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Vote, canvass for strong govt in Delhi, Modi tells youth
Modi anti-farmer, Cong schemes pro-poor: Rahul
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Modi under fire for resisting skull caps
In holy city, it’s Capt charisma vs Modi wave
Art 370 part of BJP agenda, not NDA’s: Gadkari
EC biased against SP: Mulayam
No vacancy for Priyanka to lead party: Congress
Modi banks on ex-Congress heavyweights in Gujarat
Defamation suit
Don't politicise armed forces: Cong to BJP
Won’t back Third Front, will search new allies: Cong
Reddy not to contest polls
FIR against AAP’s Vishwas
No PIL over public trusts, religious bodies: SC
Temple wealth: Amicus curiae finds serious lapses
Jama Masjid attack: Police chargesheet Bhatkal, aide
Two years on, 255 officers await IPS exam result
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Vote, canvass for strong govt in Delhi, Modi tells youth
Guwahati, April 19 He addressed rallies at Bongaigaon, Mangaldoi and Nagaon in Assam's poll-bound constituencies of Barpeta, Mangaldoi and Nagaon. "One's youth is the golden period of one's life as all important decisions regarding education, profession and personal life are taken at this age. So, pull up your socks and not only vote but also canvass for a strong government in New Delhi." Modi asked people to vote against the party of "maa-beta" (Sonia-Rahul) and "baap-beta" (Tarun Gogoi-Gourav Gogoi). He said the Congress had been left with no other option but stooping to a level of telling lies to cover up the "utter failure" of its government in the past 10 years. He accused the Congress of betraying the trust of people and failing to respect the principles of democracy by turning a blind eye to their plight. "You (the people) have given 10 years to 'ma-beta' in Delhi and nearly 15 years to 'baap-beta' in Assam. But they have failed to solve your problems. It is time to show them their place and vote them out of power," Modi said. Referring to a massive turn out in all his rallies, Modi said: "You have given us your love and we will return it with 100 per cent development for all sections." ‘Country can't be run by a remote control’
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Modi anti-farmer, Cong schemes pro-poor: Rahul
Guwahati, April 19 Addressing a rally in Nagaon town of Assam, Rahul alleged that
Modi, in the capacity of the Gujarat Chief Minister, had compromised the interests of farmers to favour big industry
houses. "Modi says he will bring development, but his development is meant only for big industrialists," he said, adding: "You may not know here that Modi gave away farmers' land at throwaway prices to industrialist Adani in Gujarat. The Congress can never do such a thing that will compromise the welfare of our farmers." On Modi's vote appeal of appointing him as the
"chowkidar" (watchman) of the nation's wealth, the Congress leader said: "When we retain power, we will appoint him as a
chowkidar. But whether he is capable of performing up to the mark will be decided later." He also alleged that women were not given prominence in Modi's election campaign and that Modi's promise for women empowerment was hogwash. Rahul said there was a need to develop industries in all corners of the country and the Congress had drawn a plan to replace "Made in China" products with those made locally. "We see China-made clothes here. We want to replace the tag with 'Made in Assam' and 'Made in
Nagaon'," he said, referring to the level of industrialisation the party was mooting for the country.
