23rd June 2008 : HC's yet another salvo on hartals

A common knowledge but it takes courts and other organisation to make the people of Kerala realise in what folly they are in. Read the IE report below:

The Kerala High Court on Monday observed that the Kerala Government should take stern action to face the frequent hartals in the state.

In an oral observation, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice H L Dattu and Justice A K Basheer expressed displeasure at the attitude of the government in not giving “due regard” to the court orders.

Considering a contempt petition filed by ‘The Proper Channel’, the court observed that the state government should intensify its actions against hartals. The court expressed displeasure on the affidavit given by the Kerala Government regarding the issue. Steps taken by the government are not sufficient enough, the court observed.

The Kerala High Court said that government should take stern action so that the public will have the confidence to go to streets and open shops without fear on hartal days. Government should give protection to the life and property of the people.

After the High Court order on hartals, there were 32 hartals in the state. The court takes this matter seriously, they said.

On hartal days, even the High Court registers only 30 percent attendance. Therefore, what will be the situation in other offices? the court asked. Earlier, the court had issued directions including calling paramilitary forces to combat the hartal violence.

The state government had in its affidavit stated that the people enjoy hartals. Explaining the government stand, Advocate- General C P Sudhakara Prasad said that examinations which were scheduled on hartal days were postponed “only to avoid unnecessary problems.” The State Government will take all actions to maintain peace, he said.

It was on June 19, 2008 that ‘The Proper Channel’ submitted another affidavit stating that the government was challenging the court through its affidavit. The government had violated all the nine directions given by the court regarding hartals. Some of the facts given in the government affidavit are misleading, they said.

“The State Government had been trying to say that court’s intervention in this matter was unnecessary. But we said that such an affidavit was a challenge to the court. By failing to obey the nine directions issued by the court, the Kerala Government had committed contempt of court,” said M K Haridas of Proper Channel. The case will be taken up for consideration after a month.