Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister V S
Achuthanandan today described as "impractical" implementation
of the recent Kerala High Court order banning roadside public
meetings and said the government would consider filing an
appeal against the verdict.
Achuthanandan told reporters here that the Court should
have heard the views of the government and political parties
before issuing such an important order. It was a question of
denying natural justice to the parties, he said.
The Chief Minister justified CPI-M leaders who had "only
criticised the unilateral verdict" of the Court without taking
the opinion of political parties and the government.
CPI-M leaders had "justly" criticised the verdict, he
said.
To a question whether some leaders "crossed the limit" in
their speeches against the court verdict, he said the High
Court was looking into a contempt of court case on the
matter and it would be upto the court to decide.
The government would file an appeal once the verdict in
the contempt of court case was pronounced, he said.
Achuthanandan said the state government had high regard
for courts and expected the courts to reciprocate in the same
vein.
The Kerala High Court had on June 23 banned public
meetings on roadsides on a PIL.
The court had held that holding of public meetings by the
roadside would create road blocks. Besides, holding such a
meeting ran a risk due to the possibility of rashly driven
vehicles ploughing through the assembled crowd and consequent
loss of life could not be ruled out.
PTI
