A day after Pinarayi Vijayan condemns action on NewsClick, HC slams Kerala Police for action against online portal

Kochi: A day after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed the Delhi Police for its brazen action against ‘NewsClick’, the Kerala High Court condemned the Kerala Police for their action against a hugely popular online portal here, ‘Marunadan Malayalee.’

An official of ‘Marunadan Malayalee’ had approached the High Court after the Kerala Police confiscated all the electronic equipment, including the laptop and desktop computers from their office in the state capital city and sealed the office, based on a complaint from the CPI(M) Legislator PV Sreenijin in June this year.

The Ernakulam Police registered the case under the SC/ST Atrocities Act. Its editor Shajan Skariah also came under duress on a few occasions in other cases, with the police breathing down his neck as he is known for his news portal taking very strong positions against Vijayan and his government.

On Thursday, the court asked the police what reason it had for confiscating all the electronic equipment in a case charged under the SC/ST Atrocities Act.

The court was told by the petitioner that even after so many months, no follow up action was taken by the police.

The court then directed the police to see that all the confiscated materials be returned in a week’s time. Sreenijin is the son-in-law of former Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan.