Thiruvananthapuram: As we indicated, EP has quit over the nepotism charges against him. The Kerala industries minister EP Jayarajan faced a probe by the state’s Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) for allegedly appointing his relatives and fvourites to important posts in the state’s PSUs. It’s been a stormy day in Kerala. Journalists, including a reporter of the New Indian Express, were manhandles in front of the judge at the Vigilance Court in Thiruvananthapuram.
Prabhat Nair, principal correspondent of with the New Indian Express in Thiruvananthapuram as brutally attacked inside the court room when the court was considering a petition against E P Jayarajan on nepotism charges. Prabhat was hit thrice and slapped a few times by lawyers. Another reporter, Ramakrishnan of the Press Trust of India along with two other women journalists were forced out of the court room.
“The journalists were inside the court room for about 40 minutes while the court was hearing other cases. It’s when the case against E P Jayarajan came up before the court that the issue started. Some advocates barged into the court room and threw us outside. We were threatened and asked to leave immediately. The advocates manhandled me both inside and outside the court room. They even warned me not to ever set foot inside the court premises,” said Prabhat Nair.
Later reports said the advocates also destroyed the media room in the court complex With the media ban in the High Court and lower courts continuing for some time, the chief minister had offered to intervene in the issue and held talks with the chief justice last week. Following the discussion, the chief minister had announced that the issue has been sorted out. He had stated that the chief justice has assured not to prevent journalists from reporting court proceedings.