Proceedings against Prakash Karat, VS Achuthanandan, Pinarayi Vijayan and others stayed

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court today stayed for a month all further proceedings in a complaint against CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat, senior state leaders V S Achuthanandan and Pinarayi Vijayan among others for organising human chain protest in Thiruvananthapuram in 2009 against Free Trade agreement signed by India with ASEAN.

The stay was granted by Justice P Ubaid on a petition filed by Karat and others seeking to quash the criminal proceedings initiated by the Thiruvananthapuram Chief Judicial First Class Magistrate (JFCM) Court against them.

CPI(M) had also organised a meeting in front of the Raj Bhavan.

The proceedings against the Marxist leaders was initiated on the basis of a complaint filed by Advocate P Nagaraj of Thiruvananthapuram in a lower court.

According to the complainant, the meeting on October 2 2009 caused obstruction to the public and also violated the High Court judgement banning public meetings on roads and roadsides.

Based on the complaint, the magistrate had initiated criminal proceedings and issued summons to them.

Vaikom Viswan, P K Sreemathi, Anathalavattam Anandan, M Vijayakumar, Kadakampalli Surendran, V Sivankutty, C Jayan Babu, V Surendran Pillai and economist Prabat Patnaik are also respondents in the case.

According to the petitioners, offences alleged against them are not made out in the complaint.