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Supreme Court pulls up Modi govt for objecting to its criticism

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8 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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Bill against paper leaks eclipsed by Opposition push for Amit Shah reply

Published

51 mins ago

on

July 27, 2026

By

Amit Shah

The Monsoon Session of Parliament witnessed Opposition-Government scenes on Monday as Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh introduced the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha.

The Bill aims to strengthen laws against examination paper leaks and organized cheating following the NEET-UG 2026 controversy.

During the discussions, the Opposition Congress demanded Home Minister Amit Shah’s reply to allegations of police excesses on July 20 during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) march to Parliament. Over 100 students were treated for injuries ranging from fractures to pellet wounds. CRPF personnel have confirmed seven rounds of pellets were fired and five rounds were fired at the students.

Congress leader Pawan Khera said such force should not have been used against the students and the Home Minister must reply to the allegations. Following disruptions, the House was adjourned several times.

The legislation seeks to impose stricter penalties for paper leaks, organized examination fraud, and other unfair practices. It also provides for faster investigations, time-bound trials, and the establishment of a STF to investigate major examination-related offenses. According to the government, the amendments are intended to improve transparency, protect the credibility of public examinations, and restore students’ confidence in the system.

The Congress and several Opposition parties demanded a detailed discussion in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, arguing that the government must be held accountable for both the examination irregularities and the police response.

The debate comes days after the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, following weeks of nationwide protests over paper leaks and examination malpractice. While the Centre has announced reforms and introduced the amendment Bill, Opposition leaders maintain that legislative changes alone are insufficient without fixing responsibility for the controversy and the police action against students.

The government defended its response, stating that it has initiated investigations into examination fraud, introduced stricter legal provisions, and taken steps to strengthen the security of public examinations. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju urged MPs to participate in the debate and allow the House to function smoothly instead of disrupting proceedings.

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India News

E20 Janta Party set to follow in CJP footsteps

Published

2 hours ago

on

July 27, 2026

By

Excise duty on petrol

After the success of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a new outfit, calling itself the E20 Janta Party, has come into being.

It trended across social media platforms on Thursday after the CJP claimed victory following the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, with supporters applauding the outcome as a major milestone in the ongoing student-led movement over alleged NEET-UG examination irregularities.

Thousands of posts, memes and videos flooded social media with users celebrating what they described as the growing influence of the CJP-led agitation. The term “E20 Janta Party” quickly gained traction on X and other platforms as motorists worried over the mixing of ethanol in petrol claimed they would themselves stage protests a la CJP.

Motorists all over India have been protesting against the fuel mixture given that their cars and motorcycles bought earlier had not been tuned for such increase in ethanol ratio. Some have claimed damage, ranging from engine damage to lower mileage. The government has not conceded the engine damage claim but has accepted that mileage may be compromised. Further, they have been agitating for a lowered fuel price for E20 since it has 20% ethanol but the government has shown willingness only to lower prices for the E85 blend which is being introduced slowly.

The public outpouring of support for the anti-NEET protests seems to have egged the anti-E20 people to come out of the woodwork though they have been vocal on social media. The Delhi taxi drivers association is also believed to have lent support to this cause. Transporters are also expected to join the protest slated on August 4 year since there are moves afoot to introduce isobutanol-diesel blend this year.

During the protests at Jantar Mantar, many activists had raised the ethanol issue time and again targeting Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, an overzealous advocate for ethanol blending.

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Parliament Monsoon Session 2026: Bill against paper leaks to be introduced in Lok Sabha today

The Lok Sabha will introduce and consider the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, proposing stricter punishment, fast-track courts and stronger safeguards against paper leaks.

Published

4 hours ago

on

July 27, 2026

By

The Lok Sabha is set to take up the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 for consideration and passage on Monday as the Centre moves to tighten laws against paper leaks and examination-related fraud.

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh will seek the House’s permission to introduce the Bill before moving it for consideration and passing during the day’s legislative business.

The proceedings of the Lok Sabha are scheduled to begin at 11 am with the Question Hour, during which ministers will respond to listed oral questions.

Bill proposes stricter action against paper leaks

The proposed amendment aims to strengthen transparency and integrity in the public examination system through stricter legal provisions while safeguarding the interests of students.

Among its major provisions are:

  • Imprisonment of up to 10 years for those found guilty.
  • A fine of up to Rs.10 crore.
  • Confiscation of assets of convicted offenders.
  • A mechanism to ensure verdicts in such cases are delivered within three months through fast-track courts.

The proposed changes follow the Union Cabinet’s approval of the legislation and related measures aimed at tackling paper leaks and examination fraud with stricter punishment and expedited trials.

Supreme Court judges amendment Bill also on agenda

Apart from the anti-paper leak legislation, the Lok Sabha is also scheduled to consider the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026.

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will move the Bill for consideration. It seeks to further amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956.

Ministers to present implementation reports

Several Union ministers are also expected to place statements before the House on the implementation of recommendations made by various Parliamentary Standing Committees.

Among them:

  • Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will present an update on recommendations related to the Ministry of Tourism.
  • Jayant Chaudhary will report on recommendations concerning the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
  • Pankaj Chaudhary will table a statement on recommendations relating to the Ministry of Finance.
  • Suresh Gopi will present implementation updates on recommendations made by the Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas.

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