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Modi under fire for resisting skull caps
New Delhi, April 19 Days after Modi, in his last interview, justified the refusal to sport a skull cap saying he didn’t want to promote a symbol of Muslim appeasement, Congress strategists are asking the BJP stalwart some really tough questions. “Why is it that Narendra Modi can wear any headgear but this one? What is this unmistakable signal he is sending? He is telling his hardcore Hindutva followers that he is the same old man who hates the Muslims and makes no bones about displaying his hatred,” MoS Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor, also spokesperson of the Congress, said today. The Congress leaders pointed out a pattern in Modi’s public conduct on insofar as sporting head gears in political rallies goes. It is public knowledge that the BJP leader has worn a range of headgears - some even outlandish ones - but made an issue of wearing a skull cap. In Rajasthan Modi has worn safas; in Punjab he sported a turban; in the northeast he wore an odd looking Naga head gear with an endangered dead bird on it. A senior Muslim scholar who did not wish to be quoted explained: “The practice of wearing headgears and attires of different communities was started by Jahawarlal Nehru to give the message that he, as PM, values all cultures and communities and was a protector of all traditions. Even former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee used to wear skull caps routinely at “Iftaar” parties to convey his respect for the community. When Modi accepts all other cultural symbols except the one associated with the Muslims, he conveys his exclusivist brand of politics. He tells the Muslims he would accept everyone but them.” The Congress also argues along similar lines saying Modi makes a conscious gesture of not wearing a skull cap. “This represents his anti-Muslim ideology which we are fighting to expose in these elections. Modi is giving a signal that he won’t cater to the Muslims. It is an unmistakable signal his bigot followers are getting,” Tharoor said. Senior party leaders add that Modi’s “anti-Muslim bias” is evident in his manner as well as speech. They ask why the BJP leader calls Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi a “shehzaada” and not a “rajkumar”? “Why does Modi use the word “sultanat” to describe Congress rule? Why does he prefix “Mian” when addressing Muslims? It is deliberate and is intended for negative effect,” Tharoor said adding that Modi has never missed an opportunity to signal his bias against the
Muslims.
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In holy city, it’s Capt charisma vs Modi wave
Amritsar, April 19 It’s 9.30 at night, and the city, known for its unique night life, seems to have shed its weariness of a long day, and people are now out to enjoy the street delicacies that the city is famous for. Be it the Bharawan Da Dhaba, Crystal Chowk rehri market or the Lawrence Road - the talk amongst city residents is largely political. “Pher Aj Captain ne ki byan ditta te usdi rally vich kinna kath si (what statement did Captain Amarinder give today and how many people were there in his rally). Sunnaya aye, Aj Modi ne kiha ki uh lokan nu wandan wali politics nahi khed riha (Modi gave a statement today that he does not believe in divisive politics) - statements like these can be heard at all the famous night spots here. Strangely, most locals do not know much about Arun Jaitley. But they do know that the BJP did not give ticket to Navjot Singh Sidhu, who represented the holy city for three consecutive terms at the instance of local BJP and SAD leaders. Ironically, the “outsider” tag on Jaitley has stuck on in people’s minds, even though Capt Amarinder too does not hail from Amritsar. This aside, what strongly goes in Jaitley’s favour is a visibly apparent Modi wave, especially in the largely middle class electorate. At the same time, the resistance of the common man here to the sharp polarisation in votes that Modi’s pro-Hindutva stand could bring in, may not augur well for Jaitley. Priya Sharma and her sister-in-law Anu Sharma, who are enjoying their dinner at Crystal Chowk rehri market, say they have heard about the sharp divide between the Hindus and Sikhs in the city during the 70s and 80s. “We had heard about all unsavoury incidents from our parents. Those incidents still haunt them and by again raking up Hindutva and Sikh agendas, we don’t want to spoil the secularism in this city. And our elder generation wants a closure to the operation Bluestar. It’s sad that politicians don’t realise this and are unnecessarily trying to polarise votes here,” they say. Gurdeep Singh (name changed), sitting in his car with a Carlsberg beer bottle in one hand and savouring the pav-bhaaji (this can happen only in Amritsar!) with his wife at Lawrence Road, is in a discussion over the need for a strong Central government. “For our country to become a world power, we must have a strong leader at the Centre and good all-round development,” he tells his wife, Puja, as they get into an animated discussion on politics of today. We approach the couple and ask them which way the wind is blowing. “We know that Capt Amarinder is contesting on the Congress ticket and a Delhi wallah vakil is seeking votes from the BJP. But people here see the battle between Capt and Modi,” he says. While the Modi wave goes in favour of Arun Jaitley here, Capt Amarinder’s Punjab-da-puttar image gets him approval from a large section of people, especially in the rural areas. “I don't know who will win. But Captain is a Punjabi and we can relate to him,” says Manoj Kumar, an assistant manager at the Bharawan Da Dhaba, when asked who stands a better chance to win the Amritsar battle. Also, the palpable anger against an Akali and a BJP minister from this constituency, could translate into votes for the Congress candidate. While the