Kerala High Court issues rulings on Muthanga case and teacher suspension

The Kerala High Court has issued two significant rulings involving long-standing legal disputes and recent political controversies.

In the Muthanga land struggle case, the court suspended the sentences of social activist M. Geethanandan and three others. The individuals had been convicted by a sessions court for offenses including attempt to murder and kidnapping stemming from a violent 2003 confrontation between police and Adivasi protesters at the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary. The High Court noted that the trial court's findings regarding criminal conspiracy required further scrutiny.

Separately, the court granted a one-month interim stay on the suspension of schoolteacher Guruprasad Rai K. The teacher was suspended following a controversy over a quiz question that identified V. D. Savarkar as a freedom fighter who received the harshest punishment from the British. While the suspension is stayed, the court permitted the General Education Department to continue its disciplinary inquiry into the matter.