CPM Sit-In to protest Kerala HC's contempt verdict

KOCHI: An eight hour sit-in near the Kerala High Court by CPM activists on Monday, to protest against the contempt of court verdict against MV Jayarajan, is the latest in a series of incidents where court orders seem to have provoked politicians and political parties.

As part of the protest, thousands of CPM workers assembled near the high court for a day-long sit-in sans speeches or slogans. Party workers carried placards questioning the judgment against MV Jayarajan. CPM state committee member MV Jayarajan was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment and a fine of 2,000 by the Kerala high court last week for derogatory remarks he made against judges while speaking against a high court order banning road-side public meetings.

Apart from approaching the Supreme Court against the verdict, CPM also organised a protest march to the high court on Monday. CPM polit bureau member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said that the protest was not against the judiciary. "The court's functioning was not affected and the traffic was not blocked", the CPM) leader said.

"Our fight is not against the judiciary as is being made out by the chief minister Oommen Chandy," Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said adding that Jayarajan was fighting for the people's right to come together and to fight for a cause.

Earlier on Saturday, Oommen Chandy had asked CPM leaders to call off their protest march as it would affect the smooth functioning of the court. Interestingly, in the palmolein case, government chief whip PC George had criticised the Thiruvananthapuram vigilance court judge PK Haneefa. The court had ordered a reinvestigation on the role of Oommen Chandy in the case. Chandy was the finance minister in the K Karunakaran ministry, which took the decision to import palmolein in early 1990s causing financial loss to the state exchequer.

PC George had written to the President and the Supreme Court Chief Justice against the judge alleging that his order was against legal procedures. Faced with criticism from George, who claimed that the complaint was on his personal capacity, the vigilance court judge PK Haneefa withdrew from the case.