Kerala High Court quashes criminal cases against former MLAs

The Kerala High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against former Congress MLAs, including A. T. George, M. A. Vaheed, Dominic Presentation, and K. Sivadasan Nair, regarding a 2015 brawl in the Kerala Legislative Assembly.

The incident occurred on March 13, 2015, when Left Democratic Front (LDF) legislators protested to prevent then-Finance Minister K. M. Mani from presenting the state budget amid bribery allegations. The legal case originated from complaints filed by former LDF women legislators alleging physical assault, wrongful restraint, and outraging modesty.

In its ruling, the court observed that the allegations did not meet the legal requirements to prove intentions for offenses under IPC Sections 341 or 354. The court noted that the UDF MLAs had intervened to ensure the Finance Minister could fulfill his constitutional duty of presenting the budget. Justice PV Kunhikrishnan emphasized that while assembly members have the right to peaceful protest, they do not have the right to physically block a Finance Minister from delivering a budget.