Kerala Govt revokes Police Act amendment

Thiruvananthapuram: After facing widespread criticism, the government has decided not to implement the amended Kerala Police Act.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the amendment of the Kerala Police Act has been withdrawn.

The CM has also said more regarding this will be decided following a discussion in State Legislative Assembly. The move comes hours after implementing the act.

The new amendment would have empowered the police to slap criminal charges on people by interpreting any kind of communication through any medium as defamatory.

In the new 118 A amendment any violator, be it in any media, including print and TV, online news or social media, is liable for an imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with a fine of Rs 10,000, or with both.

As soon as this new Act was passed, protests came from far and wide. With the sole exception of CPI-M, every other body has condemned it.

It was on Saturday late night that the news first surfaced about the media gag, which left many surprised as this has come from the stables of the Vijayan government, who time and again bats for the freedom of the press and not to mention about his regular statements on what happened during the Emergency.

With inputs from IANS