middle class does consider having a strong leader to take over the reins of the country, many people in this constituency are angry at the high handedness of local Akali and BJP leaders. Lakhwinder Singh, a rickshaw puller, who hails from Waraich Pandori village near here, and runs his rickshaw in the Town Hall area, says locals like him in the city are very unhappy with the introduction of the city bus service as it has affected the livelihood of thousands of rickshaw pullers and auto rickshaw drivers like him. “In my village, many people have been framed in false cases at the instance of local Akali and BJP leaders. People are unhappy at these leaders calling the shots and could actually show their anger in the election,” he says. Whosoever wins at the hustings, for now each Ambarsari is certainly enjoying the attention that the holy city is getting because of the high-flying contestants here. For them, if not more, at least it’s a point of daily debate till April 30, even as their lives go on at its normal leisurely pace. Cong defends Capt’s remarks on Tytler New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday defended its Amritsar Lok Sabha candidate Capt Amarinder Singh’s statement that anti-Sikh riots accused Jagdish Tytler had no legal action pending against him. “What Captain said reflects the fact that there is no legal action of formality against Jagdish Tytler in the matter,” Shashi
Tharoor, I don’t know who will win. BJP candidate Arun Jaitley is an outsider, but Captain Amarinder Singh is a Punjabi and we can relate to him. He is well versed with the problems prevailing here whereas Jaitley has yet to know the city well. Manoj Kumar, Asst manager, Bharawan da dhaba
Lakhwinder Singh, Rickshaw puller
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Art 370 part of BJP agenda, not NDA’s: Gadkari
Patna, April 19 "Article 370 has been on our agenda and the BJP will take a decision on it when it comes to power in full strength on its own," he said. Inclusion of Article 370, which provides special status to Jammu and Kashmir, Ram temple at Ayodhya and Uniform Civil Code, in the BJP poll manifesto has triggered widespread criticism from rival parties. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and other JD(U) leaders were up on their feet as soon as the BJP manifesto with focus on these controversial issues was released. Hitting at his old ally, Kumar had said that it justified his party's walking out of the alliance with the BJP. The Congress, RJD, SP and other parties took up the issue of intensifying their criticism of BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi. Gadkari said: "The Congress, Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar are poisoning society by continuously talking about casteism and communalism. These are multi-communal parties out to destroy the nation." Elaborating the meaning of "multi-communal", Gadkari said the term denoted "last degree of communalism" applied to something which was "100 per cent communal". Alleging that the "Kashmir problem" was created by the Congress, he said: "The Kashmir problem can only be solved when Modi becomes the PM. Our mission is to eradicate poverty and bring policies to create employment there.”
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EC biased against SP: Mulayam
Auraiya, April 19 "BJP UP in charge Amit Shah was permitted to campaign but the ban on state Cabinet Minister Azam Khan continues, which is a clear sign of discrimination," he said during a rally here. He said there was a straight fight between the SP and the BJP in UP. The EC had ordered the UP government to ban Shah and Khan from campaigning in the state following their controversial remarks on April 11. EC refuses to respond
to Khan’s allegations
HYDERABAD: The EC on Saturday refused to be drawn into a controversy over allegations levelled by the SP that the poll watchdog was "biased" towards the BJP. "The Commission doesn't get into individual allegations. We can't get into a public debate. We don't get drawn into such controversy," Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath said. On Azam Khan's threat to move the Supreme Court against the EC order banning him from campaigning, the CEC noted that the Commission would not get into individual allegations.
— PTI
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Sonia targets BJP over corruption
Lucknow, April 19 Mentioning the Right to Information as a major tool given by the Congress-led UPA government to fight corruption, the Congress president questioned the BJP on its action against those involved in corruption in the states under their rule. Arriving three hours behind schedule due to bad weather, Gandhi did not mince words in attacking the BJP for spreading falsehood about the Congress not doing anything since Independence. “The country has seen a good network of roads, big dams, irrigation canals, railways, technical education institutions, green and white revolution, IT revolution, nuclear power. Did all this fall from the sky?” she retorted. She also mentioned the UPA’s flagship programmes such as Right to Education, MGNREGA, Food Security and Land Rehabilitation and Resettlement which had brought fundamental change in the country. She reiterated that the Lok Saba election was not only a fight over the model of development for the country but a far graver battle between two ideologies. “The BJP ideology wants to divide the country in the name of religion, caste and creed, our party’s objective is to unite the country for progress,” she said. Complimenting Rahul Gandhi, she said he had worked hard for Amethi’s development and shouldered the responsibility with dedication. The Congress president acknowledged the "affection" shown by the people of the Amethi towards her children Rahul and Priyanka. Amethi is facing a triangular contest with Congress, AAP’s Kumar Vishwas and BJP’s Smriti Irani in the fray.
