40% Gujarat ministers have criminal cases; 84% are crorepatis

The Ayodhya police booked a senior journalist on Wednesday for raising questions on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's visit to the Ram Janmabhoomi for a religious ceremony amid the lockdown over the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The FIR mentions a tweet by Siddharth Varadarajan, editor of news portal 'The Wire', where he said: "On the day the Tablighi Jamaat event was held, Adityanath insisted a large Ram Navami fair planned for Ayodhya from March 25 to April 2 would proceed as usual and that 'Lord Ram would protect devotees from the coronavirus."

Varadarajan had clarified in another tweet that it was "Acharya Paramhans, Hindutva stalwart and head of the official Ayodhya temple trust, who said Ram would protect devotees from coronavirus, and not Adityanath, though he allowed a public event on 25/3 in defiance of the lockdown and took part himself".

Taking the suo-motu cognizance, Faizabad Kotwali police station incharge Nitish Kumar Shrivastava registered an FIR under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 505(2) (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code for doing "disreputable" comment against the chief minister.

Statement by the Founding Editors of The Wire: pic.twitter.com/frw5oRxw18

— The Wire (@thewire_in) April 1, 2020
Reacting to it, Varadarajan termed the FIR "politically motivated, saying that the offences invoked were not even remotely made out.

Wayanad/Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 24: Amid the strict lockdown, a school teacher travelled from Thiruvananthapuram to Muthanga in Wayanad -- a distance of about 465 km -- on her way to neighbouring Karnataka en route to Delhi following which cases have been registered against her and an excise official.

The woman, Kamna Sharma, said to be working in Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom, undertook the journey on April 21 along with her two year-old daughter, police sources told news agency PTI.

An Excise Circle Inspector, Shahjahan, had provided his vehicle to travel allegedly on the instructions of Malappuram excise officer, in whose private vehicle, the woman and the child had reached Wayanad border from Thiruvananthapuram, the sources said.

The two were charged under the Kerala Epidemic Act and various sections of the IPC including sect 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection) and 271 (disobedience to quarantine rule).

Because of the lockdown even inter-district travel is not allowed by police and district administration, unless there is an extremely genuine reason.

A senior police official in Thiruvananthapuram said he does not remember issuing any such pass.

The woman may have "misused" government machinery as private vehicles would have been stopped somewhere during the long journey, he said.

She came to Kalpetta in Wayanad allegedly in an official car of the excise department.

Wayanad District police chief R Elango said that an FIR has been filed based on preliminary information and investigations have begun.

"We will check if she has followed procedures in obtaining a pass and if she made any false claim to get the pass."

As per preliminary information the woman came in an excise official's car from Thamarassery (Kozhikode) to Muthunga(Wayanad), he said. Her mode of transport before that--from Thiruvananthapuram to Wayanad--will also be investigated, he said, adding they have no information if she has reached Delhi.

"We will track down her movement," he said Meanwhile, theWayanad district administration has intensified the lockdown protocol from Thursday to prevent people's movement within and from outside the district/state.

Interception at all the check posts on district an state borders of the district, bordering Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, will also be intensified. No one would be allowed to travel frequently to and fro the district under the pretext of official duty.

Wayanad collector Adhila Abdulla said officials from outside the district will no longer be allowed to commute daily.

"Elderly people above the age of 65 should confine to their homes unless it is extremely urgent or unavoidable. Cases will be registered against family members who allow elderly people to go out for buying medicines and other essentials," she said.

Senior citizens, who live alone, can call either the Fire (101) or Police (100) departments for any help and to get things they need, the collector said.

Whatever relaxations were in place have also been withdrawn with effect from Thursday, she added.

Wayanad and Thiruvananthapuram come under the "Orange B" zone where there are some relaxations.

However, Thiruvananthapuram city limits falls under the hotspot area.

Police said a case was also registered against a doctor and her husband who entered Kerala from Tamil Nadu border.

Bhopal, Mar 10: Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Tuesday parried questions on the exact number of MLAs supporting the party in Madhya Pradesh amid a political crisis triggered by the resignation of Jyotiraditya Scindia and 14 MLAs loyal to him.

Repeating his allegation that the BJP was trying to destabilise the Congress-led government, Singh told reporters that the BJP had arranged three chartered planes for Bengaluru on Monday to fly out some MLAs loyal to Scindia.

"We want to know why Bengaluru is used every time to destabilise governments?" he questioned.

When asked about the number of MLAs supporting the Congress in the current political scenario, Singh only said, "Just wait".

He said an atmosphere of uneasiness has been prevailing in the BJP since the Kamal Nath government started cracking a whip on various mafias.

"We (the state government) are exposing Vyapam scam, e-tendering scam, Madhyam scam. In the honey-trap case, BJP men were found to be involved. This will be exposed," he said.

The political crisis in Madhya Pradesh precipitated with the resignation of Jyotiraditya Scindia over his apparent marginalisation in the state politics. Following Scindia's suit, 14 legislators loyal to him have sent their resignation letters via e-mail to Madhya Pradesh Raj Bhavan.

Scindia was subsequently expelled from the Congress by party president Sonia Gandhi.

Speculation that the Guna royal might join the BJP gained ground after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi this morning.