THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government has decided to withdraw the case against six LDF leaders, including a minister, in connection with the unruly scenes in the Assembly in 2015 when they tried to prevent the then finance minister K.M. Mani from presenting the Budget. The accused are local self-government minister K.T. Jaleel, CPM leaders E.P. Jayarajan, V. Sivankutty, C.K. Sadasivan and K. Kunjahmed Master and K. Ajith of the CPI. According to sources, the government decided to withdraw the case on the basis of a memorandum submitted by Mr Sivankutty. The prosecution would soon file a formal petition before the magistrate court here seeking permission to withdraw the case.
The Crime Branch which probed the case had filed a chargesheet in March 2016. The offences framed against the accused included sections of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. The Assembly had suffered damage to the tune of Rs 2 lakh in the bedlam on March 13, 2015. Legal experts said that since the case was already chargesheeted, it would be the court’s discretion whether to allow the withdrawal of the case or not. The video footage of the MLAs creating unruly scenes in the Assembly are still there in the public domain. Hence, the chances of public interest litigations against the government's move could not be ruled out.
Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala has already said that the Opposition would legally oppose the government’s move. Sources say the Government ignored its Law Secretary, Mr B G Hareendranath, and decided to drop the case, based solely on the advice given by Advocate General C P Sudhakara Prasad. “Mr Hareendranath was not even consulted, perhaps out of fear that he might oppose the withdrawal of a case involving a highly televised destruction of public property”, said a Government source. AAP has announced it will question the decision in court on Wednesday.
The case is posted for consideration on Wednesday. But the prosecutors did not receive formal orders regarding the government decision till Tuesday evening. The bedlam in the Assembly was over the LDF's bid to prevent Mr. Mani from presenting the budget owing to the bar bribery allegations against him. The incident had received national and international attention, especially the visuals of Mr E.P. Jayarajan throwing the Speaker's chair and Mr Sivankutty standing on the Speaker's table.
