Here are the top news developments to watch out for from Kerala today
Governor likely to take a call on Lok Ayukta ordinance
Kerala Governor Arif Muhammad Khan is likely to take a call today on whether to give his assent to the contentious ordinance mooted by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government to amend the Kerala Lok Ayukta Act, 1999.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and Bharathiya Janata Party(BJP) had portrayed the proposed executive order as a sly bid to dilute the ombudsman's powers to save Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Higher Education Minister R. Bindu from prosecution in corruption and nepotism cases.
A high-profile UDF delegation led by the Opposition Leader, V. D. Satheesan, met Mr. Khan last week and requested him to reject the executive order.
BJP State president K. Surendran said the bid to defang the powers of the Lok Ayukta tantamount to an attack on a constitutional body. He alleged the LDF government had earlier disparaged the Governor's office and the Accountant General. He said the AG had earned the ire of the government for pointing out the illegalities in the functioning of the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), a State-owned entity.
Anticipatory bail plea of Dileep
The Kerala High Court will consider the anticipatory bail plea of actor Dileep. The Crime Branch had accused Dileep and his relatives of plotting the murder of officers who investigated the abduction and rape of an actress in Kochi in 2017.
Dileep is a prime suspect in the crime that had shocked society and caused a public outcry. The State police had accused him of using hirelings to orchestrate the crime out of spite for the actress.
A set of "revelations" by a cinema director recently had triggered the second case against Dileep. The director had claimed that he was privy to conversations that pointed to Dileep's alleged involvement in the 2017 crime. He had also submitted some mobile phone recordings to the court to substantiate his accusations. Dileep has since denied the insinuations and suggested that he was the victim of a blackmail attempt.
In a related development, a judicial magistrate in Aluva has ordered the presence of actor Dileep and other co-accused in the court on Thursday. Earlier, at the instance of the High Court, Dileep had surrendered several cell phones in his possession to a court official. The Crime Branch suspects that the devices contain evidence regarding the alleged plot to murder officers who investigated the 2017 actor abduction and rape case.
Haj pilgrims in distress
Haj panel chairman C. Muhammad Fazi will meet the press in Kozhikode today. He is likely to highlight the delay on the part of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation to approve the resumption of wide-bodied aircraft operations from the Kozhikode International airport. The Ministry had withdrawn its approval after the Air India Express plane crash in 2020. The airport is a central embarkation point for Haj pilgrims. It is feared that the current ban on wide-bodied aircraft could potentially impede the smooth conduct of the annual pilgrimage.
Govt to launch taxpayer profile card for traders
Finance Minister K. N. Balagopal will launch the government's much-anticipated taxpayer profile card for traders on Thursday.
The system rates the tax compliance of individual traders and grades them accordingly. The government had mooted the project in the 2021 state budget. The public also could access the details on trade tax submissions on the State's GST Department website. The State GST Department gives the rating score to dealers registered under the GST Act. Traders having an annual turnover of ₹1.5 crores or above qualify for the cards.
Caution against army recruitment racket
The Kozhikode district administration and police have warned youth against falling prey to fly-by-night agents who falsely guarantee assured army recruitment for sizeable sums of money. The authorities have urged youth aspiring for army recruitment to report such dubious intermediaries to the police.
Bid to resolve the stalemate over sewage treatment plant
Kozhikode District Collector N Tej Lohit Reddy to hold a meeting today to break the stalemate over setting up a sewage treatment plant at Avikkalthodu in Kozhikode corporation. Residents have been up in arms against the project. They have raised ecological concerns and prevented officials from conducting soil tests.
Murder mystery
A police team is attempting to shed light on the murky circumstances that led to two murders and suicide in Kallambalam, a leafy suburb on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram city. A Public Works Department employee is among the victims. He had died in a drunken brawl with friends. The police are expected to announce a breakthrough in the case soon.
