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EC recommends disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs for Office Of Profit

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EC recommends disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs for Office Of Profit

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Disqualification of 20 MLAs will leave AAP with a reduced strength of 42 in the 70-member Delhi Assembly, still in majority, while by-polls would have to be held for the vacant seats.

In a major jolt to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s government, the Election Commission has reportedly recommended to President Ram Nath Kovind to disqualify 20 of the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) 63 legislators for allegedly holding offices of profit.

The EC’s opinion has been communicated to the President just three days before Chief Election Commissioner AK Joti retires.

The President is bound to go by the recommendation of the Commission, reported PTI. In cases where petitions are made seeking disqualification of lawmakers, the President sends a reference to the EC which decides on the case by sending back its opinion.

Initially, the case was against 21 MLAs but it now stands at 20 after Rajouri Garden MLA Jarnail Singh resigned to contest against Parkash Singh Badal in the Punjab Assembly elections last year.

The MLAs whose fate hangs in balance are Alka Lamba, Adarsh Shastri, Sanjeev Jha, Rajesh Gupta, Kailash Gehlot, Vijendra Garg, Praveen Kumar, Sharad Kumar, Madan Lal Khufiya, Shiv Charan Goyal, Sarita Singh, Naresh Yadav, Rajesh Rishi, Anil Kumar, Som Dutt, Avtar Singh, Sukhvir Singh Dala, Manoj Kumar, Nitin Tyagi and Jarnail Singh (Tilak Nagar).

The EC has refused to comment on the development, saying that the matter is still sub judice. Sources confirmed that AAP MLAs including Madanlal, Nitin Tyagi, Rajesh Gupta have moved the Delhi High Court against the disqualification order by the Election Commission.

Advocate Samir Vashist urgently mentioned the matter in the court of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal who sent the matter to the court of Justice Rekha Palli.

“It was only AK Joti, Election commissioner, who heard that matter. We were asked to give written submissions which we had done saying that whenever the order is passed, we should be informed about it. But the order came without any prior intimation to us,” AAP MLA Madanlal said.

Delhi chief minister Kejriwal and his party colleagues too have refrained from officially commenting on the issue, maintaining that they would first study the EC’s recommendation and the order of the President. Kejriwal has convened a meeting of his ministers and associates from the party to discuss the situation and prepare for the aftermath of the disqualification.

However, AAP spokesperson Nagendar Sharma tweeted:

This must be the first ever recommendation in EC history where a recommendation has been sent without even hearing the main matter on merits. NO HEARING TOOK PLACE IN EC ON THE POINT OF OFFICE OF PROFIT[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]If the MLAs are indeed disqualified and AAP fails to get relief from the Delhi High Court against the order, Delhi will witness a by-poll for these 20 seats. The by-election would be a major challenge for AAP since it would come at a time when the party’s credibility will have taken a hit in wake of the disqualifications. The party is already facing an implosion of sorts ever since it declared its candidates for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha polls and decided to deny a ticket to founding-member Kumar Vishwas.

The legislators who have reportedly been disqualified were embroiled in a controversy over holding offices of profit allegations that had been made against many of them soon after they were elected to the Delhi Assembly in 2015 when AAP registered a historic win, bagging 67 of the state’s 70 seats. Lawyer and political activist Prashant Patel had claimed that since these legislators were also serving as parliamentary secretaries – an office for which the government pays a fixed salary – they ought to be disqualified on the grounds of holding an office of profit. The legislators had pleaded for the case against them to be dropped by the EC in June 2017, but their pleas were rejected.

In August 2017, the Delhi High Court had refused the MLAs’ plea for staying the poll panel’s order upholding maintainability of Patel’s petition despite quashing their appointment as parliamentary secretaries in 2016.

In October 2017, AAP had got a minor relief when President Ram Nath Kovind rejected a petition seeking disqualification of AAP MLA Surendra Singh for allegedly holding an office of profit after an opinion was given in the matter by the Election Commission. The petition against Surendra Singh had alleged that the AAP MLA had been earning a salary from the Public Works Department of the Delhi government as well as from New Delhi Municipal Council. President Kovind had, however, rejected the demand forSingh’s disqualification stating that the in the poll panel’s opinion Singh was not holding an ‘office’ under the government within the meaning of section 15(1) (a) of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, as he was a member of the NDMC by virtue of the NDMC Act and the government had no role in the appointment or dismissal of such members.

