KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has suspended two officials for showing "derogatory and objectionable content and criticism" against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Centre government in a skit performed on the Republic Day celebration at the Kerala High Court Auditorium.
The two officials-- Sudhish TA, Assistant Registrar, and Sudheesh PM, Court Keeper (higher grade) were suspended from service pending inquiry.
Sudheesh had written dialouges for the skit.
The order issued by P Krishnakumar, Registrar General stated that the suspended officers shall return government properties held by them, if any, including their identity card.
They will be paid during the suspension subsistence allowance and other allowances admissible as per the rules in practice during the period of suspension.
Chief Justice AJ Desai was also directed to conduct a detailed inquiry by the Registrar (Vigilance) into the incident and to submit a report at the earliest.
Further, the Registrar (Administration) is told to provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances in which the incident took place.
"If I say that something has a medicinal value, these foolish people will even not hesitate to eat cow dung," said one of the dialogues in the skit.
"That is my strength," said a person who played the character resembling PM Modi.
The Convenor, Legal Cell, also filed a complaint before the Chief Justice and the Minister for Law and Justice.
The complaint stated that the staff members of the Kerala High Court, as part of their participation had performed a skit.
The entire skit was performed with clear political agenda and the contents, script, dialogues and the characters played were all criticizing the policies of the central government and the PM in particular, it added
It aslo noted that the skit was performed after obtaining prior permission from the High Court authorities
The scriptwriter and performers mocked the Prime Minister and criticised the policies of the central government, all in vernacular language, Malayalam.
The skit even implies that the nation has not achieved freedom yet and subtly mocked the prestigious “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav" when the organisers of the program, the High Court of Kerala had conducted several programs as part of "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav".
The skit also mocked the Union Government for its failure to eradicate poverty, the failure of the 'Jal Jeevan Mission' and other projects.
The skit with a highly political motive, called upon the viewers including sitting judges officers staff of the Court, and the Lawyer fraternity present there to react to the looters to bring change and to declare that sectarianism and hypocritical patriotism have no role in our thoughts.
The skit was performed with a political intention to defame the country, stated the complaint.
BY P Ramdas