Kerala Court Clears Government Communication Amid Election Concerns

The Kerala High Court dismissed a plea challenging WhatsApp messages from the CMO to officials about grants. The court ruled these messages are valid governmental communications, not an election campaign or breach of privacy. Allegations of improper data use were also rejected.

The Kerala High Court, on Tuesday, dismissed a plea seeking to restrain messages sent by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) to officials regarding grants of Dearness Allowance (DA) and house building allowance (HBA). The court ruled that such communications are valid and cannot be considered a political campaign, even with impending elections.

Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas stated that the messages relate to government employees' salaries and benefits and are thus a measure of good governance in a social welfare state. The judgment was a relief for the state government, as it emphasized that these messages served no illegitimate purpose.

The plea, filed by Dr. Rasheed Ahammed and Anil Kumar K M, was dismissed on grounds that there was no evidence of improper data access. The state government maintained that these messages were simply factual administrative updates, not infringing on privacy rights.

(With inputs from agencies.)