Overview
- Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas directed the Election Commission on Friday to rule within two months on a March 20 complaint about alleged communal remarks by BJP candidate B. Gopalakrishnan.
- The case reached court through a petition by Kerala Students’ Union leader Gokul, and the judge closed the writ after telling the petitioner to first pursue the pending remedy before the Commission.
- ECI counsel told the court that the returning officer had already filed a complaint and that police registered an FIR under BNS Section 192 and Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act.
- The campaign video was taken down from social media, and the court questioned what redress exists for harm caused by hate or communal comments even after a takedown.
- The judge declined to weigh the merits because polling is underway, underscoring how elections shift enforcement to administrative channels rather than courtroom rulings.