Kerala Opposition Seeks Minister's Resignation In Assembly Vandalism Case

The Supreme Court came down strongly on the Kerala government for seeking withdrawal of the case, underlining that such privilege amounted to a betrayal of the trust of Indian voters who elected them to office.

The Congress-led UDF walked out of the Kerala Assembly today after the ruling LDF rejected its demand for the resignation of Education Minister V Sivankutty, who is named in a case about ruckus during protests in the Assembly in 2015. An appeal by the state government on Wednesday, seeking withdrawal of the case, had led to a strong reaction by the Supreme Court, with the court saying "privilege and immunity of legislators is not a gate to claim exemption from criminal law". This morning, the Congress, during Zero Hour, moved a notice for an adjournment motion pressing for Mr Sivankutty's resignation, citing that the incident had brought disgrace to the state Assembly. Referring to Mr Sivankutty's involvement in the incident, Congress legislator PT Thomas wondered how a minister who had destroyed public property could protect the life and property of others.