KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Monday declared demand of nokkukooli trade unions or registered headload workers or any person in any form and manner unconstitutional. Justice Devan Ramachandran, who issued the order on a petition seeking police protection from headload workers’ threat, observed the practice of demanding nokkukooli required to be banned.
The court said that if a police receive any complaint regarding the demand of nokkukooli, officers should act as per the circular issued by the state police chief and register an FIR under Section 383 of the Indian Penal Code for extortion, along with Section 503 (criminal intimidation).
The court observed the state should recover from the unfortunate reputation of not being an investor-friendly place on account of militant trade unionism. Such reputation had its edifice on deleterious tendencies like nokkukooli.