Kerala   

Paloli files petition for exemption

Staff Reporter

Says he has no intention to scandalise court

Paloli Mohammed Kutty

Kochi: Minister for Local Self-Government Paloli Mohammed Kutty has petitioned the Kerala High Court seeking exemption from personally appearing in the court on Thursday in a contempt-of-court case.

The division bench of Acting Chief Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan and Justice M.N. Krishnan had last week initiated suo motu criminal contempt proceedings against the Minister and served notice on him. As the charge is criminal, the Minister had to personally appear in the court.

The case was instituted by the High Court Registrar General on a directive from the Acting Chief Justice. According to the Registrar General, the speech reportedly made by the Minister on January 30 in Kozhikode had tended to scandalise and lower the dignity of the court in the eye of the public.

The Minister had also been charged with creating suspicion and doubt about the judiciary in the minds of the people. The newspapers that reported the speech were also liable to be prosecuted under the provisions of the Contempt-of-Court Act.

After observing that it was satisfied that there was a prima facie case against the Minister, the court initiated contempt-of-court proceedings against him and editors of four newspapers.

The Minister in his petition on Wednesday said he would not be able to appear in the court on Thursday because of official engagements. As Minister, he had to attend "a number of duties which require my presence in Thiruvananthapuram on February 15."

So the Minister pleaded that he be exempted from personal appearance on Thursday and subsequent dates to which the case might be posted. He said he would appear in person as and when requested by the court.

In another petition that sought four weeks' time to file a reply affidavit to the charges, the Minister said that "I never intended to scandalise or lower the authority or dignity of any court of law, much less this court."

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Parambikulam: talks fail
Raw rice not being lifted from FCI warehouses
His maiden work is a big hit
Cauvery award to cost Kerala dearly
Focussing on safety
Paloli files petition for exemption
Janapaksham holds meeting
Decentralisation should not lead to corruption: Paloli
Venus Govindarajan passes away
Yosodaran to be STEC executive vice-president
`Terrorists manipulating stock exchanges'
Today at Sabarimala
Kerala Minister petitions High Court

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu