In a brief relief to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the Kerala Lokayukta, on Friday, March 31, referred the case pertaining to misuse of Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) by the previous government, also led by him, to a full bench in the wake of a split verdict by a two-judge bench. The decision comes when it was anticipated that the verdict would be delivered today. Senior advocate at the apex court MR Abhilash said that there seems to be merit in the case and now it's the full bench that will decide.

The case, awaiting verdict for the past one year, gained traction only after the petitioner approached the High Court last week seeking its intervention. The High Court asked the petitioner to approach the Lokayukta with his petition and it was after this ruling came, that the Lokayukta decided to take up the case on Friday.

Public activist RS Sasikumar had filed the case in 2018, which pertains to misusing the funds in the CMDRF. Sasikumar had alleged that the money was given to those who were not eligible for the relief. These included the family of a deceased Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) legislator, the family of a top leader from a Left ally who passed away, and also to a Kerala Police officer who died when his vehicle met with an accident while accompanying then top leader of the CPI(M), Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

Earlier, the then State Higher Education Minister KT Jaleel had to quit following the Lokayukta verdict indicting him for misuse of official powers. But the verdict came only after the voting to the April 2021 Assembly elections. The plea to the anti-corruption ombudsman was filed in September 2018 and the hearing ended on March 18, 2022. Since then the verdict has been kept pending. This verdict is expected at a time when Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan continues to sit on the Bill that tweaked the powers of the Kerala Lokayukta.