV
26 minutes ago
- NDTV
Vijay Rupani Cancelled London Ticket Twice, June 12 Was Not His 1st Choice
New Delhi: Former Gujarat Chief Minister, Vijay Rupani, was among the 242 people on board the doomed Air India 787-8 Dreamliner, which crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. Only one survived, and 241 people died, including the former Chief Minister. But, flying to London on June 12 to meet his wife and daughter was not Mr Rupani's first choice. The former chief minister first booked his ticket for May 19 on flight AI171 and intended to fly back to India on June 25. With a change in plans, Mr Rupani cancelled his ticket for May 19 and decided to fly on June 5. Read more: Gujarat Ex Chief Minister Vijay Rupani Among 241 Killed In Air India Crash There was another change. The former Chief Minister cancelled his second ticket too and booked seat number 2D on flight AI 171 for June 12, which crashed in less than a minute after taking off. CCTV footage from the runway showed the aircraft was airborne for only 32 seconds before crashing into the hostel building of BJ Medical College, which is close to the airport. A huge fireball followed the crash, damaging the hostel building. Several casualties were reported at the medical college, too. '1206' And Mr Rupani's Personal Connect The number '1206' stood for good fortune for Mr Rupani, who used it on his car, scooter and official number plate of his vehicle as Chief Minister. He considered it lucky for him until it wasn't. The former Chief Minister died on June 12 (12/06) in the crash. 12/06, according to friends, family, and party colleagues, was a personal emblem for Mr Rupani. Vijay Rupani's Political Life Mr Rupani served as Gujarat's 16th Chief Minister from August 2016 to September 2021. Born in Rangoon (now Yangon), Burma, in 1956, his family migrated to Rajkot in the 1960s following political instability in Southeast Asia. He began his political career as a student activist and became a municipal corporator in Rajkot in 1987. Over the next three decades, he held a range of administrative and legislative roles, including as minister for transport, water supply, and labour. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 2006 to 2012. In 2014, he was appointed as a minister in the Gujarat government, where he served till 2016, followed by taking over as the Chief Minister in the same year, a position he held till 2021 before resigning ahead of the assembly elections as part of the BJP's leadership reset. Mr Rupani remained active in organisational affairs. He held a senior advisory role within the party's Gujarat unit and was frequently consulted on matters related to state policy and elections.


India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
Bad news for Israel, US as Iran destroys F-35 fighter jet worth Rs..., warns of...
Bad news for Israel, US as Iran destroys F-35 fighter jet worth Rs..., warns of... Israel conducted strikes at Iran's nuclear, missile and military complex, mounting tension in West Asia. In a counterattack, Iran also launched missile attack. Also Iran has made a big claim amid the Israeli attack. Iran says that it has shot down 2 fighter jets of the Israeli Air Force. This fighter jet is F-35 and is considered to be US' most advanced jet. Iran has also claimed to have captured a pilot flying the F-35. According to Tehran Times, as soon as this fighter jet entered Iran's airspace, Iran shot it down, after which the pilot came down using a parachute. As soon as the pilot came down, he was caught by Iranian officials. Israel Defense Force says that till now we do not have any such news. According to the video shared by Israel Defense Force regarding the operation, IAF soldiers are using RAAM (F-15I), SOUFA (F-16I) and ADIR (F-35I) to attack Iran. Israel has purchased all these fighter jets from America. The US plane which is said to have been shot down, its one unit costs Rs 7 billion. That means if Iran's claim turns out to be true, then Israel has suffered a loss of Rs 15 billion on the very first day of this attack. F-35 is a 5th generation stealth fighter aircraft The F-35 fighter plane is considered to be US' fifth generation fighter plane. It is a stealth fighter jet. US sells it by calling it the strongest plane. The price of this fighter jet of US is 90 million dollars (about 7 billion rupees). It is considered to be the most valuable plane. This is a single seater aircraft, which has one pilot. Due to its accurate aim, this fighter jet has also been named Panther. Israel is using 200 fighter jets in the war Israel is using at least 200 fighter jets simultaneously to fight Iran. On Friday, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion to kill top Iranian officials. In this operation, 6 Iranian nuclear scientists and 4 military officers have been killed. Apart from this, more than 60 Iranian citizens have died.