KOCHI: CPM state secretariat member MV Jayarajan, who was sentenced to four-week imprisonment for contempt of court for calling high court judges idiots (‘shumbanmaar’), surrendered before the high court to serve his sentence. The timing of his surrender might enable him to attend CPM’s state conference beginning on February 21st.
At around 11.30am on Monday, Jayarajan surrendered before the judicial registrar of the high court and was handed over to central police to be taken to the central prison at Poojappura in the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram, where he would be lodged during his prison term.
Addressing media representatives at the gate of the high court when he came to surrender, Jayarajan said he is going to jail as part of his efforts to protect the civil liberties of the citizens and not for any corruption or theft.
After taking suo motu case against Jayarajan after he ridiculed a high court bench that banned roadside meetings, the high court had on November 9, 2011 sentenced him to undergo simple imprisonment for six months, which is the highest punishment for contempt of court.
Considering Jayarajan’s appeal, the Supreme Court on January 30th upheld the high court’s decision to punish the leader for contempt of court but reduced the jail term to four weeks. Jayarajan had declined to offer an apology at the apex court, even though the court did extend such an option.
As Jayarajan had already served some part of the sentence when he was punished by the high court in November 2011, he would have to serve only the remaining days now. The days remaining for him to be served is 19, according to sources at the high court. If it is 19 days, Jayarajan might get a chance to come back to public life by straightaway attending the state conference of CPM that is scheduled to begin on February 21st at Alappuzha. If so, Jayarajan would surely be getting a ‘heroic’ welcome at the state conference!
TOI | Feb 2, 2015
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