NEW DELHI, (PTI): The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered grant of interim bail to Congress leader Pawan Khera till February 28 in a case related to his alleged objectionable remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which the Assam Police arrested him after having him deplaned at the Delhi airport amid chaotic scenes.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said Khera will be produced before the competent magistrate in Delhi and released on interim bail.

”In order to enable the petitioner (Khera) to apply for regular bail before the jurisdictional court, upon the FIRs being transferred to one jurisdiction, we direct that the petitioner shall be released on interim bail by the court of the competent magistrate at Delhi where he is to be produced this evening,” said the bench, also comprising Justices M R Shah and P S Narasimha.

”The above order shall remain in operation till February 28, 2023,” the bench said, while making it clear that it was passing the order in connection with the case lodged in Assam.

The apex court, which listed the matter for hearing on February 27, issued notices to the states of Assam and Uttar Pradesh seeking their responses to Khera’s plea for transferring and clubbing together three separate FIRs lodged against him in Assam, and Uttar Pradesh cities of Lucknow and Varanasi for his alleged offensive remarks against the prime minister.

After dictating the order, the CJI, apparently displeased with the Congress leader’s remarks, told senior advocate A M Singhvi, who was representing Khera, ”We have protected you (Khera) but there has to be some level of discourse.” In its order, the apex court noted that today, Khera was deboarded from a flight travelling from Delhi to Raipur on the ground that he was to be arrested by the Assam Police.

It noted that a communication was addressed by the Assam Police to the station house officer of domestic airport police station in New Delhi stating that Khera is required to be apprehended in connection with the case lodged there. The bench said the apex court’s jurisdiction has been invoked for diverse reliefs, including — quashing of the complaints; in the alternative, transfer and clubbing of the FIRs at one jurisdiction and restraint on all coercive steps, and to provide security to the petitioner and his family.

”At the outset, we have indicated to counsel for the petitioner that a petition under Article 32 cannot be entertained for quashing the FIRs since the petitioner has an alternate remedy under section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, before the jurisdictional high court. Moreover, the petitioner will have to seek regular bail before the competent court,” the bench said.

It noted Singhvi’s submission that Khera will not press the prayer for quashing of FIRs since the petitioner would be advised to pursue the remedies which are available to him in accordance with law before the appropriate high court. ”However, the petition has been pressed for clubbing of the FIRs in one jurisdiction since it has been urged that the gravamen (the essence) of all the FIRs (lodged presently at Lucknow, Varanasi and Dima Hasao) is one and the same, namely, the press conference at which certain objectionable words were used,” the bench noted.

It noted in the order that Singhvi has stated that the petitioner has since clarified that the use of the language was ”inadvertent, though inappropriate”, and that he would not stand by the use of such language. ”However, Singhvi states that the petitioner tenders an unconditional apology,” the bench said, adding, ”Apart from the above submission, it has been urged that the words taken at their face value, as reflected in the FIRs, do not establish any offence punishable under the sections of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) which have been invoked, including sections 153A, 153B, 295, 500, 504 and 505 of IPC.” The bench noted Singhvi has also urged that recourse to the power of arrest under section 41A of the CrPC was not warranted where the offence is punishable for a term not exceeding seven years.

It said Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for Assam, has submitted, after adverting to the live replay of the offending video, that the expression which was used by Khera was not unintentional and, on the contrary, a ”deliberate attempt to denigrate a constitutional functionary has been made”. ”The Additional Solicitor General has also urged that the petitioner, having been arrested at Delhi Airport, would be produced before the court of the competent jurisdiction for transit bail and the petitioner may seek his remedies before that court,” the bench noted.

The apex court said it is inclined to entertain the petition confined to the issue as to whether the FIRs should be clubbed into one and the same jurisdiction and such a course of action has been previously adopted by the top court in journalist Arnab Goswami’s case.

”We pass the following ad-interim order: (i) Issue notice on the prayer of the petitioner for transferring and clubbing of the FIRs which have been registered in respect of the press conference in question in one jurisdiction; (ii) For that purpose, notice shall issue, at this stage, to the states of Assam and Uttar Pradesh,” it said.

In fast-paced developments, Khera, who had boarded a flight from New Delhi to Raipur to attend the Congress plenary session, was deplaned, detained and finally arrested by the Assam Police in connection with an FIR lodged in Haflong. As the hearing got underway, Singhvi told the apex court that Khera had already apologised for his remarks made at a press conference on February 17 in Mumbai and the offences alleged against him in the cases did not require arrest.

