The Press Council of India (PCI) has issued a show-cause notice to Dainik Bhaskar for publishing fake interview of Finland Prime Minister Sanna Marin.
Press Council of India press release
In a statement [pdf] issued on Tuesday, the PCI said that the Chairman has taken suo-motu cognizance of the matter and ordered to issue show cause notice to the media house.
On March 8, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, Dainik Baskar’s digital arm DB Post published an interview with Sanna Marin, the prime minister of Finland. The interviewer had claimed to have met Marin in Helsinki. But later it had emerged that no such interview had taken place, and the entire interview was fabricated.
The ‘interview’ comprised of 15 questions that the Finnish PM had ‘answered’, which was labelled as exclusive by Bhaskar. The publication had claimed that the interviewer had gone to Finland and met Sanna Marin for an exclusive chat. According to it, Marin had described India as having great potential, apart from giving detailed answers.
The interview, published on the website of DB Post, was spotted by Finnish prime minister’s office on Sunday, March 8 itself, according to a report by Finnish media house Journalisti. Päivi Anttikoski, Communications Director of Finland government said that she is amazed that a major Indian media house published an interview that never took place. “We would have known if anyone in Helsinki had interviewed the Prime Minister”, she said, affirming that the interview is fake.
Following the discovery of the fake interview, the Finnish govt launched an operation to seek answers from India, including through the Indian Embassy in Helsinki. They were informed that the interview was handed over to Dainik Bhaskar by a freelance journalist, including notes on Finnish government letterhead. Anttikoski asserts that the letterheads were also fake, and they were not from the Finnish govt’s office.
While going through the answers given by Sanna Marin in the fake interview, it was later determined that the text was lifted from an earlier interview of the Finnish PM given to German TV channel ZDF. The transcript of a portion of the TV interview was published on the ZDF website on February 19th, and it appears that Bhaskar repackaged it and presented it to DBPost as his exclusive interview of Marin. The media house too failed to check the authenticity of the interview and published it on its website.
Our government has completed three years in UP today, sailing through a sea of challenges and opportunities. Today is a historic day when the state chose the nationalist ideology to serve it by bringing BJP to power.
The nationalist government of Uttar Pradesh has been facing the numerous challenges of expectations and aspirations since ages.
The challenges
On one hand, there was a challenge to organize the highly unorganized governance structure while on the other hand there was a challenge to bring the downtrodden, marginalised and poor in the mainstream of society.
From illegal mining to illegal slaughterhouses, the challenge was to save both the state and nature. There was also a challenge to enrich education from basic to higher level.
The challenge was to let the law and order situation take a fresh breath from the prevailing anarchy and Gundaraj with the motto of `Paritranaay Sadhunaam, Vinashaya Cha Dushkratam’.
There was also a challenge to bring a revolutionary change in the entire work culture of the state. The challenge was huge, but the firm determination made it a reality and things actually happened in Uttar Pradesh.
The steps
Our first step was to give `Khadi’ it’s due respect and the next was to strengthen and bring the law and order situation under control. This was also made possible by shutting down the illegal slaughterhouses.
Unnecessary holidays were scrapped and victims of Triple Talaq were given due respect and necessary government help.
The mantra of `Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas’ was made a ground reality by bringing changes in the Madarsa Education system for Muslim students while bringing them into the mainstream of the society and the budget provision was made for the marriage of Muslim girls. The government was successful in eradicating the evils of discrimination based on caste, region and religion.
On the noble path of unity, the journey of development is rather easy and this was visible across the state.
Investment and infrastructure
While the Investors’ Summit brought global investment in UP, the infrastructure development, without creating any regional imbalance, the underdeveloped regions of the state have been given infrastructure development projects like Purvanchal Expressway (340.82 km), Bundelkhand Expressway (296.070 km) and Ganga Expressway (596.00 km) and the work is in progress on a war footing.
Purvanchal Expressway
Not only new roads are being constructed in this vast state but air connectivity is also in our priority list. It is noteworthy that before the year 2017, only two cities in the state were connected by air connectivity. Our government is working on 12 new airports.
