Trial of former Brazilian President Bolsonaro on coup charges set to begin
More than 80 people -- including high-ranking military officers, former government ministers and police and intelligence officials -- are to testify in a preliminary trial phase expected to last at least two weeks.
Bolsonaro could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted of plotting to remain in office after leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had narrowly defeated him in the October 2022 elections.
Prosecutors say he led a "criminal organisation" planning to declare a state of emergency so new elections could be held.
The 70-year-old politician is already banned from seeking office until 2030 over his baseless criticism of Brazil's electronic voting system.
He also stands accused of being aware of a plot to assassinate Lula, his vice president Geraldo Alckmin, and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes -- a Bolsonaro foe and one of the judges hearing the current case.
Bolsonaro has always denied any role in a coup attempt, blaming the charges on "political persecution."
Last week he told the Uol site that prosecutors were fabricating a "telenovela scenario," a reference to the melodramatic TV soap operas popular in Latin America.
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Business Standard
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- Business Standard
DOJ said to fire more prosecutors, staff involved in Trump prosecutions
The Justice Department has fired additional lawyers and support staff who worked on special counsel Jack Smith's prosecutions of President Donald Trump, according to two people familiar with the matter. The overall number of terminations was not immediately clear but they cut across both the classified documents and election interference prosecutions brought by Smith, and included a handful of prosecutors who were detailed to the probe as well as Justice Department support staff and other non-lawyer personnel who aided them, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel moves that have not been publicly announced. The firings are part of a broader wave of terminations that have roiled the department for months and that have targeted staff who worked on cases involving Trump and his supporters. In January, the Justice Department said that it had fired more than a dozen prosecutors who worked on prosecutions of Trump, and last month fired at least three prosecutors involved in US Capitol riot criminal cases, Smith's team in 2023 brought separate indictments accusing Trump of hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida as well as conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol. Neither case reached trial. The Supreme Court significantly narrowed the election interference case in a ruling that said former presidents were immune from prosecution for official acts, and a Trump-appointed judge dismissed the classified documents case by holding that Smith's appointment as special counsel was illegal. Smith ultimately withdrew both cases in November 2024 after Trump's victory, citing a Justice Department legal opinion that protects sitting presidents from federal prosecution. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Today in Politics: An update on SIR revision — from the EC and an appeal by Bihar Chief Electoral Officer
A day after a petition was filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission's (EC) controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the poll panel wrote to Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all other states on July 5, directing them to begin preparations for a similar exercise — this time with January 1, 2026, as the qualifying date. The qualifying date mentioned in the letter indicates that while the nationwide exercise may start soon, a final timeline for the rest of the country is yet to be decided — though the aim is to include everyone who turns 18 years of age by January 1, 2026. Since 2003 has been chosen for Bihar as 'probative evidence of eligibility' — meaning voters on the electoral roll that year, when the last intensive revision was done, will be presumed Indian citizens unless proven otherwise — other states are also likely to use the year of their last intensive roll revision as the cut-off for presumption of citizenship for existing voters. For instance, Delhi's electoral roll was last intensively revised in 2008. In its instructions, the Commission — referring to paragraph 10 of its order dated June 24, when it formally announced the SIR in Bihar and said detailed guidelines for the rest of the country would follow — has asked all CEOs to complete 'pre-revision activities.' The EC's letter is significant against the backdrop of the upcoming Assembly elections in 2025 in BJP-ruled Assam; TMC-ruled West Bengal; DMK-ruled Tamil Nadu; and Left-ruled Kerala. The Union Territory of Puducherry will also elect a new Assembly next year. Whether the SIR in these four states — three of which are ruled by Opposition parties at the Centre — will be linked to the Assembly elections next year may depend on how the Supreme Court hearing on the Bihar exercise unfolds. During the hearing on Thursday (July 10), the court raised concerns about the timing of the exercise and whether it could be delinked from the state election. Justice Joymalya Bagchi, part of the two-judge bench, flagged the risk of disenfranchising voters by removing names from the rolls just months before polling, even if the broader objective of cleansing the rolls is legitimate. The Supreme Court eventually declined to restrain the EC from proceeding with its intensive revision of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar but suggested that the poll panel also consider Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards for the purpose of updating