The Kerala High Court on Friday directed the Election Commission to decide within two months a plea filed against Bharatiya Janata Party’s B Gopalakrishnan for making allegedly communal remarks during his campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections, Live Law reported.

Assembly elections in the state will be held on April 9 and the results will be announced on May 4.

In a now-deleted video, Gopalakrishnan, the BJP’s candidate from Guruvayur, could be heard purportedly asking why the constituency, which is an “international pilgrimage centre” does not have a Hindu MLA, reported The News Minute.

“I have been called on by Guruvayurappan to rescue the land from this half-century-long imprisonment in the hands of temple looters and temple-opposers,” the news outlet quoted him as saying in the video.

Guruvayur houses a prominent temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Krishna.

On March 22, the Guruvayur Temple Police registered a case against Gopalakrishnan under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to provocation with intent to cause a riot, The Hindu reported. He was also booked under the Representation of the People Act section 125 for promoting enmity between groups during an election.

On Friday, Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas questioned the Election Commission about the impact of such remarks and directed it to act on the complaint “at any rate within two months”.

“Video has been removed, but what about the harm caused to the community, to the society and to the country,” Bar and Bench quoted Thomas as asking.

The court was hearing a plea filed by Gokul, a Kerala Students Union leader, who alleged that no action had been taken on his complaint regarding Gopalakrishnan’s communal remarks.

The Kerala Students Union is the Congress’s student wing in the state.

Gokul also argued that despite the FIR, the returning officer accepted Gopalakrishnan’s nomination papers instead of disqualifying him.

The High Court disposed of the plea after directing the petitioner to first approach the Election Commission, noting that the matter is pending before the chief election officer, Bar and Bench reported.

“Considering that the election process has already commenced, it is not appropriate for this Court to make any observations which may have a bearing on the proposed election,” the judge added.