”It will have straightaway impact on the latitude of free speech,” Singhvi said, adding, ”This should not have led to arrest. The offences entail maximum sentence of three or five years and no prior notice was served upon him.” He said Khera had already acknowledged the very same day that the remarks were a mistake.

He said FIRs have been lodged and offences, including those under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the IPC have been invoked against him.

Terming it a ”calculated statement”, Bhati played the audio-video clip of Khera’s alleged remarks, in the open court and said he cannot use such ”derogatory words” against a democratically elected prime minister of the country. When Singhvi pointed out that Khera has already apologised for his remarks, Bhati said, ”Please see the video whether it is a mistake or a deliberate act. It is the demeanour which counts. There was laughter all around after these remarks.”

”The entire press conference has to be seen….It is a very calculated statement. It is a statement which not just insults the prime minister but invites disaffection and disloyalty. After all, he is the duly elected prime minister of the largest democracy in the world,” Bhati said. (PTI)

BHOPAL, (PTI): The health condition of a female cheetah detected with an infection associated with kidneys and liver at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh was much better now, a senior forest department official said on Friday.

The cheetah, Sasha, is more than four-and-a-half years old and was diagnosed with hepatorenal, a kidney and liver-related infection, earlier this week. She is among eight cheetahs translocated from Namibia in September last year and housed in KNP in Sheopur district.

“She is much better,” MP Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) JS Chauhan told PTI over the phone when asked about the feline’s health.

Sasha has some liver and kidney problems and is being treated by three veterinarians who are in constant touch with cheetah experts from Namibia and South Africa, he said.

”Her problem came to light on Monday. Dr Atul Gupta, a veterinarian at Bhopal-based Van Vihar National Park, was rushed to the Kuno National Park after the problem was detected. She is suffering from hepatorenal infection and has been quarantined for treatment,” Chauhan added.

A wildlife expert associated with the cheetah reintroduction programme, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Sasha was brought to India from a captive facility named ‘Cheetah Conservation Fund’, located 44 kilometres from the Namibian city of Otjiwarongo.

He said captive cheetahs often face renal (kidneys) problems, which are rare in big cats living in the wild.

As per her dossier, Sasha was born on April 1, 2018, and underwent a health screening in August last year and vaccinated before being flown to India a month later. The wild cat weighed 32 kilograms at that time.

The eight Namibian cheetahs – five female and three male – were released into their enclosures at KNP on September 17 last year at a high-profile event attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The last cheetah died in India in Koriya district of present-day Chhattisgarh in 1947 and the fastest land animal was declared extinct in the country in 1952. (PTI)

JAIPUT, (PTI): The Rajasthan assembly’s Budget session began on Monday with the governor’s address amid an Opposition protest over incidents of paper leaks, as Speaker C P Joshi suspended three agitating RLP MLAs for the day and ordered them to be marshalled out.

In his address, Governor Kalraj Mishra highlighted the achievements and progress made during the four years of the Congress government, including steps taken to curb incidents of paper leaks.

Soon after the House had assembled, BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria raised the issue of paper leaks, following which the opposition members started created an uproar. They also raised issues related to farmers.

Rashtriya Loktantrik Party MLAs stormed the Well of the House carrying placards demanding a CBI inquiry into paper leak cases even as the governor continued his address for sometime. The BJP MLAs also protested in the Well of the house.

CPI(M) MLA Balwan Poonia, who had supported the Ashok Gehlot government when it was going through a political crisis on account of a rebellion by former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, also protested in the Well with the other members of the opposition.

The governor read the speech for some time and later, the address was tabled. The House was adjourned for half an hour for the departure of the governor.

After the house reassembled, newly elected member of the house Anil Kumar Sharma of the Congress was administered the oath of office. During the oath-taking exercise, RLP MLAs Pukhraj, Narayan Beniwal and Indira Devi continued their protest in the Well of the House while other Opposition members sat quietly.

When his instructions were ignored by the RLP MLAs, the Speaker ordered the marshal to take the three MLAs out of the House. He expelled them from the house for the rest of the day.

