Defamatory statements against Judiciary-Case registered against Marxist Minister

Contempt proceedings begin against Paloli

Pioneer News Service | Kochi

The Kerala High Court has, suo moto, initiated a contempt of court case against Local Self-Government Minister Paloli Mohammed-kutty for making defamatory statements against the judiciary. The case is posted till Thursday.

The case is based on a statement made by the Minister while inaugurating the anniversary celebrations of the Calicut University Employees Union that “The judiciary was delivering verdicts considering the weight of currency notes.” The court decided to initiate action against the Minister after collecting details of the statement from newspaper reports and television clippings.

The High Court registrar has informed the Advocate General that the court is initiating contempt of court case against a member of the Kerala Cabinet for producing defamatory statements against the judiciary. A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice KS Radhakrishnan will hear the case on Thursday.

Meanwhile, after his remarks sparked off heated debates among the legal circles, Paloli Mohammed Kutty had clarified that he never intended to defame the judiciary, but pointed at some bad tendencies among the advocates. Legal circles pointed out that if he proved guilty, the accused in a criminal contempt of court case might have to suffer six months’ imprisonment. This is for the first time that a criminal contempt of court case is being registered against a State Minister.