New Delh: Several Muslim, Christian and Dalit organisations on Friday staged a protest at the Jantar Mantar here, demanding a ban on “cow vigilantism” and sought passage of the Communal Violence Bill.

The protesters also submitted a memorandum to President Pranab Mukherjee, urging him to play his role in defending the constitutional rights of the people “who are increasingly being persecuted” allegedly under the NDA government at the Centre.

“We demand the cow vigilantism be banned and people be allowed to eat the food of their choice,” All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat president Navaid Hamid said.

“A commission should be formed to report whether the recent events are part of organised crimes orchestrated by parties to polarise votes for political mileage and to suggest proper mechanism to prevent deterioration of democratic system by overuse of polarisation tactics leading to vast loss of lives and properties and displacement of people from their cozy homes,” Jamat-e-Islami Hind vice-president Nusrat Ali said.

Maulana Abdul Hameed, General Secretary of Jamiatul Ulama Hind, demanded that judicial inquiry be initiated in major cases that occurred in Dadri, Dingerhedi, Paida village of Bijnore and the killing of youth allegedly by cow vigilantes in Ahmedabad.

“The Communal Violence Bill should be made a law as soon as possible so that communal forces should be suitably dealt with for maintaining peace and law and order in the country,” he said.

The Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill, 2005, seeks to empower the government to prevent and control communal violence, provide for speedy investigation and trial of offences and rehabilitate victims of such violence.

The protesters also demanded that due compensation should be paid by governments concerned to the victims and their families and a standard method be evolved for equal compensation to people across the communities and proper rules be devised for immediate relief to affected families.

Other organisations which participated in the protest include Lokraj Sanghtan, Dalit Federation AMOD, All India Shia Council and Students Islamic Organisation of India.

(PTI)

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Legislative Council on Friday unanimously decided not to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, saying the water was needed for drinking purposes in the state.

A special session of the house was convened to discuss the impact of the Supreme Court’s September 20 order to Karnataka to release 6,000 cusecs of water daily till September 27.

After the subject was discussed, the Council passed a unanimous resolution that the water in the dams would be used for drinking purposes in the state and that the water cannot be released to Tamil Nadu.

(Agencies)

New Delhi: AAP leader Somnath Bharti, who was arrested today in connection with the AIIMS boundary wall dispute case, was granted bail by a Delhi court which ruled that chances of the legislator fleeing from justice was remote and he deserved the relief.

Metropolitan Magistrate Anuj Aggarwal allowed the bail plea of Bharti while rejecting an application moved by Delhi Police seeking 14-day judicial remand for him.

Bharti was produced before the court following his arrest this afternoon.

“Considering facts and circumstances and nature of the offence and the fact that he is an MLA and a member of bar and therefore, chances of his fleeing from justice are remote, I am not inclined to send him to judicial custody and he deserves to be granted bail,” the magistrate said while asking him to join the probe and not influence witnesseses.

In his order, he said “on perusal of record, in my view Section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the IPC is not attracted at present since the security guards who were allegedly assaulted, do not fall within the ambit of public servant.”

The court said of the provisions for which Bharti was booked, there were only two non-bailable offences — section 353 of IPC and section 3 (mischief causing damage to public property) of the Prevention of Damage To Public Property Act.

During the hearing, police sought to remand the MLA in judicial custody saying that being a member of the legislative assembly of ruling party, he may threaten witnesses and hamper the probe, if bail was granted.

Advocate Vijay Aggarwal, representing Bharti, opposed the police plea for judicial custody saying the accused was falsely implicated out of political vendetta.

The counsel also claimed that police arrested Bharti to prevent him from representing another arrested party MLA Amanatullah Khan before the court.

Bharti was arrested by a police team from Malviya Nagar this afternoon and taken to Hauz Khas Police Station where the case was registered against him on September 11. The case was registered on the basis of a complaint filed by chief security officer of AIIMS R S Rawat.

In his complaint, Rawat had alleged that Bharti had provoked a mob to damage the fence of the hospital with JCB excavator at Gautam Nagar Nallah road in South Delhi in order to give access to unauthorised persons inside AIIMS property and had also misbehaved with security personnel.

A case was registered against Bharti under IPC sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of his public functions), 323 (causing hurt), 353 (assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty) and section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

Bharti had then defended his action and accused the AIIMS of “lying” on the issue.

