Kerala   

National days should have staff participation

Kochi: The Kerala High Court, on Tuesday, stressed the need for participation of all government staff in the observation and celebrations of national days.

Justice R. Basant said national days must be “a different type of holiday and not merely an idle holiday to sit at home.” They should be reckoned as opportunities to kindle the flame of nationalism, patriotism and Constitutional declarations. The State should not let go of such opportunities without realising their potentialities.

The judge made these observations while granting anticipatory bail to Surya Muthu, watcher, Public Works Department office, Adimali. The prosecution case was that he had hoisted the National Flag on Independence Day in an objectionable manner.

The court said the Government Order issued on January 6, 2008 clearly stated the expectation the government had on how these days were to be celebrated. (The order had given instruction for observing national holidays at the district, sub-district, block and panchayat levels and public offices and colleges.)

The court expressed the hope that national days would be observed properly and the indiscretion which had taken place in the present case would not occur in any government office.

The court directed the petitioner to surrender on January 29 before the magistrate court concerned, which was, in turn, directed to release him on bail.

The State government and the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) filed appeals before a Division Bench against a single judge’s verdict quashing cancellation of a contract for construction of the Athirapilly hydroelectric project awarded to the HCC-BHEL Consortium and inviting fresh tenders for the work. The single judge had directed the government and the KSEB to award the contract to the consortium at least by February 25 to enable it to start work on the project before March 31.

Quashing the re-tender order, the single judge had said that there was lack of transparency in the action of the KSEB and the government to opt for re-tender.

The State government filed a petition against an order of the Ernakulum Principal Sessions Court accepting the bank guarantee offered by Tomin J. Thachankary, an IPS officer, in lieu of attachment of his properties in a disproportionate assets case.

A writ petition was filed seeking a direction to the district judge and presiding officers of various courts and tribunals to submit a time-bound schedule for disposal of pending cases.

The petition filed by Joseph K.V., general secretary, National Foundation for Consumer Awareness and Studies, sought a direction against prolonging any case beyond six months from the date of its filing.

A Division Bench adjourned to January 29 the hearing on a writ petition seeking to expedite the investigation in the SNC Lavalin case.

The Bench of Justice J.B. Koshy and Justice K. Hema adjourned the hearing when the writ petition filed by T.P. Nandakumar, editor of Crime came up for hearing.

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