Kerala HC rejects petition seeking removal of Vijayan as CM

Kochi Dec 22: The Kerala High Court on Thursday had dismissed a petition seeking the removal of Pinarayi Vijayan as the chief minister of Kerala and said that it could not interfere in the matter.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Antony Dominic and Justice Dama Seshadri Naidu said the Cabinet was answerable to the state legislature, and the Court could not interfere in the matter.

Earlier a petitioner had filed a plea in the high court challenging the continuance of Vijayan as the chief minister, based on the court's observations made last month while dismissing a plea by Thomas Chandy, who had resigned as state transport minister on November 15.


The petitioner referred to four CPI ministers abstaining from a state cabinet meeting held on November 15, the petitioner said they had done so after giving in writing the decision of their party that they were not going to attend the meet.

The petitioner further said the chief minister had described the action as "unprecedented".All these constituted lack of collective cabinet responsibility, the petitioner said.

The CPI, the second largest partner in the ruling coalition, had asked its four ministers to stay away from the meeting if Chandy attended it.