The Kerala High Court has slammed the state government for its inaction to prevent government employees from going on strike today and tomorrow as a part of the two days Bharat Bandh.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice S. Manikumar and Justice Shaji P. Chaly asked the state government about any steps it has taken to ensure that government offices function during the bandh.

The Bench also remarked that strict action should be taken against those government employees who are on strike and are not attending work.

The Court said that the government should have taken steps in advance to ensure that government servants attend work and government offices are functional.

The Court even asked the government if it trying to help those who are on strike.

The Kerala High Court, in January 2019, had passed an order that no hartal should be called in the state without giving a seven-day public notice of the intention to do so.

The Court had also directed the Registrar General of the Court to appoint a Claims Commissioner to estimate the damages and investigate the liability with the respect to the hartals in the state that were subject matter of the batch of Writ Petitions before the Court, including the hartal in relation to the Sabarimala protests.