Investors wary of 'nokku-kooli' in Kerala: High Court

The Kerala High Court on Friday lashed out against the State government on the practice of 'nokku-kooli' (organised extortion by labour unions) due to which investors are afraid to come to the State. Justice Devan Ramachandran, hearing a plea of a businessman from Kollam over the issue, said the recent incident of the demand for nokku-kooli by a section of people to allow a truck of Indian Space Research Organisation into the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre facility at Thumba in Thiruvananthapuram was a disgrace to the State.

The court said if the State government wants to attract businesses, it should stop the trade unions from extortion. "This practice was banned years ago. But it was not fully implemented. The government should take stern action against those who demand nokku-kooli," the court said.

The government today submitted before the court that it was not in support of the practice and said 11 cases were registered since 2018 in that connection. The court asked the State police chief to ensure full implementation of the ban on nokku-kooli. The court said it would hear the matter again on September 27. On May 1, 2018, the government banned the practice.