Kerala HC Grants CM Vijayan Interim Relief in 2023 Speech Case
In a recent development, the Kerala High Court has granted Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan a three-month interim stay in a criminal case concerning a speech he delivered during the 2023 ‘Nava Kerala Sadas’ tour. The case is based on a complaint by Congress leader Muhammad Shiyas, who accused the Vijayan of inciting violence against Youth Congress cadre.
The case has been pending in the court for several months, and the Chief Minister had been seeking anticipatory bail to avoid arrest. The High Court’s decision to grant interim relief to Vijayan is a significant development in the case, as it allows him to continue functioning as the Chief Minister without any legal hurdles.
The case against Vijayan was filed by Shiyas, who alleged that the Chief Minister’s speech at a public meeting in Thrissur had incited violence against Youth Congress workers. Shiyas claimed that Vijayan’s speech had triggered a violent attack on the Youth Congress workers, and that the Chief Minister had deliberately tried to create tension in the area.
The Kerala Police had registered a case against Vijayan under section 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The police had also attached Vijayan’s speech as evidence in the case.
Vijayan’s lawyers had argued that the Chief Minister’s speech was a political speech and that it did not incite violence against any particular group. They also argued that the speech was a legitimate exercise of the Chief Minister’s right to freedom of speech and expression.
The High Court’s decision to grant interim relief to Vijayan is a blow to Shiyas and the Congress party, which had been seeking to embarrass the Chief Minister by filing the case. The Congress party had accused Vijayan of trying to polarize the state’s politics by making inflammatory speeches, and had demanded his resignation.
The Kerala High Court’s decision to grant interim relief to Vijayan is a significant development in the case, as it allows the Chief Minister to continue functioning without any legal hurdles. The decision is also a boost to Vijayan’s morale, as it shows that the court has accepted his version of the events and has refused to accept the Congress party’s allegations.
The case against Vijayan is still pending, and it is expected to be heard in the High Court in the coming months. Vijayan’s lawyers will continue to argue that the speech was a political speech and that it did not incite violence against any particular group. The Congress party will also continue to argue that the speech was inflammatory and that it had the potential to create tension in the state.
The Kerala High Court’s decision to grant interim relief to Vijayan is a significant development in the case, and it will continue to be watched closely by political observers in the state. The case has the potential to have far-reaching implications for the state’s politics, and it will be interesting to see how it unfolds in the coming months.
