KOCHI: One cannot “grab” the President’s Police Medal for meritorious service, neither can one seek recognition from the state or otherwise through a mandamus, the Kerala High Court has observed.
“Let his recognition be earned through by the recognition of the people of the state, rather than forcing the government to recognise him,” a division bench of the HC said, while dismissing the petition filed by a police officer.
IPS officer Abdul Rasheed had moved the HC seeking a directive to the state government to recommend his name for the President’s Police Medal for the year 2024. While dismissing his plea, the court also noted that Abdul was involved in three criminal cases.
According to the government, the state-level screening committee convened on May 8 did not recommend the petitioner’s name for the President’s Medal. However, because of the petitioner’s representation, the decision of the state-level screening committee was again scrutinised by the government and was found to be correct.
The bench noted that the petitioner had retired from service. The police medal is conferred on outstanding police personnel on Independence Day, and is conferred only on serving police officers. Since the petitioner had already retired, he will not be entitled to conferment in future too. “Conferment of a police medal is based on the committee’s recommendation. No writ of mandamus would stand in such cases,” the HC said.
HC GIVES HOPE TO CHILDLESS COUPLE, ALLOWS SPERM PRESERVATION OF CRITICALLY ILL HUSBAND
KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has come to the rescue of a childless couple, the husband being critically ill, by permitting extraction of his sperm and cryopreserving them for his wife to undergo Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) procedure for conceiving. Justice V G Arun allowed it based on a petition filed by the woman seeking permission to extract and cryopreserve the gametes of her husband. She said that there was no possibility of getting written informed consent from her husband as he was undergoing treatment and was in a critical condition. She, therefore, sought permission from the court to do so to have a baby through the ART procedure. She said that the hospital where she proposed to undergo ART had the licence for extracting and preserving the gametes.
HC RESTRAINS TDB FROM RELOCATING BHASMAKULAM
Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to halt any actions related to the relocation of Bhasmakulam near Koprapura at Sabarimala pending further orders. A Division Bench led by Justice Anil K Narendran issued the order based on the report submitted by the special commissioner of Sabarimala, requesting a directive to the TDB to halt the construction proceedings implemented without gaining the necessary permission from the High Power Committee overseeing the Sabarimala Master Plan. The report highlighted that the current Bhasmakulam is located near the Malikapurathamma temple, where devotees perform ritual baths in memory of the tapaswini Sabari. This sacred site has been retained since 1952, with the original Bhasmakulam closed and replaced in 1987 for the convenience of pilgrims.
HC SEEKS INFO ON STEPS TO MAKE FORESTS, NATIONAL PARKS PLASTIC-FREE
KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has directed the state Forest department to inform the court what measures can be taken by them to ensure that national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and tiger reserves remain as non-plastic zones to protect the flora and fauna. The court issued the order on the petition filed by Advocate Sunil Kumar A seeking a direction to the government to prohibit the carrying and use of harmful plastics like PET bottles, single-use plastic bags, plastic packing materials, etc. in national parks, tiger reserves, wildlife sanctuaries and in forest areas. Niharika Hema Raj, counsel for the petitioner, requested that there should be a direction to the government to take urgent action to remove the accumulated plastic waste from national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves and forest areas at the earliest or in a time-bound manner.