KOCHI — Following the discovery that it transferred Rs 1.72 crore to an IT firm owned by the Chief Minister's daughter for services that were never provided, a local mining company has approached the Kerala High Court to argue that investigators have absolutely no jurisdiction over the matter.

The legal challenge stems from a 2023 Income Tax Interim Settlement Board finding, which classified the funds as "illegal payments" after confirming the IT firm had rendered no apparent service to the mining company. "We ask the court to recognize our fundamental right to wire large sums of money to politically connected individuals without the burdensome expectation of deliverables," said a legal representative for the company, noting that paying for nothing is a highly complex administrative process requiring careful financial planning.

The High Court has currently reserved its order on the firm's plea to halt the resulting money laundering probe. Legal experts anticipate the judicial process will successfully serve its primary function of delaying the investigation until the political fallout can be managed, allowing the relevant files to remain safely under consideration for the remainder of the election cycle.