The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned former Kerala Chief Minister and current Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan. It has ordered him to appear before it on October 23 in a money laundering case related to Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL). As Vijayan was not available at home, the officials pasted a notice on the wall of his residence.

ED officials who came from Kochi today went to Pinarayi Vijayan's residence at Bakery Junction in Thiruvananthapuram. As he was not at home at that time, the staff there refused to take the notices. With this, the officials pasted the summons issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at the entrance of the house.

The ED has registered a case and is investigating allegations that CMRL made an illegal payment of about Rs. 2.78 crore to a company called Exalogic Solutions, owned by Vijayan's daughter Veena, in the name of IT services. It was against this backdrop that it was decided to question Vijayan.

However, senior CPM leader V. Sivankutty criticised the ED's action. He clarified that Vijayan was at a party meeting in Kannur and was not absconding. He criticized that while it is legal to issue notices when he is not present, this approach is not appropriate when his whereabouts are clearly known.