The Kerala High Court has recently sharply criticized both the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition United Democratic Front for their recent dawn-to-dusk hartals in Wayanad, which was hit by devastating landslides.
The court termed the hartals as “irresponsible” and questioned the political parties’ motives, suggesting they caused more misery to an already suffering population. The court also warned that any blatant violation of its directions would not be tolerated.
A division bench of Justices A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and K.V. Jayakumar expressed displeasure over the hartal held on November 19, calling it “unacceptable.”
The court noted that both political outfits were aware of its prior directive prohibiting flash hartals without sufficient notice to the public.
“It is not clear what they sought to gain other than adding more hardship to an already beleaguered community,” the court remarked, emphasizing the negative impact on the state’s image as a tourism destination.
The bench also questioned the necessity of the hartal, particularly in light of the natural disaster. The LDF and UDF had called the protest to demand central assistance for the victims of the landslide, which occurred months earlier.
They sought the BJP-led central government to declare the landslide a national disaster and expedite relief and rehabilitation efforts.
During the hearing of a plea related to disaster management, the court was informed that the central government had allocated Rs.153 crore from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) for emergency relief. The state government estimated the damage from the disaster at Rs.2,219 crore.
Despite the ongoing assistance efforts, the court urged the ruling dispensation to ensure adherence to its prohibition on flash hartals in the future.
