The SNC Lavalin case, involving Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, was not considered by the Supreme Court for the 40th time on Thursday. The apex court said that the Lavalin case was rescheduled due to an ongoing hearing of another case from Maharashtra. The court adjourned the final hearing of the case, listed as no.113, on Wednesday due to prolonged proceedings in other cases.
The Lavalin case pertains to the awarding of a contract to the Canadian firm, SNC Lavalin, for hydroelectric projects in the state during Vijayan's tenure as Power Minister from 1996 to 1998. The state exchequer allegedly incurred a loss of Rs 86 crore due to this deal.
In 2013, Vijayan, along with former Energy Department secretary K Mohanachandran and former joint secretary K A Francis, was acquitted by a Special CBI Court. The High Court of Kerala upheld this verdict in 2017, absolving the accused without trial.
Following this, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) contested the discharge in the Supreme Court, leading to the matter being listed 40 times thus far. The top court last considered the case on February 6.
