The high-profile arrest of Youth Congress (I) leader and former legislator K.S. Sabarinadhan on the charge of tasking three fellow activists to imperil Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on board an Indigo flight that landed in Thiruvananthapuram from Kannur on June 13 set off a ripple of protest in the Assembly on Wednesday.
The police arrested Mr. Sabarinadhan on the charge of conspiracy on Tuesday. A magistrate court released him on bail later, amidst strident street protests by Congress workers. It also reportedly observed that a WhatsApp message was no proof of conspiracy. Moreover, the former legislator was unlikely to jump bail and abscond.
Mr. Sabarinadhan's arrest figured in the Assembly during the Zero Hour. However, Deputy Speaker Chittayam Gopakumar denied the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) the opportunity to table a motion to adjourn the House to debate the whys and wherefores of the arrest. UDF members walked out in protest.