Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan has said his party is not against the judiciary.
Inaugurating the EMS Study Centre at Mattumantha here on Monday, Mr. Vijayan said his party organised a public meeting in Ernakulam on Monday to bring to the attention of the people certain deviations seen in the functioning of court. When court makes such deviations, the people have the right to point it out so that the judiciary could make amends for them and function within the ambit of its constitutional powers. He asserted that the CPI(M) believed in people's power and considered it supreme.
In the M.V. Jayarajan (criminal contempt) case, the High Court had taken an unusual stand by not allowing any appeal time. This was something very rare. Mr. Jayarajan was a former MLA and the political activist had only voiced his concern about the denial of the right to freedom of speech and organise public meetings by the roadside as practised throughout the country.
When the court curtailed the freedom, the Kerala Assembly unanimously passed a Bill to allow roadside meetings. But this law was also stayed by the court. This went against the democratic rights of the people to organise public meetings to voice their protest on various issues, Mr. Vijayan said.
The CPI(M) leader said the United Democratic Front (UDF) government should take legal steps to get the stay of the law vacated.
CPI(M) Olavakkode local committee secretary V. Suresh presided over the meeting.
