Amid the 6th phase of Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal, chaos broke out in the Ghatal constituency after BJP’s agent was not allowed to enter the polling station by Trinamool Congress (TMC) goons.
On learning about the matter, BJP candidate (Ghatal Lok Sabha constituency) Hiranmoy Chatterjee reached the polling station. His convoy was stopped by TMC goons, who prevented him from entering the Keshpur area by setting fire in the middle of the road.
The TMC goons also gheraoed the vehicle of the BJP candidate and endangered his life. This was despite the fact that 919 companies of central forces were deployed to maintain the law and order situation in West Bengal during elections.
Eivabe amay TMC Lungi Harmad Bahini atkalo Keshpur e, othocho BJP kothao avineta praktan sansad ke atkay ni! Sara BharatBarsha dekhlo ei lungi bahinir tandav!!! pic.twitter.com/eBr67QFwoX
An angry Hiranmoy Chatterjee lashed out at the security forces for not taking action against the TMC ‘goons ‘lungi army’ who surrounded him on all sides.
“Officer-in-Charge of Keshpur Amit Mukherjee and Officer-in-Charge of Anandpur Sunny carried out bombing throughout the night, ransacked houses, and thrashed our workers. They even took away our polling agents,” he stated.
“I will do as much as I can throughout the day. If you want to save democracy, then, you have to fight alone. Let the people of Bengal see. Those who sit in AC rooms in Kolkata and talk big must come and visit Keshpur,” the BJP candidate further emphasised.
TMC eto bhoye ba keno pachchhe?Shoujonner bhogobaan ABHINETA ekhn ki bolchen ? Eto maar peet agun er por soujanyata kothay? pic.twitter.com/WOBSU0kYvv
After the mob of Trinamool Congress goons prevented him from reaching the polling station, he lamented, “Mamata Banerjee has transformed Keshpur into Pakistan.”
Chatterjee was earlier hounded by the West Bengal police on the directives of Mamata Banerjee government. On Wednesday (22nd May), he informed that the Ghatal police raided the house of his secretary Tamoghno Dey at 3 o’ clock in the night.
Hiranmoy Chatterjee (also known as Hiraan) is an actor by profession and was elected the MLA from the Kharagpur Sadar constituency during the 2021 Vidhan Sabha elections in West Bengal.
The Election Commission today addressed the Trinamool Congress’s claim that EVMs “labelled with BJP tags” were utilised in the Bankura district.
Smt. @MamataOfficial has repeatedly flagged how @BJP4India was trying to rig votes by tampering with EVMs.
And today, in Bankura's Raghunathpur, 5 EVMs were found with BJP tags on them.@ECISVEEP should immediately look into it and take corrective action! pic.twitter.com/aJwIotHAbX
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) May 25, 2024
The Mamata Banerjee-led party shared two pictures of EVMs with paper tags labelled “BJP” on X, stating, “Smt. @MamataOfficial has repeatedly warned that @BJP4India is attempting to rig votes by tampering with EVMs. Today, in Bankura’s Raghunathpur, 5 EVMs were discovered with BJP tags.”
The post added, “@ECISVEEP should investigate this immediately and take corrective action.”
Smt. @MamataOfficial has repeatedly flagged how @BJP4India was trying to rig votes by tampering with EVMs.
And today, in Bankura's Raghunathpur, 5 EVMs were found with BJP tags on them.@ECISVEEP should immediately look into it and take corrective action! pic.twitter.com/aJwIotHAbX
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) May 25, 2024
In response to the accusation, the Election Commission tweeted, “During commissioning, common address tags were signed by the candidates and their agents present. Since only the BJP candidate’s representative was present at that time, his signature was taken for commissioning the EVM and VVPAT.”
The tweet continued, “However, the signatures of all agents present at polling stations 56, 58, 60, 61, and 62 were obtained during the poll. All ECI norms were followed, the commissioning was entirely under CCTV coverage, and it was duly videographed.”
Today, eight Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal are voting in the sixth phase of the general election. The BJP, which performed impressively last time by winning 18 seats, aims to increase its tally this time. Meanwhile, the Trinamool is striving to regain some of the seats it lost in the 2019 polls.
On Saturday, May 25, addressing a political rally in Bihar’s Patliputra, PM Narendra Modi said that the opposition is indulging in vote bank politics, and doing everything to appease their target vote banks.
