CMRL-Exalogic diary names Satheesan, Vijayan, Chennithala; BJP seeks CBI probe
Synopsis
A purported diary page from CMRL MD S. Sasidharan Kartha has landed Kerala's political class in fresh trouble — with BJP's Shone George alleging it lists payments to Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, former CM Pinarayi Vijayan, and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala. With the Crime Branch SIT yet to begin and the CBI demand now formally on the table, the CMRL-Exalogic case is rapidly escalating beyond a financial scandal into a full-blown political crisis.
Key Takeaways
BJP state vice-president Shone George released a page allegedly from the diary of CMRL MD S.
Sasidharan Kartha on 24 September 2026 .
The page purportedly names Chief Minister V.D.
Satheesan , former CM Pinarayi Vijayan , Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala , and several other senior UDF and LDF leaders.
George alleged an entry of ₹5 lakh against Satheesan's name, though the allegations have not been independently verified.
The Kerala High Court in its June 2026 judgment recorded a ₹1.72 crore payment to Veena Vijayan and Exalogic despite no services being rendered.
The state government has ordered a Crime Branch SIT preliminary inquiry following an ED referral; George demands the case be handed to the CBI .
The scope of the Crime Branch inquiry — whether it covers all alleged political payments or only the ED-referred material — is now the central political question.
A page purportedly from the diary of CMRL Managing Director S. Sasidharan Kartha — now in the possession of investigators — has ignited a fresh political storm in Kerala after BJP state vice-president Shone George claimed it contains the names of senior leaders from both the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) and the opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF), including Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. George made the allegations at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, 24 September 2026, demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the CMRL-Exalogic matter.
What the diary page allegedly shows
George, who claims to have been tracking the CMRL-Exalogic case for the past three years, first released a photograph of the diary page on social media, asking: 'Why is there no Vigilance probe? The figures on this page provide answers to several questions.' At his subsequent press conference, he alleged the page names Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, Ministers K. Muraleedharan and Shibu Baby John, former cabinet colleague P. Rajeev, K.B. Ganesh Kumar, CPI(M) state secretary M.V. Govindan, senior leader Elamaram Kareem, and other Left figures. George alleged the entries represent payments made to these politicians, including an entry of ₹5 lakh against Satheesan's name.
It must be noted that the allegations have not been independently established by the diary entries alone. The context and nature of each purported payment would need to be determined through a formal investigation.
Background: CMRL-Exalogic case and prior investigations
The CMRL-Exalogic controversy has already drawn scrutiny from multiple agencies. The Kerala High Court, in its June 2026 judgment, recorded that the Ministry of Corporate Affairs had ordered a probe into CMRL in January 2024, subsequently entrusting it to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO). The court also recorded that the Income Tax Settlement Commission had upheld findings relating to inflated expenses, generation of cash for alleged illegal payments, and a purported ₹1.72 crore payment to Veena Vijayan and Exalogic despite no services reportedly being rendered. George described the released diary page as one of the documents submitted before the court by the SFIO.
Crime Branch inquiry and the Vigilance question
The latest disclosures come days after the state government decided to conduct a preliminary inquiry through a Crime Branch Special Investigation Team (SIT), following information shared by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding CMRL-Exalogic transactions. The decision came after the ED wrote to the state police chief seeking action under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and after the government obtained legal opinion from the Advocate General.
George questioned why the probe was assigned to the Crime Branch rather than the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, alleging that Chennithala — as Home Minister — had deliberately chosen this route to protect those named. Chennithala, however, has maintained that the government acted strictly on the Advocate General's legal opinion and that the ED's information could not be ignored.
The central political question
With the Crime Branch preliminary inquiry now set to begin, the newly surfaced diary disclosures raise a pointed question: whether the inquiry will examine the wider list of alleged political payments or remain confined strictly to the specific material referred by the ED. Critics argue the choice of investigative agency, and the scope it is handed, will itself become a political flashpoint in the weeks ahead.
George has formally demanded that the entire CMRL-Exalogic matter be handed over to the CBI, a demand that is likely to intensify as details from the diary page circulate in Kerala's political circuit.
Point of View
In a case where the Home Minister is among the named, is a structural conflict that no Advocate General opinion can fully resolve. If the scope of the Crime Branch inquiry is quietly narrowed to the ED's specific referral, that constraint will itself become evidence in the court of public opinion. The BJP's CBI demand is politically convenient but not without merit on process grounds.
NationPress
24 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the CMRL-Exalogic case about?
The CMRL-Exalogic case involves allegations of financial fraud, inflated expenses, and illegal payments linked to CMRL, whose Managing Director is S. Sasidharan Kartha. The case has drawn scrutiny from multiple agencies including the Enforcement Directorate, SFIO, and the Income Tax Settlement Commission, which upheld findings of a purported ₹1.72 crore payment to Veena Vijayan and Exalogic for services reportedly not rendered.
What did BJP's Shone George allege about the diary page?
George alleged that a page purportedly from the diary of CMRL MD S. Sasidharan Kartha contains names of senior politicians from both the UDF and LDF, including Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, former CM Pinarayi Vijayan, and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, with entries allegedly representing payments — including ₹5 lakh against Satheesan's name. The allegations have not been independently verified.
Why is the BJP demanding a CBI probe instead of a Crime Branch inquiry?
BJP's Shone George has argued that entrusting the inquiry to the Crime Branch — which falls under Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, who is himself named in the diary — creates a conflict of interest. George contends the probe should go to the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau or the CBI to ensure impartiality.
What has the Kerala government said about the investigation?
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala stated that the government acted on the Advocate General's legal opinion after the ED wrote to the state police chief seeking action under the Prevention of Corruption Act. He maintained that the ED's information could not simply be ignored and that the Crime Branch route was legally sanctioned.
What did the Kerala High Court record in its June 2026 judgment on CMRL?
The Kerala High Court's June 2026 judgment recorded that the Ministry of Corporate Affairs ordered a probe into CMRL in January 2024 and entrusted it to the SFIO. The court also recorded Income Tax Settlement Commission findings on inflated expenses, cash generation for alleged illegal payments, and a ₹1.72 crore payment to Veena Vijayan and Exalogic despite no services being rendered.
