Kerala HC stays Lakshadweep administration's orders on mid-day meal and dairy farms

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday issued an interim stay on the Lakshadweep administration's controversial orders removing meat from the mid-day meal for students and winding up government-run dairy farms.

The stay order issued by the HC bench comprising Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly on a public interest petition assumes significance as many such controversial orders of the Praful Khoda Patel led Lakshadweep administration were likely to come up for judicial review in due course.

The people of the island are protesting against a series of decisions of the administration.

The court asked the Lakshadweep administration to file its response to the petitions within two weeks.

While considering the petition the court reportedly asked what was the logic for changing the foods habits being followed by the people of the region and shutting government-run dairy farms. The administration's lawyer responded that there was an inadequate facility to store meat on the island and the dairy firms were causing loss to the government.

Advocate Ajmal Ahammed who moved the petitions alleged that the administration was planning to make the school diet totally vegetarian as well as to entrust the charge of noon meal to a Bengaluru based NGO. He also alleged that the decision to shut dairy farms on the island was aimed at helping private dairy farms to sell their products on the island.

Meanwhile, Lakshadweep native actor Aisha Sultana was directed by the Kavaratti police to appear again on Wednesday for quizzing in connection with the sedition case registered against her. The police took her statement on Sunday and directed her not to leave the island.

The Kerala HC had earlier directed that she should be given interim bail if she is arrested. BJP Lakshadweep president Abdulkhader Haji had petitioned the police citing a remark of Sultana in a TV channel discussion that Covid-19 surge in Lakshadweep due to decisions of administrator Praful Khoda Patel was a 'bio weapon' of the BJP.

Sources said that the Lakshadweep authorities also initiated steps against Sultana accusing her of flouring Covid-19 quarantine norms.