Ex- babus for action against Shah

Around 50 retired senior civil servants and diplomats have written to President Ramnath Kovind, the Supreme Court of India, the Election Commission and Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding action against BJP chief Amit Shah claiming that his speech in Kerala on the Sabarimala issue was unconstitutional. The group of senior retired officials have asked the President, the SC, the ECI and the PM to take cognisance of the matter. Mr Shah had on October 27, extended the ruling BJP’s support to those who had been protesting women’s entry into the Sabarimala temple despite the Supreme Court saying that they should be allowed in.

“Addressing a public meeting at Kannur, Kerala, on Saturday, the 27th October 2018, the president of the main ruling party at the centre made two interrelated comments: That the Supreme Court ought to have issued implementable orders; and, that the state government in Kerala would be brought down for its temerity to enforce the Supreme Court orders regarding the entry of women from a certain age group into the Sabrimala temple by arresting and suppressing ‘ Ayyappa devotees.’ Taken together, these two comments make for a scary reading that the president of the main ruling party at the centre is casting aspersions upon and questioning the lawful authority of the highest court, asking the state government to refrain from implementing the Court’s orders, and is explicitly threatening to bring it down by vigilante action of political workers in the streets by fuelling their religious sentiments. There is also an implicit threat of the dismissal of the state government,” said the statement.