Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the Sivagiri Mutt in December. Kerala bureaucrat B Ashok, who supported him during the controversy over an earlier visit, had faced action by the state government.
New Delhi:
The Supreme Court has put on hold the disciplinary proceedings initiated by the Kerala government against a bureaucrat who had praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a newspaper article in 2013. The top court also issued notice to Kerala's Congress-led UDF government, asking it to respond to Dr B Ashok's petition challenging the action taken against him.
The Indian Administrative Service officer had written a newspaper article asking why Mr Modi, who was the Chief Minister of Gujarat at the time, should not be allowed to visit Thiruvananthapuram's Sivagiri Mutt during an ongoing controversy on the subject.
The mutt had invited Mr Modi for a visit during a function, which the Left-led LDF had opposed. There were views that since he had been unable stop the 2002 riots, he should not be allowed into the temple.
In his article, Dr Ashok argued that the riots should not be considered a reason for such a course of action.
"It is true that the Gujarat Government might not have been effective in preventing the killings (in 2002) but such genocidal riots had followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi," he wrote. In the article, he also criticised Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for not accepting the invitation to speak at a function at the mutt.
The Congress-led UDF government initiated disciplinary proceedings against Dr Ashok, who at the time, was the Vice-Chancellor of the Kerala Veterinary University.
In 2011, the state government had decided to sack Dr Ashok as vice-chancellor for alleged violation of service rules, but the Kerala High Court had reinstated him.
But when he the disciplinary proceedings against him in 2013, the high court refused to stop the government action against him.
The officer then appealed to the top Court, saying as the vice chancellor of the university, he did not violate any service rules.
Mr Modi had visited Sivagiri - a revered spiritual centre established by 20th century saint and social reformer Narayana Guru -- in April 2013. After becoming Prime Minister he visited the shrine again a month ago.
The Indian Administrative Service officer had written a newspaper article asking why Mr Modi, who was the Chief Minister of Gujarat at the time, should not be allowed to visit Thiruvananthapuram's Sivagiri Mutt during an ongoing controversy on the subject.
The mutt had invited Mr Modi for a visit during a function, which the Left-led LDF had opposed. There were views that since he had been unable stop the 2002 riots, he should not be allowed into the temple.
In his article, Dr Ashok argued that the riots should not be considered a reason for such a course of action.
"It is true that the Gujarat Government might not have been effective in preventing the killings (in 2002) but such genocidal riots had followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi," he wrote. In the article, he also criticised Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for not accepting the invitation to speak at a function at the mutt.
The Congress-led UDF government initiated disciplinary proceedings against Dr Ashok, who at the time, was the Vice-Chancellor of the Kerala Veterinary University.
In 2011, the state government had decided to sack Dr Ashok as vice-chancellor for alleged violation of service rules, but the Kerala High Court had reinstated him.
But when he the disciplinary proceedings against him in 2013, the high court refused to stop the government action against him.
The officer then appealed to the top Court, saying as the vice chancellor of the university, he did not violate any service rules.
Mr Modi had visited Sivagiri - a revered spiritual centre established by 20th century saint and social reformer Narayana Guru -- in April 2013. After becoming Prime Minister he visited the shrine again a month ago.
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