the rolls. Bihar Booth Level Officers scramble on the ground: Long hours, slow Internet, and a mountain to climb Bihar electoral roll revision: Why 3 papers SC suggests widen net, dial down panic In Bihar, EC doesn't follow its own practice, puts burden of proof on voters, ignores existing rolls In a conversation with The Indian Express, Bihar's Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Singh Gunjiyal, a 2007 batch IAS officer, addressed concerns about the SIR exercise in Bihar. Asked what happens to those voters who have submitted forms without one of the 11 mandated documents for the exercise, Gunjiyal said: 'We took out advertisements in newspapers twice that voters can submit forms with or without one of 11 documents. There is no need to panic — documents can be submitted by August 30. A BLO (Booth Level Officer) will attach those documents with respective uploaded forms. We also know that there's been a surge in domicile applications (one of the 11 documents) by voters. They can submit it to us by 30 August.' On the Supreme Court's suggestions to consider Aadhar, voter ID and ration cards as valid documents for the exercise, he said the ECI's legal team will looking at the suggestions of the Supreme Court. 'ECI goes per mandate of Article 326. We are here to follow ECI's order. There are learned people in Honourable Supreme Court and ECI. Let them discuss and decide. Ayog ka mandate hai: sahi electors rahna chahiye, galat katna chahiye,' he said. In the Valley The Srinagar district magistrate on Saturday rejected the National Conference's plea seeking permission to pay homage to the 22 people 'martyred' by the forces of the Dogra Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Hari Singh, on July 13, 1931. The party, in an application sent to the district magistrate, had said that NC president Farooq Abdullah and other senior functionaries intend to visit the graveyard of 'martyrs' at Naqshband Sahib near Nowhatta on Sunday. 'The District Administration Srinagar has denied permission to all applicants intending to proceed towards Khawaja Bazar, Nowhatta on 13th July 2025 (Sunday),' Srinagar Police said in a public advisory posted on its handle on X. The police said the general public is hereby advised to strictly comply with these instructions and refrain from violating the orders issued by the district administration. 'Any violation of these orders shall invite strict legal action under relevant provisions of law,' the police warned. July 13 used to be a public holiday in Jammu and Kashmir before the reorganisation of the erstwhile state into two Union territories in August 2019. A state function would be held every year on the day. However, the administration dropped the day from the list of gazetted holidays in 2020. — With PTI inputs
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Constitution reflects vision of Ambedkar, says CJI Gavai
Hyderabad: Chief Justice of India, Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, said Dr. BR Ambedkar's contribution to shaping the Indian Constitution as a testament to his foresight in acting as an instrument of social and economic transformation in the country. The CJI delivered a lecture on Dr. BR Ambekdari's contribution to the Indian Constitution organised by Osmania University on Saturday. He noted how Dr BR Ambedkar had to come up within a short period the Objective Resolution in 1946 and steered it till its adoption in 1949. The CJI said the Constitution stands as an epitome of Dr Ambedkar's leadership and intellectual rigor in shaping the foundational document of modern India. He stressed that rights without remedies are meaningless, highlighting Article 32, which empowers citizens to approach the Supreme Court in case of violation of fundamental rights. Calling it the 'heart and soul of the Constitution,' he stressed that judicial remedies are crucial to upholding democratic freedoms. Further, while India's Constitution was influenced by global models, it was tailored uniquely to India's needs, creating a single, unified legal framework unlike the dual systems seen in countries like the U.S. 'Ours is a strong federal structure with one Constitution applicable to all states and citizens,' he said. Touching upon the Directive Principles of State Policy, however, he noted the criticism that they are non-enforceable in courts but defended them as the moral compass of governance. 'They are not just empty words; they serve as a roadmap for legislators and executives to realize the promise of justice and equality,' he added. The CJI also traced the historical tension between Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles, referencing the landmark Kesavananda Bharati case of 1973, where the Supreme Court clarified that both must work in harmony as twin pillars of constitutional governance. The Acting Chief Justice of Telangana High Court, Justice Sujoy Paul, recalled Dr Ambedkar's intellectual vision citing his words- 'However good a Constitution may be, it can fail if those who implement it are not good. Likewise, even a bad Constitution can work well with good people.' He also reminded me how Sir Ivor Jennings mocked the voluminous length of the Indian constitution. However, Sri Lanka's constitution drafted barely could stand for 14 years. On the other, the Indian Constitution has shown its resilience standing for 75 years, he added. Earlier, Supreme Court Judge, Justice Padmidighantam Narasimha, Advocate General of Telangana, A Sudarshan Reddy, paid floral tributes to Dr Ambedkar. Judges from the States of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra were among those who attended the event. On this occasion, the CJI released a commemorative special cover and postcard and Dr. P. Vidya Sagar Reddy, Chief Postmaster General, Telangana, marking the event's historical significance for public memory.
