Thiruvananthapuram | A legal notice has been sent by Congress-led UDF-backed MLA K K Rema to CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan and MLA Sachin Dev demanding an apology from them for allegedly defaming her in connection with the injury she suffered in a recent scuffle between opposition members and watch-and-ward staff in the assembly.
Rema, the sole MLA of the Revolutionary Marxist Party of India in the state assembly, has contended in the legal notices -- also sent to CPI(M) mouthpiece Deshabhimani -- that the two Left front leaders defamed her on social and mainstream media by claiming that the injury to her hand was fake, a source said.
The notice has said that if the two Left front leaders and the CPI(M) newspaper do not respond to the notices and also publicly apologise to her within 15 days of receiving it, she would file both civil and criminal defamation cases against them, the source said.
The civil defamation case would be for Rs 1 crore damages, the UDF MLA has said in her notice sent through advocate P Kumarankutty, the source said.
The Kerala Assembly complex witnessed unprecedented scenes on March 15 when a section of opposition UDF legislators who marched to the office of Speaker A N Shamseer, accusing him of being biased in the House, got into a scuffle with house marshals.
At least four opposition MLAs and seven watch-and-ward staff who were injured in the exchange had sought treatment at various hospitals here, sources had said.
The incident occurred after the opposition staged a walkout and marched to Shamseer's office, raising slogans and holding a banner in their hands saying, 'Speaker should show justice'.
It was triggered by the Speaker's denial of the opposition's notice for an adjournment motion in the House on women's security.
Later, Rema was seen with a plaster cast on her right hand that was allegedly termed as fake and ridiculed by Dev in a Facebook post.
Subsequently, CPI(M) state secretary Govindan took a stand before the media, which allegedly supported Dev's social media post.
