Kerala HC takes case against hartal violence

The Kerala High Court took suo motu cognisance of violence during a statewide hartal over the death of student Nithin Raj, directing police to submit a report and issuing notices to organisers amid disruptions to public life

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday took up a case on its own over the violence reported during the statewide hartal called by various Dalit organisations, seeking justice in the death of Kannur dental college student Nithin Raj.

The court also issued notices to those who called the hartal and directed the state police chief to submit a report by the evening. The case relates to incidents of violence and disruption reported from different parts of the state on Tuesday.

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A vacation division bench of Justices Basant Balaji and P Krishna Kumar considered the matter after reports showed that the protest had affected the daily lives of people across Kerala. Students who were supposed to appear for the Vellore Institute of Technology Engineering Entrance Examination (VITEEE), as well as people on their way to hospitals, were among those stuck in traffic.

The court has, in several earlier rulings, held that any loss or damage caused to the public or the government during hartals and strikes is illegal and unconstitutional, and can lead to contempt proceedings. The dawn-to-dusk protest, held from 6 am to 6 pm, disrupted normal life in many areas. In several places, activists blocked vehicles and forced shops to shut.

Around 52 Dalit organisations, including the Justice for Nithin Raj Action Council, had called for the strike. While announcing the hartal, the groups had said essential services would not be affected and that vehicles would not be forcibly stopped.

However, incidents of violation were reported from different districts. Raj, a first-year BDS student at a private dental college in Ancharakandy in Kannur, was found critically injured after falling from a building on April 10. He later died in hospital. Following complaints from his family alleging caste- and complexion-based harassment, the police registered a case against two faculty members.

The case includes charges of abetment of suicide and provisions under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The High Court has now sought a detailed report on the incidents linked to the hartal and the action taken by the police.