Kerala govt repeals controversial Police Act Amendment

The controversial Kerala Police Act Amendment was repealed in an urgent cabinet meeting held on November 24. The ordinance to repeal the act would be sent to the Governor for his nod.

Thiruvananthapuram:Kerala Government has repealed the Kerala Police Act Amendment following stark criticism. An urgent cabinet meeting held on November 24 made the decision. The ordinance to repeal the act would be sent to the Governor for his nod.

The State Government had amended the Kerala Police Act incorporating Section 118 A to it in order to help the police effectively tackle cases of cyber abuses. The existing law was found to be inadequate to deal with such cyber-crimes and there were several serious cyberbullying cases reported in the recent past, in which the police could not act effectively owing to the limitations of the law.

However, when the amendment was approved by the Governor and notified, it drew criticisms from all quarters, even from the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPIM) national leadership and within the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), besides the opposition, media associations and the public in general, citing that the Act may be misused and can be interpreted curbing the right to freedom of speech and expression. Amid all these clamours, the Government decided to withdraw the Act.

Read:Facing flak, LDF govt puts on hold controversial Kerala Police Act amendment

The 19 member State Cabinet, which usually meets on Wednesdays, preponed this week’s meeting to Tuesday. The urgent State Cabinet meeting on Tuesday decided to bring out a repeal ordinance in order to legally withdraw the ordinance amending the Kerala Police Act.

The Cabinet decision to repeal the ordinance came within 48 hours since the amendment was notified in the Government Gazette. The CPIM had earlier suggested the LDF Government to let go of the controversial amendment.

After the release of a press statement by the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on the withdrawal of the amendment on Monday, it was expected that the State Cabinet meeting on Wednesday would discuss the matter and come up with the decision.

However, as the Chief Secretary may not be able to participate in this Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting, it was decided to hold an urgent Cabinet meeting to discuss on the amendment. The State Governor Arif Mohammed Khan would be officially informed about the Cabinet decision. A representative from the Government is likely to meet the Governor in person.