Setback for Vijayan as HC dismisses plea for withdrawal of case

Kochi, March 12 : The Pinarayi Vijayan government suffered a big setback when the Kerala high court on Friday dismissed a plea for withdrawal of a case registered against six Left legislators in 2015 for indulging in vandalism in the assembly.
Now all the six accused will have to face trial.
The government had approached the high court seeking to overrule the decision of the Chief Judicial Magistrate court in the state capital which not only dismissed the government’s plea seeking withdrawal of the case but also asked all the six accused to face trial.
The accused includes Industries Minister E.P. Jayarajan, Higher Education Minister K.T. Jaleel and then four opposition Left legislators who were identified for causing damage to property on the floor of the assembly on the day the then State Finance Minister K.M. Mani presented the annual budget for the next fiscal.
It was last year in September that the local court in the state capital dismissed the plea and it was against this that the government went to the high court.
The other four include V. Sivankutty, K. Kunju Ahamed, C.K. Sadasivan and K. Ajith, who are not legislators now.