The Kerala High Court has granted permission to the state government’s Consumerfed to open a special Vishu ‘chantha’ (market) and instructed the ruling dispensation not to exploit it for political purposes in light of the upcoming general election in the state.
A single bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran granted a plea from Kerala State Co-operatives Consumers’ Federation Ltd (Consumerfed), the apex body of consumer cooperatives in the state, challenging an order from the Election Commission.
Previously, the EC had prohibited Consumerfed from launching the festival market.
The general election is slated for April 26 in Kerala.
The high court directed that the Vishu market should not be advertised for election purposes by the state government. It stipulated that if any violation of the Model Code of Conduct(MCC) is detected, the Election Commission is authorized to take action. Consumerfed has announced that since permission has been granted, the special Vishu markets will open in 300 outlets across the state.
