KOCHI: Coming down heavily on Health Minister K K Shylaja over the appointment of a CPM member to the State Child Rights Commission, the Kerala High Court questioned how a party worker involved in several criminal cases was preferred over others. When the appeal filed by the state government came up for hearing, the court asked why the government had selected a person accused in criminal cases in a Commission set up to protect the rights of children. At the same time, the government ignored a research scholar doing social work in the field.
The Advocate General sought to stay the order of the single judge. AG submitted that Opposition leaders disrupted Assembly proceedings demanding the resignation and MLAs began an indefinite satyagraha in front of the Assembly Hall’s main entrance, intensifying the demand for the Minister’s resignation. To this, the court said political leaders are capable of dealing with such situations.The Bench also declined to stay the order and posted the case for Thursday. The Bench issued the order on an appeal filed by the government seeking to expunge adverse remarks against the Minister by a single judge while quashing the appointments of T B Sureshkumar, CPM Wayanad District Committee member, and Syamala Devi (Kasargod) as members of the State Child Rights Commission.
The petition stated the observations were made without making the Minister a respondent in the case. No opportunity was given to the Minister for explaining her stand. Those remarks were totally unnecessary for the proper disposal of the case, the petition said. Hence, the appeal before the Division Bench. The single judge had issued the order on a petition filed by Dr Jasmine Alex, Vallichira, Kottayam, challenging the selection process.