KOCHI: Kerala High Court on Monday observed that any attempt to demand nokkukooli directly or in a veiled manner should be treated as extortion and the perpetrators should be brought to book under the most stringent provisions of the law.
Justice Devan Ramachandran said that until workers understand that any attempt to extort money, calling it ‘nokkukooli’, would invite very serious consequences, the confidence of the state as an investor-friendly destination cannot be established.
The court made these observations while dealing with a case seeking police protection against the demand for nokkukooli by the head-load workers. The court said that even after the High Court declaration against demanding nokkukooli, there are media reports that point to the existence of such practice.
The state government submitted that stringent measures has been taken against those who demanded nokkukooli, even the minister has personally taken initiative to eradicate such practises. Counsel for the Kerala State Headload Workers Welfare Board submitted that its members had been given awareness classes and asked not to indulge in violence or demand nokkukooli.