On one hand, the construction work of metro has been expanded in Lucknow, the work is in progress in other cities like Kanpur, Jhansi, Varanasi, Agra, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur.
The Jewar International Airport is a boon to the state and it will lead to the growth and prosperity of NCR. It will not only give enough scope of jobs and employment to millions of people but will also give global recognition to UP.
It is also to be noted that the improved connectivity and better law and order have resulted in an increase of 18.6% in the interest of investors with context to Uttar Pradesh.
It is also noteworthy that as a result of “Uttar Pradesh Investors Summit 2018”, investment proposals worth Rs. 4.68 lakh crores have been received out of which 371 projects have been implemented.
All these will generate more than 33 lakh direct and indirect employment opportunities. In order to speed up the pace of industrialization in the state, the government is going to organize “UP Global Investors Summit 2020”. Today UP is the first choice of big entrepreneurs for investment across the country.
Agriculture
The biggest challenge and priority was to bring smiles on the faces of farmers of Uttar Pradesh who were on verge of committing suicide. Cane farmers were waiting eagerly since ages that someone will solve or at least understand their problems. As soon as BJP came into power, in a short span of 3 years, the government many issues have been resolved.
A system has been developed to resolve the problems related to payments that were pending since 2010-11. The collaboration of empathy towards the cane farmers and the execution of the plan that helped in waiving the pending payment dues of more than ₹92 thousand crores.
Uttar Pradesh stood first in sugarcane and sugar production in the country for the second time in a row. The sugarcane sector alone has seen record payments worth ₹92 thousand crores made to the farmers. Expansion and crushing capacity of Munderwa, Pipraich and Ramala sugar mills has been increased and the capacity of 11 sugar mills was expanded.
For the first time in 25 years, licenses of 105 new Khandasari units were approved, which led to 27,850 T.C.D. of additional crushing capacity. Similarly, Uttar Pradesh has become the largest ethanol supplier in the country. Not only this, but six dozen mills of the state are also producing two thousand megawatts of energy, due to which this industry is also becoming self-sufficient in the energy sector.
Two-thirds of the state’s population depends on agriculture-based income. Working on the target of Hon. Prime Minister’s resolution to double the income of the farmers by the year 2022, the State Government has implemented several schemes. For the same, the state government prepared soil health cards of more than 4 crore farmers.
Thousands of farmers have been provided 40 to 90% subsidy through a custom hiring centre for purchasing agricultural machinery, this amount has been transferred directly to the farmers’ account through DBT.
It is noteworthy that through “The Millions Farmers’ Schools”, farmers have been given training in improved farming at the Nyaya Panchayat level. 14 new Krishi Vigyan Kendras have been established in the state. Six new science centres are proposed. Minimum Support Price which was made a far-fetched dream in previous governments has been implemented and farmers have been given benefit at the grass-root level for pulses and oilseeds along with wheat and paddy.
So far, under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Yojana, Rs 12 thousand crores have been sent directly to the accounts of farmers. The farmers’ loan of Rs. 36 thousand crore has been waived off by our government and we have fulfilled the promises made to the farmers.
Irrigation and water conservation
The plan to benefit 50 lakh farmers by irrigation of 18 lakh hectares of additional land in this financial year through projects like Arjun Sahayak, Bhavani and Bandai Dam projects in Bundelkhand region and Saryu Canal, Madhya Ganga Canal, Uttar Pradesh Water Sector Restructuring etc. in the plains areas are going to be implemented.
In Bundelkhand, more than 8 thousand new ponds have been built on private land under the ‘Khet Talab’ scheme. This year, six thousand new local ponds will be constructed. The Aami River in Gorakhpur, the Odi River in Lalitpur, the Gomti River in Pilibhit and Tamsa in Ayodhya have been revived.
In continuation of the same, the pious Ganga Yatra, a journey from faith to economy, was the invocation of farmers and revival of rivers. Under the Namami Gange project, Sisamau drain in Kanpur, which released 14 crore litres of sewer into the holy Ganga daily, has been closed. This has greatly reduced the pollution level in the Ganga in Kanpur. The far-reaching results of the work done by the state government for water conservation on the Ganga and its tributaries will be seen in the future. Not only will the rivers be clean, but farmers will get abundant pollution-free irrigation water, which will definitely increase their income.
