Kochi : The high court has dismissed a petition filed by Simmy Rose Bell John, a former Congress functionary from Ernakulam, alleging that she is facing threats of violence from chief minister V D Satheesan and his associates.
The bench of Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas dismissed the petition, observing that the petitioner had not produced any material to indicate any instance of such threats. The court further observed that the petitioner, a former All India Congress Committee member and former PSC member who was subsequently expelled from the party, allegedly at the instance of Satheesan, could have a personal grudge against him. Simmy’s case was that Satheesan, along with his group, had been attempting to attack her both directly and indirectly. She further claimed that her son was attacked in Delhi. Despite this, he was allegedly brutally attacked by certain persons with the intention of killing him, following which the Aluva police registered a criminal case in connection with the incident. She further claimed that Satheesan had expelled several veteran politicians from Ernakulam district, as well as several women members, including the petitioner, without assigning any valid or justifiable reason. Meanwhile, the police pointed out that an inquiry conducted pursuant to Simmy’s complaint did not reveal any serious instance of an existing threat. There were no verifiable records regarding the alleged attack on her son in Delhi. The police further stated that, during the inquiry, the petitioner had declined to disclose any specific details pertaining to the incident. The assault on one of her associates was on account of a family dispute. Hence, there was no necessity to provide special police protection to the petitioner in the absence of any material to establish the occurrence of the alleged incidents. Accordingly, the court observed that, in the absence of any material indicating a threat from the respondents, including Satheesan, and in light of the inquiry conducted by the police, granting police protection was not warranted.
Additionally, one of her colleagues had previously submitted several complaints before the authorities concerned seeking police protection.