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Supreme Court pulls up Modi govt for objecting to its criticism

Published

6 years ago

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Supreme Court

After a series of cases it came in for scathing criticism at the Supreme Court, the Narendra Modi government on Wednesday, August 8, told the top judicial body to restrain itself from making adverse remarks against governance while dealing with individual cases.

The top court said it was at least solving problems, and was in no way “criticising the government”. It said that the judiciary would not need to intervene in PILs if the authorities discharged their duties in accordance with the law. It said it was enforcing the rights of citizens and warned the government against creating the impression that the courts were preventing it from working.

Attorney-general K.K. Venugopal said the country had a wide range of problems and that the “Hon’ble court must desist from making adverse remarks against the governance in entirety”. He made the submission before a bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur, Deepak Gupta and Abdul Nazeer while appearing in a PIL on poor prison conditions.

Venugopal also made references to newspaper headlines based on the observations made by the bench.

Venugopal referred to Justice Lokur’s observation on Tuesday, while dealing with another PIL, that “women are being raped left, right and centre” and the government was not doing anything to check the rising crime.

Venugopal said often, when the court passes an order on a PIL, there are adverse effects. Giving examples, Venugopal said that while the cancellation of the 2G licenses by the court virtually wiped out huge foreign investments, another order for removal of liquor vends on highways caused a financial loss and people lost their livelihood.

“There is a question of budgetary allocations…Government’s 80-90 welfare programs are going on simultaneously…Court dealing with one issue and passes order but from where the funds would come,” Venugopal pleaded.

“It is not that we have done nothing or we are doing nothing. Not everything is negative,” Venugopal said.

“Judges may not know all aspects of every problem when they choose to make adverse comments against the government,” he added.

Justice Lokur shot back saying it was because of the court’s order that the government has collected over Rs. 1,50,000 crore as environment funds for illegal mining. The court wanted to know why that amount has not been spent.

Venugopal said these funds were collected for environment purposes.

The bench retorted that in one of the matters related to construction workers, over Rs 30,000 crore meant for welfare of these workers were used to buy laptops and washing machines.

“There is enough money. They (construction workers) do not have clothes to wear but washing machines were purchased. They are illiterates, but laptops were purchased,” it said.

The AG told the bench that India has a population of around 1.3 billion which was increasing exponentially and there were several problems in the country.

“Day in, day out, I read newspapers and your observations,” the AG told the bench.

To this, Justice Lokur said, “Rest assured that Article 21 (protection of life and personal liberty) will remain here and we will uphold it”.

The court: “Let us make it clear that we have not and we are not criticising the government for everything.  We are also citizens of this country. Do not give the impression that we are criticising the government and preventing it from working. We are only enforcing rights of people. We cannot wish away Article 21.”

Many developments have happened only because of the orders of the court, the bench said, adding: “You should only ask your officers to follow the laws made by Parliament.”

The bench of Justice Lokur has been hearing pleas relating to social media monitoring, mob lynching, pollution, environment, garbage, overcrowding of prisons, conditions of women and children there, shelter homes for children, rehabilitation of widows, illegal mining and other matters. In many of these cases, it has passed strictures on the government.

In the present instance, the court was hearing a PIL relating to inhuman condition prevailing in 1,382 prisons across the country which are overcrowded.

Venugopal said that with 1.3 billion population which is increasing exponentially there were several problems faced by the country, and every order on PILs should have a separate note as to the effects of such orders on other sectors, effect on budgeting, rights of others who could be affected and every order has to be balanced and well thought of as India has “enormous problems”.

The bench said, “Tell your law officers to argue on this line also. Tell your government to obey the law of the land”.

The Attorney General said that he has conveyed his views to the court about dealing with the PILs and the court should consider his submissions without any offence.

The court wanted setting up of a one member committee of a retired judge of the apex court to recommend measures on prison reform, including overcrowding, and women prisoners languishing in jails. It said the Committee would be assisted by two-three government officials that would file periodical reports to the apex court.

Posting the matter for 17 August, the bench asked the Centre to file details of the proposed committee.

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2024 Lok Sabha Elections

PM Modi says Congress leaders consider themselves above Lord Ram

PM Modi slammed Congress during a rally in Chhattisgarh, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024

Published

9 hours ago

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April 23, 2024

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Congress party for declining to attend the pran pratishtha ritual at the Ayodhya Ram temple on January 22 this year.

