From correspondents in Kerala, India, 04:31 PM IST

Kerala Governor R.S. Gavai has given the go-ahead to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to prosecute Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan in the SNC Lavalin scam, CBI sources said Sunday.

'The governor has given sanction to prosecute Vijayan,' a CBI source told IANS.

Vijayan is accused of wrongfully awarding a contract to Canadian company SNC Lavalin for renovation of two power plants when he was the state power minister in 1997.

Opposition leaders Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala welcomed the move. 'Justice has been done,' said Chandy, a former chief minister.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)