The Kerala High Court on Thursday dismissed the plea of former Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and others for allowing them to appeal against a single-judge order to lodge an FIR against them in the alleged CMRL bribery case.A bench of Justices K Natarajan and Johnson John dismissed the pleas allow the applications seeking permission to file an appeal against the single judge’s October 9 order.The High Court had reserved its order on October 13.A single bench of the Kerala High Court on Friday directed the state Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to register an FIR against former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter T Veena, son-in-law Muhammed Riyas and others over alleged illegal payments to Veena’s IT firm.Last month, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing allegations that Veena’s firm, Exalogic Solutions, received illegal payments from Kochi-based Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) when the CPI(M) was in power, recommended that the state police register an FIR against Vijayan and others, including Veena and Riyas, under the Prevention of Corruption Act. A former minister, Riyas is a member of the CPI(M) state secretariat.Instead of registering an FIR, the Congress-led government ordered a preliminary inquiry by the state Crime Branch, with a decision on registration to be taken after the inquiry. Challenging this decision, K M Shajahan, a former additional private secretary to former chief minister V S Achuthanandan, approached the high court. The ED also joined the proceedings.After hearing all parties, including the state government, Justice A Badharudeen allowed the petition and directed that an FIR be registered. The ED argued that the Crime Branch could not conduct a preliminary probe and that an FIR should be registered based on its recommendation. The state government contended that the petition was not maintainable and that the investigating agency could conduct a preliminary inquiry before registering an FIR. Aamir Khan is the Head-Legal Project for Indian Express Digital, based in New Delhi. With over 15 years of experience as a journalist bridging journalism and law, he oversees comprehensive legal coverage across all judicial bodies for the website, translating complex court proceedings into clear, impactful public reporting. Expertise Specialised Legal Authority: Aamir holds an LLB, providing him with the formal legal training necessary to analyse constitutional matters, statutes, and judicial precedents with technical accuracy. Experience Press Trust of India (PTI): Served as News Editor, where he exercised final editorial judgment on legal stories emerging from the Supreme Court of India and various High Courts for the nation's primary news wire. Bar and Bench: As Associate Editor, he led the vanguard of long-form legal journalism, conducting exclusive interviews and producing deep-dive investigative series on the most pressing legal issues of the day. Foundational Reporting: His expertise is built on years of "boots-on-the-ground" reporting for The Indian Express (Print) and The Times of India, covering the legal beats in the high-intensity hubs of Mumbai and Delhi. Multidisciplinary Academic Background: LLB PG Diploma in Journalism (New Media). BSc in Life Sciences and Chemistry. ... Read More Tags:KeralaPinarayi Vijayan