A special court on the other day sentenced 16 persons including Tamil Nadu Youth and Sports Minister P Balakrishna Reddy to three years in jail for burning transport buses and police vehicle two decades ago as part of a general strike.

Though the verdict was suspended for 15 days so as to provide option to go for appeal, Reddy instantaneously resigned as the minister. Though there was about hundred accused in the case, when the trial began, the number dwindled to 86.

Among them, 16 persons including the minister were punished based on evidence. This was made possible only because a special court came into existence for the trial of people’s representatives.

This is also the first case in which such a special court is awarding a penalty. It all started with Balakrishna Reddy and some villagers holding protest in front of the police station against the apathy shown by the police to crush the spurious liquor units in Bagaloor village of Hosoor in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu. The protest later turned into arson. Though cases were filed against Reddy and others, legal procedure against them were at slow pace.

The case got a fresh lease of life after a special court was formed and the minister got prosecuted. The day when the verdict that would spoil the public life of Tamil Nadu minister came, Kerala cabinet came up with a significant step for making law against hartal attackers.

The new law is the one for punishing those who destroy private property during hartals and protests. The decision is to bring Ordinance for this and implement the law.

The cabinet meeting had the other day approved the Ordinance. Once the governor signs the Ordinance, it will become a law. According to the new law, those who destroy public property will be punished with five-year imprisonment. Besides this, the culprits will also be fined.

Harder punishment will be given to arsonists who use explosives or fire for attacks. For hartals that started from January 3, many private properties, KSRTC buses and business establishments were attacked.

The police have taken thousands of cases. The new law will help the government rein in the protestors to some extent. Those private individuals who face losses, can get compensation through the court.

To control arson, just the making of laws will not suffice. The biggest challenge faced by society is organised breach of law. Despite complaints against hartals and blockades, it has been going on uninterrupted.

The high court also came up with another order the other day, asking hartal organisers to give seven day’s prior notice. The petitions submitted by people efed up of hartals are under the consideration of the court.

Earlier, when the same court came up with ban on bandh, the hartal took birth with all the vigour and intensity of the bandh. The other day the chief minister said that the government had no plan to bring law against hartal as it is considered to be populist protest.

He also mentioned that frequent hartal was a public nuisance and it could not be accepted. The ongoing two-day hartal will end only on Wednesday. Though the strike callers had said that there won’t be any forced closure of shops and blocking of vehicles, only a few bunk shops were open. Though they said vehicles will not be blocked, train picketing was there.

Interestingly, Kerala is the only state where life stood virtually still on Tuesday. Reddy had become a leader and went to agitate in front of the police station as the leader of people who agitated. This he did when he was not a minister. No one ever believed that the case would take such a turn. This is a tough warning for those who ran amok in the streets during hartals and destroy public and private properties.

The law is relevant as the tendency to destroy public properties in the name of hartal is on the rise.