Kerala: Court adjourns petition filed by Mathew Kuzhalnadan against CM Pinarayi Vijayan, daughter on March 27

By Rashmi Kuttan | First Published Mar 14, 2024, 12:44 PM IST

The Thiruvananthapuram Vigilance Court adjourned the petition filed by Mathew Kuzhalnadan, MLA, against the Chief Minister and his daughter to March 27.

Thiruvananthapuram: The Thiruvananthapuram Vigilance Court adjourned the petition filed by Mathew Kuzhalnadan MLA, against the Chief Minister and his daughter to March 27. The Vigilance department has stated that they are unable to proceed with an investigation into the petition lodged by Mathew Kuzhalnathan against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his daughter, Veena Vijayan. The Vigilance director informed the court that the allegations outlined in the petition do not fall under the purview of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and as such, cannot be subject to investigation.

The court has accepted the petition filed by Mathew Kuzhalnathan demanding an investigation against the Chief Minister, his daughter Veena Vijayan, and the CMRL company on February 29. Several allegations are made in the petition, including that the government connived at transporting black sand from Thottapalli to the CMRL company.

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Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan has leveled accusations against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, alleging his involvement in orchestrating mineral sand mining operations at Thottappally in Alappuzha. Kuzhalnadan claims that the mining activities were carried out to benefit Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL).

Mr. Kuzhalnadan alleged that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan supported action on a memorandum submitted by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL), which claimed losses of ₹60 crore due to the Centre's import of ilmenite. The corporation also demanded that the government facilitate the delivery of the mineral within the state.

According to the MLA, in 2018, the Chief Minister, as Chairman of the State Disaster Management Authority, convened a meeting to discuss the firm's difficulty in obtaining official approval for its mining lease. As a result of the choices reached at this meeting, the District Collector of Alappuzha approved sand removal from Thottappally under the garb of flood mitigation measures. This move was supposedly sanctioned by the Chief.

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