Contempt and Commies

Contempt and Commies

Contempt proceedings had been initiated by the High Court against five leaders in the history of Kerala and three of them were communists.

EMS Namboothiripad, late Marxist theoretician, made some comment on the class character of the Judiciary inviting contempt proceedings in 1968 when he was chief minister. He admitted to making the comment, arguing that it did not amount to contempt of court. After being punished by the High Court, he approached the Supreme Court where he had to pay a fine of Re 1.

Pai Muhammad Kutty, central committee member of the CPI(M), faced contempt action in 2008 from the High Court for his statement that recent court verdicts depended on the “thickness of the currency note bundles”. The Supreme Court closed the case in November that year after receiving an unconditional apology from him.

MV Jayarajan, State committee member of the CPI(M), has now been imprisoned for six months and slapped with a fine of Rs 2,000 - the maximum awardable punishment for the offence - for his derogatory remarks against two judges of the High Court.