National
Delhi HC dismisses 3rd plea seeking removal of Kejriwal from CM's post
New Delhi, April 10 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Wednesday came down heavily on former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Sandeep Kumar for seeking the removal of Arvind Kejriwal from the post of Chief Minister of Delhi, also noting the frivolity of his petition.
Referring it to a recurring film sequel, the court expressed displeasure at being embroiled in what he termed a “political thicket”. The court stressed the need to deter such repetitive litigation by imposing significant costs on Kumar.
“This is not a James Bond movie sequel,” the court said.
When the plea came up before Justice Subramonium Prasad on Monday, he had said that it was nothing but a “publicity interest petition”. The court’s remark had come after a division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan had refused to entertain a similar PIL last week. The petition, filed by Hindu Sena President Vishnu Gupta, claimed that the situation after CM Kejriwal’s recent arrest by the ED constitutes a breach of constitutional trust mandated by the Constitution.
Kumar’s plea marked the third unsuccessful similar petition, with the court imposing a hefty fine of Rs 50,000 on him.
On Wednesday, a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet P.S. Arora questioned the basis of Kumar’s plea and reminded his counsel of previous rulings rejecting similar petitions. Despite warnings from the bench, Kumar’s counsel persisted in arguing the case, prompting the court to assertively impose the fine.
Dismissing Kumar’s arguments and criticising him for attempting to politicise the proceedings, the court stressed its role as a judicial body and urged Kumar to refrain from turning the courtroom into a platform for political discourse.
Kumar defended his actions, stating that he approached the court in his individual capacity, not as part of a public interest litigation (PIL). However, the court remained resolute in its stance.
With the imposition of the Rs 50,000 fine, the court sent a clear message that such baseless petitions would not be tolerated, reaffirming its commitment to upholding the rule of law and judicial decorum.
Stating that CM Kejriwal is the ex-officio Vice Chairman of the State Disaster Management Authority under Section 14 (4) of the Disaster Management Act, who presides over the meeting of the state authority in the absence of its Chairman, Sandeep Kumar had submitted that the CM cannot discharge his duty on this count while in custody.
“A disaster may happen suddenly, at any time, and therefore the unavailability of the Chief Minister may result in paralysing disaster management in Delhi, which may affect the right to life of all the citizens under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
“It is submitted that the job under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 is an all-time job and no risk can be taken in this matter by leaving this to the fate of the Chief Minister, who is currently under judicial custody,” Kumar had said in his plea.
“The Chief Minister while lodged in jail has incurred an incapacity to carry out his constitutional obligations and functions under Articles 239AA (4), 167 (b) and (c) and proviso to sub-section (4) of Section 14 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and hence he can no longer function as the Chief Minister of Delhi,” the petition read.
The petitioner had also said that CM Kejriwal, while in jail, prevents the Lieutenant Governor from exercising his Constitutional obligations and functions under Article 167 (c) of the Constitution, which is identical to Section 45 (c) of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, and for this reason also, he cannot continue in office.
–IANS
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National
Kerala HC asks Railways to manage waste on tracks
Kochi, July 6 (IANS) The Kerala High Court has slammed Indian Railways for the waste found besides tracks and directed it to ensure proper disposal of garbage.
A Division Bench of the High Court made these observations while hearing the case that was registered by it suo motu after a fire broke out at Brahmapuram, near here and also dealing with the management of gypsum generated by Fertilizers & Chemicals Travancore Limited (FACT).
The court observed that Railways has a duty to prevent the disposal of waste on tracks.
It said that while the waste generated near the railway stations was managed, not much was being done to remove garbage from the side of the tracks.
The court said the main reason for this dumping was that train compartments do not have adequate garbage bins.
It further pointed out that the waste disposed on the tracks flows into water bodies causing damage to the environment.
The court, looking into the two cases, directed Indian Railways to file an affidavit detailing the steps taken to clear the plastic waste from tracks.
On the second issue, the court expressed whether the gypsum generated could be used in road construction and asked FACT and the National Highway Authority of India to explore the possibility.
