We are Aware of What’s Happening in Lakshadweep: Kerala HC

KOCHI:
With the Congress-led UDF and the ruling CPI-M led Left in Kerala up in arms over the happenings in Lakshadweep on the actions of the new Administrator of the Union Territory, Praful Patel, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday also came down heavily on the way things are going on there.

While hearing a public interest litigation about the way the actions there have caused issues, Justice Vinod Chandran said that they are aware of what’s happening there and they do not have to rely for this on the social media or media reports, instead they have their own way to know things.

The court after hearing the petition stayed the transfer of two assistant public prosecutors from two islands to Kavarati and asked the administrator to explain why the two were transferred and asked them to return to government service.

The High Court sought the details of it from the sub-judge in the island and it was after going through this report, the court stayed the transfer.

For the past few days all the top political parties barring the BJP in Kerala are up in arms to the way things are happening under the regime of Patel, a former Gujarat Home Minister.

On Tuesday two time former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the peace and tranquillity that has always prevailed in the island has gone for a toss with the arrival of Patel.

“All along the administration was done by an IAS officer and things changed for the worse with the arrival of Patel. The introduction of the Goonda Act at a place like the island, where the crime rate is relatively low and harassing people by using it to take action against those people who protested during the CAA and NRC. Also the way the quarantine rules was imposed there also led to spread of Covid. Also the act of deleting beef from the menu and the revoking of prohibition rules have all caused unrest and these things should not happen,” said Chandy.

Meanwhile the new Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly- V.D. Satheesan on Tuesday wrote a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah demanding that Patel be called back as his acts have badly affected the islanders.