Govt. to challenge Munambam order before Division Bench of Kerala HC

The State government will approach the Division Bench of the Kerala High Court against a single judge’s order quashing the appointment of Ramachandran Nair judicial commission, said Minister for Law P. Rajeeve.

The government is bound to protect the interests of the residents, he said The Commission was appointed to obtain recommendations for protecting the interests of the residents, who had been living there for long. The government hopes to extend all possible legal protection to the residents, irrespective of the nature of the property. The commission was appointed considering the public interest involved in the issue. These aspects would be raised in the appeal, he said.

Responding to the developments, Mr. Nair said he had no personal comments to offer and that it was up to the State government to respond. “The State government can either accept the order or challenge it. I shall wait for the government’s decision,” he said.

“The job that is left for the commission is to write the report. The functioning of the commission has not brought any significant financial burden on the government. I have not taken any remuneration for the job as the government has been paying me the salary for my engagement as the chairperson of the Kerala State Commission for Economically Backward Classes among Forward Communities. All that the government has spent on the panel was the wages of the staff employed for the panel,” he said.

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said the State government and some other interest groups attempted to convert the issue into a conflict between two sections of society. Kerala had spoken in one voice not to evict the residents from the holdings. The State government delayed the resolution of the issue, which could have been solved in 10 minutes, he said.

The BJP State president demanded an apology from the State government in the wake of the court quashing the appointment of the commission. The State government meted out a serious injustice to the Christian communities on the Munambam issue. The Opposition too sided with the State government on the issue, he said.