“AIIMS is lying. They have been denying legitimate access to Gautam Nagar residents. AIIMS even refused to (go to) PWD meetings. Wherever commonman will be troubled, I will go. The allegation that residents dismantled the wall is a blatant lie. I will fight in court,” he had tweeted then.

Bharti was previously arrested by Delhi Police in December 2015, in connection with the attempt to murder and domestic violence case filed by his wife.

As many as 12 AAP MLAs have been booked by the Delhi Police till now on various charges and 12 have been arrested, including a few multiple times.

(PTI)

Bengaluru: Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday decided to convene a one-day legislature session on Friday to seek the opinion of elected representatives on the Supreme Court’s order to release 6,000 cusecs ofCauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu. He has deferred implementation of the order until such time.

The move – which virtually amounts to defying the apex court – will give some reprieve to the Congress government, under fire from agitating farmers in Mandya and Mysuru . The CM is likely to take the stand that just as the judiciary is of utmost important to him, so is the legislature. The legislature’s unanimous resolution against releasing water will be submitted to the apex court.

The decision came after Siddaramaiah held day-long talks with his cabinet colleagues, JD(S) leaders and the legal fraternity. Speaking to reporters after a late-evening cabinet meeting, Siddaramaiah said the opinion at the all-party meeting was to immediately convene a legislature session to discuss the issue.

A big push for the government’s position came from former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, who attended an all-party meeting that the BJP boycotted. Gowda was vociferous that the government cannot release water at the cost of farmers’ interests.

BJP sources said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked Union water resources minister Uma Bharati to convene a meeting of all Cauvery basin states.

Karnataka counsel Fali S Nariman was of the view that the state should release water and express its difficulty before the court on September 27, the date of the next hearing.

It is learnt the Karnataka government took a cue from the Haryana-Punjab row over the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal. In May , the Punjab assembly had passed a resolution against the SYL Canal saying the state did not have water to share with Haryana.The latter, in turn, accused Punjab of “crossing all limits” and decided to approach the Centre and the Supreme Court. Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal moved a resolution in the assembly saying his state did not have even one drop to share with other states. The Karnataka leg islature’s unani mous resolution will cushion the state government to some extent against contempt of court, sources said, as the issue would become one between the legislature and the judiciary. With assembly polls one and a half years away, the Congress government cannot afford to take the Supreme Court head on.

At a meeting of the council of ministers earlier in the day, the majority opinion was against releasing water. Some ministers are said to have pointed out that Karnataka had expected some relief from the court on Tuesday .

As all pleas by the state were turned down, there is a possibility of the state being asked to continue releasing water and make good the deficit in the next hearing on September 27. Therefore, it is necessary for the state gov ernment to adopt a hard position now, they felt.

At the all-party meeting, M Veerappa Moily , MP, exhorted the government to not release water, saying the apex court has no jurisdiction over the issue. A delegation led by Siddaramaiah is planning to call on President Pranab Mukherjee to apprise him of the situation and request him to direct PM Narendra Modi to call a meeting of the CMs of the Cauvery basin states.

“We are committed to protecting the interests of our farmers and meet the drinking water needs of Mysuru, Bengaluru and other cities. So we want to seek the opinion of all legislators,” a senior minister said.

The BJP welcomed the cabinet decision to defer the decision to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu till they discuss the issue at the emergency session of the legislature. “It’s a belated decison but we welcome it. The two decisions taken at the late night cabinet meeting – to defer the decision to release water and convene an emergency legislature session -are the demands the BJP had been making for a long time in the shortterm and long-term interest of the people,” BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa said.

The minister, however, said the legal team will continue its fight by seeking modification of the top court’s order to release 6,000 cusecs.

Commenting on the state’s hard stance, a legal expert said: “The decision will harm Karnataka’s interests during future hearings in court as it would be regarded a rogue state. There could be a constitutional crisis if Tamil Nadu moves the apex court to enforce its order.”

In 2002, then chief minister SM Krishna was pulled up by the apex court when he defied its order to release water to Tamil Nadu. He apologized and released water later. S Bangarappa tried to defy the interim order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal by promulgating an ordinance that was struck down by the apex court. He released water as stipulated in the interim award.

(Agencies)