KOCHI: The Lakshadweep Administration on Sunday categorically denied that it was shifting its legal jurisdiction from the High Court of Kerala to the High Court of Karnataka amid reports that a move is being initiated to shift the legal jurisdiction as the administration was facing several litigations at the Kerala High Court.
"There is no proposal of Lakshadweep Administration to shift its legal jurisdiction from the High Court of Kerala to the High Court of Karnataka," said S Asker Ali, Secy IPR & District Collector, Lakshadweep.
The Lakshadweep administration has been facing widespread protests from the islanders over some of its policies.
These decisions included revising standard operating procedures for Covid appropriate behaviour, the introduction of the "goonda act" and demolishing hutments of fishermen for the widening of roads.
Several litigations were moved before the Kerala High Court against the decisions taken by the islands' new administrator Praful Khoda Patel.
This year, as many as 23 applications, including 11 writ petitions, have been filed against the administrator of Lakshadweep and also against the alleged high-handedness of either the police or the local government of the islands.
Earlier on Sunday, PTI reported that for reasons best known to the island's administration, which is under the spotlight over its handling of these issues, it has made a proposal for shifting its legal jurisdiction from the high court of Kerala to Karnataka.
Collector Ali, however, told TNIE: "The news about shifting of the jurisdiction of the high court from Kerala to Karnataka is baseless and is devoid of truth, “
The jurisdiction of a high court can be shifted only through an act of Parliament, according to the law.
"Parliament may by law constitute a high court for a Union Territory or declare any court in any such territory to be a high court for all or any of the purposes of this Constitution," according to Article 241 of the Constitution.
Section 4 of the same article mentions that "nothing in this article derogates from the power of Parliament to extend or exclude the jurisdiction of a high court for a state to, or from, any Union Territory or part thereof".