KOCHI: Kerala High Court on Friday held that the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for the Wayanad by-election should not be a bar for the Union and state governments from continuing with the relief measures initiated in the landslide-hit areas in the district.

The court also directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure that the campaigning activity in Wayanad is carried out under green protocol, considering that the entire constituency is an ecologically sensitive area. It issued the order when a suo motu case initiated in the wake of the Wayanad landslide came up for hearing.

“We direct that the code of conduct which came into force in relation to the bypolls in Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, will not be a bar for the Union and state governments to proceed further with the relief measures in Wayanad,” said the court.