Reports suggest that former minister and CPM state secretariat member Saji Cheriyan MLA is ready to re-enter the cabinet. It is in the wake of the closing of a case against him in Kerala High Court for his speech allegedly ridiculing the country’s Constitution. Division Bench of Kerala High Court, headed by the Chief Justice, rejected a petition for disqualifying Cheriyan as MLA. The Court observed that there was no legal compulsion to disqualify him.
Thiruvalla Police, who investigated the case, concluded the case and submitted the report before the Court. The report says the minister had only criticised the Constitution. There was no intention to insult. The Court observed that given the Constitutional provisions, the Representation of Peoples Act, and other matters and circumstances, the petitioners have not succeeded in establishing that Court has to interfere using the writ powers.
Now, CPM and its Left Democratic Front (LDF) regime and CM Pinarayi Vijayan have got the absolute legal authority to re-induct the former minister in the cabinet. However, correct-thinking people and impartial observers are not all smiles to hear such a re-entry. They believe that law, morality, principle and dharma are essential. It is too early to forget the speech he made regarding the Constitution. What is legally correct is only sometimes dharmik. But, in politics, dharmik always gets a backbench.