Healthcare
In order to let the health department recover from the virus of ‘mismanagement’, it was necessary to provide a “Prana Vayu” of good governance.
It is interesting to know here that for the last 76 years after the country became independent, only 12 medical colleges existed in the state.
Thereafter, we established 7 new medical colleges and started MBBS classes in them in just 3 years for easy, well organized and resourceful medical facilities. We laid the foundation stone of 8 new medical colleges. Along with this, approval was also received from the central government for the establishment of 13 new medical colleges. In this way, Uttar Pradesh will get the services of 28 medical colleges. Not only this, AIIMS are coming up in Gorakhpur and Rae Bareli as well.
It is the result of the improvement of health services and the activities under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan that for four decades in eastern UP, the number of encephalitis patients which was known as epidemics in children, has decreased by 56% and encephalitis death has decreased by 90%. The public’s faith in the government medical system at government hospitals of the state has increased. People have started visiting government hospitals again.
We have started organizing “Mukhyamantri Arogya Mela” at every Primary Health Centre for active and enhanced medical services as a more constructive experiment to make the state healthy.
Via Twitter
Since February 2, lakhs of people have received free medical facilities in these health fairs. Today, our health department is fully prepared to deal with any emergency like Corona Virus infection in the state. From launching awareness campaigns to the setting up of isolation wards, from the blockade of border areas to the installation of thermal analyzers, no effort has been spared.
Education
A society can move on the path of development only because of education. So first of all, we freed education from the clutches of cheating mafias. Through “Operation Kayakalp”, basic facilities like boundary wall, toilets, drinking water, electrification are being provided in more than 92 thousand primary schools. In these schools, 45,383 teachers have been recruited and the recruitment of 69,000 teachers is in the last phase. Similarly, 55 new government inter colleges have also been approved in secondary education.
Not only this, but the process to set up Atal Residential Schools have been expedited in every Circle Headquarters in order to spread the light of knowledge in the lives of children of labourers and deprived kids.
The Vantangia, Kol, Mushar and Tharu tribes, which have been marginalized for centuries, were brought into the mainstream of the society and we declared all their villages as revenue villages and covered them with all the public welfare schemes run by the government. They got the right to vote for the first time since independence.
Women Empowerment
Our government has also done a better job for women empowerment. Under the Mukhyamantri Samuhik Vivah Yojana, more than 01 lakh poor girls were benefited through a grant of Rs 51 thousand per beneficiary. Effective action was taken against the miscreants by establishing ‘anti-Romeo squad’. Good work has been done in the state under Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao campaign. “Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana” was also implemented. The result of the effective implementation of programmes of Health Department and Women Welfare Department is that the sex ratio has improved significantly in various districts of the state. There has been a considerable increase in the number of beneficiaries in the Nirashrit Mahila Pension Yojana. Women battalions are being established in Lucknow, Badaun and Gorakhpur. “Pink Bus Service” has been started. In these buses, security personnel along with women conductors are being deployed and CCTV cameras are also being installed in these buses.
Law and order
On the law and order front, we inherited a helpless police force. The places that should have been “safe zones” were the “safari zones” of criminals. Our government tried hard to bring the law and order back on track. As a result, today either the criminals are fleeing the state or are imprisoned. For better policing, 41 new police stations, 13 new check posts were established in the state. 1.7 lakh police personnel were recruited. Police Commissioner system was implemented in Lucknow and Gautam Budh Nagar.
By adopting a policy of zero tolerance towards crime and corruption, the police system was immensely improved. Crime figures have dropped to a considerable extent. While the dacoity cases decreased by 59.70% in the year 2019 as compared to 2016, there was a decrease of 47.09% in murder cases in the same period.
Due to effective measures taken by the administration and the police, no incidents of violence was reported at the time of the order for the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir, and at the time of the verdict on Sri Ram Janmabhoomi dispute in Ayodhya.
In opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act, some anti-social elements unsuccessfully tried to disturb the law and order, but this too was later effectively controlled. After identifying the miscreants, the damages done by them on the property was recovered from them, and this effort of the government also gained widespread support throughout the country. The Punjab and Haryana High Court appreciated the better law and order in the state and said that stringent law should be enforced against criminals on the lines of UP. This was a major blow to the miscreants and their leaders.
Other achievements
It is only because of efficient planning and disciplined system that the rate of per capita income is continuously increasing in the state. While the per capita income in 2014-15 was ₹ 42,267, it has currently increased to ₹ 70,419. It is the achievement of our transparent system that the government jobs provided by the state government to 03 lakh people in the last three years are dispute free.
It is a matter of personal satisfaction for me that in these three years the state has reached the top in the country in many areas. Uttar Pradesh became the first state in the country to implement skill development policy, state health policy and declare human-wildlife conflict a disaster. It also secured the first place in the country by winning the top award for making the most purchases under e-market (Gem). It bagged 9 awards in Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, 07 in MNREGA, 02 in Rurban Mission, 01 in Livelihood Mission, 01 in Gram Swaraj Abhiyan and 01 in NIRDP.
Within three years, the rate of maternal mortality declined by 30%. The state received the highest award for Nutrition Month. 14 municipal bodies of the state were honored in the cleanliness survey and received the Krishi Karman Award for highest oilseed production. It was commended to implement an innovative experiment like the Million Farmers’ School (Kisan Pathshala) scheme in the country and abroad, while ‘one district-one product scheme’ was lauded by the Central Government and it was considered good enough to be implemented in every district.
The state also got the Nari Shakti Puraskar for setting up One Stop Center under Women Empowerment, National e-Governance Award for Digital Land System, Saubhagya Yojana Award for more power connectivity, 03 National Awards for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. The state also ranks first in milk, sugar, sugarcane and food production. The state is also the leader in the establishment and operation of most medical institutions in the country. These awards encourage us to innovate constantly. Because of these, the state is gaining the identity of a developed state.
We are committed to the welfare of all, including the village, the poor, farmers, women, labourers, and the youth. Uttar Pradesh, with a huge population of 23 crore people, is moving towards becoming a one trillion dollar economy as envisioned by Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, bringing positive productive change.
Our ideological vision which embodies the concept of Rashtrodaya from Antyodaya is relentless in order to satisfy the desire of Awadh, the hope of Purvanchal, the expectation of Bundelkhand and the aspirations of Paschimanchal. The actions being taken by our system under zero tolerance on everyone involved in corruption and malpractices have been successful in conveying the message of “changed system” in the state.
Budget is the financial structure of schemes. For the inclusive development of Uttar Pradesh, the largest state in the country, we have presented a budget of Rs. 5 lakh 12 thousand 860 crores 72 lakh, which is the biggest budget in the history of the state. In this historic budget dedicated to youth, schemes like Chief Minister’s Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme and Youth Entrepreneurship Development Campaign (YUVA) will prove to be milestones in the field of self-employment and self-reliance.
It is just the beginning. It is the first step of the resolve to take the holy land of Lord Shri Ram and Shri Krishna to the highest glory with the inspiration of the respected Prime Minister. I am confident that the remaining 2 years will prove to be milestones in the direction of progress, public welfare and democracy.
Yes, on the basis of the fulfilment of the promises made in 2017 elections, the foundation of a new Uttar Pradesh has been laid.
Tablighi Itjema, the Islamic evangelical event held in Malaysia late last month has emerged as the ground zero for the coronavirus outbreak in South East Asia.
11 out of 12 people who tested positive for COVID-19 coronavirus on March 16 in Cambodia had attended the Islamic evangelical event in Malaysia. A total of 79 Muslims had returned from Malaysia after attending the Tablighi Ijtema, a 3-day ‘show of strength’ event of Muslims which is all about moral reform of individuals and is often described as ‘making Muslims true Muslims’. The event was reportedly attended by over 16,000 Muslims from several countries.
The event was held between 27 February 2020 to 1 March 2020. 34-year-old Malaysian man who had attended the event died on Tuesday. He is the first reported death linked to the evangelical event. As per reports, out of a total 673 confirmed cases in Malaysia, as many as 2/3rd are linked to the mosque gathering. Apparently, only about half of Malaysian population that attended the event has come forward to get tested. This has raised apprehensions that the actual number of infected people could be even higher. On Tuesday, Malaysia reported two deaths from coronavirus, one of whom had attended the event.
