Kerala High Court on Thursday served notice to the state government on a contempt plea filed by Adani Vizhinjam Port Pvt Ltd alleging “wilful disobedience” of an interim order to provide security for work to resume at the protest-hit seaport project site in Thiruvananthapuram.

In the contempt civil plea filed on September 12 under Section 12 of the Contempt of Courts Act, the Adani group company pointed out that it had repeatedly informed the state government about those opposed to the project blocking the way to the port, obstructing construction work. The petitioner alleged that work had remained in limbo despite a court order on September 1 directing the state government to provide adequate protection to help resume construction activities.

Among the respondents named in the contempt petition are the archbishop of the Latin Archdiocese of Trivandrum, Thomas J. Netto, auxiliary bishop Christudas Rajappan and vicar-general Eugine H. Pereira. Kerala chief secretary V.P. Joy; K. Gopalakrishnan, managing director of Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd that is a state government undertaking partnering the Adani firm; K. Biju, principal secretary of the department of ports; and director-general of police Anil Kant are among those named as respondents from the state government.

The Rs 7,525-crore seaport is being built in the public-private-partnership mode by the Kerala government and Adani Vizhinjam Port Pvt Ltd.

Work at the project site came to a halt on August 16 when hundreds of fisherfolk, led by clergy from the Latin Archdiocese of Trivandrum, began a sit-in on the road leading to the upcoming seaport. They have since then breached the gates of the under-construction port on a number of occasions, demanding that the project be cancelled.

In its order, the high court had directed the Kerala government to provide necessary police protection to the petitioners and facilitate work at the project site.

The fisherfolk and the church leaders said the protest would continue.

“We will stay put no matter what happens in the coming days and weeks as we have resolved not to yield until the government meets all of our demands,” Patrick Michael, president of the Latin Archdiocese of Trivandrum that is leading the protest by the fisherfolk, told The Telegraph on Thursday.

Michael said the protest had intensified with the Left government refusing to fulfil the most important demands. “Only yesterday we launched our Janabodana Yatra for coastal protection from Moolambilly (in Ernakulam). It will reach Vizhinjam on Sunday,” he said.

“Since talks with the government have not progressed beyond promises, we are determined to fight until we win,” Michael said.