Major relief for CM Vijayan as SC stays CBI probe against top aide KM Abraham

New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram, April 30 (IANS) In a major relief for Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his close aide K.M. Abraham, the Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed a Kerala High Court order that had directed a CBI probe into allegations that Abraham amassed wealth through illegal means.

Abraham, a former Chief Secretary and currently the Chief Principal Secretary to the CM as well as CEO of the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), had challenged the High Court directive in the top court.

The apex court granted the stay on technical grounds, noting that similar matters were already pending before it.

The petitioner’s counsel argued that the CBI had registered the case without obtaining mandatory sanction from the state government.

While granting the interim relief, the Supreme Court issued notices to the Kerala government and to Joemon Puthenpurackal, the public activist who had filed the original petition.

The case will be taken up for a detailed hearing later.

The stay came just two days after the CBI formally launched its investigation -- on April 28 -- into allegations that Abraham illegally accumulated wealth during 2003-2015, as per the High Court’s order.

The CBI's First Information Report (FIR), reportedly running close to 600 pages, is now in the public domain.

Puthenpurackal, who has been pursuing the matter for nearly a decade, has alleged that Abraham earlier used his influence to subvert a Vigilance inquiry into the same charges.

The temporary relief for Abraham also comes as a political breather for CM Vijayan. The opposition Congress had stepped up pressure on Vijayan to remove Abraham from his office, accusing the Chief Minister’s Office of shielding individuals involved in corrupt practices.

The Congress had drawn parallels between Abraham and M. Sivasankar, Vijayan’s former Principal Secretary, who was jailed twice in connection with separate cases and is currently out on bail.

The CPI(M) and Vijayan had strongly backed Abraham in the face of the High Court order, asserting that he was seeking legitimate legal remedies. Wednesday’s Supreme Court stay offers them temporary relief.

--IANS

sg/skp