New Delhi. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has apologized unconditionally for the controversial remarks made on social media regarding Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant. The party clarified that the post published on October 12 from its official X account was shared without the knowledge and permission of the leadership. The Congress termed the language of the comment inappropriate and said it does not represent the official policy or ideology of the party.
Kerala Congress president Sunny Joseph gave the apology in response to a legal notice by advocate Meenesh Dubey, joint secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association. He said the party respects the Constitution, the independence of the judiciary and the constitutional post of the Chief Justice.
What was in the controversial post?
On October 12, a post addressed to Chief Justice Surya Kant was shared from the official X account of Kerala Congress. It said that if law and order did not fall under his jurisdiction, he should resign and the party would find someone else to replace him.
This comment was made at a time when the protest by opposition parties against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi and the law and order situation related to it was being discussed. After the post surfaced, the controversy escalated and it was removed.
Claim of action against Vijay Thottathil
Sunny Joseph, in its reply, said that Vijay Thottathil, who was responsible for the controversial post, has been removed from the post. He has also been asked to apologize publicly. Joseph clarified that neither he nor the party leadership had given permission to demand the resignation of the Chief Justice or to bring in any other person in his place.
However, Thottathil has objected to being held solely responsible for the post. He called it part of the collective work of the team. In this way, differences have emerged even within the party on fixing responsibility for the post.
Party will review social media system
Kerala Congress acknowledged that there may be shortcomings in the process of monitoring its official digital communications and seeking approval before publishing posts. The party will now review who created the post, who vetted it, who had access to the official account and at what level permission was given to publish it.
The party has also said that electronic records, account access logs and internal communications related to this matter will be kept safe. At the same time, he reiterated that the dignity of the constitutional office of the judiciary must be maintained despite political disagreements.
Reply came after legal notice
Advocate Meenesh Dubey, joint secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association, had sent a legal notice to the Kerala Congress President regarding the controversial post. The notice sought clarification and a public apology regarding the post. In response to this, the party offered an unconditional apology and withdrew its support from the controversial language.
Now it has been made clear by the party that the system of social media operation and approval will be reviewed to prevent such incidents in future.