New Delhi:The Kerala High Court on Monday declined a plea by the State authorities seeking a stay on a vigilance court order directing registration of an FIR against former excise minister K. Babu in the bar bribery case.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice A.M. Shaffique, however, allowed the State government to challenge the lower court order before an appropriate court.

The Bench gave its order on an application seeking a stay of the Thrissur Vigilance Court verdict filed by Director of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, N. Shankar Reddy and other officials, on behalf of the State. “Having regard to the factual situation, we do not think that we should entertain the application as it is always open to challenge the order in appropriate proceedings. “It might be true that the vigilance court should have waited for order to be passed by this court. But having regard to the fact that order has been passed, it has to be challenged in accordance with law,” the court said. Moving the stay application while the High Court was considering a plea seeking a CBI probe in the case, Advocate-General K.P. Dandapani contended that the vigilance court order was illegal and its observations unwarranted. Meanwhile, Babu also moved the High Court challenging the vigilance court order. — PTI