KOCHI: The Election Commission of India has informed the Kerala High Court that there are no objections to the State Cabinet granting approval for the proposed amendment to the Anti-Ragging Act. Following this clarification, a special bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice C. Jayachandran directed the government to proceed with the necessary follow-up actions.
The court had earlier sought clarity on whether a cabinet meeting could be convened to approve the amendment, given the restrictions imposed by the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). Considering the urgency of implementing stricter anti-ragging measures, the court had questioned if an exemption could be made. In response, the Election Commission stated that the MCC would not be a hurdle for this specific legislative requirement.
The state government informed the court that all preliminary procedures regarding the amendment have been completed, with only the formal cabinet nod pending. The High Court’s intervention comes during the hearing of a petition filed by the Kerala Legal Services Authority (KeLSA), which sought the implementation of a comprehensive and more stringent anti-ragging law. The court has posted the case for further hearing on June 10.
With input from KN.
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