Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 14 (IANS): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the Kerala government should move the higher court in the SNC Lavalin corruption case, a federal Congress minister said here Thursday.

The CBI or the state government should appeal in the higher court as Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan was cleared of all charges without any trial, Minister of State for Home Mulapally Ramachandran told reporters.

The CBI had chargesheeted nine accused, including Vijayan, in the Rs.374 crore scam related to the Canada-based SNC Lavalin company in June 2009.

CBI special court judge R. Reghu here Nov 5 discharged Vijayan and six others from the list of the accused stating that the CBI charges were baseless.

The CPI-M state secretary was out on bail when the court order came.

Vijayan, as the then power minister, had inked an agreement in 1997 for renovation of three power plants in the state with SNC Lavalin.