Thiruvananthapuram: The Supreme Court has once again deferred the hearing of the SNC Lavlin corruption case in which Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's name is figured.

The court put off the hearing for the 31st time on Tuesday after the case came up for its consideration for the first time in 2018.

Though the matter was scheduled for hearing on Tuesday, the Supreme Court could not take it up since the Constitutional Bench led by Chief Justice of India UU Lalit was preoccupied for the whole day with the case involving the validity of the reservation benefits given to forward castes in employment and educational opportunities in the country.

When the recurring postponement of the Lavlin case became a matter of controversy, Justice Lalit had said in the court last time that the case would definitely be heard at the next hearing. But this did not happen on Tuesday.

The appeal given by the CBI against the Kerala High Court verdict acquitting Pinarayi Vijayan, Power Department former Secretary K Mohanachandran and former Joint Secretary A Francis before trial in the Lavlin case is now pending before the Supreme Court.

But the High Court had then ordered that KSEB former financial advisor KG Rajashekharan, KSEB ex-chairman R Shivadasan and former Chief Engineer Kasthuriranga Iyer should appear for the trial in the case.

These three accused also moved the Supreme Court, seeking the granting of the same kind of relief given to Pinarayi and others.

This case is also pending before the Supreme Court. The court has already issued notice to the parties in the case.