Archives for August 2024

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday filed a writ petition in the High Court challenging the order of the Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot giving sanction for investigation against him in connection with irregularities in the allotment of alternative sites by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).

The Chief Minister submitted that the sanction order was issued without due application of mind, in violation of statutory mandates, and contrary to constitutional principles, including the advice of the Council of Ministers, which is binding under Article 163 of the Constitution of India.

Siddaramaiah challenged the August 16 order granting prior approval and sanction under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

“The Hon’ble Governor’s decision is legally unsustainable, procedurally flawed, and motivated by extraneous considerations, and thus the Petitioner has preferred this Writ Petition seeking to quash the impugned order dated 16.08.2024 amongst other reliefs,” he submitted.

Ranchi : JMM leader Champai Soren on Sunday said he experienced “bitter humiliation” as chief minister and three options are open to him, including floating a new outfit.

His comment hinting that he may quit the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) came shortly after he reached Delhi amid speculation about a potential switch to the BJP as party supremo and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren accused the saffron party of “poaching” MLAs and “dividing society”.

BJP leader Babulal Marandi said in reaction to Champai Soren’s post that this is “just the beginning of the downfall of JMM, which has deviated from its ideology”.

In a statement, Champai Soren alleged that all his government programmes in the first week of July, when he was the chief minister, were abruptly cancelled by the party leadership without his knowledge.

He said he kept quiet as he was not greedy for power but his self-respect was hurt.

“After so much humiliation, I was forced to look for an alternative path,” Champai Soren said in a post on his social media.

The ex-chief minister said he had announced in the legislative party meeting that “a new chapter in my life is going to begin from today”.

“I had three options. First to retire from politics, second to float a separate outfit, and third, if I find any ally, to carry forward with them. From that day till today, and till the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections, all options are open for me in this journey,” he said in a post on X.

Champai Soren also spoke about the events that preceded his removal as chief minister after Hemant Soren’s release from prison on bail.

“When I enquired about the reasons for cancellation (of his events), I was informed that there was a meeting of party legislators on July 3 and that I could not attend any government programmes until then,” he said.

“Can there be anything more humiliating in a democracy than having a chief minister’s programme cancelled by another person?” he asked.

Champai Soren claimed that although a chief minister has the authority to call a meeting of the legislative party, he was not even informed of the meeting’s agenda.

“During the meeting, I was asked to resign. I was taken aback. Since I had no desire for power, I resigned immediately. However, my self-respect was deeply hurt,” Champai Soren added.

The JMM leader mentioned that he was emotional and struggling to control his tears.

“But all he (referring to Chief Minister Hemant Soren without naming him) seemed interested in was the chair. I felt as though I had no existence, no presence in the party to which I had dedicated my entire life,” he said.

Champai Soren noted that he faced many such humiliations, which he preferred not to detail at the moment.

He also emphasised that this is his personal battle and he does not intend to involve any party member or harm the organisation.

“I can never think of harming the party which we have nurtured with our blood and sweat. But circumstances have been created such that…” he added.

The JMM leader also mentioned that party supremo Shibu Soren is not active in politics due to health reasons. “Had he been active, things would have been different,” Champai Soren said.

The former chief minister claimed that during his tenure as chief minister, he made numerous decisions in public interest.

“People of the state will assess the decisions I made during my tenure, considering the elderly, women, youth, students, and every section of society,” he added.

Champai Soren assumed office as the 12th chief minister of Jharkhand on February 2, shortly after his predecessor Hemant Soren resigned just before being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money-laundering case.

Hemant Soren was released from jail on June 28 after being granted bail by the high court. On July 3, he was elected as the JMM’s legislature party leader.

Champai Soren subsequently submitted his resignation to the governor, paving the way for Hemant Soren to be sworn in as chief minister for a third time.

Reacting to Champai Soren’s post, Jharkhand BJP chief Babulal Marandi said the JMM has become a “party of only one family”.

“Champai Soren ji, who had devoted his entire life to the party, was humiliated and removed from the post of chief minister. His rights were violated and his programmes were forcibly cancelled,” he alleged.

JMM senior leader and minister Mithilesh Thakur said Champai Soren is the party’s senior leader and if there is any issue, it would be sorted out.

“JMM is a family and if there is any issue in the family, it would be resolved within it,” he said.

Kolkata: Senior Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh on Monday said police are taking action against only those people who are posting on social media wrong information, fake audio and disclosing the name of the doctor raped and murdered in R G Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Ghosh said people can protest but in a proper manner.

