Kerala HC pulls up state govt. on 'hartals'

Kochi, Aug 8 (UNI) The Kerala high court today expressed displeasure at the manner in which the state government was implementing its judgement regarding 'hartals'.

On a batch of writ pettions against hartals a division bench comprising Chief Justice H L Dattu and Justice A K Basheer orally observed that ''if this is the manner in which hartals are regulated, then we should be saying that even God cannot save this state.'' The court also orally observed that the state should step in to build confidence among the people during hartals. On hartal days, there will be no movement. Even small scale entrepreneurs, who invest only Rs 5,000 do not conduct their business on that day, the court said.

It also observed that it was the duty of the state government to protect the life and property of citizens.

The court also made it clear that as the role of the state government during hartals was not made clear in the earlier full bench order regulating hartals, the writ petitions would be referred to a full bench to make a decision on the role of the state government during hartals.

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