Marine Drive monitoring panel: HC orders govt. to file affidavit explaining delay in issuing notification

The Kerala High Court has directed the State government to file an affidavit explaining the delay in issuing a notification constituting a monitoring committee to ensure the upkeep of Marine Drive in the city.

The High Court had on April 7 ordered that the committee be constituted within four weeks. A Bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice V.M. Syam Kumar issued the directive while considering a contempt of court plea by Renjith G. Thampy of Ernakulam. His counsel informed the court that the government had now issued a notification in this regard, five months since the order was issued.

To this, the High Court said the four-week deadline was not complied with by the government, nor was any request made seeking an extension. The contempt proceedings in the case cannot be dropped because the government belatedly issued a notification, the court said and sought time-bound commitments to comply with all the directions that it had issued.