Kochi: Kerala High Court Thursday dismissed a petition by Aam Admi Party, Kerala unit, seeking a CBI probe into the graft allegations made by bar owners against state Finance Minister K M Mani.
Dismissing the petition, a division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Prashant Bhushan and Justice A M Shafique said the petition was premature and the court cannot interfere at this stage.
AAP'S Kerala convenor and eminent writer Sara Joseph had contended in her petition that even five days after disclosure of the bribe charges by Biju Ramesh, President of Kerala Bar Hotels Association, police have not yet registered an FIR.
The disclosure amounts to an offence punishable under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act, she said, adding that the government, instead of investigating the case, had referred the matter for a preliminary enquiry by vigilance, she said.
She submitted that since vigilance is controlled by the government, there was no likelihood of an effective investigation against a cabinet minister.