Opposing the religion-based reservations, PM Modi said that the Opposition (INDIA bloc) can perform “mujra” (dance) before their vote bank if they want, but he will not let them snatch away the reservation benefits of the SC/ST/OBC communities guaranteed by the Constitution of India. PM Modi also said that if the opposition wants to live a life of servitude in front of their vote banks, they are welcome to do so but he will not compromise on reservations of the backward classes.
PM Modi said, “Bihar is the land which has given a new direction to the fight for social justice. I wish to declare on its soil that I will foil the plans of INDIA bloc to rob SCs, STs and OBCs of their rights and divert these to Muslims. They may remain enslaved and perform ‘mujra’ to please their vote bank.”
PM Modi also highlighted that to make their vote bank happy, Congress changed the law linked to minority institutions. After the change in law, SCs/STs/OBCs stopped getting reservations in these institutions and were denied their rights.
Referring to the Indian Constitution, PM Modi said, “Our constitution says that there will be no reservation based on religion in India. Babasaheb Ambedkar used to say that there would be no reservation based on religion. But RJD-Congress want to give reservation to their vote bank based on religion by ending the quota of SC/ST/OBC.”
Earlier, speaking to Doordarshan on the topic of Muslim reservation, PM Said, “Muslim reservation, PM Modi asserted, “People say that Narendra Modi is against reservation for Muslims. However, the reality is that our Constitution says this. From Babasaheb Ambedkar to all intellectuals, they have said the same thing. I also say the same. I oppose giving reservations based on religion because the Constitution considers everyone equal. Therefore, if someone says that they belong to a particular religion and should receive reservations, that will not happen.”
Referring to the Calcutta High Court’s recent decision where it cancelled OBC certificates issued by the West Bengal government since 2010, PM Modi said that this decision is an eye-opener for the country as to how you (the opposition) are snatching away the rights of OBCs. By the way, Delhi’s Shahi Pariwar (a dig at the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty) did not accept OBCs since the time of Jawaharlal Nehru. This continued until the government of VP Singh. These people have always hated OBCs. They have always been enemies of OBCs. But when the OBC reservation started, they created the Karnataka model to loot the rights of OBCs by including Muslims in it. Mamata Banerjee is accused of doing the same thing, which the court took notice of and cancelled it.
Amid the ongoing investigation of the Pune car accident case which claimed the life of two youths, Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar revealed details regarding the initial statement of the driver and subsequent actions taken by the police and said that at the first instance, the police disbelieved the driver’s statement in which he claimed that he was driving the car.
“When the driver was first brought to the Police Station from the spot, the first statement which he gave in writing was that he was driving the car. But the Police at that point in time did not believe the statement of the driver and after a preliminary inquiry, they registered an offence against the juvenile accused because it was evident prima facie that the juvenile accused was driving the vehicle,” Kumar said.
“The family threatened the driver to take the blame. The driver was kept confined. The driver wasn’t behind the wheel. Family (of accused minor) tried to bribe the driver,” the Pune Police Commissioner said.
The Pune Police Crime Branch unit on Saturday morning arrested the grandfather of the minor accused of killing two motorcycle-borne persons in Pune City earlier this week after ramming into them the luxury car he was allegedly driving.
The commissioner of Pune city police, Amitesh Kumar said that the grandfather of the accused was arrested. A separate FIR has been registered against him under IPC sections 365 and 368.
The Pune City Police had on Thursday questioned the 17-year-old’s grandfather in connection with the incident that took place early on Sunday morning in Pune’s Kayani Nagar. The accused teenager was reportedly driving a luxury car in an inebriated condition and hit two motorcycle-borne IT professionals identified as Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta.
Along with the grandfather of the accused- Surendra Kumar Agarwal, his son Vishal Agarwal has also been booked in the same FIR under IPC Sections 342,365, 368, 506 and 34 on the complaint of the family driver, Gangadhar, Pune Police CP said.
The driver Gangadhar had lodged a complaint with police alleging that he was taken to Surendra Agarwal’s home against his will on the night of May 19 when Gangadhar was leaving the Yerawada Police Station.
Surendra and his son Vishal allegedly threatened Gangadhar, snatched his phone and forcibly kept him confined in their bungalow in an attempt to force him to take responsibility for the crime instead of his minor grandson.
The accused has been detained at an observation home on the order of the Juvenile Justice Board. He was earlier granted bail in the case but later sent to the observation home for 14 days till June 5.
The accused teenager’s father, Vishal Agarwal, who was arrested earlier, is lodged in Yerawada Central Prison after he was granted judicial custody for 14 days.
