Controversial woman's entry into Ker Assembly: 4 contract staff to face action

Kerala Assembly Speaker M B Rajesh on Friday said four contract employees would face action in connection with the entry of Anitha Pullayil, an Italy-based Keralite who had earlier courted controversy in connection with the antique fraud case, into the House complex when the Loka Kerala Sabha was held there last week without any proper entry pass.

As her entry into the high security Assembly complex had triggered a huge political row, a probe was ordered and contract staff of the private agency, which provides technical support to the House channel 'Sabha TV', were found guilty in the incident.

Rajesh said the action was taken based on an investigation report filed by the Chief Marshal of the Legislative Assembly.

The four contract employees-Faseela, Vipuraj, Praveen and Vishnu-, who had been found violating the security criteria of the Assembly, would be removed from service at the House, he said.

''The woman entered the Assembly complex along with one of the contract employees. She sat at the Sabha TV room along with these staff but never entered the hall where the Loka Kerala Sabha was going on,'' the Speaker told a press meet.

Those who were responsible for helping a person, who did not have an entry pass, to get inside the Assembly complex would be removed from the service of Sabha TV, he said. The probe was conducted to find out how Pullayil, who was said to just have an entry pass into the open forum session, managed to enter the Assembly complex, he added.

Rajesh also made it clear that no employee of the Legislative Assembly had any role in bringing or facilitating her entry into the campus and no lapse was found on their side in this regard.

Asked whether a case would be registered against Pullayil, he replied in the negative and said for what such a case should be registered.

He also said security arrangements and inspections would be further strengthened at the Assembly complex in the wake of the present incident. The entry of Anitha Pullayil, who was already in the news with regard to her close connections with fake antique dealer Monson Mavunkal, into the Assembly complex had triggered a political row as the opposition Congress-UDF attacked the ruling front alleging it was a huge security lapse.