Kerala bar bribery scandal: Excise Minister K Babu resigns

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Excise Minister K Babu resigned on Friday after a vigilance court ordered that a case be filed against him in the bar bribery scandal.

The Vigilance Court in Thrissur asked the Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau (VACB) to register a case against Babu and asked the VACB to complete the probe in a month. The probe will be held under supervision of the Vigilance Court.

Babu announced his resignation after he met Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and discussed the matter.

Babu is the second minister in Chandy government to resign over the bribery scandal after KM Mani as Finance Minister in November last year.

The court was acting on PIL based on bar owner Biju Ramesh's claim that Babu had taken a bribe of Rs 50 lakhs from Kerala Bar Hotel Association (KBHA) to renew bar licences.

Importantly, the court also observed that offering bribe is a crime and a case should be registered against Biju Ramesh as well.