The Pune Police commissioner earlier said that efforts were on to try the minor accused as an adult.
He confirmed that an effort was made to frame the person employed for driving the Porsche car after the accident, and added that police are investigating his statement.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Ahead of the 6th phase of Lok Sabha elections in the country, Newslaundry sought to cast aspersions on the integrity of the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday (24th May).
In a misleading video published on its YouTube channel, the co-founder of the leftist propaganda portal Abhinandan Sekri claimed that the Modi government removed the Chief Justice of India from a three-member panel meant to appoint the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners.
“Months before the election, the government introduced a bill that removed the Chief Justice of India from the panel that decides India’s Election Commission. So now there are two people who represent the government and one the opposition. So they’re always going to win,” he alleged.
The propaganda artist insinuated that the Election Commission of India is now working under the influence of the Modi government as the selection panel comprises two members of the government and only one member of the Opposition.
Abhinandan Sekhri also lamented the removal of the Chief Justice of India from the selection panel, suggesting it as an unprecedented move to his gullible audience.
In India’s independent history, a three-member selection panel has never appointed the Election Commissioners. As per the Convention, the Central government recommends the name to the President, who then appoints the CEC and other Election Commissioners.
Judicial activism and course correction
In March 2023, the Supreme Court of India resorted to judicial activism and tried to snatch the power of the Central government to appoint members of the Election Commission.
In an unprecedented move, the apex court ruled that a 3-member selection panel, comprising of the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition would jointly appoint the Election Commissioner until a law on the same is framed by the Parliament.
The dangerous precedent laid by the Supreme Court was corrected when the Modi government introduced The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Terms of Office) Bill, 2023 in the Rajya Sabha.
Both the Houses of Parliament eventually passed the bill and it became a law. The government thus removed the CJI from the selection panel and replaced him with a member of the Cabinet.
The government made it stand clear before the Supreme Court in March 2024. It said, “The case of the petitioners is premised on one fundamental fallacy that the independence can only be maintained in any authority when the selection committee is of a particular formulation…The high constitutional functionaries ought to be presumed to act fairly and in good faith”…“To indicate, as the petitioners suggest, that selection committees without judicial members would invariably be biased is wholly incorrect”.“
The government further added, “Where the Constitution itself specifically vests Parliament with the power to decide upon the appointments of the Election Commissioner, and Parliament exercises this power, no question of Executive overruling (can arise)…The (SC) judgment… had been conscious of the fact that the ultimate decision-making power in this regard lay with Parliament and so it had consciously evolved a time-limited mechanism for appointments to the EC. This mechanism was to last only till the time that Parliament made a law on the subject.”
After hearing the arguments made by the government, the Supreme Court refused to put a stay on the implementation of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023
Contrary to the past appointments of Election Commissioners, the selection panel for the first time had the Leader of the Opposition.
True to his vicious ideology, the co-founder of Newslaundry withheld this crucial piece of information to denounce the Election Commission of India and its fairness.
Newslaundry ropes in former Election Commissioner
This did not stop Abhinandan Sekhri from fearmongering about the state of Indian democracy and free elections. He continued, “Should this scare us? Is India’s dance of democracy not on a level playing field?”
“Are critics right when they accuse the election commission of being an extension of the party in power?” he further added.
The propaganda artist also roped in Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi, the former Chief Election Commissioner appointed by the Congress-led-UPA government in July 2010.
While speaking to Newslaundry, Quraishi brazened out, “People have started losing faith (in the Election Commission).” As expected, Abhinandan Sekhri nodded in affirmation.
It must be mentioned that during the pandemic, Quraishi had indirectly wished that Prime Minister Narendra Modi tested positive for the deadly Coronavirus infection. He had retweeted a tweet posted by an Islamist handle, wishing death to PM Modi.
A Twitter post retweeted by SY Quraishi wishing PM Modi tested positive for Coronavirus.
In March 2022, the former Election Commissioner courted controversy after he said that the Judiciary should not decide about hijab in schools. He claimed that it was the responsibility of the Maulana (Islamic scholar) to decide religious affairs in educational institutions.
“Will it be right if Maulana starts giving IPC decisions?” he claimed to rationalise his argument.
A man was injured in a brawl between two groups in Udupi, a coastal town in Karnataka. The incident, which took place on the night of May 18, gained widespread attention after a video went viral on social media today. According to the police, six individuals were involved in the fight. Two have been arrested, while four remain at large.
