In a major political and legal escalation, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday morning launched simultaneous raids at the residences of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Kannur and Thiruvananthapuram.
The high-stakes operation spans 12 locations across the state, targets top political figures, and comes just hours after a decisive green light from the Kerala High Court.
Armed with Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, ED officials cordoned off and entered multiple high-profile premises early Wednesday morning. Key raid locations including the former CM’s recently rented house at Bakery Junction in Thiruvananthapuram. Reports confirm Mr. Vijayan and his family were present inside when the raid began.n The Kozhikode home of the former Tourism Minister and husband of Mr. Vijayan’s daughter, T. Veena. The residences and premises of senior officials belonging to Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL).
The federal agency’s crackdown is part of a long-running Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case registered in 2024.
At the center of the storm is Exalogic Solutions, a now-defunct IT firm owned by Mr. Vijayan’s daughter, T. Veena. The ED alleges that Exalogic received Rs. 1.72 crore in monthly retainers from CMRL—a private mining company in which the state-owned KSIDC holds a 14% stake—between 2017 and 2021.
According to investigators, these massive payments were made for IT and consultancy services that were never actually delivered. Instead, the ED charges that the funds were illegally channeled to clear the debts of Veena’s firm, effectively offloading its liabilities onto a publicly-listed company.
The aggressive early-morning sweep follows a major legal setback for the accused. The Kerala High Court robustly rejected pleas from CMRL to quash the proceedings and cancel the ED summons.
The High Court directed CMRL officials to immediately cooperate and appear before the agency. Crucially, the ED informed the court that its money-laundering probe is entirely independent of the ongoing investigation by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), which previously interrogated T. Veena in New Delhi in 2025.
The CMRL-Exalogic controversy has heavily battered the Left Democratic Front (LDF) through multiple election cycles. While the issue took a temporary backseat during the recent 2026 Kerala Assembly elections—which saw the Congress-led UDF sweep to power in a historic mandate after a decade—this morning’s dramatic raids have thrust the scandal right back to the forefront of state politics.
Both Pinarayi Vijayan and T. Veena have consistently denied the allegations, maintaining that the contract between Exalogic and CMRL was entirely transparent, above board, conducted via official bank channels, and fully compliant with tax regulations.