While neither the EC nor the AAP have officially confirmed the media reports over these disqualifications, Delhi Congress unit chief Ajay Maken has been quick to assert that Kejriwal has “no right to continue” as the chief minister. In a series of tweets, Maken attacked the Delhi chief minister and said: “half of his cabinet ministers (have been) removed on corruption charges. 20 MLAs who were enjoying ministerial perks would be disqualified.” Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tewari also echoed Maken’s views and demanded Kejriwal’s resignation.

Meanwhile, AAP leader Saurav Bhardwaj hit out at Chief Election Commissioner AK Joti for indulging in a conspiracy to help the BJP in Delhi.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Kerala High Court quashes charges against director Sreekumar Menon in complaint filed by actor Manju Warrier

The court also noted a significant delay in the actor’s report of the alleged incident involving obscene language.

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Kerala High Court quashes charges against film director Sreekumar Menon in complaint filed by actor Manju Warrier

In a significant development, the Kerala High Court has quashed all charges against film director Sreekumar Menon in a case filed by renowned South Indian actress Manju Warrier. The criminal case lodged in 2019, alleged stalking and harassment by Sreekumar Menon against Manju Warrier.

Justice S. Manu, who presided over the case, found insufficient evidence to support the charges pressed against the film director. The charges included stalking under Section 354D of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), using obscene language under Section 294(b) of the IPC, and criminal intimidation under Section 509 of the IPC.

The Kerala High Court also noted a significant delay in the actor’s report of the alleged incident involving obscene language. The complaint, which was filed in 2019, mentioned an altercation that supposedly occurred in Dubai in December 2018. Furthermore, the Court pointed out that Section 188 of the CrPC mandates seeking Central Government permission for prosecuting offenses committed outside India.

The final report also included a charge under Section 120(o) of the Kerala Police Act. However, the High Court observed that this offense is non-cognizable, meaning the police cannot initiate a case without specific permission. Since the other charges were deemed unsustainable, the Kerala High Court ruled that prosecution solely under this section would not hold validity.

The case stemmed from a petition filed by Manju Warrier with the Kerala State Police Chief in 2019. The petition alleged stalking and harassment by Sreekumar Menon. Subsequently, the petition led to the registration of an FIR at the Thrissur East Police Station. 

Both film director Sreekumar Warrier and actor Manju Menon have enjoyed successful careers in the Malayalam film industry. Their collaboration on the film Odiyan, starring Mohanlal, marked Sreekumar Menon’s directorial debut. 

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Will not contest any election in future, have to stop somewhere: Sharad Pawar hints at retirement

The NCP leader said that he is not in power, and his tenure in the Rajya Sabha has one-and-a-half years left.

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Will not contest any election in future, have to stop somewhere: Sharad Pawar hints at retirement

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) senior leader Sharad Pawar, 83, today hinted at retirement as he said he may not contest any more elections after his Rajya Sabha term ends in 18 months.

Sharad Pawar who formed the NCP in 1999 is widely regarded as the grand old man of Maharashtra politics. The veteran politician was speaking at his family stronghold of Baramati in western Maharashtra, which will see a Pawar vs Pawar contest in the November 20 Assembly election.

Addressing a rally, the NCP leader said that he is not in power, and his tenure in the Rajya Sabha has one-and-a-half years left. He continued that he will not contest any election in future, and that he will have to stop somewhere. He also thanked the voters of Baramati for making him an MP and MLA a staggering 14 times overall. Notably, a potential close of a nearly six-decade-long political career comes as the NCP and its allies – the Congress and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena group – contest this month’s election.

In this election, the fight for Baramati is being seen as a referendum on Sharad Pawar’s continuing influence over voters, since it sees his grandnephew, Yugendra Pawar, do battle against his nephew Ajit Pawar, whose led the rebellion last year that forced the NCP to split.

