Case against Kerala Minister for allegedly abusing woman staff in 2016

A Kerala court on Tuesday ordered registration of a case against Public Works Department Minister G. Sudhakaran after hearing a plea from one of his former woman staff who accused him of "abusing" her. The First Class Judicial Magistrate Court asked the Minister to appear before it on March 29.

The complaint was filed by the husband of Usha Sally, who Sudhakaran had "abused" at a public function in February 2016, when he was an opposition MLA, the litigant said. According to Sally, Sudhakaran admonished Usha publicly by taking away a mike from her at a function in his constituency.

He also told her that her daughter's marriage was facilitated by him and he even helped them build their house. "My wife was crying and he continued abusing her," said Sally to the media outside the court.

Usha, a former staff member of Sudhakaran in 2006-11, was a member of the Communist Party of India-Marxist. Soon after the incident, the couple was ousted from the party as she approached the police against Sudhakaran. But no complaint was filed and it was then that they approached the court.

(With inputs from agencies.)