India News
Babri Masjid demolition case: Supreme Court says complete trial, give verdict in 9 months
The Supreme Court today (Friday, July 19) gave the Special CBI Judge Sirendra Kumar Yadav nine months to deliver a judgment in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case in which BJP leaders like LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti are accused.
The apex court bench led by Justice Rohinton Nariman also extended the judge’s tenure till March 2020 since he was due to retire in September this year.
The court also directed that recording of evidence in the case should be completed within six months.
Special Judge Yadav had moved the court in May this year seeking an additional six more months to complete hearing the case. Yadav, in a letter to the court, had said he was set to retire on September 30.
The Special Judge has been hearing the case on a day-to-day basis, as ordered by the SC in April 2017.
On April 19, 2017, the top court bench of Justices PC Ghose and RF Nariman had ordered day-to-day trial to be concluded in two years in the politically sensitive 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case, allowing an appeal filed by the CBI against the discharge given by the Allahabad High Court to Advani, Joshi, Uma Bharati and 13 other BJP leaders and restoring the conspiracy charges against them.
However, the top court had said Kalyan Singh, who is currently the Governor of Rajasthan and during whose tenure as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh the disputed structure was razed, is entitled to immunity under Constitution as long as he remained in gubernatorial position.
Besides the three leaders, the accused, against whom the conspiracy charge was invoked, were Vinay Katiar, Sadhvi Ritambara, Vishnu Hari Dalmia, who were being tried at Rae Bareilly.
Invoking its extraordinary constitutional powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, the bench also transferred the pending separate trial in a Rae Bareilly Magistrate court and clubbed it with criminal proceedings in the Lucknow CBI Court. It had evoked the maxim — “Let justice be done though the heavens fall” — to flex its extraordinary constitutional powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to bring the cases to justice.
In 2017, the top court extolled its “power, nay, the duty to do complete justice in a case when found necessary”.
It said in a 40-page judgment: “In the present case, crimes which shake the secular fabric of the Constitution of India have allegedly been committed almost 25 years ago.”
The court had come down heavily on the CBI for the delay of 25 years in the trial and said, “The accused persons have not been brought to book largely because of the conduct of the CBI in not pursuing the prosecution of the aforesaid alleged offenders in a joint trial, and because of technical defects which were easily curable, but which were not cured by the State Government.”
Issuing a slew of directions, it had said that “the proceedings (against Advani and five others) in the court of the Special Judicial Magistrate at Rae Bareilly will stand transferred to the Court of Additional Sessions Judge (Ayodhya Matters) at Lucknow.”
The court ordered the Lucknow CBI court judge to hold day to day trial and pronounce the judgment in two years. It forbade the transfer of the judge and also adjournments. Any grievances, the Bench said, should directly be addressed to the Supreme Court. Its directions had to be complied with in letter and in spirit, it cautioned.
The Rae Bareilly case accuses the BJP and Sangh Parivar leaders of having given speeches to promote enmity and threatened national integration.
The Lucknow case, investigated by the CBI, is against “lakhs of unknown karsevaks” and deals with the actual act of demolition and violence. With the clubbing of the cases and revival of the conspiracy charge, the accused political leaders would be tried under the composite charge sheet filed by the CBI on October 5, 1993.
Also Read: Karnataka: Governor’s deadline for trust vote was for CM, no voting till debate over – Speaker
The Bench agreed with the CBI charge sheet’s finding in 1993 that both the criminal conspiracy by the political leaders and the actual demolition by karsevaks were part of the “same transaction” and warranted a joint trial.
Besides Advani, Joshi and Bharti, the court had ordered the Lucknow Court to frame the conspiracy charge against Vinay Katiyar, SadhviRitambara, Vishnu Hari Dalmia, Champat Rai Bansal, Satish Pradhan, Dharam Das, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, Mahamadleshwar Jagdish Muni, Ram Bilas Vadanti, Vaikunth Lal Sharma and Satish Chandra Nagar. All were named as accused in the 1993 CBI charge sheet.
If convicted, the accused would face punishment of three to five years. This would mean that they would be barred from contesting elections for the six years following the completion of their sentence.
Also Read: Babri Masjid demolition case: Spl judge moves SC seeking more time to complete trial
India News
Goa child rights body serves notice to Education department after worms found in mid day meals
Peter F Borges, Chairperson Goa state commission for protection of child rights said this shocking, sheer, neglect and outrageous that the meal had been consumed by children. He added the MDM scheme has elaborate monitoring systems in state, district and local levels.
The Goa state Commission for Protection of Child Rights served notice to the state Education department as worms were found in mid day meals served to children. Officials of the Directorate of Food and Drugs Administration on Tuseday took food samples from three schools. This came in response to a complaint from schools in Priol said worms were found in Soya Chunks Pulao which was served as the mid day meal.
