2 former Kerala High Court judges, 16 others join BJP

Ernakulam: Two former Kerala High Court judges, PN Ravindran and V Chitambaresh, were among 18 people who joined the BJP on Sunday at Tripunithura in Ernakulam. They joined the party as the ‘Vijaya Yatra’ by BJP state president K Surendran reached the district. Chitambaresh, who was in Delhi, could not attend the function physically. Speaking to the media, he said that he was an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) worker while he was studying in Palakkad in Victoria College and had been a BJP supporter for a long time.

Along with the former judges, former DGP Venugopal Nair, Admiral BR Menon and former general manager of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Somachoodan, also joined the party on Sunday. Several other Maanila Congress leaders also joined. PN Ravindran and Chitambaresh were recently in news after they signed a letter addressed to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, extending support to the recently enacted ‘Love Jihad’ laws in the state.

In January, 224 retired bureaucrats, lawyers, former HC judges, ex-chief secretaries and DGPs, sent a letter to Yogi Adityanath extending their support to the controversial law. The move was initiated by Yogendra Narain, former UP Chief Secretary and Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha. Former judges V Chitambaresh, PN Ravindran, MR Hariharan Nair, K Balakrishnan Nair and AV Ramakrishna Pillai and a former Kerala Chief Secretary CV Ananda Bose were reported to be among the people who signed the letter.

But later, justices K Balakrishnan Nair and AV Ramakrishna Pillai denied signing the letter. Balakrishnan told the media that he hadn't received any request or letter to sign and he was not aware about it. Ranajrishnan said that he had received a message on WhatsApp but did not sign any letter. The letter was a reply to another letter written by 104 retired bureaucrats, demanding withdrawal of the new law.