Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has apologised to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant over a controversial social media post demanding his resignation, clarifying that the remarks were published without authorisation and did not reflect the party's official position.

The apology was conveyed by KPCC president Sunny Joseph on Tuesday in response to a legal notice served by a Supreme Court lawyer over the post published on the Kerala Congress unit's official X account.

In his reply, Joseph identified Vijay Thottathil as the person responsible for publishing the post and said he had been removed from his position following the controversy.

The row erupted during an INDIA bloc protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. As part of the agitation, Opposition leaders had organised a march to the Supreme Court.

Amid the protest, the Kerala Congress unit's official X handle published a post criticising the Chief Justice over his reported inability to meet INDIA bloc representatives because of legal constraints.

The post carried the remark, “Surya Kant, resign. We will find a replacement for you.”

The statement, directed at the head of the country's judiciary, sparked a controversy and drew attention away from the Opposition's protest against the Chief Election Commissioner.

Following the backlash, the Kerala Congress unit withdrew the post.

In his response to the legal notice, Joseph maintained that the remarks had been made without the knowledge or approval of the party leadership. He clarified that the statement should not be interpreted as the Congress party's official stand.

The KPCC president also confirmed that action had been taken against the individual responsible for publishing the remarks.

The controversy had put the Kerala Congress leadership on the defensive at a time when the INDIA bloc was intensifying its campaign against Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

With the formal apology, the state Congress leadership has sought to distance itself from the remarks and put an end to the controversy surrounding its official social media account.