Peter F Borges, Chairperson Goa state commission for protection of child rights said this shocking, sheer, neglect and outrageous that the meal had been consumed by children. He added the MDM scheme has elaborate monitoring systems in state, district and local levels.
He said the school management committee (SMC)s are responsible for continuously monitoring the wholesomeness of the midday meal served to the schoolchildren. They are responsible for the hygiene standards and the service of the meal and the timeliness of good quality ingredients on a daily basis.
The commission has called for investigation in the incident and an enquiry so that necessary action can be taken against those found responsible for the incident. It has further sent directives to the education department to file status of all mechanisms at various levels in place.
Director of Education Shailesh Zingade told the media after the complaints were received the food and Drugs administration officials were summoned. They also collected the food samples and a report was awaited. He said the supplier has been told to stop the supply till the issue is cleared. According to reports the education department will take action against the self help group supplying the mid day meal. The mid day meal is served to students from Class I to Class VIII. The food is served to 160 lakh students of 1400 aided and government schools.
Bihar news
Nitish Kumar on ‘digital library’ inauguration in Bihar’s Banka asks officials to change signboard language to Hindi | Watch video
The chief minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar on Wednesday, went to inaugurate a ‘digital library’ in Banka district where he noticed the language of the signboard of the newly established ‘digital library’.
The chief minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar on Wednesday, went to inaugurate a ‘digital library’ in Banka district where he noticed the language of the signboard of the newly established ‘digital library’ and asked the officials to change the signboard as the information was written in the English language.
CM Kumar said he respects the English language but Hindi is a part of the tradition. He further schooled the officials saying you are ending the importance of the Hindi language, adding that it is our language. Officials present at the moment were asked to change the board by CM Kumar.
In March, Kumar made headlines for ridiculing a farmer who used English words in his speech at an event, demonstrating his consistent disapproval of the use of English in public settings.
Nitish Kumar reminded the farmer that using smartphones during COVID-19 was causing people to distance themselves from their own language in Bharat, Bihar.
Look at what has happened to people. They are distancing themselves from their language, Kumar interrupted, when people learn words through smartphones. Is it England, Kumar questioned the farmer. Your language should be used since you have been conversing with farmers in Bihar and Bharat, Nitish Kumar said.
As per the reports, the Chief Minister of Bihar carried out unannounced inspections at several government offices and discovered that a considerable number of ministers from his cabinet were missing in action. The observations revealed that while the majority of the ministers belonging to his party, JD(U), were present, a significant number of ministers from his alliance party, RJD, were found to be absent, the reports added.
According to reports, the development occurred amidst speculations that CM Kumar may switch alliances and join the BJP.
During the G20 event, the Prime Minister cordially introduced Nitish Kumar to none other than the esteemed US President Joe Biden.
It was worth noting that this was the initial encounter between PM Modi and Nitish Kumar following the latter’s party, JD(U), ending its affiliation with the BJP last year. Instead, they joined the Mahagathbandhan and formed a government with RJD and other opposition parties.
India News
Watch: Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Ashish Patel injured in road accident
The minister suffered injuries because the air bags of the car did not open after the collision of the vehicles. Principal of Trauma centre Dr Sunil Singh and Dr RB Kamal said everything is normal in the X ray.
UP Cabinet Minister Ashish Patel received injuries when his car rammed into another vehicle in his convoy. The accident took place on the Mirzapur Prayagraj highway near Meja road. According to reports emergency brakes were applied by the vehicle leading the convoy to prevent an accident with a motorcycle. The minister received injuries on his chest and legs due to the accident of the vehicles in the convoy.
Immediately a police team with senior district officers reached the area of the accident. The minster was taken to a hospital. He is receiving treatment in the trauma centre. In the video it can be seen the car of Minister Ashish Patel is completely damaged in the accident. A crowd of people have gathered around the damaged vehicle.
The minister suffered injuries because the air bags of the car did not open after the collision of the vehicles. Principal of Trauma centre Dr Sunil Singh and Dr RB Kamal said everything is normal in the X ray. Ashish Patel is also the husband of Anupriya Patel. She is the Union minister of State for Commerce and state in the Indian government. She is also the president of Apna Dal (Sonelal) Party. She is the daughter of ApnaDal founder Sonelal Patel
Ashish Patel is an MLC in the UP assembly and the technical education minister in the Uttar Pradesh government. Patel is undergoing treatment at the Mirzapur Trauma Centre. In the video doctors can be seen attending the minister. It was the 14th wedding anniversary of the politician couple.
Anupriya Patel had also posted about her marriage anniversary on X (formerly Twitter). She wrote walking on the irregular path of life facing the ups and downs , the couple lost something and got something. In another post she said they were just characters on the stage of life.
