Archives for 2024

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has met the Supreme Court’s deadline by publishing data on electoral bonds, shedding light on the controversial practice of political funding in the country. However, the revelations have sparked concerns over transparency and potential influence peddling.

Among the significant findings, India’s leading lottery company, helmed by the contentious businessman Martin Santiago, emerged as the top purchaser of electoral bonds. This revelation has drawn sharp scrutiny, particularly given Santiago’s past associations and ongoing controversies surrounding his company’s financial activities.

Following closely behind is the Megha group of companies, comprising Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Limited (MEIL) and Western U.P. Power Transmission Company Ltd (WUPPTCL), which has raised eyebrows with its substantial contributions to electoral bonds. MEIL’s purchased 966 bonds, each worth Rs 1 crore, totaling Rs 966 crore, along with WUPPTCL’s acquisition of bonds worth Rs 220 crore.

The Megha group is headquartered in Hyderabad and has won several government projects, including many works part of the Rs 1.15 lakh crore Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project in Telangana, and the Rs 14,400 crore Thane-Borivali Twin Tunnel Project in Maharashtra.

MEIL was also the largest donor to Prudent Electoral Trust in 2022-23, contributing Rs 83 crore to the trust that distributes money to political parties.

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the top beneficiary of electoral bonds, encashing bonds worth a staggering ₹6,060.5 crore between April 12, 2019 and January 24, 2024.

According to data released by the Election Commission of India, the BJP’s share in the total bonds encashed during this period amounted to over 47.5%.

Following closely behind, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) received ₹1,609.50 crore through electoral bonds, representing 12.6% of the total amount encashed. Meanwhile, the Indian National Congress secured ₹1,421.9 crore, constituting 11.1% of the total bonds encashed, making it the second and third biggest recipient, respectively, in terms of encashment during the specified period.

Bubaneswar: Senior BJD vice-president and former MP Prasanna Acharya sustained serious injuries when his car collided head-on with a truck in Odisha’s Sambalpur district in the early hours of Friday, police said.

The accident took place at around 1 am near Baladih in Rairakhol when the former MP was on his way to Sambalpur from Bhubaneswar. His car collided with an oxygen-laden tanker.

Acharya and his PSO were admitted to hospital while his driver sustained minor injuries, police said.

Sambalpur Superintendent of Police Mukesh Bhamu said both Acharya and his PSO were out of danger. They will be airlifted to Bhubaneswar for better treatment.

Acharya has sustained injuries on his head, nose, chin and other parts of the body, doctors said.

Meanwhile, police have detained the driver of the truck for questioning.

Chennai (PTI): BJP Tamil Nadu unit president K Annamalai on Tuesday said Chief Minister M K Stalin has ‘no powers’ under the law of the land to take a stand against implementing the CAA in the state.

Outlining Constitutional provisions like the State list, Union list and Concurrent list and separation of powers including those related to legislation, the BJP leader said Stalin has taken his oath of office under the Constitution.

Though Stalin may oppose the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) politically, he cannot take an official stand against implementing the Central law in Tamil Nadu and he does not have any authority under the Constitution to decide to not implement the CAA and related rules, Annamalai asserted.

In case Stalin insisted on such a stand, he asked if the Chief Minister was going against the oath of office.

“The extent of the Chief Minister’s knowledge on Constitution provisions is a question mark.”

CM Stalin rather than uttering ‘lie and diverting and confusing people,’ should specify the ‘mistake’ in the CAA rules, if any.

In Tamil Nadu, political parties make the ‘sin’ of causing confusion among the people by making superficial observations, he alleged.

Annamalai said the CAA is well-reasoned and it is one that grants citizenship and does not take away anyone’s citizenship. “Not even one citizenship can be cancelled under the Act.”

As regards Sri Lankan Tamils, they have also been granted citizenship according to extant rules.

India is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol and the nation follows the ‘principle of non-refoulement’ which prohibits transfer of individuals to their country of origin when there are grounds to believe that the person (refugee) would be at risk of irreparable harm upon return to his nation.

The BJP leader said Lankan Tamils may choose to go back to their country following return of normalcy and they have also been given citizenship by India.

In 2005, even the Congress party amended the Citizenship Amendment Act and as per that amendment, ‘no person who is or had been a citizen of Pakistan, Bangladesh…shall be eligible for registration’ as an overseas citizen of India, he said.

