Kerala Law Academy: Congress mulls legal route
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 7 (IANS) As indefinite protests by the students of the Kerala Law Academy entered the 28th day on Tuesday, the Congress party said it is mulling legal recourse over the strike, a party leader said.
Addressing reporters here, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said: "We are waiting to get proper advice on how to take forward the ongoing students protest in a legal way.
When the protests began they were a unified one but recently the CPI-M-backed Students Federation of India withdrew from the strike.
The action was termed "cheating" by all the other students organisations, including that of the ruling CPI's AISF.
The law academy students are on an indefinite protest, demanding the resignation of its Principal Lekshmi Nair for her mismanagement and rude behaviour.
The five-decade-old academy is a privately run institution by Narayanan Nair, who is the director and father of Lekshmi Nair.
It is also the alma mater of hundreds of present day politicians, police officers and government servants.
Nair has over the years been able to douse any student protest with ease, as it never had the support of frontline political parties owing to their soft corner for the director.
But ever since his daughter took over, things took a turn for the worse.
"We are waiting for the state government to come out with a report on the ownership of the land...," said Chennithala.
Barring the CPI-M, all other leading political parties including the Left ally-CPI has demanded that the state government take over the academy.
"I met Governor P. Sathasivam, early in the day and requested him to intervene as the Pinarayi Vijayan government has done nothing to end the protests," Chennithala said.
Kerala Education Minister C. Raveendranath who called for a conciliation meeting, himself walked out of the meet, he said .
Meanwhile, the condition of Congress legislator K. Muraleedharan whose indefinite fast entered the sixth day, supporting the demands of the students worsened on Tuesday with doctors asking for him to be shifted to a hospital.
V.V. Rajesh, state BJP spokesperson, is also on an indefinite fast.
Revenue Secretary P.H. Kurian has been asked to submit a detailed report on the ownership of the land by Revenue Minister E.Chandrashekeran.
The academy was closed indefinitely with politicians demanding the intervention of the Chief Minister.
--IANS
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