The altercation reportedly stemmed from a financial dispute. A resident of a nearby high-rise captured the incident on video, showing two Maruti Swift cars involved. One car reversed rapidly, hitting the other on the bonnet and emitting black smoke. Men from both vehicles exited and began fighting. During the confrontation, one car struck a man holding a stick, throwing him to the ground and leaving him injured.
Dr Durgaprasad Hegde, an orthopaedic surgeon, shared the video on X, expressing concern over the situation. “Very bad state of affairs. Gang war in Udupi. The incident happened recently late at night, two groups fought on the Udupi-Manipal highway near Kunjibettu. Where is the younger generation heading? Stringent action should be taken against all these culprits,” he commented.
Very bad state of affairs
Gang War at Udupi
Incident happened recently late night, 2 groups fought on Udupi Manipal Highway near Kunjibettu
The video went viral just days after at least 86 individuals, including Telugu actor Hema, tested positive for drug consumption following a police raid on a rave party at a farmhouse in Bengaluru earlier this week.
FIR copies in the matter shine a light on the major rave party bust near Electronics City. According to the FIR, the party was attended by 73 men and 30 women.
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) will issue notices to those whose blood samples tested positive for drugs and will summon them for questioning.
The rave party case, initially handled by the Electronic City police, was transferred to the Hebbagodi police station before being taken over by the CCB. A case has been registered against 104 individuals.
During the raid, the police seized 14.40 grams of MDMA pills, 1.16 grams of MDMA crystals, six grams of hydro cannabis, five grams of cocaine, a Rs 500 note coated with cocaine, six grams of hydro ganja, five mobile phones, two vehicles (a Volkswagen and a Land Rover), and DJ equipment, including sound and lighting systems worth Rs 1.5 crore.
The Lok Sabha elections 2024 have entered their final week. After voting in the sixth phase today, the last phase of voting is slated to take place on 1st June. In the seventh phase, voting will also take place in Varanasi, where PM Modi is a Lok Sabha candidate. Continuing a series of interviews during these elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sat for an exclusive interview with DD News on Saturday (25th May).
During the interaction, PM Modi said, “I hope that some hardworking people from the opposition will be elected and reach Parliament so that they can criticise the government with data and hard work. This will lead to the development of the country.” PM Modi asserted, “For me, the 140 crore people of my country are a manifestation of God.”
During the interview, PM Modi described the Calcutta High Court’s recent decision on OBC reservations as an eye-opener for the country.
In the ongoing elections, PM Modi has attended more than 350 rallies, public meetings, and roadshows, and remained the busiest throughout the entire election.
According to the Prime Minister, elections are a big celebration of democracy and an opportunity to inculcate the values of democracy in the minds of future generations. The government and political parties should be accountable to the public. During elections, they should present their vision and plans before the country. Misleading the public by making conflicting statements within a month is not right, the Prime Minister asserted.
(Video Courtesy – Narendra Modi YouTube channel)
PM Modi said, ‘I consider elections as a campaign for public welfare. For me, there are two forms of God, Sakaar (one with physical manifestation) and Nirakaar (formless). The manifested form is the 140 crore citizens of my country. For me, elections are like worshipping God. It is a continuous process that intensifies during elections.’
Calcutta High Court’s decision on OBC reservations is an eye-opener for the country
Responding to a query regarding Muslim reservation, PM Modi asserted, “People say that Narendra Modi is against reservation for Muslims. However, the reality is that our Constitution says this. From Babasaheb Ambedkar to all intellectuals, they have said the same thing. I also say the same. I oppose giving reservations based on religion because the Constitution considers everyone equal. Therefore, if someone says that they belong to a particular religion and should receive reservations, that will not happen.”
Referring to the Calcutta High Court’s recent decision where it cancelled OBC certificates issued by the West Bengal government since 2010, PM Modi said that this decision is an eye-opener for the country as to how you (the opposition) are snatching away the rights of OBCs. By the way, Delhi’s Shahi Pariwar (a dig at the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty) did not accept OBCs since the time of Jawaharlal Nehru. This continued until the government of VP Singh. These people have always hated OBCs. They have always been enemies of OBCs. But when the OBC reservation started, they created the Karnataka model to loot the rights of OBCs by including Muslims in it. Mamata Banerjee is accused of doing the same thing, which the court took notice of and cancelled it.
