Case registered against lawmaker for belittling IAS officer
Young officer took flak for her bid to stop unauthorised construction of shopping complex
Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Women’s Commission Monday registered a case against CPI(M) legislator S. Rajendran for his remarks against Devikulam Sub-Collector Renu Raj.
The Devikulam lawmaker had made the remark on February 8 after the young IAS officer tried to stop the unauthorised construction of a shopping complex in the tourist town of Munnar in Idukki district.
Commission sources said the case was registered on the basis of media reports about the Member of the Legislative Assembly’s purported remarks against the official.
Television channels had aired visuals showing the legislator making the disparaging comments to the effect that the sub-collector lacked brains and had no powers to intervene in the construction as building rules comes under the panchayat.
“She doesn’t have brains. She studied only to become a collector. Such people will have only so much brains. Should she not study the sketch, plans? A collector cannot intervene in a panchayat construction,” the MLA had reportedly said on Friday after revenue officials tried to stop the construction.
Raj, who was appointed as the Devikulam sub-collector in November last year, Sunday said a memo had been issued to the panchayat on February 6 to stop the illegal construction.
But the work was still going on.
The Kerala High Court had in a 2010 judgement said for any new construction in Munnar, a no-objection certificate (NOC) had to be obtained.
No NOC was obtained when the construction work of the four-storeyed shopping complex was taken up, she said.