Injured KSRTC employees are victim of PFI Hartal; require full support of civil society and KSRTC: Kerala HC seeks details of treatment provided
The court was considering the issue relating to damage caused to the KSRTC during the one-day statewide bandh (strike) by PFI on September 23.
The Kerala High Court has sought full details pertaining to the treatment being provided to the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) employees, who were injured on account of violence on the ‘hartal’ day called by now banned radical Islamic outfit Popular Front of India (PFI).
The bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran directed the standing counsel for KSRTC to inform the court by the next date of hearing about the details of the treatment being given to such personnel. Court also asked the counsel to inform it as to whether the said employees were given adequate support by the management.
"This Court is aware that some employees of the KSRTC were injured on account of violence on the ‘harthal’ day. Obviously, they are the victims and require full support of the civil society and the KSRTC," the court observed.
The direction was issued while the court was considering the issues relating to damage caused to the KSRTC by the call of one-day statewide bandh (strike) in Kerala by PFI on September 23.
The Special Government Pleader submitted before the court that the Government is seriously considering recovery of loss to the KSRTC; and that certain orders have also been issued by a learned Division Bench of this Court in a suo motu matter.
To this, Justice Ramachandran said, "As I have said in the afore order, unless the Government initiates swift, decisive and adequate action against the culprits, it can never operate as a deterrent to other entities/persons in future. This will be kept in mind by the Government while responding to the order of this Court; for which purpose, I propose to give them more time".
The matter will be next heard on November 18, 2022.
A division bench of the Kerala High Court on September 23 initiated a suo moto case against the leaders of PFI for calling a one-day Hartal in Kerala.
Court held such a call 'illegal' in light of its order dated January 7, 2019, which mandated that nobody can call for a bandh in the state without prior notice of seven days.
The PFI had called a dawn-to-dusk strike on September 23 across the state to stage a protest against the arrest of its members in nationwide raids by the National Investigation Agency. The strike turned violent and incidents of stone pelting and attacks on vehicles including KSRTC buses by protesters were reported from various places in the state.
Importantly, a few days later, PFI was declared an ‘unlawful associations’ by the Central Government. The Ban imposed, was sought by the States of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka. The decision was taken after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate carried out massive operations, and raids in several states to track down people involved in the outfit.
Case Title: T.K. Pradeep v. Kerala State and Others