It is satisfying that now discussion is happening on the issue of development: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “I have fought and campaigned in many elections. Earlier, issues like caste and community used to dominate during elections, but my experience from Gujarat has shown that I compelled all parties to focus on development. It is a matter of happiness for me that people have started talking about development. The expectations of the people have increased.”
He added, “Previously, people only hoped for temporary measures like mud-filled roads during floods; that was the extent of their aspirations. But now they demand four-lane roads. This represents a significant change.”
I don’t form opinions through newspapers: PM Modi
Further, in the interview with senior DD journalist Ashok Srivastava, PM Modi said, “I have plenty of resources for information. I don’t form opinions based on newspapers. I don’t follow the tradition of filtering out critical views because of which I get to know all kinds of feedback.”
He pointed out that there had been a tradition that whenever the CAG report pointed out something positive, no discussions were held regarding its findings and it would be ignored. But when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he would give directions to address the shortcomings found in the CAG report. “I am someone who listens to criticisms. In the five-year term, after three years, there were no complaints left. The opposition had nothing left to say because I would also accommodate their problems as well. I would listen to their problems and resolve them,” the Prime Minister added.
Sound Criticism of the government is necessary
Replying to the people who ‘criticise’ him, PM Modi said, “Criticism requires hard work. I have said that 4 crore homes were built, which requires hard work to criticise, something which the opposition fails to do. (Objective) Criticism is essential to run an effective government, but nowadays people do not work hard enough. If my claim of 4 crore homes is to be criticised, then the opposition should thoroughly investigate it. Whether everyone received a home or not, whether anyone had to pay money, what process was followed, what problems arose – if the opposition criticises in this manner, it will be beneficial. The shortcomings that are identified should be addressed, but the opposition is not putting in much effort. I hope that hardworking individuals from the opposition are elected to parliament. Even criticisms should contribute to the enrichment and betterment of the country.”
PM Modi reiterated the same in an interview with News18 where he opined that he missed a strong opposition during ten years of his government which pained his heart.
The nation wants a strong and stable government
PM Modi pointed out that there have been different styles of functioning as far as coalition governments are concerned. PM Modi noted that though Atal Ji’s government was also a coalition, everyone’s responsibilities were defined. Manmohan Singh also ran a coalition government, but there was also a super PM in it. Each ministry considered itself a separate government. The concept of a super PM led to complications. This time too, the I.N.D.I. alliance is preparing for five years with five PMs. These people have done this before, with a scattered system. They are bringing the same concept again. If this is the mindset, how will the country run?, the Prime Minister said.
PM Modi added that when the people of India elected a new government in 2014, not only there was anger towards the old government but also he had a track record in Gujarat. He said that the BJP had clearly stated that we would form the government under the leadership of Modi. The public had a clear vision which is why they chose us. In 2019, they saw the track record of the past five years. The people saw that a stable government was good for the country. In this way, the people of the country are providing a stable and strong government.
The Left government of Kerala initiated strict action against Dr Rema M, a college principal who spoke out against the goons of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), a left-wing student organisation. She was removed from her position and was subjected to a probe after her retirement under the claims of criticising the government. Furthermore, she was also transferred. She had accused the SFI thugs of being involved in illegal activities including organised crime and drug addiction on the college campus after which they held her hostage on the college campus for hours. However, rather than starting legal action against the SFI members, the government targeted the principal and now the Kerala High Court has reprimanded it for the same.
The Kerala High Court condemned the state government led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for “misusing power” and for supporting the party’s student wing (SFI) in their attempt “to prevent a college teacher from obtaining pensionary benefits,” reported Onmanorama. Judges A Muhamed Mustaque and Shoba Annamma Eapen of the High Court have annulled the two departmental inquiries against the former principal of Kasaragod Government College, who had been critical of the SFI for engaging in unlawful activities on campus. She retired on 31st March 2023. The ruling was posted on the court’s website on 21st May this year after the order was delivered a month ago on 9th April.
Dr Rema was first dismissed from her position as principal in charge by Kerala’s Minister for Higher Education, R Bindu. She was then shifted by the Directorate of Collegiate Education to Government Arts and Science College, Koduvally, which is 200 kilometres away in the Kozhikode district. The development transpired following an interview she did for an internet portal in which she accused SFI workers and some students of abusing narcotics, having “immoral physical relationships” and committing atrocities on campus.
