Coal-gate: Sonia may ask ‘tainted’ Sahai, Jaiswal to go

September 11, 2012

soni

New Delhi, September 11: As the stink from 'Coalgate' rises, the continuation of tourism minister Subodh Kant Sahai and coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal looks uncertain, with the Congress leadership considering strong measures to contain the fallout from the scam.

Although the leadership continues to resist the allegation of a scam, it appears to have come around to the view that persisting with the duo may have become politically untenable. Simultaneously , the leadership is also considering its options vis-a-vis party men like Vijay Darda, Naveen Jindal and former minister of state for coal Santosh Bagrodia who have been enveloped by the widening shadow of the scam.

The Congress leadership seems to realize that the involvement of party members in the controversial allocation of coal blocks has thickened the perception of collusion between the government and the allottees of blocks, handing opposition a stick to beat it with.

The sudden spike in speculation about their political fate coincided with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's return from abroad. Sonia , who had gone for a routine medical check up, is likely to hold deliberations with her colleagues as part of the larger restructuring she has planned for the government and the party this month.

Sahai had written to PM Manmohan Singh recommending allocation of coal blocks to a company, SKS Ispat and Power, whichhad his younger brother as one of its directors . The company in question got blocks the very next day, and the tourism minister has not been able to shake off the charge of conflict of interest.

A clear case of conflict of interest has not been established against Jaiswal yet, but the leadership seems to feel that he has not been able to effectively explain why coal blocks continued to be allocated on his charge, and well into 2010. His explanation that he was merely following through on the decisions taken by the screening committee before he got charge of the ministry has not been found to be convincing . There is also a wariness of the unfolding revelations on links of government functionaries with the allottees. Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda has been named in CBI's first set of FIRs into Coalgate. Although the agency has not charged him yet under the Prevention of Corruption Act, his proximity to Manoj Jayaswal, one of the prime beneficiaries, is seen as a political vulnerability for the Congress.

Jindal, whose Jindal Power Limited was allocated several coal blocks, has been in the opposition's line of fire.

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News Network
January 7,2020

Mumbai, Jan 7: People protesting against the JNU violence were evicted from Gateway of India here on Tuesday morning as roads were getting blocked and tourists and common people were facing problems, a police official said.

Police had appealed to the protesters to shift but they didn't listen, so they were "relocated" to Azad Maidan, the official said.

Hundreds of people, including students, women and senior citizens - who assembled at the iconic Gateway of India since Sunday midnight - demanded action against the culprits and called for Union Home Minister Amit Shah's resignation.

Violence broke out in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi on Sunday night as masked men armed with sticks and rods attacked students and teachers and damaged property on the campus.

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News Network
February 26,2020

Feb 26: In a midnight hearing, the Delhi High Court directed police to ensure safe passage to government hospitals and emergency treatment for those injured in the communal violence erupted in northeast Delhi over the amended citizenship law.

The court held a special hearing, which started at 12:30 am, at the residence of Justice S Muralidhar after receiving a call from an advocate explaining the dire circumstances under which the victims were unable to be removed from a small hospital to the GTB Hospital.

A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Anup J Bhambhani directed the Delhi Police to ensure safe passage of the injured victims by deploying all resources at its command and on the strength of this order as well as to make sure they receive immediate emergency treatment if not at the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital then at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital (LNJP) or Maulana Azad or any other hospital.

The bench also called for a status report of compliance, including information about the injured victims and the treatment offered to them, and the matter will be heard during the day at 2:15 pm.

It said the order be communicated to the medical superintendents of the GTB and the LNJP Hospitals.

The urgent hearing was conducted after advocate Suroor Mander called the judge and sought urgent orders for safe passage of ambulances for the injured.

The Delhi Police and the government were represented through additional standing counsel Sanjoy Ghose.

During the hearing, the bench spoke over phone to doctor Anwar of the Al-hind Hospital in New Mustafabad who told the court that there were two bodies and 22 injured persons there and he had been trying to seek police assistance since 4 pm on Tuesday without success.

The court then directed the senior officials to reach to the hospital forthwith, following which they started the process of evacuating the injured to the nearest hospitals.

It also said this order be brought to the knowledge of the Delhi Police Commissioner.

Communal violence over the amended citizenship law in northeast Delhi claimed at least 18 lives till Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the violence escalated in northeast Delhi as police struggled to check the rioters who ran amok on streets, burning and looting shops, pelting stones and thrashing people.

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News Network
January 18,2020

New Delhi, Jan 18: The Supreme Court Friday refused to entertain a PIL seeking conferment of 'Bharat Ratna' on Mahatma Gandhi saying that people hold the father of the nation in “high esteem”, beyond any formal recognition.

A bench, comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant, however asked petitioner Anil Dutta Sharma to give representation to the central government in this regard.

“Mahatma Gandhi is the father of nation and people hold him in high esteem, beyond any formal recognition,” the bench said.

The issue of directing the government to award Bharat Ratna to the father of the nation was not a “justiciable issue”, it said.

The bench however said that it agreed with the sentiments of the petitioner for granting official decoration to Mahatma Gandhi.

Disposing of the petition, the top court said, “We will allow you to give a representation to the Centre in this regard.”

Sharma, in his PIL, had sought a direction to the government to give “official decoration” to Mahatma Gandhi to honour him for the contribution to the nation.

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