The Kerala high court has been petitioned by Left Democratic Party state president George Sebastian to shift the venue for the swearing-in ceremony of Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government from Central Stadium to Raj Bhavan, official residence of the governor, owing to the prevalent Covid-19 situation in the state.
In the letter sent to the Chief Justice of the Kerala high court, Sebastian also asked the court to limit the number of attendees to 50 in order to ensure proper Covid-19 protocols are followed during the ceremony. The Kerala chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) had urged the new cabinet to hold a virtual swearing-in ceremony as the state is currently tackling a resurgent second wave of Covid-19.
"The new government that knows the mind of the people and that upholds a scientific perspective is coming to power and at a time if the swearing-in is through a virtual platform will give a good message of prevention," IMA said in a statement.
Sebastian asked the court to take up the letter, sent via the registrar general, as a petition of its own. As attempts to file a case earlier were unsuccessful due to disputes over e-filing. He also mentioned that similar letters sent to the Vijayan, the governor, and the chief secretary have not solicited a response. Vijayan, citing experts, told reporters on Monday that Kerala is past the peak of the second wave but urged citizens to exercise caution.
The returning LDF government, which has invited 500 guests to the ceremony, had decided to hold the swearing-in ceremony at the Central stadium because of its capacity to house 50,000 attendees, which would help in ensuring Covid-appropriate behaviour is maintained. 140 newly elected MLAs, 29 members of Parliament of the state, members of the judiciary and media have reportedly been invited to the ceremony.
{{/usCountry}}The returning LDF government, which has invited 500 guests to the ceremony, had decided to hold the swearing-in ceremony at the Central stadium because of its capacity to house 50,000 attendees, which would help in ensuring Covid-appropriate behaviour is maintained. 140 newly elected MLAs, 29 members of Parliament of the state, members of the judiciary and media have reportedly been invited to the ceremony.
{{/usCountry}}Kerala reported 21,402 new cases of Covid-19 on Monday, taking the state-wide tally of cases to 21,39,314. Triple lockdown has been enforced in the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Malappuram to reign in the massive surge of cases there.