“If she had raised unsubstantiated allegations against members of the SFI unit, the real aggrieved parties are the members of the SFI unit and not the government,” the verdict declared, lambasting the government for defending SFI and citing service rules that shield the government from embarrassing remarks made by employees. “The government cannot assume that these are unsubstantiated allegations without conducting an inquiry by an independent authority or determining at a litigatory forum.”
An inquiry commission had been established by the government, comprising Deputy Director of Collegiate Education Sunil John J, Professor Geetha E and senior clerk Shyamlal I S as members. The committee was formed in response to a complaint brought out by Kasaragod Government College’s SFI unit secretary, Akshay M K. The panel did not look into the accusations made against the SFI and instead, it proposed that Dr. Rema be transferred to another college. “It appears that it was a one-sided inquiry to indict the petitioner rather than addressing disciplinary issues within the college,” the court pronounced.
Background of the case
SFI members brought up the issue of contaminated drinking water with Dr. Rema on 20th February of last year. On the same day, she gave the college superintendent instructions to fix the water filter. However, SFI leaders visited her chamber the next day and demanded an explanation regarding the filter’s repair. On 22nd February, SFI members reported that the responsible principal was abusing pupils verbally to the media. The next day, Dr Rema was detained by around sixty SFI students from 10.30 am until 2 pm. The order stated that she could not even use the restroom. It revealed that the cops had liberated her after she had been heckled by female students.
She was relieved of her duties as principal in charge by Minister Bindu on 23rd February and SFI announced that Dr Rema would not be permitted to set foot on campus. She unveiled spotting people using drugs and having sexual encounters on campus to an internet portal the next day. She additionally stated that SFI students were committing crimes and indulging in illicit conduct. She received a show-cause notice from the government claiming that her interview damaged the college’s reputation. Her daughter was enrolled in the same college, she retorted and asserted that she did not hold grudges against the entire student body.
The government formed the three-person inquiry committee because they were not satisfied with the response which filed a report on 15th June 2023, suggesting that Dr. Rema be brought to task for breaching Rules 61 and 62 of the Government Servants’ Conduct Rules, 1960. It was put forward that she be moved to another college to preserve the pleasant atmosphere that Kasaragod College offers for learning. Sudhir K, the Director of Collegiate Education, assigned Government Arts and Science College, Koduvally to her on July 9, 2023.
The legal battle
Dr Rema challenged the order with the Kerala Administrative Tribunal. She was scheduled to retire on 31st March 2024, therefore the tribunal ordered the government to reconsider sending her to a nearby college. As a result, the government moved her to the Govinda Pai Memorial Government College in Manjeshwar, to the Department of Statistics. However, the tribunal did not challenge the decision to remove her from her key position and hence she went to the High Court.
The Directorate of Collegiate Education’s intention to apply Rules 62 and 63 of the Service Conduct Rules was overturned by the court on the grounds that Dr Rema “spoke against the SFI unit and its member” and “not against the government or the relationship between the government and the students.” Employees are instructed by Rule 62 of the Service Conduct Rules not to express anything that could damage the public-government relationship. Moreover, Rule 63 requires staff members to have the government review their comments before they are made public if there is any uncertainty.
The judges observed that during the interview Dr Rema mentioned objectionable behaviours of former students who frequently attended college for illegal purposes, in addition to her criticism of SFI members. The ruling highlighted, “The petitioner is a free citizen of this country. She cannot surrender her constitutional right of free speech and expression.” However, the government served Dr Rema another charge notice on 24th March for turning down a student’s admission request in August 2022, after the bench on 22nd March 2024 reserved the matter for decision.
The student’s admission was refused by Dr Rema due to her failure to bring her father. On 23rd August 2022, the student brought a complaint to the registrar of Kannur University and in response, Dr Rema explained that the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) had decided to require the father’s participation in the Anti-Ragging and Anti-Dowry Forums, where parents must sign at the time of admission.
The University Syndicate proposed criminal charges against Dr. Rema on 19th October last year and alleged that she “exceeded her authority by insisting on the presence of a parent or parents during admission”. However, the High Court had previously determined that the initial investigation into Dr Rema “was launched to impede her from receiving pensionary benefits as soon as she retired.” The court’s view was strengthened by the second memo. “We cannot overlook the fact that the present charge memo issued on the eve of retirement is nothing but a continuation of the earlier charge memo to harass the petitioner for extraneous reasons,” the order concluded.
