The Kerala High Court has ruled that the creation of supernumerary posts and appointments for dependents of MLAs will stifle equality by denying qualified candidates a chance to work for the government. After hearing a challenge to the appointment of R. Prasanth, son of former Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA the late K.K. Ramachandran Nair, in government service, a division bench of Justices S. Manikumar and Shaji P.Chaly issued the order. According to the New Indian Express, the court has ordered the Kerala government to fire Prasanth, who was appointed to the supernumerary place of assistant engineer (electronics) in the public works department. According to The Hindu, in a petition seeking the issuance of a quo warrant
against the appointment, one M. Ashok Kumar contended that the appointment made on compassionate grounds was illegal because the MLA was not a government servant. The court stated that anyone seeking a government job must take tests and interviews, because Prasanth was appointed solely on the basis that he is the son of a deceased MLA. The act of putting Prasanth on a "higher pedestal" violates the law and disregards the rules put in place to prevent this from happening, according to the court. According to the Hindu, the court noted that the Kerala Cabinet decided to appoint Prasanth to a post that was going to be created for him even before he had submitted his application. The court also stated that guidelines designed to protect the families of government employees from financial hardship cannot be extended to relatives of MLAs.