After the oath of the newly elected MLA, the Speaker informed the House that the governor has returned the Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, 2018, passed in March 9, 2018, because the proposed provisions to amend the punishment for rape and gang rape were no longer required as the Centre has already made provisions.

The Bill was kept reserved by the then governor for the presidential accord and later, the state government presented grounds to withdraw it.

Condemning the opposition furore, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot told reporters outside the House that the governor’s speech traditionally is about the government’s achievements but BJP leaders have no guts to listen to it, which is why they created a disturbance.

The governor’s address mentioned the work done by the Ashok Gehlot-led government in all the sectors, including health, education and agriculture.

”Rajasthan has set a record by achieving an economic growth rate of 11.04 per cent in the year 2021-22. Achieving the second place in the country with a double-digit GDP growth rate shows the efficient financial management of our government and the overall and inclusive development of Rajasthan,” the governor said.

”In the last four years dedicated to public service, our government has set an example in the country by doing remarkable work in all sectors, including education, health, social security, agriculture and farmers’ welfare, animal husbandry, women and child development, youth welfare, basic development, energy and industry,” he added.

On paper leak cases, Mishra said the government was working with a zero tolerance policy and has made strict provisions, including bringing the Rajasthan Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) (Amendment) Bill-2022.

The Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project, for which the state government has been demanding national status, also found mention in the address.

”Our government is continuously making efforts at the central government level to declare this project as a national project,” it stated.

Mishra said the health of the citizens of the state was the topmost priority of the government.

”The government is continuously making efforts to free the common man from the worry of heavy expenditure on treatment of diseases in this era of inflation. With this in view, our government provided free medicines and check-up facilities to the poor,” he said.

Terming the Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme as a revolutionary initiative, the governor said 88 per cent of the people in the state have health insurance.

The address also mentioned that due to the efforts of the state government, the average time taken for investigation of cases related to women has come down from 129 days to 72 days.

The House paid tributes to former West Bengal governor Keshari Nath Tripathi, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, former MLAs Bhanwar Lal Sharma and Rajendra Kumar Bhartiya, and the victims of the Jodhpur cylinder blast incident.

The House then adjourned for the day. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, (PTI): The Sports Ministry on Saturday suspended Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) assistant secretary Vinod Tomar, a fallout of the grapplers’ allegations of sexual harassment and corruption against the sports body’s chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

The ministry also cancelled the Open championship, which was to begin in Sharan’s UP stronghold of Gonda.

Sources in the ministry said Tomar’s presence will be ”detrimental to the development of this high-priority discipline”.

Sources also said that the soon-to-be-formed oversight committee of the ministry will have the powers to take all decisions on matters concerning Indian wrestling.

At the end of a marathon meeting late on Friday night, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said that the government decided to form an oversight committee to probe the charges levelled by some of the country’s top wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Ravi Dahiya, against Sharan and his body. (PTI)

JALNA, (PTI0: Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Saturday said some people are trying to create a rift between the party and its leader Pankaja Munde.

Speaking to reporters in Jalna, Bawankule alleged Pankaja Munde’s statements were twisted by editing video clips and were sent to the media to project she is working against the party’s interests. The BJP leader said he would demand that the police inquire into the edited videos (of Pankaja Munde’s statements) and take action.

”Pankaja tai is our leader and she is working to strengthen the party. But some people are trying to project that she is working against the party,” he said without naming anyone. On many occasions, alleged political differences between BJP national secretary Pankaja Munde and senior leader Devendra Fadnavis were discussed in hushed tones in the party circles.

Fadnavis, who was chief minister during 2014-19, and Pankaja Munde, then minister, had denied any rivalry between them. ”Pankaja Munde is not against any leader. No BJP leader, including Devendra Fadnavis and Union minister Raosaheb Danve, are creating obstacles in her work,” Bawankule said.

He denied allegations that BJP didn’t stand behind state unit women’s wing chief Chitra Wagh for her remarks against model-cum-social media influencer Uorfi Javed. ”The whole party had backed Wagh,” he said.

Bawankule was in Jalna to campaign for BJP candidate Kiran Patil for the Legislative Council election for the Aurangabad Teachers’ Constituency scheduled to be held on January 30.

He alleged leaders of the Congress and NCP diverted the development fund to the western Maharashtra region when in power at the expense of the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions.

”The previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government was deaf and dumb. Its leaders didn’t listen to the grievances of the people and teachers,” he said.

