KSRTC moves Kerala High Court seeking recovery of ₹5 crores from PFI for damage to buses during hartal

The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has moved the Kerala High Court seeking compensation the tune of ₹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 [Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry v State of Kerala]..The PFI is already under fire as the High Court had, on September 23 itself, initiated a contempt of court case as the the organisation called for a 'flash hartal' without giving the 7-day notice, as required according to previous judgments of the High Court.During the hartal, many persons took to the streets in protest against the nationwide raids of PFI offices and arrests of PFI leaders by the National Investigation Agency(NIA).In its application to implead in the contempt case, 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 stated that in the past, it has been suffering such losses during many hartals, especially during the 2018 RSS-BJP protest against the Sabarimala judgment and 2000 ABVP-RSS-BJP protest in Thiruvananthapuram.Even though the KSRTC was able to bear the loss by itself in the past, it is not able to do so anymore."The KSRTC is already struggling to stay afloat with the government's support and now it has incurred huge losses owing to the damages caused by the protesters, It is pertinent to note that a substantial amount is required to repair the 58 buses which were damaged and when the loss of service of the above buses during the repair time is also calculated, the Corporation will again have to be at the mercy of the State government for financial assistance," the application stated.It further contended that the massive loss incurred by the KSRTC is liable to be recovered from the perpetrators as the same was a result of their activities during an illegal hartal called by them."The KSRTC is entitled to get its losses from those who called the hartal and they cannot wash their hands from the responsibility of payment of damages to the KSRTC," the plea said..The case is scheduled to be heard by a division bench of Justices AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and Mohammed Nias CP on September 29..[BREAKING] Kerala High Court initiates suo motu contempt of court case against PFI for calling flash hartal