India ? The High Court on Friday overturned a ban on the production and sale of Coca-Cola and Pepsi soft drinks in the southern Indian state of Kerala, but state officials said they would seek ways to challenge the decision.

Kerala’s government imposed the statewide ban after a New Delhi-based private research group alleged the soft drinks contain high levels of pesticides.

On Friday, the High Court upheld an argument by the Indian division of Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. that the state government had no jurisdiction to impose a ban on the manufacture and sale of their products. Only the federal government can ban food products, it ruled.