On Wednesday, Saji Cheriyan, a former minister of culture and an MLA for Chengannur, took his second oath of office as a minister in the Left Democratic Front-led administration.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and several Cabinet members were in the audience as Governor Arif Mohammed Khan began the oath.
The governor initially resisted, but eventually he caved down and allowed Saji Cheriyan to be sworn in. The United Democratic Front (UDF), which is led by Congress, boycotted the ceremony in the meantime.
After the Kerala High Court recently rejected two petitions seeking to strip Cheriyan of his ability to serve as a legislator due to the statement that was purportedly derogatory to the Indian Constitution, the CPM State Secretariat approved Cheriyan’s reappointment as a minister.
According to the petitions, Cheriyan’s acts disqualified him under Section 9 of the 1951 Representation of the People Act.
