Here are the top news developments in Kerala for today.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will reach on Sunday
A flurry of political issues await as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan returns to Kerala on Sunday after a 21-day stay abroad.
Mr Vijayan will likely need to iron out differences within the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), particularly from the Communist Party of India over the proposed Lokayukta Amendment Ordinance. Mr Vijayan is likely to meet Governor Arif Muhammad Khan to get his consent for the executive order.
Mr Vijayan is likely to chair a cabinet meeting to prepare a timetable for the upcoming budget session of the assembly. The cabinet will also finalize the policy address of the governor.
The opposition’s attempt to revive the UAE gold smuggling case and the anti-Kashmir rail agitation by the Congress and the BJP will likely attract Mr. Vijayan’s attention.
The Chief Minister was in the US for about a fortnight for a medical review. He later went to the UAE to woo investors, inaugurate the Kerala Pavilion at the Dubai World Expo and interact with the country’s rulers.
sunday lockdown
Life seemed to come to a standstill for the third straight weekend on Sunday, with the state government allowing only essential services to rein in the raging COVID-19 pandemic.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will chair an online Epidemic Monitoring Committee meeting on Monday to further ease restrictions in view of the declining rate of infection and relatively low number of deaths and hospitalisations.
The committee relies on hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions as a reference or baseline to classify districts into three categories. Presently, the administration has classified Kollam as a Category C (Threshold-3) district.
The Kollam district administration has gathered a maximum of 20 people for social events. The administration has also indefinitely banned a range of recreational activities. Obstacles have clouded daily life and retarded the vibrant social pace of Kollam.
Cinemas, gymnasiums and swimming pools in the district will remain closed till further notice. There is also a temporary ban on the entry of visitors to religious places in the regions.
The High Court will pronounce the verdict on Dileep’s bail plea.
The Kerala High Court is likely to pronounce its verdict on actor Dileep’s anticipatory bail plea on Monday. The Crime Branch police had accused Dileep of conspiring to murder the investigating officers in the 2017 actor kidnapping and rape case.
In a related development, the Kochi Police has directed a film director K.K. Balachandra Kumar, who is suspected of sexually abusing a cinematic optimist.
Recently, Mr. Balachandran was in the news for his “revelations”, which prompted the crime branch to implicate Dileep and his kin in a murder plot.
challenge to appointment in posco court
Kerala Judicial Officers Association moves Kerala High Court and state government against appointment of retired judges in 28 new POSCO courts.
Synthetic drug racket busted
In Kozhikode, the state police and excise squads destroyed a secret network of synthetic drug smugglers.
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