Kerala High Court Asks State If Any Guidelines Have Been Issued In View Of Its 2010 Direction Prohibiting Public Meetings On Roads

The Kerala High Court on Friday (January 17) asked the State to inform if any guidelines have been issued by it pursuant to the court's earlier judgment prohibiting public meeting on roads. The court was hearing a petition filed by an advocate complaining about an event reportedly organized by the Balaramapuram Panchayat on January 3, erecting a stage and arranging seats on Thiruvananthapuram's busy Balaramapuram – Vizhinjam Road taking over half of the road. The event was stated to be inaugurated by Kiran Narayanan IPS, former Thiruvananthapuram Rural District Police Chief.While granting the State's counsel time to get instructions, a division bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice S. Manu in its order said, "The learned Senior Government Pleader seeks time to get instructions...If any guidelines or instructions have been issued by the State pursuant to the judgment of this Court rendered on 23 June 2010, the same shall be placed on record". Notably, a coordinate bench has already taken note of the incident in a contempt plea and had ordered various officials including the District Police Chief, Thiruvananthapuram Rural to appear before it. In the instant case, the petitioner has submitted that the January 3 meeting was in contempt of the court's 2010 order.The high court had in its 2010 judgment, while dealing with a PIL regarding a public meeting organized on public road in front of a Railway Station in Aluva, had said that though its a specific instance however it felt that it needed to extend the benefit not only to the users of Aluva road, but to the people of the State as a whole because. The court said this after noting that "it is a notoriously known fact" that roads in Kerala, including State Highways and National Highways are single lane roads hardly providing sufficient space for two way traffic leaving no space for meetings on road and road margins."In our view, the interest of public will be protected only if prohibitory orders are issued against all Government agencies and it's authorities against granting permission to hold meetings on public roads and road margins...In our view, all meetings should be permitted only in Stadiums, public grounds outside road margins and grounds of educational institutions on holidays. We therefore allow the WPC by prohibiting the respondents and other Government agencies including PWD, Police, Revenue and Local authorities from granting any permission to hold meetings on public roads and road margins. Contrary to this prohibitory order, if any meeting is held with or without permission, there will be direction to the police to remove stages and all installations, articles and people and prevent the meeting being held on public road and road margins. The Chief Secretary to Government will, along with a copy of this judgment, issue instructions to the Director General of Police, departments of PWD, revenue and local administration, to implement this judgment," it had said.The instant case is next posted on February 7.Case Title: Adv. Kulathoor Jaisingh v Saratha Muraleedharan and OthersCase No: Con.Case (C) 112 of 2025Click Here To Read/ Download Order

Kerala High Court Asks State If Any Guidelines Have Been Issued In View Of Its 2010 Direction Prohibiting Public Meetings On Roads

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Kerala High Court Asks State If Any Guidelines Have Been Issued In View Of Its 2010 Direction Prohibiting Public Meetings On Roads

Manju Elsa Isac

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