KOCHI: Kerala high court has observed that salary challenge conceived by the government to rebuild flood-battered Kerla has prima facie the character of compulsion.

The court has said that money cannot be forced out of anyone; it asked whether it was not enough to publish the list of only those who are willing to take up the salary challenge. “Why should you publish the list of non-participants?” the high court division bench asked on Wednesday.

The court said that when non-participants give their decision in writing, it will create a divide among employees. The remark came when it was considering the petition filed by Sangh, an NGO.

Meanwhile, Advocate General informed the court that the government was not forcing anyone to accept the salary challenge and it was just a request made by the chief minister. To this, the court replied that issuing the chief minister’s request as an order would be misinterpreted.