Setback for Pinarayi Vijayan: HC denies permission to appeal single bench order in monthly payoff case

KOCHI: A setback for opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan in the Kerala High Court over the monthly payoff case. The high court dismissed the pleas seeking permission to appeal against the single bench order directing the registration of a vigilance FIR in the case. The court made it clear that it would not entertain the appeals.

The court dismissed the pleas filed by Pinarayi Vijayan, Mohammed Riyas and Veena Vijayan. The petitioners argued that the single bench had passed the order without hearing their side and that the order was legally unsustainable. The state government had also informed the court that it supported the petitioners' stand. However, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) argued that permission to appeal should not be granted.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the high court dismissed the pleas, observing that the single bench order did not affect the rights of the accused and that the order could be challenged through legal means if an FIR was registered.