Archives for November 2019

Seshan has been credited for several electoral reforms including ending malpractices and bringing transparency to the electoral process.

Former Chief Election Commissioner of India, Tirunellai Narayana Iyer Seshan passed away at his residence in Chennai on Sunday night. Seshan suffered a cardiac arrest, his family said. He was 86.

Born in Palakkad district of Kerala, the 1955-batch IAS officer served as the 10th CEC of India between 1990 and 1996. 

Seshan has been credited for several electoral reforms that brought an end to malpractices and brought transparency. His reforms by and large changed the face of Indian elections.

Known for enforcing Model Code of Conduct, Seshan took stern action against any politician who tried to flout its provisions.

He won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for government service in 1996. After retiring as the CEC, he contested to be the President of India in 1997 but lost to KR Narayanan.

Seshan’s successor SY Quraishi took to Twitter to announce the news of his death. “Sad to announce that Shri TN Seshan passed away a short while ago. He was a true legend and a guiding force for all his successors. I pray for peace to his soul, he wrote.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi too took to the microblogging site to express his condolences.

“Shri TN Seshan was an outstanding civil servant. He served India with utmost diligence and integrity. His efforts towards electoral reforms have made our democracy stronger and more participative. Pained by his demise. Om Shanti,” Modi wrote.

The cremation is said to be planned on Monday afternoon at Besant Nagar crematorium.

Bharti Airtel had, last month, told the exchange that it has deferred the September quarter result announcement till November 14, due to the AGR issue.

NEW DELHI: Incumbent telecom operators Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, which have been hit the hardest by the latest SC ruling on definition of telecom revenue, are scheduled to announce their financial results on November 14.

“Notice is hereby given that the meeting of Board of Directors of the company will be held on Thursday, November 14, 2019, to consider and take on record the audited financial results (standalone and consolidated) for the second quarter and half year ended on September 30, 2019,” Airtel said in a regulatory filing.

Bharti Airtel had, last month, told the exchange that it has deferred the September quarter result announcement till November 14, due to the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) issue.

In a separate filing, Vodafone Idea also said its board will meet on November 14 to “to consider and approve the unaudited financial results of the company for the second quarter and half year ended September 30, 2019”.

Airtel, Vodafone Idea and other telecom operators may have to pay the government a whopping Rs 1.4 lakh crore following the recent Supreme Court order that sent shock waves through an industry already grappling with billions of dollars in debt and an intense tariff war to retain customers.

The Supreme Court, last month, upheld the government’s position on including revenue from non-telecommunication businesses in calculating the annual AGR of telecom companies, a share of which is paid as licence and spectrum fee to the exchequer.

According to the telecom department’s calculations, Bharti Airtel faces a liability of around Rs 42,000 crore after including licence fees and spectrum usage charges, while Vodafone Idea may have to pay about Rs 40,000 crore. Jio may have to pay around Rs 14 crore.

The apex court cleared the way for the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya.

JAIPUR: The spiritual head of Ajmer dargah on Saturday welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court on Ayodhya case and appealed to people to maintain peace and harmony.

The apex court on Saturday cleared the way for the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya, and directed the Centre to allot a 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque.

“The judiciary is supreme and everyone should respect the decision. It is the time to present a united face before the world because entire world is looking at India today,” Dargah Deewan Zainul Abedin Ali Khan said.

“We respect and accept the verdict. I appeal to the people of the country to maintain harmony and peace.

This is the victory of the judiciary and the message should be loud and clear that how much the judiciary is important for us and people of the country are peace-loving,”

He said that respecting and honouring the laws of the land is the basic Islamic teaching. “We now need to concentrate on the development of self and the nation

The ED counsel contended that the set of evidence in the money-laundering case and the CBI corruption case is different and the PMLA case is more heinous.

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate on Friday vehemently opposed the bail plea of former Union minister P Chidambaram, who is in jail in the INX Media money-laundering case, saying he has tried to influence and threaten witnesses.