“If you think you will protest, do it a hundred times in proper language. Do it a thousand times,” Ghosh posted on X.

“But giving wrong information, distorted assumptions, fake audio, purposeful inciting posts, names and photos of the deceased, the police will warn you”, he said.

Kolkata Police on Sunday summoned TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, hours after he demanded that the CBI interrogate Kolkata Police commissioner and former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Roy had called upon the CBI, which is probing the rape and murder of a woman doctor at state-run RG Kar MCH, to act fairly and demanded the custodial interrogation of the former principal of the medical establishment and the CP to know “who and why floated the suicide story”.

Kolkata Police asked Roy to appear before its officers at its headquarters in Lalbazar at 4 pm on Sunday for allegedly posting wrong information regarding the incident, a police source said.

Kolkata Police have also issued summonses to former BJP MP Locket Chatterjee and two renowned doctors for allegedly spreading rumours and disclosing the identity of the woman doctor who was raped and murdered at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, an officer said.

Apart from these persons, the police have also issued summonses to 57 others for spreading wrong information about the incident, he said.

Dr Kunal Sarkar and Dr Subarna Goswami were issued summonses to appear before officers of the Kolkata Police Headquarters in Lalbazar at 3 pm on Sunday, he added.

These people have been accused of revealing the identity of the victim, spreading rumours and fake news, the officer said.

The body of the woman postgraduate trainee doctor was found inside a seminar hall of the hospital on August 9. A civic volunteer was arrested the next day for his alleged involvement in the crime.

Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of “hijacking” the ongoing protests related to the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

The accusation was made on Monday, with Trinamool MP Saket Gokhale alleging that the BJP is using a “sinister toolkit” with the intention of toppling the West Bengal government.

The allegation comes amid widespread protests across the state following the horrific incident. The Trinamool claims that the BJP is exploiting the situation to create political instability in West Bengal.

New Delhi: The demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Adani issue goes beyond the Hindenburg Research’s revelations, the Congress said Friday and claimed the “irregularities and wrongdoings” relating to the business conglomerate span every dimension of the political economy.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said “Hindenburg is only the tip of the iceberg” and its allegations are limited to those that deal with the capital markets.

“The demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) investigation into the Adani Mega Scam goes far beyond the revelations made by Hindenburg Research’s reports.

“Irregularities and wrongdoings relating to the Adani Group span every dimension of the political economy, as documented in our 100 question series HAHK (Hum Adani Ke Hain Kaun),” Ramesh said in a post on ‘X’.

Elaborating on what he said were key elements of the “scam”, Ramesh claimed it pertains to “misuse” of India’s investigative agencies to secure “Adani monopolies” in ports, airports, cement and other critical sectors.

He alleged that extraordinary favouritism had been shown by government banks, particularly the SBI, in providing credit for key projects, including the Adani copper plant at Mundra, the airport in Navi Mumbai, and the UP Expressway Project.

The senior Congress leader also alleged “subordination of India’s foreign policy interests to the needs of Adani Enterprises, at the cost of India’s standing in the neighbourhood”.

He claimed that India’s strategic relationship with Israel had been handed to a single company, Adani.

Ramesh also claimed coal and power equipment over-invoicing, alleging that it has not only facilitated money laundering and abnormal profits but also raised the common citizen’s electricity bills.

He cited “unregulated extension” of leases over publicly-owned assets to Adani Group at throwaway prices.

“The Hindenburg allegations do not refer to any of the above. Its allegations are limited to those that deal with the capital markets — stock manipulation, accounting fraud, and conflict of interest in regulatory agencies. Hindenburg is only the tip of the iceberg,” Ramesh said.

“Only a JPC can investigate and unravel the true and full extent of this Modani mega-scam,” he stressed.

Ramesh’s remarks come days after Hindenburg Research launched a fresh broadside against market regulator SEBI chairperson Madhabi Buch, alleging she and her husband had stakes in obscure offshore funds used in the Adani money siphoning scandal.

SEBI Chairman Buch and her husband have denied the allegations levelled against them as baseless and asserted that their finances are an open book.

Adani Group has also termed Hindenburg Research’s latest allegations as malicious and manipulative of select public information, saying it has no commercial relationship with the SEBI chairperson or her husband.

Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh): ISRO on Friday successfully launched an Earth observation satellite on board a small satellite launch vehicle, giving a boost to India’s space programme.