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No vacancy for Priyanka to lead party: Congress
New Delhi, April 19 Responding to queries about why Priyanka Gandhi, Sonia’s daughter, was not generously used for campaign in the ongoing elections, Congress national spokesperson Shashi Tharoor said: “There is a party president and vice-president. Sonia Gandhi as the party chief chairs the campaign committee and Rahul Gandhi co-chairs it. There are no vacancies at the moment.” Tharoor said Priyanka had on her own decided to campaign only in the constituencies of her mother and brother - Rae Bareilly and Amethi respectively - and could tomorrow decide to expand her role. “She would win from anywhere in UP if she wanted to contest. It is her choice and we need to respect that. Her campaign has had a positive effect,” Tharoor added.
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Modi banks on ex-Congress heavyweights in Gujarat
In 11 of the 26 LS segments of Gujarat, the BJP has fielded former Congress leaders, who joined the BJP at different points in time-most recently a month ago. In other words, the BJP is relying on Congress turncoats for victory in 42.31 per cent parliamentary segments in Gujarat. Leading the pack is Vittal Radadiya, the infamous former Congress MP from Porbandar who totted a gun at a poll booth last year. Radadiya quit the Congress for the BJP in 2013 and is now its LS nominee from Porbandar. In Kutch segment, former NSUI and Youth Congress leader from Gujarat Vinodbhai Chavda is the BJP pick for these elections. He quit the Congress in 2010. In Jamnagar segment, the saffron brigade has played a strategic game by fielding former Gujarat Mahila Congress leader Poonam Madam opposite her uncle and sitting Congress MP Vikram Madam. Poonam was the general secretary of the Gujarat Mahila Congress earlier. She left the Congress in 2012 to contest Assembly elections on the BJP ticket and is now a sitting BJP legislator from Khambhalai. In Sundernagar, Modi has put former Congress MLA Devji Fatehpara as his party candidate. Fatehpara lost the Assembly elections on the Congress ticket in 2012 and switched sides four months ago. Former leader of Gujarat Congress’ frontal organisation Sewa Dal-veteran Liladhar Vaghela is another original Congress man now contesting on the BJP ticket from the Patan constituency. In the Godhra segment, also called Panchmahal, the focal point of 2002 anti-Muslim Gujarat riots, the BJP candidate is Prabhatsinh Chauhan, the sitting MP, and a former Congress man. Another interesting case is that of Ramsinnh Rathava, a senior tribal leader. Defending his Chotta Udepur tribal segment on the BJP ticket, Rathva was a Rajya Sabha MP from the Congress between 1985 and 1997. He won the LS elections on the BJP ticket in 2009. The BJP has fielded former Congress MLA Prabhu Vasava against Congress’ Tushar Choudhry in Bardoli. KC Solanki, the saffron nominee from Ahmadabad West is also a former Congress leader who switched loyalties years ago and was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2009 on the BJP ticket. The other two Congress turncoats the BJP has fielded in these LS elections are KC Patel from Valsad and Debu Sinh Chauhan from Kheda. Chauhan, current Kheda MLA, was formerly general secretary of the Gujarat Congress. Speaking to the Tribune about the trend, Himanshu Vyas, Gujarat Congress spokesperson said, “Modi wants Congress-free India, but is depending on our own former leaders to secure poll victory. A man who swears by a Congress-mukt Bharat is himself Congress-yukt
(Congress-ridden).”
