Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has sought legal advice regarding the state government’s recommendation to re-induct Saji Cherian, who resigned from the Cabinet over his controversial remarks against the Constitution, into the state government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The Governor has sought the legal opinion of the Raj Bhavan standing counsel Advocate Gopakumar Nair on whether there are any legal issues with Cherian taking oath as a case is pending against him in a court over the issue of his alleged anti-constitution speech.
A case is pending against Saji Cherian in a Thiruvalla court regarding his alleged anti-constitutional speech. The government had written to the Governor asking time for the swearing-in ceremony. Following this, the Governor has sought the legal advice from the Raj Bhavan Standing Counsel.
The Kerala High Court recently dismissed two pleas that sought to disqualify him as a legislator over the speech he made allegedly insulting the Constitution of India.
The CPI-M state secretariat, which met on Friday, has given the nod to re-induct Saji Cherian into the Cabinet, almost six months after he resigned following an uproar over his alleged anti-Constitutional remark.
Saji Cherian had stepped down as the Minister for Fisheries, Culture and Youth Affairs on July 6 after his remarks against the Constitution during an event in Mallappally sparked a row.
A three-minute video clip of Saji Cherian addressing a CPI-M event at Mallappally in Pathanamthitta had gone viral. The video purportedly showed him saying that “India has a beautifully written Constitution. But, I would say that the Constitution is written to rob the people.”
“Though there are traces of a few good things such as democracy and secularism in the Constitution, it aims to exploit the common man,” the video showed him as saying.
Meanwhile, the Congress-led UDF opposition has come out against the decision of the CPI-M to bring back Saji Cherian to the Cabinet. The UDF termed the decision a challenge to Kerala society.
Criticising the decision to re-induct Saji Cherian in the ministry, KPCC president K Sudhakaran asked: “If Saji Cherian had not violated the Constitution, why did the CPI-M ask him to step down?”
“Even after violating the Constitution, what investigation did the government conduct? Is there any report available on that investigation,” Sudhakaran further asked.
K Sudhakaran said that his party would observe 4 January as a black day.
Calling the decision to bring back Saji Cherian a mockery to the society, opposition leader VD Satheesan said the situation that led to Saji Cherian’s resignation still remains the same.