The CPM has said it will legally and politically challenge the Kerala High Court's directive to register an FIR in the CMRL-Exalogic case, maintaining that the move was politically motivated and that there was insufficient evidence to initiate a criminal case against former Chief Minister and current Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter T Veena and son-in-law and MLA P A Mohammed Riyas.

The party leaders also criticised the Congress-led state government for allegedly departing from the Congress's national stand against what it describes as the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) political targeting of opposition leaders.

Justice A Badharudeen issued the order while allowing a petition filed by K M Shahjahan seeking registration of an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act against the three, based on findings shared by the ED.

Senior CPM leader M V Jayarajan accused the Congress-led government of failing to maintain consistency with its national leadership's position on the ED. “The Congress leadership has always said that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have been subjected to political harassment by the ED. The Kerala government should have taken a similar stand here,” he said.

Jayarajan alleged that the ED was using the investigation for political purposes and maintained that there was insufficient evidence to register an FIR. He said the CPM would not allow Pinarayi Vijayan, Veena and Riyas to be subjected to what he described as political harassment, adding that the party would fight the case both legally and politically.

He said the case was politically motivated and questioned the court's decision to order an FIR without hearing the accused. He also alleged that the ED had relied on fabricated documents and witness statements in the Exalogic case.

CPM leader P Jayarajan described the petition and the court proceedings as part of an alleged political conspiracy against Vijayan and the party. He accused the ED of targeting opposition leaders who oppose the BJP.

BJP leader Shone George, meanwhile, said the High Court order showed that the court had taken the allegations seriously. He demanded that Vijayan step down as Leader of the Opposition, warning that the BJP would launch strong protests if he refused. Rejecting the CPM's argument that the accused should have been heard before the FIR was ordered, George said the police did not need a suspect's permission to register a case.

CPM MP John Brittas also said the party had decided to pursue legal and political action. He added that the investigation should examine all relevant aspects without selectively targeting individuals.

Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan welcomed the verdict, saying he hoped it would lead to an impartial investigation and bring out the truth. Kuzhalnadan rejected the CPM's allegation that the Congress was acting in the BJP's interests by supporting the ED investigation, calling it a weak defence.

The High Court's directive challenges the state government's decision to conduct a preliminary inquiry before registering an FIR. The government relied on the Supreme Court's ruling in Lalita Kumari v. Government of Uttar Pradesh to support its position.

The Kerala Police subsequently constituted a nine-member Crime Branch Special Investigation Team and gave it 30 days to examine the material provided by the ED. The decision to entrust the preliminary inquiry to the Crime Branch rather than the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau had also drawn scrutiny.

The High Court examined whether the state police could conduct a preliminary inquiry instead of registering an FIR after receiving information from the ED about alleged offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. It had also directed the ED to submit, in a sealed cover, the communication it had sent to the Kerala Police Chief.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the government would take appropriate action on the verdict after obtaining legal advice, adding that it would act in accordance with court rulings.