The turmoil in Lakshadweep islands over the “reforms move” initiated by the Administrator returned to the limelight after a brief lull as the Kerala High Court on Friday directed the Island administration to take a fresh decision on the latter’s earlier move to deny two Members of Parliament from the State the permission to visit the archipelago.
Justice P B Suresh Kumar, while disposing a petition filed by the Congress MPs Hiby Eden and T N Prathapan challenging the administration’s refusal to grant them permission to visit the islands to take stock of the inconvenience caused to the population because of the proposed reforms, asked the additional district magistrate and collector S Asker Ali to take a fresh decision in the matter of granting entry permits.
The law makers had approached the administration under rule 5 of the Lakshadweep Islands (Restrictions on Entry and Residence) rules 1967. The MPs had told the court that their visit was to have a fact check on the impact of administrative actions and reforms under the present Administrator on the people of Lakshadweep.
But the Additional District Magistrate of the Union Territory rejected the applications through an order, and this order was challenged by the MPs on the ground that it was issued without notice to the petitioners. The Court noted that as per Rule 7, an application preferred under Rule 5 of the said Rules cannot be rejected without giving to the applicant a reasonable opportunity to represent his case.