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Kerala court quashes charge sheet in Sabarimala case

July 13, 2012

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Kochi, July 13: The Kerala High Court Friday quashed the charge sheet filed by police in the controversial Sabarimala ''astrological finding'' case, which included Kannada actress Jaimala among the accused.

While closing the case, the court also said that the charges against the accused were not legally tenable.

In June 2006, a team led by noted astrologer P. Unnikrishna Panicker conducted a four-day "devaprasnam" (a puja to invoke god) at the Sabarimala temple, following which Panicker revealed that there were signs of a woman having entered the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

As per the rules of the temple, dedicated to bachelor Hindu god Ayappa, women of menstruating age are not allowed inside.

Soon after the noted astrologer's revelation, Kannada actress Jaimala claimed that she had entered the sanctum sanctorum and touched the temple deity in 1987.

Following this, a probe was launched and it concluded that the entire episode was staged to earn name and fame for Panicker.

Police filed a charge sheet against Panicker, his assistant Reghupathy and Jaimala for hatching a conspiracy and hurting religious sentiments of the people of the state.

The trio had filed a petition in the high court to dismiss the case.

Sabarimala is a popular Hindu temple located in Kerala's Western Ghats area at an altitude of 914 metres above sea level in Pathanamthitta district.

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Agencies
July 30,2020

Kochi, Jul 30: The Kerala High Court on Thursday refused to grant the extension for the stay of a 74-year-old US citizen, Johnny Paul Pierce, who had earlier said that he felt safer to remain in India than in the United States amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The single-judge bench of Justice CS Dias, which considered the writ petition, observed that the grant or extension of visa to foreign nationals fall exclusively within the domain of the Government of India (GoI) and that judicial review in such matters is minimal.

The power of the GoI to expel foreigners is absolute and unlimited, the bench said.

"In view of the categoric declaration of law by the Supreme Court, the plea of the petitioner to permit him to stay back in India cannot be accepted, as it falls within the purview of the guidelines and the discretion of the Government of India," the order said.

"The petitioner cannot be heard that the guidelines/policies/regulations formulated by the Government of India, that an American national though has been granted a visa having validity of five years has to leave India within 180 days, is irrational or unreasonable," it added.

The High Court, which was hearing a plea to permit the US citizen to stay in India for a further period of six months, said that the petitioner does not have a case that there is an infraction of Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

"The petitioner was well aware of the visa conditions when he arrived in India, and it is too late in the day for him to raise a grievance on the visa conditions," the bench said noting that the petitioner's love for India was heartening.

The High Court also directed the Foreigners Registration Officer to consider the petitioner's representation within a period of two weeks in accordance with the applicable guidelines and policies.

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News Network
January 1,2020

New Delhi, Jan 1: Newly-appointed Chief of the Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on Wednesday said the armed forces stay away from politics and work as per the directives of the government of the day, remarks that come amid allegations that the forces were being politicised.

Gen Rawat also said that his focus as CDS will be to integrate the efforts of the three services and to work as a team.

"We keep ourselves away from politics. We act according to the directives of the government of the day," he said.

Gen Rawat said his focus will be to ensure best and optimal use of resources allocated to the three services.

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News Network
March 12,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 12: Imarti Devi, who recently resigned as Congress MLA from Madhya Pradesh, on Wednesday said that she was happy with Jyotiraditya Scindia's decision to join the BJP.

Imarti said: "All 22 MLAs are here (in Bengaluru) on their own. We're happy that Scindiaji has taken this decision. I'll always stay with him even if I had to jump in a well."

"When we were in the Congress, Kamal Nathji never heard us," she said.

Another rebel leader and former minister Mahendra Singh Sisodia said: "Betrayal is not done by Jyotiraditya Scindia. Instead, betrayal was done by the Congress and Kamal Nathji."

"Congress betrayed the people of Madhya Pradesh. We are with Jyotiraditya Scindia," he said.

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