Abhinav Chandrachud

Mumbai: In a detailed and insightful exposition on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Abhinav Chandrachud, a prominent lawyer and writer, offered a thorough analysis at the Mumbai Collective event in February 2020. The video is once again doing rounds across social media platforms days after the government of Indian led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi notified the CAA ahead of the 2024 general elections.

With his background as the son of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, his perspective carried weight as he delved into the historical backdrop and contemporary implications of this contentious legislation.

Chandrachud commenced by taking the audience back to the tumultuous period post-India’s partition in 1947. He recounted how a significant number of people migrated from West Pakistan (present-day Pakistan) to India, forming the initial wave of immigrants. A subsequent wave in 1948 saw the return of many Muslims who were originally Indian citizens but had left during the partition chaos.

However, this return posed a challenge because the properties owned by these returning Muslims had been allotted to Hindus and Sikhs who had migrated earlier. To navigate this sensitive issue and prevent potential conflicts, the government introduced a “permit system.” This system allowed provincial governments to decide whether these returning Muslims could be granted permanent residency based on the properties they owned, he added.

Chandrachud pointed out that this system displayed clear biases, with only a fraction of the applicants being granted permits. He emphasized how this historical context sheds light on the inherent lack of secularism in the law, despite no explicit mention of religion in the constitution.

He also explained how this permit was only applicable to people coming in from West Pakistan and not East (present day Bangladesh), because 16 million Hindu stayed in the region, and it would have been tough for them to come back if they were wanting to.

Moving on to the recent amendments to the citizenship law, Chandrachud highlighted the selective nature of the changes. He questioned why certain religious and non-religious groups, such as Jews, Parsis, and atheists, were excluded from the provisions of the CAA. Chandrachud further pointed out disparities in the naturalization timelines for Parsis fleeing persecution from different countries, illustrating inconsistencies in the law’s application.

“When I posted online a paper that I wrote, I was told that the Jews have Israel, but if Jews have Israel, the Christians and Buddhists have their own country too, we have included them,” he added.

If Parsis who originally fled the religious persecution in Iran, seeks Indian citizenship for them to get naturalized citizenship, they have to wait for 11 years, but for the Parsis who flee religious persecution in Afghanistan, they can get Indian citizenship in five years, doesn’t make sense.

Addressing concerns about the impact of the CAA on marginalized groups, Chandrachud raised thought-provoking questions. He questioned the morality of punishing individuals born in India to undocumented immigrant parents, challenging the fairness of deporting or incarcerating them for circumstances beyond their control.

“Let’s assume both your parents are illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and they came and settled in Maharashtra, and the child was born in Maharashtra, is it the fault of the child that he was born in India? Is being born a crime? Is it fair to now deport the child to the country that he/she has never known or been? Or jail that person for being born in India?” Chandrachud asked.

“What if you’re an orphan? You have to prove that your parents are citizens and you don’t even know who they are,” he added.

In his comprehensive analysis, Chandrachud not only traced the historical evolution of India’s citizenship law but also scrutinized its contemporary implications. His insights, accessible and relevant to the Indian audience, underscored the complexities and ethical dimensions inherent in the issue of citizenship in the country. 

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar (Courtesy: PTI)

Jammu: The Election Commission has received details from the State Bank of India (SBI) related to the electoral bonds and will share all relevant information in time, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said here on Wednesday.

The assertion comes in the wake of the Supreme Court directing the SBI to submit the details of the electoral bonds purchased since April 12, 2019 to the EC.

SBI is the authorised financial institution to issue the electoral bonds.

“The SBI was supposed to submit the data by March 12. They have given to us the details in time. I will go back and look at the data (and) would definitely disclose it in time,” Kumar told reporters here.

Kumar reached here on Wednesday to review preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

“We are ready for the 2024 Lok Sabha election. We will ensure free and fair elections across the country. We request voters across the country including Jammu and Kashmir to enthusiastically take part in the ‘festival of democracy,” the CEC said.

He said social media cell will be established in all districts in order to respond to fake news in real time.

“Adequate security to be provided to all candidates and central forces will be deployed,” he added.

Kumar said strict vigil will be maintained on online cash transfers through wallets in Jammu and Kashmir.

People above 85 years and those with disability will be provided voting at home facility in J-K, he added.