Thiruvananthapuram | The ED on Saturday pasted a summons outside the residence of Keralam Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, asking him to appear for questioning on October 23 in connection with the CMRL-linked money laundering case.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued the summons on Friday under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after registering a case based on a recent FIR filed by the state police.
On Saturday, an ED official from Kochi visited former Chief Minister Vijayan's residence near Bakery Junction here and pasted the two-page copy of the summons near the entrance.
Officials said the move was intended to ensure that Vijayan received the summons and appeared for questioning as directed.
He was not present at the residence when the officials arrived, they said.
Senior CPI(M) leader V Sivankutty later reached the residence and spoke to the staff.
Speaking to reporters, he criticised the ED's action, saying Vijayan was in Kannur attending a party conference and was not absconding.
"He went from here to Alappuzha and then to Kannur. After completing a two-day meeting, he will return to Thiruvananthapuram. If they wanted, they could have served the notice directly to him," the former education minister said.
He said an ED official had first visited the residence alone in the morning to serve the summons, but had returned when Vijayan was not present.
The official came back later and asked the staff to witness the pasting of the summons, but they refused, Sivankutty claimed.
The ED officials subsequently returned with police personnel and pasted the summons, he added.
"This is a case pending before the Supreme Court. Any action in the matter should be taken only after the Supreme Court delivers its verdict," he argued.
Sivankutty also questioned the decision to paste the summons, saying such a procedure was generally used when a person could not be traced.
"Treating someone who had been the chief minister and now the Leader of the Opposition in this manner is completely unjust, anti-democratic and highly deplorable," he said.
When asked whether Vijayan will appear for questioning, Sivankutty said that it is up to the leader to decide about it.
The Keralam Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) registered two FIRs on October 12 against Vijayan and his family members--his daughter Veena T and son-in-law and former minister P A Mohamed Riyas, in connection with the alleged Cochin Mineral and Rutile Limited (CMRL) bribery case.
The Kerala High Court on October 9 directed the VACB to register a case based on a report submitted by the ED to the state police.
The central agency sought the registration of a case based on material gathered during its investigation and searches conducted under the anti-money laundering law.
The ED has alleged that CMRL made fraudulent payments of Rs 2.78 crore to Veena's now-defunct company, Exalogic Solutions, under the guise of IT consultancy services.
The agency had earlier said it had seized handwritten notes during searches linked to Veena and that the notes contained details of certain fund transfers to Dubai.
On Friday, Vijayan moved the Supreme Court challenging the Kerala High Court order directing the registration of an FIR in the matter.