As of now, Brunei has confirmed 50 cases linked to Tablighi Ijtema. The number stands at 5 in Singapore, and two in Thailand. Vietnam, too, has a confirmed coronavirus case linked to the event. A total of 67 people have tested positive in Vietnam.
As per a Reuters report, some of the Muslims who attended the event have refused to get themselves tested for coronavirus and are relying on Allah to protect them. About a third of the people who attended the event are reportedly yet to be traced. One of the attendees, 41-year-old Karim who tested positive for coronavirus blames the government for not cancelling the event. Speaking to Reuters, Karim is disappointed that the blame of spreading coronavirus is put on those who attended the event.
Tablighi Jamaat, of which Tablighi Ijtema is an integral part, is a global Islamic missionary movement which urges Muslims to return to the way Islam was practiced during the time of Prophet Muhammad. The focus is on rituals, dress and personal behaviour and is considered one of the most influential Islamic religious movements of 20th century. It has become world’s second largest Muslim congregation after the Islamic holy pilgrimage of Hajj.
The movement was founded in 1927 by Islamic scholar Muhammad Ilyas ibn Muhammad Ismail in Mewat, India. Mewat, which has emerged as a hotbed of illegal Rohingya Bangladeshis in recent times, is a geographical region which falls in Rajasthan and Haryana.
As the global pandemic of COVID-19 coronavirus is expected to hit the livelihood of daily wage earners due to slowdown in the economy, the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday announced to compensate these daily earners with state support. Taking to Twitter, UP CM Yogi Adityanath informed that the loss of wages will be deposited in their bank accounts for which a committee has been set up.
कोरोना वायरस के दुष्प्रभाव के चलते दिहाड़ी मजदूर भाई-बहनों को परिवार के भरण-पोषण में समस्या न हो, इस हेतु प्रदेश सरकार ने एक तय धनराशि मजदूर भाई-बहनों के बैंक खाते में प्रदान करने का निर्णय लिया है। इस संबंध में वित्तमंत्री की अध्यक्षता में गठित समिति 3 दिन में रिपोर्ट सौंपेगी।
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also announced that there will be no deduction of salary for those patients who take leave for coronavirus treatment.
According to the reports, the state government has also constituted a high-level committee to provide them with the required monetary support. The three-member committee, headed by the UP finance minister and comprising the state agriculture and labour ministers, has been asked by chief minister Yogi Adityanath to submit a report within three days.
“The committee will analyse the situation arising out of the coronavirus outbreak so that the livelihood of the poor and daily wage earners is not affected. The state intends to provide money to these people through the real-time gross settlement (RTGS) medium,” UP cabinet minister Shrikant Sharma confirmed to the media.
In the backdrop of Coronavirus health crisis, the Uttar Pradesh government has banned all forms of protest and demonstrations in the state to protect the general public from this pandemic. Meanwhile, the CM has directed for the closure of all schools, colleges, and educational institutions till April 2, while also suspending all competitive and academic board examinations. Earlier, the schools and colleges were closed till March 22 even as the ongoing exams were not disturbed.
The government has also decided to close down all the tourist sports till March 31, although the process of sanitising these places would continue, said the minister. “The state government has decided to implement the central government advisory pertaining to coronavirus in totality,” he added.
Speaking on the preparedness of the state to handle the crisis, Sharma added the CM Yogi Adityanath had appealed to the people to avoid crowded places and not to panic on the issue, although the masses should exercise caution and spread awareness. All the cinema halls and multiplexes have also been ordered to close down till April 2 in UP even as the respective district magistrates have been directed to speed up the awareness campaign through posters and banners.
“At present, the state is under stage II of coronavirus and with effective campaign and public awareness, we can prevent it from reaching the critical stage III,” Sharma underlined.
Meanwhile, the government has advised the private companies to allow their employees to work from home, while a committee headed by the state chief secretary has been constituted to suggest similar measures for the government employees. The state government has mandated free treatment of coronavirus patients, while the government and non-government employees have been assured that their salaries would not be cut during the work of the home regime.