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Appear on May 24 or face action, court tells Kejriwal
Metropolitan Magistrate (MM) Sunil Kumar Sharma told advocate Rahul Mehra, who appeared for Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Prashat Bhushan and Shazia Ilmi, that he should ensure that the accused appear before him on the next date of hearing. "Ensure that everybody is present on the next date (of hearing) otherwise I will initiate coercive process," the court told Mehra and fixed the matter for hearing on May 24. The court also imposed a cost of Rs 2,500 each on Sisodia, Bhushan and Ilmi while allowing their plea seeking exemption from personal appearance for today. It, however, allowed the exemption application of Kejriwal for today and did not impose any cost on him on the ground that he himself is contesting the Lok Sabha poll. All the four accused did not appear before the court today on the ground that they were busy in campaigning for the Lok Sabha election. The court, on March 15, had imposed a cost of Rs 2,500 each on Kejriwal and Sisodia for their failure to appear before it. It had imposed the cost on Kejriwal and Sisodia while accepting their pleas seeking exemption from personal appearance for the day only. The court had also released Bhushan and Ilmi, who had appeared before it on March 15, on an undertaking that they would appear before it on each and every date of hearing. The court had on July 24 last year summoned Kejriwal, Sisodia, Bhushan and Ilmi on the criminal defamation complaint filed by Amit in which he had alleged that the AAP leaders had said that he had taken advantage of his father's position to represent a telecom company in court cases. — PTI
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Jaya targets Dayanidhi Maran over 2G scam
Chennai, April 19 Addressing an election rally in Central Chennai from where Dayanidhi Maran is seeking a third successive term in Lok Sabha, she also referred to allegations that Maran as Telecom Minister got over 300 BSNL telephone lines installed in a house which were used for his company-run TV channel. "Do you know what Maran, Telecom Minister then, said in a Cabinet meeting convened to discuss 2G spectrum pricing after the Congress-led coalition first formed government? He said spectrum pricing was related to Telecom Department and that Finance Ministry should not interfere in it. This is the basis for the Himalayan 2G spectrum allocation scam," she said. Another DMK leader and former Telecom Minister, A Raja, is the prime accused in the scam. Referring to the Aircel-Maxis deal, she accused Maran of 'deliberately delaying' issuing of licence to Aircel for seven circles and that he "made (Aircel) sell its shares to Maxis of Malaysia, thus ensuring crores of rupees of profit for a DTH company run by his brother Kalanidhi," she said. Referring to the telephone exchange charge, she said Maran, grand nephew of DMK President M Karunanidhi, was running a 'private telephone exchange.' "When Dayanidhi Maran was Telecom Minister, 323 BSNL telephone lines were given to his Chennai residence. That is, a private telephone exchange itself was functioning at his home," she said adding these were provided to benefit the TV channel run by the Maran brothers. Despite CBI writing to Telecom Department in 2007, there was no action for 44 months and a probe was initiated only on the directions of the Supreme Court, she said.
— PTI
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Modi to file papers in Varanasi on April 24
Lucknow, April 19
People want to see a BJP-led under NDA under the leadership of Narendra Modi,” he said
Addressing mediapersons a day after the Election Commission lifted the ban on him, Shah said BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Modi would file his nomination papers in Varanasi on April 24. Shah ruled out a deliberate delay in filing of papers apparently for an auspicious date. The filing of nomination papers ends on April 24. “Chook ho gai. No ball padh jati hai” (Mistakes are made. At times one throws a no ball,” said Shah while describing his encounter with the EC. Responding to a question about his serving an apology to the EC, Shah said when he was asked if he would violate the model code of conduct he gave the obvious answer which was “no”. He said the EC was not anti-Muslim as was being made out. “It is for the top authority to interpret the speeches and we should respect its verdict” he said. Shah also charged the Varanasi Congress candidate Ajai Rai with reportedly being implicated in an arms racket involving buying of AK-47 rifles. “But the Congress is
not reacting and its bosses Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are also silent,” said Shah while ridiculing the Congress for finding such a candidate despite tall claims of fielding candidates with clean images.