The prime minister said Congress leaders consider themselves above Lord Ram and denied invitation for Pran Pratishtha at Ram Temple, while speaking at a rally in Janjgir-Champa, Chhattisgarh. The PM question the people present at the rally that is it not a disrespect of Mata Shabri? Congress leaders inclination toward appeasement politics runs in their family.

For political appeasement, they won’t think twice about stealing the rights of Adivasis, the poor, and Dalits. Poor, young, and women are BJP’s top priorities, Modi said.

PM Modi criticized the Congress again during the rally for claiming that the BJP would alter the constitution.

The leaders of Congress recite the same old phrases whenever an election is about to happen, the PM said. He also said they claim that if the BJP wins power, it will renounce the constitution and abolish reservations. For how long will you continue selling lies?” he asked.

The prime minister continued saying that nobody can change the Constitution, even if Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar were to come and insist on it, it wouldn’t happen.

Those in the Congress threaten to break Modi’s head. Nobody can harm Modi as long as the mothers and sisters of this county stands by him. These mothers and sisters are Raksha Kavach, Modi remarked.

The prime minister further attacked the Congress after Viriato Fernandes, the party’s candidate for South Goa, asserted that Goa was forced to adopt the Indian Constitution.

Referring to his conversation with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Fernandes said he had told him, when Goa was liberated in the year 1961, the Indian Constitution was forced upon us.

The prime minister said, Congress candidate from Goa says Constitution was forced upon Goans; is this not an insult of Ambedkar and Constitution.

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2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Amit Shah says neither Congress nor Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee can interfere with CAA

Amit Shah revealed the BJP’s target for West Bengal and said they have set a target of winning 35 Lok Sabha seats from West Bengal.

Published

11 hours ago

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April 23, 2024

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Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said neither Congress nor Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee can interfere with the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). He was speaking at the Karandighi rally in West Bengal where he also made the prediction as to how many seats BJP will win in the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal.

The union home minister asked the masses to cut the money culture. Amit Shah revealed the BJP’s target for West Bengal and said they have set a target of winning 35 Lok Sabha seats from West Bengal. In 2019 Lok Sabha elections the BJP had won 18 out of 42 seats in West Bengal. He asked Mamata Banerjee, what problem will she have if the Buddhist and Hindu refugees from Bangladesh get citizenship in India?

Shah further added if the people of West Bengal want to stop infiltration in the state, then they will have to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister of India again. He said if the people of West Bengal want to free Bengal of violence, stop infiltration in the state, give citizenship to refugees, to stop disrespecting mothers and sisters of the state as it happened in Sandeshkhali, then  only way is to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister.

Amit Shah said that PM Modi had sent Rs 7 lakh crore to West Bengal but the TMC indulged in corruption. He said one can see the houses of Trinamool Congress leaders; 10 years ago they used to live in a hut, moved on cycle and now all of them have 4-storey houses and move around in big cars. He added this is the money of people of West Bengal.

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), will make it easier for non-Muslim refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh to get Indian citizenship, was enacted in 2019. But the rules were notified in March this year by the Centre.

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2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Prime Minister Narendra Modi says listening to Hanuman Chalisa under Congress rule is a crime

PM Modi was addressing an election rally in Rajasthan’s Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, on a day as India celebrates Hanuman Jayanti.

Published

14 hours ago

on

April 23, 2024

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hit out at the Congress and said even listening to Hanuman Chalisa has become a crime under the party’s rule. The Prime Minister also said it was difficult to follow one’s faith under the party and accused it of hatching a deep conspiracy to snatch people’s wealth and distribute it among selected few people in the society. PM Modi was addressing an election rally in Rajasthan’s Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, on a day as India celebrates Hanuman Jayanti.

PM Modi said in a state like Rajasthan where people chant Ram-Ram, Congress banned Ram Navami. He reffered to the redistribution of wealth remarks he had made during a rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara on Sunday and said it has angered the Congress and INDI Alliance so much that they have started throwing abuses at Modi everywhere.

The Prime Minister said that Congress has written in their manifesto that they will survey the wealth. He said the Congress leadership had said in a speech that an X-ray of wealth will be done. He added when Modi exposed the secret then the hidden agenda came out and this has left the people trembling. PM Modi further added that the Congress party has played with the Constitution of the India.

He said when the Constitution was drafted, reservations based on religion were opposed, so that Scheduled Casts (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) could get protection. He said former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had said that Muslims have the first right to the country’s resources.  The prime minister further added Congress’s ideology has always been of appeasement and vote bank politics. He said stones would still be pelted in Jammu and Kashmir, and enemies would still be cutting off the heads of India’s soldiers had Congress been in power.

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