Fri Nov 22 13:32:52 UTC 2024: ## Kerala High Court Condemns Political Parties for Wayanad Hartal

**KOCHI, KERALA –** The Kerala High Court sharply criticized both the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) for their unscheduled hartal (strike) in Wayanad on November 19th. The protest, against perceived delays in central government aid for landslide victims, was deemed a violation of court directives prohibiting flash hartals without prior public notice.

Justice A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice K.V. Jayakumar stated that the hartal caused further suffering to already affected residents and damaged the state’s tourism image. The court warned that such actions by elected officials would not be tolerated, emphasizing the blatant disregard for previous rulings. The court expressed hope that future hartals would be conducted in accordance with legal requirements.

The court’s rebuke came during a suo motu case concerning the Wayanad landslides. The Centre’s counsel, Suvin R. Menon, informed the court that ₹153.467 crore had been approved from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF), contingent upon adjustments from the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF). Funding for Indian Air Force rescue operations and debris clearance was also approved.

The High Court also directed the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) to provide a list of projects funded by the corporate environmental responsibility (CER) fund and details of any post-project audits. Furthermore, the State government was ordered to regularly update the court on the progress of a hill station carrying capacity study.

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