The court posted the case for further hearing on July 26.
–IANS
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National
Bolpur tragedy: Two persons arrested, extra-marital affair emerges
Kolkata, July 6 (IANS) The police have arrested two persons, including a woman, in connection with the carnage at Bolpur in West Bengal’s Birbhum district which killed three members of the same family.
The woman who has been arrested in this connection is Smirti Bibi, who is the wife of Sheikh Ratan, the younger brother of Sheikh Tuta, 40, who was killed in the carnage.
Besides, Sheikh Tuta, his wife Rumpa Bibi, 30, and son Ayan Sheikh, 94, were also killed in the carnage.
Sheikh Safiqul, a quack residing in an adjacent village, with whom Smirti Bibi allegedly had an extra-marital affair, had also been arrested in connection with the incident.
Based on the complaint lodged by other members of the family, there were often quarrels in the family over an alleged extra-marital affair.
The family members as well as the neighbours of the family have informed the police that since Sheikh Tuta was vocal against this extra-marital affair, both Smirti Bibi and her paramour had developed a grudge over the deceased person.
On early Friday morning, the room where the three deceased individuals were sleeping was set on fire.
While Rumpa Bibi and Ayan Sheikh died on Friday only after they were brought to the hospital, Sheikh Tuta died early Saturday morning.
The local police have started an investigation into the matter.
Sources said that based on statements of different persons as well as some circumstantial evidence, the two persons were arrested on Saturday.
–IANS
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National
Rowdy elements should be afraid of the police, says K’taka CM
Bengaluru, June 6 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Saturday that rowdy elements should be afraid of the police, adding that it is a shame that some policemen do not even know that the e-beat system is in place.
“Why are you given guns? Why are rowdies not afraid of it,” Siddaramaiah questioned the state police while speaking after the inauguration of the 2024 Senior Police Officers Conference at the police headquarters here.
He also released a new software on the occasion.
“Who are the drug dealers? The respective station officials know who the rowdies and real estate agents are.” He asked why it was not stopping.
He congratulated Home Minister G. Parameshwara and the Karnataka Police for maintaining law and order without communal riots in the state in the last one year.
The CM gave a clear instruction that it is mandatory for every SP-DCP-IG to visit and inspect every station in their jurisdiction as per the police manual.
–IANS
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National
PM Modi congratulates Iran's new President Pezeshkian
New Delhi, July 6 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday congratulated Masoud Pezeshkian for his election as Iran’s new President.
“Looking forward to working closely with you to further strengthen our warm and long-standing bilateral relationship for the benefit of our people and the region,” PM Modi said in a post on X.
India-Iran partnership in various sectors, including connectivity, has expanded tremendously in recent times, especially during the tenure of Iran’s late President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi who passed away in a helicopter crash in May this year.
India had also observed a day’s state mourning as a mark of respect to the late Iranian President and other eight people, including the country’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who lost their lives in the tragic accident.
It was also under India’s presidency that Iran joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
Both countries have fast-tracked infrastructure cooperation, focusing especially on the Chabahar project and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) – the 7,200 km-long multimodal trade corridor linking Russia with India via the ports of Iran.
–IANS
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National
Another BRS MLA defects to Congress in Telangana
Hyderabad, July 6 (IANS) Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) received another jolt when its MLA joined the Congress on Saturday, just a day after six of its Members in the Legislative Council crossed over to the ruling party.
Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy, the MLA from Gadwal constituency, joined Congress in the presence of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy.
The Chief Minister welcomed the MLA into the party.
Krishna Mohan represents the Gadwal constituency in Revanth Reddy’s home district of Mahabubnagar.
Krishna Mohan is the seventh MLA to switch to the ruling party since BRS lost power in December 2023.
BRS’ strength in the 119-member Assembly has come down to 31. It also lost the Secunderabad Cantonment Assembly by-election to Congress.
The tally of Congress party has now gone up to 72.
The main opposition party has lost several senior leaders to Congress during the last seven months.
–IANS
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