Latest news with #VeenaT.
The Hindu
23-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
CMRL-Exalogic case: Kerala High Court issues notice to Veena, 12 others
The Kerala High Court has issued notice to Veena T., the daughter of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, her IT firm Exalogic Solutions Pvt. Ltd., and 11 others who had been arraigned as respondents in the case pertaining to the allegations regarding the financial transactions between Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd. (CMRL) and Exalogic. The notice was issued on a petition filed by BJP leader Shone George, seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the allegations. The 11 other respondents include Sasidharan Kartha, the MD of CMRL. In the petition, Mr. George said that the contents of the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) probe report on the alleged financial transactions between the two companies had referred to corporate fraud. But the SFIO had limited the scope of its probe to offences under the Companies Act and did not investigate the motive behind the alleged illegal payments. He thus sought further probe in coordination with the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Election Commission, since the findings involved offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the Representation of People's Act. Veena's stance Ms. Veena had in an affidavit before the High Court in June refuted the allegation that her company is a 'benami' firm, and said it is operated independently of her father. In response to a PIL filed seeking a CBI probe into the allegations pertaining to the financial transactions between the two companies, she had said that the Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs had ordered a probe by the SFIO into certain affairs of the CMRL, including its transactions with Exalogic, under the Companies Act. As the SFIO was currently seized of the matter, all other agencies are precluded from probing it, she had contended then.
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Demand for CBI probe in CMRL case: HC seeks counter affidavit
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday directed counsel representing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter, Veena T., and Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) to file a counter affidavit while hearing a public interest litigation filed by M.R. Ajayan, a Kochi-based journalist, seeking a CBI probe in the CMRL pay-off case. Referring that the Interim Board for Settlement of Income Tax had mentioned the names of several individuals who had received money from the CMRL, Mr. Ajayan contended that a CBI probe was needed to uncover the full extent of funds that the CMRL allegedly gave them. On April 16, the court had directed the Additional Solicitor General of India (ASGI) to produce the list of persons mentioned in the interim board's order. Although the ASGI submitted that this list would have to be produced by the Income Tax department, counsel for the IT department said there was no specific directive to it and that there should be a directive to the department by modifying the earlier one. Counsel for the CMRL opposed it and stated that an opportunity should be given to it to file its counter. Counsel for Mr. Vijayan submitted that the petitioner was making baseless allegations and that the petition was not maintainable. The court said a modification order on the directive to the IT department would be made only after getting the counter affidavits.