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Don't politicise armed forces: Cong to BJP
New Delhi, April 19 "Now that Gen Singh is no longer in the government, he has no moral right to issue an advice on the appointment of a new Service Chief. It is well-known that Gen Singh is trying to push the case of Gen Ashok Singh who is related to him. The appointment is a (security) sensitive matter and should not be politicised," said Capt Praveen Dawar of the AICC ex-servicemen cell. The Congress also reacted sharply to the BJP's suggestion to postpone the decision on appointment of the next Army Chief till the elections are over, saying the opposition party should not politicise the armed forces. "Do not politicise the armed forces. They have kept themselves out of politics.... It is one of the great strengths of Indian democracy. It is a professional decision where the BJP has no role. As far as I know, there is no procedure to consult the Opposition party before taking a decision," party spokesman Shashi Tharoor said. His remarks came a day after the BJP sounded a word of caution to the government, saying the appointment should not be made in a hurry following reports that the Defence Ministry has initiated the process of making Vice Army Chief Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag as next Army Chief. The BJP has asked government to avoid taking decision on the matter till elections are over. (With PTI inputs)
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Won’t back Third Front, will search new allies: Cong New Delhi, April 19 A senior party leader, who declined to be identified, insisted that the party has become wiser by the experiments of 1990-91 and 1996 during which it gave support from outside to the governments led by Chandra Shekhar, HD Deve Gowda and IK Gujral. Noting that those were "not exactly happy" experiences, the leader said if the situation arises the Congress would have only a UPA-III government and the question of giving outside support to a minority government does not arise. — PTI
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Reddy not to contest polls
Hyderabad, April 19 Kiran's decision of not fighting the election comes as a surprise to the two-month-old party that was established on the united AP platform. Barring Kiran and a couple of expelled Congress MPs, the JSP has no other notable faces as some of his erstwhile Cabinet colleagues, who were supposed to join the party, deserted him.
— PTI
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FIR against AAP’s Vishwas
Amethi, April 19 The FIR was lodged yesterday at Gauriganj police station against Vishwas and others by the administration under section 188 of the CrPC (for violating the prohibitory orders), 353 of the IPC (disturbance in official duty) and violation of the model code of conduct. The AAP candidate earlier moved an application at Gauriganj police station to book Priyanka, Rahul, and some Congress workers alleging they were conspiring to kill him.
— PTI
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No PIL over public trusts, religious bodies: SC
New Delhi, April 19 A three-member Bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam delivered the verdict while rejecting a plea for a judicial declaration that Rajasthan’s Galta Peeth, its temples and possessions were public properties and as such should be taken over by the state and administered through a government-appointed managing committee in public interest. Pointing out that there were specific laws to deal with the functioning of public trusts and religious bodies and adjudication of disputes over their properties and management, the apex court said “it is not proper” for the judiciary to entertain PILs in such matters and pass orders. The judiciary should be watchful against its misuse by “rival groups” within such institutions “in the guise of PILs,” cautioned the Bench, which included Justices Ranjan Gogoi and NV Ramana, who authored the verdict for the court. The PIL concept was evolved only to provide justice to poor and downtrodden people who were unable to approach the judiciary due to ignorance, indigence, illiteracy and other reasons, the apex court explained. However, the Bench said it was coming across several cases where the PIL provision was being “exploited for the benefit of certain individuals. The Courts have to be very cautious and careful while entertaining PILs. The judiciary should deal with the misuse of PIL with an iron hand. “If the PIL is permitted to be misused the very purpose for which it is conceived will be defeated. The Courts should discourage the unjustified litigants at the initial stage itself and the person who misuses the forum should be made accountable for it. “Even while dealing with genuine PIL cases, the judiciary should look for effective ways for protecting the larger public interest. If other mechanisms had been created through specific statute to provide relief to those whose rights were affected, the parties should be relegated to the appropriate forum,” instead of entertaining the PIL, the SC explained in its April 17 verdict. In the case of Galta Peeth, the petitioner, Jaipur Shahar Hindu Vikas Samiti, had come to the apex court following the rejection of its PIL by the Rajasthan High Court. Property, management disputes
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Temple wealth: Amicus curiae finds serious lapses
Thiruvnanthapuram, April 19 The report, submitted by amicus curiae Gopal Subramaniam on
Firday, also wanted the court to restrain the head of the Travancore Royal family from interfering in the day-to-day affairs of the temple as its trustees. It urged the apex court to order audit of the treasures by a competent team, preferrably led by former Comptroller and Auditor General
(CAG) Vinod Rai. Casting a shadow on the trustees, the report said though they had opposed opening one of the vaults identified as
“Kallara-B”, there had been eyewitness accounts of it being opened some years
ago. Subramaniam, who drew up the comprehensive report staying in the Kerala capital for several days, cited several instances of “mismanagement” and even the possibility of organised extraction by highly placed persons. The temple, which is the family shrine of the Travancore royal house that ruled south Kerala for centuries, hogged worldwide media glare in 2011 after a court-ordered inventory confirmed its underground vaults contained huge treasures.
