KOCHI: Kerala High Court on Tuesday initiated a suo motu contempt case over incidents of violence reported during the hartal called by various Dalit organisations in Kerala, demanding justice in connection with the death of Nithin Raj, a BDS student at Kannur Dental College who died by suicide.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Basant Balaji and Justice P Krishna Kumar initiated the suo motu case based on media reports, including visuals showing even vehicles carrying patients being stopped by hartal organisers.
The court noted that patients travelling to the Regional Cancer Centre were stranded on the roads, with protesters allegedly obstructing them. Those heading to the Medical College also reported delays.
The government informed the court that, so far, 27 cases have been registered across the state and 91 persons have been arrested.
The court directed the state to file an affidavit in this regard and asked the registry to issue notice to the organisers of the hartal.
The government pleader submitted that the state police had taken all efforts to ensure vehicular movement without any hindrance. The government pointed out that around 52 Dalit organisations took part in the hartal. A Division Bench of the High Court, in 2022, had banned flash hartals in the state and ordered that no strike could be called without prior notice of at least seven days.
The Bench had also said: “Organisations and individuals who call hartal shall be responsible for loss and damages caused on account of the shutdown.”
The court initiated the suo motu case in the wake of this verdict.