India, Oct. 8 -- The Supreme Court on Thursday deferred by a day the Punjab government's challenge to a high court order directing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to register a criminal case into alleged corruption linked to chief minister Bhagwant Mann's office, refusing to pass any interim order against the probe without first allowing both judges on the bench to examine the matter.

A bench of justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu agreed to hear the matter on Friday after senior counsel Vikas Singh, appearing for the Punjab government, pointed out the urgency and sought an interim direction that the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) "may not precipitate the matter".

Justice Datta, however, made it clear that such an orde...