Lack of political will leads to shutdowns: Judge

Thiruvananthapuram: Politically motivated shutdowns which cripple life frequently in Kerala are the result of a lack of will on the part of the state government, said a retired high court judge.

Courts have done their duty and now it is for the state government to act, retired chief justice of the Bihar High Court J.B. Koshy told IANS.

"I was part of the full bench of the Kerala High Court when bandhs were declared illegal. Then I was part of the division bench which declared forced hartals also against the law. Now it is for the state government to enforce it," said Koshy, who is now the chairperson of the Kerala State Human Rights Commission.

"Lack of political will is the reason why these shutdowns take place. The government has to act. Recently, we saw when the country observed a shutdown, the West Bengal government took a tough stand and decided to come down heavily on those who called the shutdown and the result was there was no shutdown in West Bengal," added Koshy.

Normal life across Kerala has been hit Tuesday by a day-long statewide shutdown called by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to protest against the killing of a RSS worker in Kannur.

"The laws are there, it is for the government to take action as per the law and if it is done these types of shutdowns won't be called," added Koshy.