'Nava Kerala Sadas' speech row: Kerala HC stays criminal case against CM Vijayan

Kochi: In a major legal development, the Kerala High Court on Thursday granted an interim stay for three months on criminal proceedings initiated against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The case stemmed from a speech he delivered during the 'Nava Kerala Sadas' tour in 2023, which allegedly incited political violence.

Justice V.G. Arun issued the stay while hearing the Chief Minister's petition challenging an order from the Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate. The Magistrate had taken cognisance of a complaint filed by Congress leader Muhammad Shiyas. Shiyas had alleged that CM Vijayan's remarks in November 2023, made after black flag protests against his convoy in Kannur, led to subsequent attacks on Youth Congress members across Kerala.

The Chief Minister's plea to the High Court argued that his speech, delivered the day after Youth Congress members attempted to obstruct his bus, merely praised bystanders for preventing protestors from falling in front of the moving vehicle. The petition contended that the speech only described these actions as "life-saving" and did not call for retaliation or violence.

Notably, the police had initially submitted a report under Section 202 CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure), finding no material against the Chief Minister. However, the Magistrate rejected this report, forming an opinion that the speech prima facie amounted to the instigation of criminal offences.

With this three-month stay order, the Chief Minister's camp has expressed considerable relief, as the proceedings against him in the alleged abetment case related to the Nava Kerala Sadas tour are temporarily halted. The statewide yatra, where CM Vijayan and his entire cabinet travelled in a luxury bus, had garnered significant media attention due to widespread opposition protests and subsequent police FIRs against unnamed individuals in connection with incidents of violence.

With inputs from IANS