The third developmental flight carrying Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-08) along with a passenger satellite SR-0 DEMOSAT was successfully placed into the intended orbit as planned.

“The third developmental flight SSLV-D3 with EOS-08 satellite has been successfully accomplished. The rocket has placed the spacecraft in the very precise orbit as planned and there are no deviations in the injection of satellites,” ISRO Chairman S Somanath said, addressing the gathering from the Mission Control Centre at this spaceport here.

He said the launch parameters of the satellite indicate that everything (mission launch) is perfect and the Earth Observation Satellite and the passenger satellite SR-O DEMOSAT have been injected after the manouveres.

“Congratulations now to the SSLV-D3 project team and with this the third developmental flight of SSLV has been completed,” he said.

“We are in the process of transferring SSLV technologies to industries and so it is a very good beginning for the SSLV and the launch vehicle,” he said.

The payload carried by the rocket has been designed and realised by the ISRO team, he said.

“It is 100 per cent successful and the satellite has been placed into its intended orbit,” Somanath told reporters later.

“As I am aware, solar panels (of the rocket) have already been deployed, further, we are looking for certain activities in the VTM stage and all that will be completed in due course of time. so congratulations once again for The entire team who worked behind the scene to develop this SSLV rocket and its culmination of developmental programme. Let us give a big round of applause to the entire (SSLV-D3) team,” he said.

Mission Director S S Vinod said, “today we have achieved a major milestone in the journey of SSLV. The last and final developmental flight of SSLV-D3 has been successfully accomplished and with that we are moving into the operational phase.”

He said the scientists have injected the EOS satellite and the passenger satellite into the precise orbit.

“The efforts put in by one and all has resulted in this achievement. Let me take this opportunity to thank the people who were behind this. Especially the management who had the confidence and trust in us to handover the development of a new launch vehicle to a new team which was able to achieve the targeted launch of D1, D2 and D3 within a short timeframe. Especially, we thank the management led by our beloved Chairman S Somanath who has been part and parcel of this SSLV and also behind in realising the system,” he said.

New Delhi: The Indian Medical Association has announced a 24-hour nationwide withdrawal of non-emergency services from 6 am on August 17 to protest against the alleged rape and murder of a trainee woman doctor at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata and the subsequent vandalism at the facility.

Essential services will be maintained and casualty wards operational, the medical body said in a statement issued late on Thursday night.

Out-patient departments (OPD) will not function and elective surgeries will not be conducted. The withdrawal is across all sectors wherever modern medicine doctors are providing services, the IMA said.

“Subsequent to the brutal crime in R G Kar Medical College, Kolkata, and the hooliganism unleashed on the protesting students on the eve of Independence Day (Wednesday night), the Indian Medical Association declares nationwide withdrawal of services by doctors of modern medicine from 6 am on Saturday 17.08.2024 to 6 am Sunday 18.08.2024 for 24 hours,” the statement said.

“Doctors, especially women, are vulnerable to violence because of the nature of the profession. It is for authorities to provide for the safety of doctors inside hospitals and campuses. Both physical assaults and crimes are a result of indifference and insensitivity of the authorities concerned to the needs of doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers,” it said.

The call for the nationwide withdrawal of non-emergency medical services was taken after a meeting with state branches of the IMA.

The IMA on Thursday condemned the vandalism at the Kolkata hospital where doctors have been protesting since August 9 evening following the alleged rape and murder of the woman medic.

Earlier in the day, the medical association said, “Authorities, who by their negligence had allowed such a heinous crime to happen, have once again failed to maintain law and order when an all-important CBI investigation is going on.”

“Such vandalism with impunity points to anarchy and the breaking down of law and order. The IMA condemns this mindless violence and is apprehensive of loss of crucial evidence,” it said in a statement.

According to the Kolkata Police, nearly 40 people, masquerading as protestors, entered the hospital premises, vandalised property and pelted stones at police personnel, prompting the force to lob tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.

The miscreants carrying sticks, bricks and rods, vandalised the Emergency Ward, its nursing station and medicine store, besides a section of the Out Patients Department (OPD) at the hospital, police said. Several CCTV cameras in and around the area were also destroyed.

A police vehicle was overturned and several two-wheelers damaged by the vandals. Some police personnel were also injured.

The probe into the death of the trainee doctor was transferred from the Kolkata Police to the CBI on orders of the Calcutta High Court.