Kiran Patil will face off against NCP’s Vikram Kale who was supported by the Congress and the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena. (PTI)

JAMMU, (PTI): Just two days before Congress leader Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra is scheduled to reach Jammu, two back-to-back explosions rocked a busy locality on the outskirts of the city on Saturday, leaving nine people injured, officials said.

Police suspect that IEDs were used to carry out the twin explosions in an SUV parked in a repair shop and in a vehicle at a nearby junkyard at Transport Nagar area of Narwal.

The terror attack comes at a time when security agencies in the region are on high alert in the wake of the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra of the Congress and the upcoming Republic Day celebrations.

Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha strongly condemned the incident and directed agencies to take urgent steps to nab the culprits.

“A blast occurred in an old, parked Bolero (Sports Utility Vehicle) around 11 am resulting in injuries to five people who were standing nearby. They were evacuated to hospital and their condition is stable,” Additional Director General of Police, Mukesh Singh told reporters near the scene of the explosion.

He said the whole area was immediately cleared of the people but in the meantime another blast occurred 50 metres away, causing minor injuries to one more person who was also shifted to hospital.

“Further investigation is on,” the officer said.

However, a total of nine persons were brought with splinter injuries to Government Medical College (GMC) hospital following the blasts.

“We have received nine patients with one having abdominal injuries and two others fractured legs. The condition of all of them is stable,” a doctor at the hospital said.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra entered J-K’s Kathua district on Thursday evening via Punjab and is camping in Chadwal, about 70 km from here. After a day’s break on Saturday, the yatra, which commenced from Kanyakumari on September 7, is scheduled to resume from Hiranagar on Sunday and reach Jammu on January 23.

An official identified the injured as Suhail Iqbal, Vishav Partap, Vinod Kumar, Arjun Kumar, Amit Kumar, Rajesh Kumar and Aneesh – all residents of Jammu – and Sushil Kumar of Doda.

Early this month, two cousins – aged four and 16 – were killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in Dangri village in Jammu’s Rajouri area, 14 hours after terrorists had shot dead four people there.

The terrorists, locals had claimed, had planted the IED on the day of the shooting and it was missed during the scanning by police and security officials who had cordoned off the area.

The officials on Saturday said the whole area was cordoned off by joint teams of police and CRPF immediately after the first explosion which was followed by another blast 15 minutes later.

A thorough sanitisation operation was carried out and forensic experts, bomb disposal squad and sniffer dogs were also pressed into service to look for clues, they said.

Jaswinder Singh, an eyewitness, said the first blast occurred in a vehicle that was at a workshop for repair.

About 15 minutes later, another explosion took place in the area littered with damaged parts and garbage, said Singh, president of the Motor Spare Parts Association.

Raj Kumar said he was working on another vehicle when the blast ripped apart another parked vehicle.

“We initially thought that the petrol tank of some vehicle exploded but the blast was so powerful that it blew up the vehicle,” he said.

An official spokesman said senior police officials have briefed the Lt Governor.

“Such dastardly acts highlight the desperation and cowardice of those responsible. Take immediate and firm action. No efforts should be spared to bring the perpetrators to justice,” the Lt Governor said.

Sinha also announced assistance of Rs 50,000 to the injured. The Lt Governor said that the administration would ensure the best possible treatment and extend every help required by the families.

Congress MP and AICC incharge of Jammu and Kashmir Rajani Patil strongly condemned the twin blasts. The CPI and AAP alleged that the incident reflected the ”failure” of the BJP’s policy in the Union Territory.

”Jammu blasts reveal once again the failure of BJP’s J-K Policy. Abrogation of Art.370 and demonetisation adventures misfired.Terrorism is on the increase,” CPI MP Binoy Viswam said on Twitter.

The BJP’s policy of ”communal hatred has badly affected the country’s unity,” he alleged.

“The day the BJP government took over, the situation in J-K is getting from bad to worse. Terrorism is increasing with each passing day and is returning to 1990s,” chairman of Jammu and Kashmir AAP state coordination committee Harsh Dev Singh alleged.

“They were stating that not a bird was killed after the abrogation of Article 370 but the reality is that innocent men, women and children are getting killed. The BJP has to give answers not only to J-K but to the entire nation,” he told reporters. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have “torn the slogan ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ to shreds”, alleged former discus thrower and Congress leader Krishna Poonia on Friday, over allegations of sexual exploitation of women wrestlers by Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chairman Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Addressing a joint press conference with boxer and Congress leader Vijender Singh, Poonia said that the daughters are being “sexually harassed”, contrary to the expectation of bringing glory to the country by winning medals.