Till now, 13 coronavirus positive cases have been identified in UP at Agra, Lucknow, Noida and Ghaziabad with the Taj City leading the tally with 8 cases. More than 1.3 million travellers have so been screened at the airports and Nepal border check posts.
Bengaluru Police has put senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh under preventive arrest as he sat on a dharna outside a hotel where he had gone to meet rebel Congress MLAs.
#WATCH Karnataka: Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has now been placed under preventive arrest. He was sitting on dharna near Ramada hotel in Bengaluru, allegedly after he was not allowed by Police to visit it. 21 #MadhyaPradesh Congress MLAs are lodged at the hotel. pic.twitter.com/dP3me4qjw0
He was sitting on a dharna outside Ramada hotel where 21 Congress MLAs who tendered resignation along with former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia who recently joined the BJP. Singh arrived in Bengaluru early this morning ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections which are scheduled later this month. He is Congress candidate for the Upper House of the Parliament.”I’m a Rajya Sabha candidate from Madhya Pradesh, voting is scheduled for 26 March. My MLAs have been kept here, they want to speak to me, their phones have been snatched, police is not letting me speak to them saying there is a security threat to MLAs,” he said.
The veteran Congress leader has now been placed under preventive arrest. Singh said that the rebel MLAs want to go back to Congress but “are being held back”. He claims that he spoke to 5 MLAs whose phones have been “snatched away” and are being “followed 24×7.”
The Madhya Pradesh state government plunged into crisis after senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia along with 21 other Congress MLAs quit the party. Scindia has since joined the BJP. With 21 Congress MLAs also quitting, the ruling government has fallen below the majority mark. The MP Governor has asked Chief Minister Kamal Nath to prove majority on the floor of the Assembly.
The Madhya Pradesh Congress moved the Supreme court on Tuesday against the Bharatiya Janata Party accusing the opposition party of kidnapping 16 of its MLAs. The Congress party is also seeking directions for ‘releasing their MLAs from the captivity of BJP’. The rebel MLAs of Madhya Pradesh Congress are presently staying at a Bengaluru resort and they have demanded security for their safe return to Bhopal. A rebel Congress leader Govind Singh Rajput said that the group of rebel MLAs were willingly living in Bengaluru resort.
The rebel MLA has accused MP Chief Minister Kamal Nath of not hearing the ideas and demands for their respective constituencies for even 15 minutes. “When the MP government was formed, we were there in the opposition for 15 years. When the government was formed Rahul Gandhi brought two faces in light– Scindia Ji and Kamal Nath Ji. We thought everything will be normal but CM’s behaviour changed later,” he said.
MP Governor Lalji Tandon wrote to Kamal Nath on Monday urging him to hold the floor test till 17 March. The speaker on Monday had adjourned the session till 26 March due to coronavirus scare. However, BJP moved to the supreme court against the speaker. The plea filed by former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan urges the top court to order a floor test immediately.
On 9 March, the influential Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia had resigned from the party and later joined the BJP. Following him, 19 MLAs including six cabinet ministers have also resigned from the assembly.
Talking to media for the first time after being nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the president, former chief justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said that he has accepted the offer humbly. Talking to Assamese news channel Pratidin Time in Guwahati on Tuesday morning, Gogoi said that he was given ample time before taking the decision, and it was announced by the government after he had given his consent.
Responding to criticism by Congress party and others over his nomination, Ranjan Gogoi said that time has come to set a precedence. “I have accepted the offer of the nomination to the Rajya Sabha because of strong conviction, that the legislature and the Judiciary must at some point of time worked together for Nation-building,” he said.
The former CJI added, “My presence in Parliament will be an
opportunity to project the views of the Judiciary before the legislature and
vice versa,” responding to debates going on in social media over his nomination.
Ranjan Gogoi informed that he is going to Delhi tomorrow, and said that he will open up on the issue but first he will take the oath in Rajya Sabha. “I have much to say but let me take the oath in the Parliament and then I shall open up,” he said while talking to senior journalist Mrinal Talukdar during the interview. He also added, “let God give me the strength to have an independent voice in the Parliament.”