Meghna Bali, South Asia Bureau Chief and Correspondent of Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) News on 24th May accused a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party of bribing the police and polling authorities in the Sambhal constituency of Uttar Pradesh which went to the polls on 7th May in the ongoing Lok Sabha election. She claimed that the video was taken a few days before 7th May. However the fact is that the video is old and not related to the ongoing general election, the proof of which is present in the video itself.
The ‘journalist’ asserted, “The ABC has obtained and verified a video showing a BJP worker named Bhuvnesh Kumar Varshney plotting to bribe police and polling officials in UP’s Sambhal constituency before the May 7 poll. Watch the full video below with captions.”
She then alleged that the media house also verified that Bhuvnesh Kumar Varshney had been apprehended and booked under section 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and added, “Many described the action as not harsh enough.”
The Sambhal police countered the accusation and informed that it was old footage as the person was wearing winter clothing but the election was conducted during the height of the summer season. The election in Sambhal took place on 7th May, and the highest temperature on that day was 42° C. In the video, while one person is wearing a sweater, the other person is in a coat, clearly indicating it is not from the current season when most of the country is facing heatwave.
The police said, “This appears to be an old video timed way before Model Code of Conduct was enforced, as the person in the video can be clearly seen wearing winter clothes whereas the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in district Sambhal took place during peak summer on 7th of May. From the video the location is unclear. Still taking cognisance of the video the person was identified and arrested on 01.05.2024 and due legal action was taken against him by police.” It further urged her not to disseminate false information based on unconfirmed details.
The ABC has independently verified the authenticity of this video. We spoke to victims and eyewitnesses who describe what happened across villages in Sambhal on May 7. The details are near identical in both instances. We have confirmed Mr Varshney was booked under s151 crpc…
However, Meghna Bali argued the validity of this footage had been independently confirmed by ABC News and claimed, “We spoke to victims and eyewitnesses who describe what happened across villages in Sambhal on May 7. The details are nearly identical in both instances. We have confirmed Mr Varshney was booked under section 151 of the CrPC several days before the poll.”
ABC News and its anti-India bias
Avani Dias, the South Asia Bureau Chief for ABC News accused the Modi government of not extending her visa due to which she had to leave the country immediately. She further voiced that the Indian government intended not to permit her accreditation to report on the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The ‘journalist’ stated that she returned to Australia after her visa was renewed for a two-month term at the last moment.
However, her lies were busted by India Today’s Geeta Mohan who revealed that the Australian journalist’s charges were false, deceptive and mischievous. She disclosed that the latter flouted visa regulations while pursuing her professional endeavours. She pointed out that despite this, she had received word that her visa would be extended so she could cover the general election.
Her prior visa was granted an extension through the end of June, with a validity date of 20th April. Her application for a visa extension was approved on 18th April 18, the day she paid the visa fee. However, Geeta Mohan unveiled that Avni Dias chose to depart India on 20th April when her visa was still valid and her request for an extension was accepted. It also turned out that her claim that she had not been given permission to cover elections was untrue.
Moreover, “The Australia Today” reported that she came back to Australia because of a new employment opportunity which she received in June of last year and her wedding which took place last December. Her return had nothing to do with India, the Lok Sabha poll or the Modi government.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) allegedly called her to inform her that her visa extension was denied, according to a controversial story that her employer ABC News published. According to the publication, the “journalist” was notified by MEA about her propaganda-filled YouTube video, which implied that India had a hand in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a resident of Canada and it had crossed a line. The purpose of the 29-minute film, “Sikhs, Spies and Murder: Investigating India’s alleged hit on foreign soil” was to defame India internationally and paint it as a party to extraterritorial assassinations that take place in other nations.
Notably, the Australian Hindu Media severely criticized ABC News’s South Asia Bureau Chief in March of this year for trying to deny the involvement of radical Khalistanis and implying that Hindus were responsible for the destruction of Brisbane’s Shree Laxmi Narayan Temple. She also made an effort to portray the Ram Mandir Pran Prathistha celebration as a “Hindu supremacist” event earlier in January. Furthermore, Avani Dias opportunistically avoided discussing the history of Ram Mandir and how Islamic conqueror Babur destroyed it in 1526. The contentious ‘journalist’ even asserted that the rebuilding of the Ram Mandir is a component of the Hindu nationalist movement, which seeks to undermine the “secular ethos” of this country.
On Friday (24th May), UK-based Financial Times published an article claiming that Arvind Kejriwal’s release from jail has ‘shaken up election campaigning'”.. Incidentally, the article is titled (archived), ‘Bailed India opposition leader’s return shakes up election campaign’. It attempts to influence voters in favour of the AAP leader who is out on conditional Interim bail in a corruption case, as it was published a day before Delhi went for voting in the sixth phase.
