THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The budget session of the Assembly beginning on Monday is likely to witness echoes of another budget session three years back. The opposition has vowed to oppose “at all costs” the move to withdraw cases against ruling legislators, including a minister, for vandalising the Speaker's podium on March 13, 2015. Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan is awaiting the law department's clearance on a plea of former MLA V. Sivankutty, one of the six legislators the police booked in the case then. K. T. Jaleel, the local self-government minister, E. P. Jayarajan, K. Kunjahammed Master, K. Ajith and C. K. Sadasivan are others facing charges of damaging Assembly properties, including the speaker's chair and electronic equipment, causing a loss of Rs 200,000.
The crime branch booked them under provisions of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act attracting jail and fine and framed charges at the judicial first class magistrate court here. It was a 'Black Friday' for the legislature when they tried to prevent finance minister K.M. Mani from presenting his 13th budget. “My plea before the CM was that the incident had happened due to the special political scenario then. Hence I requested him to withdraw the case against me and others," he said.
All the six MLAs, including him, had appeared before the court are out on bail. Four UDF members - K. Sivadasan Nair, Shibu Baby John, M. A. Vaheed and Dominic Presentation - were also booked on the complaint of women MLAs Jameela Prakasam and E. S. Bijimol for physically blocking them. Mr Nair was bitten on his shoulder by Ms Prakasam when he stopped her from advancing towards chief minister Oommen Chandy. The home department has not received any reply from the law department so far, and Mr Vijayan is expected to take a decision soon, but it needs the court's approval, and the UDF has vowed to fight it legally.