In the meanwhile, the attack on the BJP government over the decision continued with Gogoi’s fellow judges joining the criticism. Judges Madan Lokur and Kurian Joseph today made comments opposing the move by the government and Ranjan Gogoi.
The nomination of ex-Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi to the Rajya Sabha has now come under the attack from his fellow Judges Madan Lokur and Kurian Joseph. The two of them along with former CJI Gogoi and Justice J Chelameswar were part of the contentious press conference wherein they had questioned the alleged misconduct of then CJI Deepak Mishra in the allocation of important cases. An explosive letterwritten by the 4 Judges to the Chief Justice Mishra, several months ago, was also put out in public domain.
Justice Madan Lokur who retired in December 2018 remarked, “There has been speculation for some time now about what honorific would Justice Gogoi get. So, in that sense, the nomination is not surprising, but what is surprising is that it came so soon. This redefines the independence, impartiality and integrity of the judiciary. Has the last bastion fallen?”
Justice (retired) Kurian Joseph said, “I am surprised as to how Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who once exhibited such courage of conviction to uphold the independence of the judiciary, has compromised the noble principles on the independence and impartiality of the Judiciary.”
He claimed that the Rajya Sabha nomination of the former Chief Justice has shaken the confidence of the common man on the “independence of the Judiciary” and thus compromised the “solid foundation of the nation.” Justice J Chelameswar, however, refused to comment on the new development.
It is imperative to remember that CJI Gogoi’s nomination to the Rajya Sabha is not “unprecedented” for two primary reasons. First, there are no constitutional restrictions that bar him from seeking employment, joining a political party or getting elected/nominated to the Indian Parliament. Second, India has a long history of judges becoming governors, contesting on the tickets of political parties, becoming Vice President and so on.
Union Minister for Civil Aviation Hardeep S Puri on Tuesday while responding over a discussion on flying ban on stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra in Lok Sabha said that irrelevant of the identity of the person, whether it’s a member of the house or anyone, anybody who dares to threaten the security of the aircraft deserves no consideration.
While speaking in the lower house, Puri said, “He (comedian Kunal Kamra) tried to disrupt normal functioning. It would have gone unnoticed, he recorded the incident himself and put it on social media. The concerned airline put him under no flying period. Others also followed.”
Union Minister for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri in Lok Sabha: I don’t care who it is, whether it’s a member of House or anyone. Anybody who threatens the physical security of an aircraft, inside the aircraft while it is airborne deserve no consideration. https://t.co/YR28EOoSaj
He added, “I do not care who it is, whether it is a member of house or anyone. Anybody who threatens the physical security of aircraft, inside the aircraft while it is airborne, deserves no consideration.”
The discussion came in the light of Vistara airlines putting a flying ban Kunal Kamra till 27 April recently after the conclusion of the investigation by an internal committee of Indigo regarding the late January incident came into being.
Propagandist Kunal Kamra had resorted to bullying and heckling Journalist Arnab Goswami on a flight in January this year. Despite Arnab continue to ignore him, he continued to heckle the journalist inside the Indigo flight. Kunal Kamra also shot a video of the same and posted it on social media in order to get an ovation from the left brigade but it hit him reverse when the Indigo and other airlines put a ban on Kamra from taking their flights until further notice. After Indigo, Air India, SpiceJet, and GoAir had also blacklisted Kamra, with Air Vistara doing the same recently.
As the protests surrounding the new Citizenship Amendment Act peters out, those accused of fomenting trouble appear to be making amends for the wrongs that they did during the peak of the anti-CAA demonstrations. In one such incident, a third-year student from the prestigious Indian Institute, Kanpur, whose public recital of controversial poem prompted a faculty member to file a complaint against him, has apologised and expressed his regrets to the institute for “hurting sentiments” through his “error in judgment”.
In December 2019, during the anti-CAA protests in Kanpur, the controversial couplet penned by Faiz Ahmed Faiz was recited by students on the college campus. A complaint was then lodged by a faculty of the Institute, Dr Vashi Sharma, according to whom the poem recited by the students had contained clarion calls to “destroy all idols” while emphasising that everything will vanish except for Allah’s name.