The ED counsel contended that the set of evidence in the money-laundering case and the CBI corruption case is different and the PMLA case is more heinous and “much, much, much more serious than it meets the eyes

“It is the gravest of grave offence as it is an economic offence which is a standalone offence,” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the ED, argued.

Justice Suresh Kait heard the arguments of the ED counsel and Chidambaram and reserved the order on the bail plea.

The 74-year-old Chidambaram is in Tihar jail in the INX Media money-laundering case.

The senior Congress leader has sought bail, saying as the evidence is documentary and in the custody of probe agencies, he cannot tamper them.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Chidambaram, said since the beginning, the probe agency’s case was never that the Congress leader tried to influence witnesses, but suddenly in October, when he was in custody, it was alleged that he had tried to put pressure and influence key witnesses.

At the outset, the judge asked the solicitor general how many witnesses the ED has examined between October 24 and 30, when Chidambaram was in their custody.

Mehta said three witnesses were summoned during that period and while two did not appear, the third gave a handwritten letter and the witness is “so scared” that he does not want to be confronted with Chidambaram.

The high court pointed out that Chidambaram’s counsel has argued that up to October 24, there was no allegation of influencing witnesses and on October 30, when they sought extension of his police custody, which was denied by the trial court, the ED argued that he tired to influence witnesses.

To this, Mehta said the contention of influencing witnesses will only come while arguing on bail application and not at the time of seeking his police custody.

“Three witnesses were influenced and one of them is the person who gave us a handwritten letter. There is evidence that previously also he tried to influence, win over and threatened witnesses,” he submitted.

He added, “Prior to October 24 and even during this time, there was an attempt to influence witnesses. There is destruction of material evidence.”

Mehta said he will place in a sealed cover, the handwritten letter of the witness and the court can go through it to satisfy its conscience.

When the court asked if the ED has examined the concerned witness, he said after going through the letter, no prudent agency will confront him with the accused.

He said the investigation conducted till now has covered 16 countries, 12 properties abroad and 15 bank accounts linked to Chidambaram and Letters Rogatory have been sent to various countries.

On the issue whether the high court can look into the material placed by the agency in sealed cover, Mehta said the Supreme Court’s findings are clear and categorical that not only the court see the evidence, it is the custodian and guardian of the interest of justice.

He said the agency wants to protect its witnesses as they might be helping it in the investigation.

The ED, in its written response filed through advocates Amit Mahajan and Rajat Nair, has opposed the bail plea, saying the gravity of offences allegedly committed by Chidambaram does not entitle him for the relief.

Chidambaram, in the bail plea filed through advocate Arshdeep Singh, has denied ED’s claim that he used the office of finance minister for personal gains and laundered the proceeds of crime, saying no material directly or indirectly linking him with the alleged offence has been put to him so far or placed before the court.

The purpose of ED’s opposition to the grant of bail is not to advance the cause of justice but to harm his health which has already suffered severe damage after 75 days of custody since August 21, he said.

Chidambaram has referred to the Supreme Court’s October 22 order granting him bail in the CBI case and said it has stated there was no evidence of tampering, flight risk and influencing witnesses against him in the corruption case.

Chidambaram, who was granted bail by the Supreme Court on October 22 in the INX Media corruption case, is lodged in Tihar Jail under judicial custody in ED’s money-laundering case.

On November 1, the high court while disposing of the interim bail plea of Chidambaram, who was suffering from Crohn’s disease, had directed the Tihar Jail superintendent to provide him clean and hygienic surroundings and also mineral water, home-cooked food and mosquito protection nets and repellant.

Chidambaram had sought anticipatory bail in the money-laundering case from the high court which dismissed the plea.

The decision was challenged in the Supreme Court which also refused to grant him the relief.

The ED had arrested him in the money-laundering case on October 16.

He was arrested by the CBI on August 21 in the INX Media corruption case.

The case was registered by the CBI on May 15, 2017, alleging irregularities in a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance granted to the INX Media group for receiving overseas funds of Rs 305 crore in 2007, during Chidambaram’s tenure as finance minister.

Thereafter, the ED had lodged a money-laundering case in this regard in 2017.

