After protests from various quarters, the Congress-led Kerala government Monday evening put on hold its order restricting the “literary, creative, academic and cultural activities” of government employees. CM Oommen Chandy has asked the state chief secretary to look into the issue.

As per the November 11 order, state government employees have to obtain prior permission and submit an affidavit stating that there is no profit motive behind their literary or cultural activity. The order said permission would be granted only after looking into the merit of each application.