In the video of the incident, according to Sharma, lines from ‘ Hum Dekhenge ’ was recited along with placards reading, “tumhari laathi aur goli se tez hamari awaaz hai” (our voice is louder than your sticks and bullets).
A faculty at IIT Kanpur has submitted this video and a complaint to director, alleging anti-India & communal statements made at a recent event held in ‘solidarity with Jamia’ & that event held without permission.
The poem read, “Lazim hai ke hum bhi dekhenge. Jab arz-e-Khuda ke kaabe se. Sab but uthwae jaenge. Hum ahl-e-safa mardood-e-harm. Masnad pe bethae jaenge. Sab taaj uchale jaenge. Sab takht girae jaenge. Bas naam rahega Allah ka. Hum dekhenge.”
The lines used from the poem appear deeply communal in isolation and are often used by Pakistani-sponsored terrorists and separatists in Kashmir to express their anti-Hindu and anti-India hatred. The ones raising these slogans essentially wanted that all the idols, crowns will be vanished to keep Allah’s name alive.
Soon after Swarajya exclusively reported about Dr Sharma’s complaint, the Institute had established a six-member committee to investigate if any student or faculty member had used “inflammatory, abusive and intimidating language” during the event or on social media after Dr Sharma registered her complaint against the students.
After investigating the matter, a report was submitted to the Institute director last week by the committee. The report lists down 5 teachers and 6 students for their “less-than-desirable” conduct. The committee has advised the director to provide “guidance” to them.
Regarding the recital of the problematic poem, the deputy director of IIT Kanpur, Manindra Agarwal said that the student who chanted the poem is remorseful of his actions. “We asked him if he believes he was right in reciting the poem at the communally charged up environment. He said he did not intend to hurt anybody’s sentiments but if in case he has offended anyone’s feelings, he is apologetic about it,” Agarwal said to Swati Goel Sharma of Swarajya.
While Agarwal refused to disclose the identities of the people named in the report, he added that the committee considers the matter to be closed.
In contrast to some misleading media reports which said the committee formed by the Institute is tasked with studying if the poem was “anti-Hindu”, Agarwal rubbished such media canards saying the committee was never instructed to analyse the content and the meaning of the poem. “We were simply asked to investigate why tempers ran high and who was accountable for it,” he had added.
Apropos of the recommended counselling, Agarwal said that the counselling may not have happened owing to the campus lockdown amidst the coronavirus scare. The institute has closed down for two weeks and the students and other members have been advised to mot come to campus in case they are on vacation.
Yogi Adityanath led Uttar Pradesh government has started recovering money from the rioters who indulged in the vandalism and desecration of public properties during the anti-CAA riots in the month of December despite consistent warnings by the government.
Reportedly, six rioters have already paid their first instalments with a total amount of ₹80,856 in UP’s Kanpur. The property desecrated by the rioters which have to paid by the 21 rioters in Kanpur was worth a total of ₹2,80,000 for which the rioters were warned to pay the amount for the damaged property on time otherwise strict action will be against them.
UP CM Yogi Adityanath has been very clear about his intentions from the very first day when the riots took place in the state of Uttar Pradesh. He had warned rioters that taking the law into their hands, indulging in arson can land them into trouble.
Earlier this month the UP government had put hoardings of 57 anti-CAA vandals in prominent intersections in state capital Lucknow. The hoardings included their names, addresses, and photos of the violent protesters who damaged public property during the riots that claimed 22 lives in December last year. The rioters were asked to pay the penalty amount within a month.
The vandals have been identified through police reports and other sources. The UP government is looking forward to recovering more than 1.5 Cr from 57 reported rioters across the state of Uttar Pradesh who indulged in vandalism, violence, and arson in the name of anti-CAA protests.
The Uttar Pradesh government has also promulgated the Uttar Pradesh Recovery of Damages to Public and Private Property Ordinance, 2020 to recover damages from rioters. The Ordinance states that the state will set up claims tribunals to investigate the damages caused during protests and to award compensation, and also to cover the cost of action taken by police and administration for prevention of damage to public properties.