A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi ruled that a suitable plot of land measuring 5 acres shall be given to Sunni Waqf Board by state or Centre in Ayodhya.

NEW DELHI: In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court of India overturned the Allahabad High Court order for the partition of the disputed land and directed that the land must be given to Hindus for construction of temple through a government-monitored trust and Muslims must be given an alternate land.

A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi ruled that a suitable plot of land measuring 5 acres shall be given to Sunni Waqf Board by state or Centre in Ayodhya.

In a unanimous judgement, the bench said, “Allahabad High Court was wrong in dividing the disputed site into three parts.”

The ruling also made it clear that in the scheme by Board of trustees, appropriate representation should be given to Nirmohi Akhara.

“Muslims have presented no evidence of exclusive possession prior to 1857. But thereafter they offered namaz there till they were ousted in 1949 through desecration,” rules court while dealing with Sunni Waqf board suit.

“Faith and belief of Ayodhya being birthplace of Ram is undisputed so as that of Muslims to worship at the mosque,” ruled the court.

The court ruled that Nirmohi Akhara suit not maintainable and it has no shebait rights (priestly rights).

ASI report establishes there was an underlying structure beneath the mosque and it was not Islamic in nature, observes the bench adding that “Sri Ram Lala Virajman is a juristic entity but Sri Ram Janmasthana isn’t.”

“Faith and belief of Hindus that Lord Ram was born under the inner dome and undisputed belief of Hindus. Once the faith is genuine, courts shouldn’t interfere,” rules SC

The order came on the 14 appeals which had been filed before the Supreme Court against the 2010 Allahabad high court judgment, which said the disputed 22.7 acres should be equally divided among the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

The Kartarpur Corridor will connect the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Punjab with Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur, just 4 kilometres from the IB.

ISLAMABAD: Indian Sikh pilgrims visiting the Kartarpur Sahib will need a passport to use the Kartarpur Corridor, which will be inaugurated this week, the Pakistan Army has said, according to a media report on Thursday, days after Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that Indian devotees would only need a valid ID to visit the revered Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.

The comments by Pakistan Army spokesman Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor came a day after India asked Pakistan to clarify whether passport will be required by the Sikh pilgrims to visit the Gurdwara in Kartarpur.

The Kartarpur Corridor, which provides a visa-free access to Indian Sikhs to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, will be inaugurated on Saturday by Prime Minister Imran Khan to mark Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev’s 550th birth anniversary.

Maj Gen Ghafoor on Wednesday said that Indian Sikh pilgrims would require a passport to use Kartarpur Corridor, Dawn News quoted Hum News channel as saying.

“As we have a security link, the entry would be a legal one under a permit on a passport-based identity. There will be no compromise on security or sovereignty,” Ghafoor said.

On Wednesday, India asked Pakistan to clarify whether passport will be required to visit the Kartarpur Sahib.

On November 1, Prime Minister Khan, while announcing the completion of Kartarpur Corridor on Twitter, said he had waived two requirements relating to passport and registering 10 days in advance for Sikhs coming for the pilgrimage to Kartarpur from India.

He said that Sikh pilgrims from India would only need a valid ID and not a passport to travel to Kartarpur.

The service fee of USD 20 dollars for those coming for the inaugural ceremony and on the 550th birth anniversary of the Sikh Guru on November 12 was also abolished.

The year 2019 marks the 550th birth anniversary year of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, whose birthplace is Sri Nankana Sahib in Pakistan.

The corridor has been established to commemorate his birth anniversary.

The Kartarpur Corridor will connect the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Punjab with Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur, just 4 kilometres from the International Border, located at Narowal district of Pakistan’s Punjab province.

Notwithstanding a chill in bilateral ties over Kashmir, Pakistan and India after tough negotiations signed a landmark agreement last week to operationalise the historic Kartarpur Corridor to allow Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the holy Darbar Sahib in Pakistan.

The two countries decided that 5,000 pilgrims can visit the shrine daily.

India and Pakistan have also decided that the corridor will be operational through the year and seven days a week and that pilgrims, except kids and elderly persons, will have a choice to visit it as individuals or in groups.