The Hindu : Judgment on hartal reserved

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 24, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Judgment on hartal reserved

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI, MARCH 23. A Full Bench of the Kerala High Court today reserved its judgement on a few writ petitions seeking to declare unconstitutional holding of hartals by political and other organisations in the State.

When the petition filed by the Institute of Social Welfare, Kochi, and others came up, the Government informed the Bench that whenever hartals or strikes were held, any situation had arisen warranting deployment of paramilitary forces in the State. The Government took all steps to deal with the situation arising out of holding of hartals and strikes. As the Government had taken effective steps during the last hartal, it was able to reduce untoward incidents.

The Bench comprising the Acting Chief Justice, N.K. Sodhi, Justice J. B. Koshy and Justice A.K. Basheer had last time observed that it proposed to give a direction to the State Government to seek the service of paramilitary forces to ensure normality in the State. The counsel for the Community Party of India (Marxist) pointed out that the service of paramilitary forces could be sought only when there was an internal disturbance as provided under Article 355.

Coca-Cola case

A Bench comprising Justice Cyriac Joseph and Justice K. Padmanabhan Nair observed that it was open to the Coca-Cola company to move the Government with a request to reconsider the Government order prohibiting the company from drawing ground water from its Plachimada plant until the onset of south-west monsoon. The court said that if such a request were received, the Government would consider it and take an appropriate decision in three weeks.

`Probe into lottery case on'

A Bench was informed by the Central Government that the inquiry into the allegations levelled by the State Government against the sale of lotteries of other State Government was on.

In an affidavit filed in response to an appeal filed by the Meghalaya Government and others against the single judge verdict upholding the restrictions imposed on the sale of lotteries of other States, the Central Government said that inquiry would be completed and appropriate decision taken within three months.

CBI inquiry ordered

Justice G. Sasidharan today ordered CBI probe into the missing of Bharath Kumar, Consultant Radiologist, Upasana Hospital, Kollam. The direction was passed on a writ petition filed by his wife, Rupa Bharat Kumar of Pollachy.

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