NCP leader Ajit Pawar is a five-time MLA from Baramati but, in each of his earlier wins, he had the backing of his uncle’s party. This will be the first assembly election in which he contests under his own banner.

The result of the election for the Baramati Lok Sabha seat, where the people voted overwhelmingly for Sharad Pawar’s candidate, his daughter Supriya Sule, underlines Ajit Pawar’s task at hand.

Speaking at Baramati, Sharad Pawar said that he holds no grudge against Ajit Pawar, adding that he led the people there for 30 years. However, he also said that it is time for him to prepare a young and dynamic leadership, which can take over for the next 30 years, apparently referring to Yugendra Pawar’s future position.

The veteran politician continued that he is not seeking votes, acknowledging that voters have always been magnanimous with all Pawar family members. He added that however, now they have to look ahead at the future.  

Notably, Sharad Pawar’s retirement from electoral politics has been circulating for some time now, and was raked up again in January by nephew Ajit Pawar, who had fought against and forced a split of his uncle’s party, leading the rebels into an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party and a faction of the Shiv Sena that had earlier broken away from Uddhav Thackeray.

At that time, Ajit Pawar hit out at Sharad Pawar for not sticking to a 2023 resolution to step down from the party’s top post. He said that some people simply refuse to retire. He continued that people should stop after reaching a certain age, but some are not ready, even after turning 80. Referring to his uncle, Ajit Pawar said that this person is not ready to retire.

Responding to this jab, Sharad Pawar said that he is neither tired nor retired, echoing late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s remarks. He questioned who they were to tell him to retire, adding that he can still work.

Last year in May, while the NCP was battling its internal crisis, Sharad Pawar announced his resignation as party boss. However, the announcement was unanimously rejected by top leaders. A few days later, he withdrew his resignation.

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Maharashtra Assembly election: Uddhav Thackeray expels 5 Sena members for not withdrawing nominations

Following the withdrawal of nominations, around 4,140 candidates were left in the fray for 288 Maharashtra assembly seats

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Maharashtra Assembly election: Uddhav Thackeray expels 5 Sena members for not withdrawing nominations

Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief on Tuesday expelled five rebel leaders for anti-party activities after they failed to withdraw nominations filed for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections.

The expelled leaders include Bhiwandi East MLA Rupesh Mhatre, Vishwas Nandekar, Chandrakant Ghugul, Sanjay Awari and Prasad Thackeray. Reportedly, 14 leaders from the Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar’s NCP had filed nominations, defying party command. 

Among those who withdrew their nominations by the Monday deadline was Congress’ Mukhtar Shaikh, who withdrew from the Kasba Peth assembly constituency in Pune and announced his support to the party’s official candidate Ravindra Dhangekar.

In addition, royal scion Madhurima Raje Chhatrapati’s withdrawal as Congress candidate from Kolhapur North minutes before the deadline left the party without representation in one of its western Maharashtra strongholds. Madhurima Raje was nominated in place of ex-corporator Rajesh Latkar after a party office was vandalised by those opposed to the latter.

Hemalata Patil from Nashik Central, Madhu Chavan from Byculla and Vishwanath Walvi from Nandurbar are among the seven Congress rebels who withdrew their nominations. Only two NCP(SP) rebels are in fray.

Furthermore, among those to withdraw from the electoral race was Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange, who has held on-and-off hunger strikes and protests to demand reservation for the community in education and jobs over the past year. The activist said that the Maratha community will decide on its own whom to defeat and whom to elect. He also announced he would support two candidates from Parvati and Daund in the state assembly polls, though he said their names will be disclosed later.

Following the withdrawal of nominations, around 4,140 candidates were left in the fray for 288 Maharashtra assembly seats, while 2,938 candidates withdrew their papers. The figure is a 28 per cent increase from the 3,239 candidates who fought the 2019 assembly polls.

This year, the Maharashtra Assembly election will see major regional parties NCP and Shiv Sena contesting after a split down the middle. The factions led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led NCP have joined hands with the BJP to form the Mahayuti. The Assembly elections are scheduled for November 20. The counting of votes will take place on November 23.

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