Proof against Beniwal enough: Pranab Mukherjee

August 8, 2014

New Delhi, Aug 8: President Pranab Mukherjee was satisfied with the “evidence” provided by the Narendra Modi-led Centre against Mizoram Governor Kamla Beniwal to sack her. pres

The President has jotted down in his own hand that he was satisfied with the evidence provided by the government. He got a legal opinion and had also asked his aide to speak to the 87-year-old Beniwal to consider her response before he signed the sacking order, sources said.

Mukherjee was first informed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the Centre’s advice. He was later briefed by Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad as well as Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, who explained to him about the legal issues involved in the case, official sources said.

Mukherjee, a stickler for following rules, then asked Omita Pal, Secretary to the President, to speak to Beniwal on Wednesday. The President's aide, who spoke to Beniwal, recorded that she confirmed the land transaction, the sources said.

After getting her response to the charges made by the government, he signed the order of “withdrawing the President’s pleasure” on her continuation as the governor.

His jotting on the file is in line with the stipulations of the Supreme Court judgment of 2010 on the dismissal of governors, which forbade en masse removal of governors for political reasons. The apex court order had said that in individual cases, the President can withdraw his pleasure if he is “satisfied” with the grounds for a governor’s removal.

The government, too, insisted that the apex court’s verdict must be followed in Beniwal’s case, a senior Cabinet minister told Deccan Herald on Thursday.

The main legal issue put before Mukherjee was Beniwal’s alleged involvement in a land scam in Rajasthan. Beniwal is accused of claiming land meant for farmers after “falsely” stating in affidavits that she had tilled the land for 50 years, though she was a minister in the state’s Congress government.

A strategy worked out by Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley saw the Attorney General conveying in detail to the President about the “material based on facts” which showed Beniwal’s acts were unbecoming of a governor and “gross impropriety” on her part.

Other allegations against Beniwal are that she spent just one day in Mizoram, where she was posted a month ago, and mostly stayed in Rajasthan and she made “frequent air travels” at the taxpayer’s expense.

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'Right to access internet a fundamental right': SC on J&K restrictions

News Network

January 10,2020

New Delhi, Jan 10: The Supreme Court while hearing petitions challenging restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday stated that the right to access the internet is a fundamental right under Article 19 of the Constitution of India.

"It is no doubt that freedom of speech is an essential tool in a democratic setup. The freedom of Internet access is a fundamental right under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution," a two-judge bench headed by Justice N V Ramana stated while reading out the judgment.

The top court said that Kashmir has seen a lot of violence and that it will try to maintain a balance between human rights and freedoms with the issue of security.

It also directed the Jammu and Kashmir administration to review the restrictive orders imposed in the region within a week. “The citizens should be provided highest security and liberty,” the apex court added.

The top court made observations and issued directions while pronouncing the verdict on a number of petitions challenging the restrictions and internet blockade imposed in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 in August last year.

The Supreme Court had on November 27 reserved the judgment on a batch of petitions challenging restrictions imposed on communication, media and telephone services in Jammu and Kashmir pursuant to revocation of Article 370.

The court heard the petitions filed by various petitioners including Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and Kashmir Times editor Anuradha Bhasin.

The petitions were filed after the central government scrapped Article 370 in August and bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Following this, phone lines and the internet were blocked in the region.

The government had, however, contended that it has progressively eased restrictions.

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Gujarat massacre: SC fixes April 14 for hearing Zakia Jafri’s plea against SIT’s clean chit to Modi

Agencies

February 4,2020

New Delhi, Feb 4: Saying the matter had been adjourned many times and it will have to hear it someday, the Supreme Court on Tuesday fixed April 14 for hearing a plea by Zakia Jafri, wife of slain MP Ehsan Jafri, challenging the SIT's clean chit to then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 riots.

A bench comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari posted the matter for hearing in April after Zakia's counsel sought an adjournment and urged the court to post it after the Holi vacation.

When advocate Aparna Bhat, appearing for Zakia, told the court that the issue in the matter is contentious, the bench said, "It has been adjourned so many times, whatever it is, we will have to hear it someday. Take one date and make sure you all are available." Zakia had filed a petition in the apex court in 2018 challenging the Gujarat High Court's October 5, 2017 order rejecting her plea against the decision of the Special Investigation Team.

Ehsan Jafri was among the 68 people killed at Gulberg Society on February 28, 2002, a day after the S-6 Coach of the Sabarmati Express was burnt at Godhra killing 59 people and triggering riots in Gujarat.

On February 8, 2012, the SIT filed a closure report giving a clean chit to Modi and 63 others, including senior government officials, saying there was "no prosecutable evidence" against them.

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No use.. will Supreme court gives justice???

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Arvind Kejriwal wins from New Delhi seat

Agencies

February 11,2020

New Delhi, Feb 11: AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has won from New Delhi assembly seat. He polled 46,758 votes, which is 61.1 per cent of total votes polled in the high profile constituency.

Kejriwal defeated Sunil Kumar Yadav of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who polled 25,061 votes, which is 32.75 per cent of total votes polled. Congress candidate Romesh Sabhawarl could get only 3,220 votes.

So far, the AAP has won 55 seats and is leading on seven seats. The BJP has won seven seats and is leading on two. The Congress is nowhere in the reckoning.

As per the details on the website of Election Commission of India at 8.27 pm on Tuesday, the AAP has secured 53.60 per cent votes, BJP 38.49 per cent, BSP 0.71 per cent, CPI 0.02 per cent, CPI-M 0.01 per cent, Congress 4.27 per cent, JDU 0.90 per cent, LJP 0.35 per cent, NCP 0.02 per cent, and NOTA 0.46 per cent.

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