KOCHI : The Kerala High Court on Thursday refused permission to former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his family members to appeal against an order directing the registration of a Vigilance case over alleged illegal payments involving Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) and Exalogic Solutions.

A division bench comprising Justices K. Natarajan and Johnson John dismissed the applications seeking leave to appeal filed by Vijayan, his daughter T. Veena and son-in-law P.A. Mohammed Riyas. The decision leaves the single judge’s directive for a corruption investigation in place.

The case centres on allegations that CMRL made payments to Exalogic Solutions, Veena’s company, without receiving services in return. The controversy emerged following income-tax findings concerning financial transactions between the companies.

The earlier court order directed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to register a First Information Report and investigate the allegations. Vijayan and his family subsequently sought permission to challenge that direction.

In their applications, the petitioners argued that they had not been heard before the single judge issued the order directing the investigation.

Vijayan and Veena have previously denied wrongdoing, while the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has described the investigations by central agencies as politically motivated. The proceedings concern allegations that remain subject to investigation.