KOCHI: The Popular Front of India (PFI) was ordered by the Kerala High Court on Thursday to deposit Rs 5.20 crore as compensation for the harm done during the bandh that was imposed on September 23 in protest of the arrest of their leaders.
Justices A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and C.P. Mohammed Nias, sitting division bench, initiated suo-motu proceedings against the PFI and ordered all lower courts in the state not to grant bail without payment.
If the perpetrators of the destruction do not make reparations, legal action should be initiated to seize their personal property. The court further ordered the creation of a Claims Commission, which will handle all issues related to compensating persons who have incurred losses.
According to order, the fund must be provided to the Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department in two weeks to cover the damages estimated by both the state and the KSRTC due to the destruction of both public and private property in the state.
It is also instructed the state government to add Abdul Sathar, the PFI general secretary, as an additional defendant in each case. The government informed the court that there were 487 cases reported, 1,992 persons were detained, and 687 were placed in preventive custody.
Whenever the word hartal is said, it has a different meaning among people. People are living in perpetual worry. What is a regular person's role in all of this? The average person suffers, but why? Not promoting one of your ideologies?," the Court enquired.
This strong court judgment followed the state's release of an order instructing the Kerala Police to move forward with implementing the necessary actions, which include locking up all offices of the banned organisations in addition to freezing such organisations' bank accounts, as instructed by the Center.
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