— PTI SC urged to order audit
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Jama Masjid attack: Police chargesheet Bhatkal, aide
The Special Cell of Delhi Police filed its final report before Additional Sessions Judge Daya Prakash against the two top IM men under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 307 (attempt to murder), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and under the provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Arms Act. The police claimed in the charge sheet that Bhatkal was instructed by Pakistan-based handlers to carry out terror attacks just before the beginning of the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi. It said the conspiracy for the attack was hatched to “dissuade foreign nations from participating in the same (CWG) and to portray the image of India, the host nation, as a weak and disturbed nation”. The police said in pursuance to the conspiracy, Yasin had procured a carbine and a pistol and the initial plan was to target foreign tourists at the German Bakery at Paharganj. It further said in mid-2010, accused Qateel Siddiqui, who died under mysterious circumstances in Pune Yerawada Jail in 2012, had hurt himself due to accidental firing of the carbine and the plan to strike at German Bakery was aborted. Bhatkal thereafter planned to carry out terror strike at Jama Masjid and on September 19, 2010, IM operatives opened fire at tourists deboarding a bus near gate No. 3 of the mosque. Bhatkal also planted a pressure cooker IED in a car outside the Jama Masjid and a mild explosion had taken place after the firing incident, it said. The court has now fixed the charge-sheet for scrutiny on April 30. The police told the court that on September 19, 2010, two bikers had fired on tourists at the gate of Jama Masjid in the Old Delhi area, injuring two Taiwanese. A bomb was also fitted in a car parked in the area. Bhatkal and Akhtar were arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from the Nepal border on August 28. They were wanted for their roles in a string of terror attacks in the country. In March, the court had allowed the plea of the police seeking 15 days to complete its probe against Bhatkal and Akhtar. — PTI
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Two years on, 255 officers await IPS exam result
New Delhi, April 19 Of the 255 candidates, one had filed two RTIs with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in January. The RTI application has a list of questions, which included reasons for the results not being declared, steps taken to expedite the result declaration process and training format of the IPS LCE trainees. The UPSC reply to the RTI query says the organisation does not have answers to most of the questions. An Under Secretary (Examination) of the UPSC, SK Dey, told The Tribune: “We conducted the examination on the orders of the MHA. But there are several court cases pending at different High Courts. We have written to the MHA to resolve these cases. If the cases are not resolved, they will affect the results.” The MHA in its reply on February 20 said the results are not being declared due to several cases pending in different high courts. Opposing the replies of the MHA and the UPSC of several pending court cases, an LCE candidate who wished to remain anonymous said there were about 40 court cases related to the LCE. “These cases or original applications were filed in different Benches of the Central Administrative Tribunal. They were clubbed together and sent to the CAT Principal Bench in Delhi. In December, the CAT Principal Bench disposed of these original applications. The wait for the results is affecting every candidate,” the candidate said. M Gopal Reddy, Joint Secretary (Police-I) of the MHA, told The Tribune that following the December order of the CAT Principal Bench, several cases related to the LCE are pending at different high courts. Litigation tangle
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Congress spokesperson said on Saturday. Asked if no legal action was pending against Tytler, why was he denied the party Lok Sabha ticket, Tharoor said, “Tickets are decided on the basis of winnability. There are other considerations.”
In my village, many people have been framed in false cases at the behest of local Akali
and BJP leaders. People are unhappy at these leaders calling the shots and could actually show their anger in
the election.
New Delhi, April 19
New Delhi, April 19
New Delhi, April
19
