The Kerala government has suffered a setback because the Supreme Court has refused to dismiss cases against Left MLAs for vandalism in the 2015 Assembly
The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a petition filed by the Kerala government seeking the court’s approval to withdraw cases against Left leaders in the 2015 Kerala assembly vandalism case.
The Supreme Court ruled that the accused MLAs’ actions were not covered by the immunity granted to lawmakers from criminal prosecution because they exceeded constitutional limits.
V Sivankutty, one of the six Left leaders accused of vandalism, is now the Education Minister in the LDF government’s second term.
EP Jayarajan and KT Jaleel were ministers in the previous LDF government, and the other accused are CPI-M members CK Sahadevan, K Ajith, and K Kunhammed.
In his decision, Justice Chandrachud stated that privileges and immunity are not a sign of status, putting them on an unequal footing.
On March 13, 2015, the state assembly witnessed unprecedented scenes as LDF members, then in opposition, attempted to prevent then-finance minister K M Mani, who was facing allegations in the bar bribery scam, from presenting the state budget.
The LDF members allegedly damaged electronic equipment on the presiding officer’s desk, including computers, keyboards, and microphones, in addition to flinging the speaker’s chair from the podium.