“On one side, our country wants medals, and on the other side, the daughters are being sexually harassed. Would the parents want to send their children to sports in the future? The BJP leaders have torn the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ slogan to shreds. The protests are taking place for 72 hours, and even after this, no steps have been taken by the BJP leaders to resolve it. The federation should be dissolved,” she said.

Poonia and Vijender Singh hit out at the Centre over the allegations against the WFI chairman and demanded prompt action on the issue.

“The allegations that they have levelled are very strong. Prime Minister’s elongated silence on the issue is condemnable and shameful. Prompt action should be taken,” he said. Meanwhile, under pressure to resign from his position over allegations of sexual exploitation of women wrestlers, WFI chairman Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has said he will “expose” the “political conspiracy” on Friday afternoon in a press conference.

Singh, who is also a BJP Lok Sabha MP from Kaiserganj in Uttar Pradesh in a post on his Facebook said that he will hold a press conference at the Wrestling Training Centre in Nawabganj in the Gonda district of the state. The press conference is scheduled to be held this evening. Earlier Singh said that the presser would be held at noon before changing the time to after 4 pm today.

The development comes hours after some wrestlers had a late-night meeting with Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday. Thakur who arrived at his Delhi residence late last evening from Chandigarh met with the wrestlers and the meeting stretched into the early hours of today.

According to sources it ended on an indecisive note. Grapplers Sakshee Malikkh, Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, and Ravi Dahiya among others were seen leaving Thakur’s residence at around 3 am today. According to sources, Thakur is likely to meet with wrestlers in the national capital again this morning.

The Union Sports Ministry has also given a deadline to the WFI to respond within 72 hours to the allegations made by the wrestlers. The Ministry stated that if the WFI fails to furnish the reply within the next 72 hours, it will proceed to initiate action against the federation in terms of the provisions of the National Sports Development Code, 2011. The deadline expires on Saturday.

Wrestlers have levelled charges of sexual harassment of women wrestlers by the WFI president and its coaches and of mismanagement in the functioning of the federation. They demanded a complete overhaul of the federation.

“We want a complete overhaul of the Wrestling Federation. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) should be dissolved and restructured. There are people in the state wrestling associations too that have linkups with the WFI President. We also want the state associations to be restructured,” Bajrang Punia said yesterday.

The protesting wrestlers have demanded the resignation of the WFI chairman and action to be taken against him. (ANI)

NEW DELHI, (PTI): No palpable progress” has been made by the Delhi Police in the investigation into cases of hate speeches made at religious assemblies in the national capital in 2021, the Supreme Court noted on Friday while seeking a report from the police officer probing the matters. The incident pertained to December, 2021 and the FIR in the case was lodged on May 4, last year, the top court said, adding, “Why do you need five months for lodging an FIR. How many arrests have been made”.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha said “there was no palpable progress made in the investigation”.

The bench then asked Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj to file an affidavit within two weeks of the Investigating Officer (IO) of the Delhi Police giving details of the progress made so far in the investigation of the case.

The top court was hearing a contempt petition filed by activist Tushar Gandhi alleging inaction by Uttarakhand and the Delhi Police in alleged hate speech cases.

On November 11, last year, the bench had discharged the Uttarakhand government and the police chief from a list of parties in the contempt plea. The contempt petition was filed seeking punishment for the police chief of Delhi and Uttarakhand for their alleged inaction in the cases in violation of the apex court judgment in the Tehseen Poonawala case.

The top court had laid down guidelines as to what action needed to be taken in hate crimes, including mob lynching.

In his petition, the activist sought contempt action against senior police officials for not taking any steps in the issue, according to the guidelines laid down to curb hate speeches and lynching.

Gandhi had sought contempt action against the police officials for not taking any action after incidents of hate speeches.

The plea submitted that immediately after the events took place, the speeches were made available and were in public domain but still the Uttarakhand Police and the Delhi Police did not act against the perpetrators.

Hate speeches were made in the ‘dharam sansad’ held in Haridwar from December 17 to 19, 2021 and in Delhi on December 19, 2021, the petition alleged. (PTI)