Plea seeks V A Zakir Husain's removal from post

KOCHI: V A Zakir Husain, who is accused of abducting and threatening a businessman while he was CPM's Kalamassery area committee secretary, should be removed from the post of Ernakulam district sports council president, it is demanded in a petition filed before the high court.
A person with a criminal background cannot be allowed to continue to hold the post of sports council president and he should be ordered to be removed, the petition filed by K Ajayakumar of Kalamassery said.
According to police, a gang that included the CPM leader had received a 'quotation' from a businesswoman named Sheela Thomas against a businessman with whom she had a joint venture earlier. The alleged abduction and threatening of the businessman was to make him withdraw a civil case he filed against Sheela and also to force him to cancel a memorandum of understanding he signed with the woman as part of the joint venture. While the high court was considering Husain's anticipatory bail plea, police had informed that he was involved in 15 criminal cases of which 10 are still pending.
Though Husain was removed from the post of area committee secretary after the case made news, he still holds the post of sports council district president. In the present petition, it is alleged that allowing Husain to continue in the post is against the aim and intent of Kerala Sports Act, 2000. tnn