The Kerala High Court on Monday (January 20) closed a writ petition filed by a UDF councillor of the Koothattukulam municipality, for which the court had previously directed the maintenance of law and order during the no-confidence motion against the LDF chairperson. The court said that the petitioner could seek a remedy for the incidents that occurred ahead of the motion, in accordance with the law.

When the petition came before C.S. Dias, the counsel for petitioner Prince Paul John submitted that CPI(M) councillor Kala Raju was allegedly ‘abducted’ on the day the no-confidence motion was scheduled for discussion. He added that the motion was not taken up due to the untoward incidents, which occurred even before the UDF councillor arrived at the Municipality. As a result, the council meeting was adjourned sine die.

The court orally observed that the petitioner could not argue that the order to ensure law and order had been violated, as the police had already registered a case regarding the untoward incidents. The law would take its own course. The court also noted that if a new no-confidence motion were moved, the petitioner could file a fresh petition seeking police protection. The court closed the present petition without prejudice to the petitioner’s right to seek further remedies in accordance with the law.