NIA raids aftermath: KSRTC moves Kerala HC, seeks recovery of Rs 5 crores from PFI for damage to buses

By Team Newsable | First Published Sep 27, 2022, 6:31 PM IST

KSRTC moved the Kerala High Court seeking compensation of Rs 5.06 crores from the Popular Front of India for damages caused to its buses during the hartal in Kerala. The case is scheduled to be heard by a division bench of Justices AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and Mohammed Nias CP on September 29.

The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) on Tuesday moved the Kerala High Court seeking compensation of Rs 5.06 crores from the Popular Front of India (PFI) for damages caused to its buses during the PFI hartal in Kerala on September 23. The case is scheduled to be heard by a division bench of Justices AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and Mohammed Nias CP on September 29.

The PFI is already under criticism since the High Court started a contempt of court prosecution against the organisation on September 23 itself because it called for a "flash hartal" without providing the requisite 7-day notice as required by earlier High Court rulings.

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Many people protested in the streets during the hartal over the National Investigation Agency's widespread raids on PFI offices and the arrests of PFI leaders. In its application, the KSRTC has claimed that 58 of its buses were damaged and many of its scheduled trips had to be cancelled on the hartal day as its employees were apprehending violent attacks on them.

It said that in the past, it has experienced such losses during a number of hartals, including the 2018 RSS-BJP demonstration against the Sabarimala ruling and the 2000 ABVP-RSS-BJP demonstration in Thiruvananthapuram. Although in the past the KSRTC was able to handle the loss on its own, it is no longer able to.

Also Read: Kerala a 'hot spot' of terrorism, fringe elements: BJP Chief JP Nadda

Raids continued in multiple states on Tuesday as part of the ongoing crackdown against the Popular Front of India. Reports of raids are also underway in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Assam. Till the last reports came in, at least ten people had been detained in Gujarat for questioning over links with the PFI.

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