The Kerala High Court on Wednesday issued notices to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his daughter Veena Vijayan in connection with a petition seeking a CBI probe into the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd. (CMRL)–Exalogic deal.

A division bench of the High Court issued notices to the Chief Minister, his daughter, CMRL, and others in a public interest litigation filed by Ajayan, a resident of North Paravur.

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The petitioner has sought a CBI investigation into the deal, citing findings from the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board (ITISB) report.

The New Delhi bench of the ITISB found that Chief Minister Vijayan’s daughter, T. Veena, received Rs 1.72 crore from CMRL for consultancy services that were allegedly never provided.

It has been reported that Veena and her firm, Exalogic Solutions, entered into an agreement with the company to provide IT, marketing consultancy, and software services.

However, the income tax investigation found that no such services were rendered. The company admitted to the Income Tax Department that the payments were made in monthly installments as per the contract.

The ITISB also found that CMRL disbursed approximately Rs 197.7 crore to various political leaders in the state. The Income Tax Disputes Redressal Board highlighted a nexus of prominent personalities involved in the financial transactions.