Thiruvananthapuram: With no relief from the Supreme Court to top six Left leaders, including a minister and a sitting MLA in the controversial Kerala Assembly vandalisation case, the Pinarayi Vijayan government has decided to hit back, with news surfacing on Monday that two then Congress legislators will be charged in a related incident that took place in the house in 2015.
The vandalisation by the then Left legislators has been estimated to caused damage worth Rs 2.50 lakh to Assembly properties.
The case against the top Left leaders have now reached a stage when a lower court here has already taken up charges against state Education Minister V. Sivankutty and five other leaders for involvement in vandalism on the floor of the Assembly in 2015.
Despite the best efforts of the Vijayan government to see if they could close the case, they failed in the High Court and also in the apex court.
On Monday, there was news that the Kerala Police has now got legal opinion that they can register a fresh case against then Congress legislators K.Sivadasan Nair and M.A.Waheed for misbehaving with a few then opposition Left women legislators in the ruckus that broke out on the floor of the assembly between the treasury and opposition legislators.
The Assembly had witnessed violent scenes in March 2015, after the then Left opposition tried to prevent then Finance Minister K.M. Mani from presenting the Budget, alleging his role in the bar bribery case.
All the six Left leaders in the trial court have denied any involvement. The Vijayan government had previously approached the Supreme Court seeking withdrawal of the criminal cases against these six leaders, but the apex court ruled that there was no immunity or privilege to protect legislators indulging in vandalism during a House session.
The apex court had asked all of them to face trial. They all have been charged under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act and other provisions.
–IANS