Kerala High Court Asks ECI To Consider Plea Against BJP Candidate B Gopalakrishnan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala High Court on Friday asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to review a complaint against BJP candidate B Gopalakrishnan over alleged communal remarks made during campaigning in Guruvayur ahead of the assembly polls.

Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas directed the ECI to decide on the matter within two months while hearing a petition filed by Kerala Students Union (KSU) leader Gokul Guruvayur. The court noted that an FIR has already been filed, the video in question has been removed, and since the complaint is still pending before the ECI, the petitioner should first seek a remedy through the Commission.

Noting that the representation was still pending, the court instructed the ECI to review it within two months of receiving the order and closed the petition. It also stated that, since the election process had already begun, it would refrain from making any comments that might influence the polls.

Earlier, police had filed a case under Section 192 of the BNS (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause a riot) and Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, for promoting religious enmity.

In his controversial statement, Gopalakrishnan allegedly claimed that the Guruvayur constituency had not elected a Hindu MLA in the last 50 years, accusing both the Left and Right fronts of not fielding Hindu candidates and questioning why an international pilgrimage centre like Guruvayur had never had one.