According to FT, Arvind Kejriwal’s release from jail has invigorated the opposition alliance against PM Modi-led NDA as the opposition hopes for a shock upset. It claims that Kejriwal’s rallies and campaigning have made things challenging for the incumbent PM Narendra Modi. FT states, “The dramatic release of one of India’s top opposition leaders has shaken up the final stretch of the country’s election campaign, giving a much-needed boost to Narendra Modi’s rivals in their quest to unseat the prime minister next month.”
However, it is pertinent to note that the Aam Aadmi Party is contesting only 22 out of 543 Lok Sabha seats. Additionally, except for four seats in Delhi where it is directly contesting against the BJP, AAP is competing against its I.N.D.I. alliance partner, Congress in the other seats it is contesting. These remaining seats include 13 in Punjab, where both alliance partners are engaged in ugly verbal spats and serious allegations against each other. The BJP has a strong presence only in limited pockets of Punjab, leaving Congress and AAP in direct competition. Any gains for AAP or Congress would come at the expense of its I.N.D.I. Alliance partner. In this political context, Kejriwal’s purported influence, if any, on voters could ‘shake the election campaign’ not for the opposition bloc, but against a key ally of the I.N.D.I. Alliance, Congress.
Nonetheless, AAP, which has been embroiled in corruption allegations in Liquor Policy is currently at the center of a storm over allegations of assault on their own woman MP Swati Maliwal inside the residence of Delhi CM and AAP Supremo Arvind Kejriwal. Lately, AAP has in fact become a liability for I.N.D.I. Alliance. It has courted back-to-back major controversies on two major poll planks – corruption and women’s safety, making it difficult for the alliance by shifting vicarious liability for AAP’s misdeeds onto its alliance partners and stroking controversies that overshadow the alliance’s election pitch. It is important to note that after changing its strategies, the I.N.D.I. Alliance had started to hold joint rallies but on account of AAP’s controversies, Congress didn’t extend an invite to its alliance partner Arvind Kejriwal to address Rahul Gandhi’s rally in Delhi jointly.
Meanwhile, the FT article mentioned that the AAP Supremo and Delhi CM, Arvind Kejriwal, is out on bail in the Liquor Policy scam case adding that he has denied the allegations. However, the British media outlet failed to include several scathing remarks from various courts in the case which has severely dented the image of the “Kattar Imandar Party” and its Chief.
Claiming that Kejriwal’s release has helped the I.N.D.I. Alliance, the article further states, “While the BJP remained the favourite, analysts said Kejriwal’s release had helped invigorate the multi-party opposition alliance known as INDIA — which includes AAP, the Indian National Congress and dozens of regional parties — as they hope for a shock upset.”
Apart from presenting Kejriwal’s release and campaigning as some sort of game-changer for the opposition’s efforts, it accuses PM Modi of using “divisive rhetoric towards Muslims”.
In a bid to paint PM Modi’s campaigning in a bad light and peddling anti-Muslim tropes against PM Modi and the BJP, Financial Times added, “On the campaign trail, Modi has hailed what he calls a “wave of support” for the BJP, playing up his development record and doubling down on divisive rhetoric towards India’s Muslim minority.”
To rally public perception in favour of Kejriwal, the article quotes Kejriwal who plays the victim for giving good governance to the Delhi residents. It added, ‘Why am I at fault? Because I built good schools and good hospitals for your kids?’ Kejriwal told the rally.
“His message has resonated with voters such as Mohammad Abid, 52, the owner of an auto parts shop. ‘People are fed up of the last 10 years of the Modi government,’ said Abid. ‘The whole country wants to see a change’,” the FT added.
According to the FT article, while people on the ground admit that several issues are troubling them and after his release, Kejriwal has shaken the election campaigning, people have been ‘disgruntledly admitting’ that a third term for the Modi government is inevitable.
Earlier this week, the Financial Times targeted Adani for an alleged ‘coal scam,’ which was soon picked up by senior Congress leader and former president Rahul Gandhi to attack the Modi government. In an attempt to corner the Modi government, he referenced the Financial Times report, which accused the Adani Group of selling low-grade coal as high-value fuel. However, it later emerged that the transaction took place during the UPA era, undermining Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to target the Modi government and casting his own party’s previous government in a negative light by leveling corruption allegations against them.
