Kerala Congress apologises to Chief Justice Surya Kant over resignation post
The state party unit withdrew its call for India’s chief justice to resign and said it would examine how the message appeared on its official X account.
The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee has apologised to India’s Chief Justice Surya Kant over an October 12 post on the state party unit’s official X account calling for his resignation. KPCC president Sunny Joseph said the demand was inappropriate, withdrew the statement and pledged to examine how it was published, according to The Times of India and The New Indian Express.
The post addressed Surya Kant directly: ‘If law and order is not your domain, resign now. We will find your replacement who can handle it.’ The Times of India reported that it followed his remarks during a hearing concerning restrictions in Delhi amid protests over alleged irregularities in an electoral-roll revision. The post was deleted within hours, the newspaper reported.
What the KPCC said in its apology
Joseph apologised on behalf of the Kerala state unit in a reply to a legal notice received on October 21, The New Indian Express reported. He said the post did not represent the authorised position of the KPCC or the Indian National Congress. His reply reaffirmed the party’s respect for the Constitution, judicial independence and the office of the chief justice. Joseph made clear that his apology was on behalf of the state unit alone, according to The Times of India.
In the reply, Joseph identified Vijay Thottathil as the person who published the post and said he had done so without the leadership’s prior knowledge, approval or consultation, according to The New Indian Express. Joseph denied personally directing or endorsing it. The party said Thottathil had been removed from his position and asked to issue a separate public apology. Those accounts of responsibility and removal are the party’s assertions; it was not immediately clear whether the requested apology had been issued.
How the party says it will review the post
The KPCC acknowledged a need to review who could access its official account and how party communications were approved, The New Indian Express reported. Joseph’s reply said the involvement of an external professional agency in digital communications did not remove the party’s responsibility for oversight. He said the party would examine the post’s drafting, review and publication, along with account permissions, devices used and relevant internal correspondence.
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Sources and context
- Congress post on CJI: Keralam unit tenders unconditional apologyThe Times of India
- KPCC tenders unconditional apology to CJI Surya Kant over controversial X postThe New Indian Express (with inputs from ANI)
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.