A public interest petition was filed before the Kerala High Court on Tuesday against the physical swearing-in ceremony of the Left Democratic government led by Pinarayi Vijayan with the participation of 500 people at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, in violation of the COVID-19 protocol.
In its petition, Chikitsaneethi, an organisation based in Thrissur claiming to work for protecting the health rights of citizens, sought to prohibit the physical swearing-in ceremony.
The organisation said the ceremony involving a large number of people was going to be held in a district where triple lockdown had been declared by the disaster management authority.
In fact, one of the reasons for the spread of COVID-19 was the uncontrolled gatherings during the Assembly elections.
The swearing-in ceremony was only a constitutional process for taking charge of office. There was no legal obligation to conduct the ceremony with the participation of relatives and party men, the petitioner pointed out.
Meanwhile, a High Court lawyer has written a letter to the Kerala High Court Chief Justice seeking the court’s suo motu intervention in the decision to conduct the swearing-in-ceremony.
In his letter, advocate Anil Thomas from Kochi pointed out that it was paradoxical that the caretaker Chief Minister was planning a huge swearing-in ceremony in a most populated area where triple lockdown prevailed.
He pointed out that the Indian Medical Association, Kerala chapter, had recommended to the Chief Minister to avoid gathering of people at the Central Stadium, considering the grave situation prevailing in the State, and suggested that an online swearing in be held from Raj Bhavan.
