Lakshadweep Admin's stand is against rule: Kerala HC on no entry pass to MPs

Kochi: The Kerala High Court came down heavily on the Lakshadweep administrator's denial in granting entry permission to Kerala MPs to visit the islands, observing the authorities stand on the issue is against the spirit of the rules and urged to consider their applications in a month.

Hearing the petition of the six MPs, from both houses, challenging the denial of permission for their visit, the court ruled that the administration failed to give a hearing to the applicants as per the rules.

The hearing can be conducted, even online, and only after such a hearing, should the authorities decide on the matter, it said.

The petitioners, who include parliamentarians from both the Congress and CPI-M from the state, wanted to visit the island for an on the spot assessment of the situation after Administrator Praful Khoda Patel began introducing new rules, which the islanders objected to and launched a series of protests against.

A team of Kerala's MPs - Elamaram Kareem, AM Ariff and V Sivadasan and three others- belonging to the CPI and CPI(M) and the Congress were denied permission to visit Lakshadweep two times based on strange grounds. While the Congress MPs were told that their visit would stir unrest in the peaceful islands, the seven MPs were asked to produce a good conduct certificate from a sponsor and signed by a notary or a magistrate.

The MPs have been making attempts to visit Lakshadweep on a fact-finding mission to analyse the on-ground scenario in the islands after Administrator Praful Khoda Patel introduced several changes including urbanising the islands and allowing industries to be set up, that were opposed by the people of Lakshadweep.

According to reports, a good conduct certificate is demanded from migrant labourers entering Lakshadweep for employment purposes. The MPs had written to the Lok Sabha speaker regarding Om Birla regarding the breach of the privilege granted to the Members of Parliament.