A court in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday directed police to book senior CPM leader E.P. Jayarajan for manhandling two Youth Congress leaders when they raised slogans against Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on board a flight.

Thiruvananthapuram first-class judicial magistrate Leni Thomas ordered Valiyathura police station to also book the chief minister’s personal staff members Anil Kumar and Suneesh V.M. for manhandling the two Youth Congress leaders who were arrested soon after the incident on board an IndiGo flight on June 13.

On Monday, IndiGo banned Jayarajan for three weeks for allegedly assaulting the two Youth Congress workers who raised slogans against the chief minister. The airline barred the Youth Congress leaders for two weeks.

The court order was based on a petition filed by the two Youth Congress leaders from Kannur, who were purportedly protesting against Vijayan’s and his family’s names cropping up in a gold smuggling case.

Out on bail after spending 10 days in judicial custody, Farzeen Majeed and Naveen Kumar had moved the court alleging that Jayarajan and the two personal staff of the chief minister had assaulted them on board the aircraft.

On Tuesday, Vijayan had ruled out any legal action against Jayarajan.

Jayarajan played down the court order and said he did not see it as a setback. “It is wrong to interpret this as a setback. This is only part of the legal process since a petition has come up before the court. The court has every right to pass such an order,” he said, promising to cooperate with the investigation.