Latest news with #1951
The Print
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Curious case of convicted BJP MLA Kanwarlal Meena—denied SC relief, in jail, but yet to be disqualified
In the previous Lok Sabha, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a member on 23 March 2023, just a day after his conviction and sentencing by a Gujarat court in a defamation case. Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan was disqualified as a member of the Uttar Pradesh assembly a day after an MP-MLA court in Rampur sentenced him to three years in jail in hate speech cases. Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People (RP) Act, 1951 provides for disqualification of a lawmaker if he or she is convicted for an offence that entails a minimum sentence of two years. New Delhi: Nearly three weeks after the Rajasthan High Court upheld his conviction and three-year prison sentence in a 2005 case—and two weeks after the Supreme Court denied him relief—BJP leader Kanwarlal Meena continues to be a member of the state assembly. The Congress has slammed this as a 'murder of the Constitution'. So, Kanwarlal Meena being able to keep his house membership despite 19 days since his conviction was upheld has raised eyebrows. A court in Aklera of Jhalawar district held Meena guilty of threatening a civil servant in 2005 and sentenced him to three years in jail in 2020. The decision was later upheld by the Rajasthan High Court 2 May. The BJP MLA moved the Supreme Court which directed him to surrender in trial court in two weeks. The deadline ended Wednesday. He has surrendered before a court. Meanwhile, he has also filed a review petition in the SC. While hearing Meena's Special Leave Petition 8 May, the Supreme Court observed, 'Elected representatives need to discipline themselves. This is one of rare cases where somebody has been convicted, otherwise you do everything and get away with it without any action against you.' The Rajasthan Congress moved Speaker Vasudev Devnani and Governor Haribhau Kisanrao Bagde seeking Meena's disqualification under the provisions of the RP Act, 1951. State Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra Monday resigned from one of the assembly standing committees in protest. A Congress delegation also met the governor Monday. 'There cannot be two sets of laws in one country,' Dotsra told ThePrint. 'Rahul Gandhi's membership was terminated within 24 hours and an MLA in Rajasthan has been sentenced to three years. The bench of three judges of the Supreme Court also did not give him relief. Yet, the Speaker has not disqualified him in 19 days.' He added: 'In the Lily Thomas case (2013), the Supreme Court said the day the punishment is passed, the membership will be cancelled immediately. Now, even after 19 days, why is Meena's membership not being terminated? The Speaker is sitting on the file and it is being moved here and there.' Dotasra claimed efforts are being made to pardon the MLA through the governor under Article 161. 'But rule 161 does not apply in the Meena case. The chief minister also went to the governor in this regard. The Supreme Court has also said the MLA will have to surrender in two weeks. Now two weeks have also been completed. They have made a mockery of law.' Also Read: In Rahul Gandhi's disqualification, Modi-Shah lay an electoral trap for Congress The 2005 case On February 3, 2005, Meena threatened then SDM Ram Niwas Mehta at gunpoint, pressuring him to recommend re-polling for the post of deputy sarpanch in the Khatakhedi village near Manohar Thana. Meena took out a revolver and asked Mehta to announce a repoll within two minutes. The SDM told Meena a revolver can kill but not enforce a repoll. While the trial court initially acquitted Meena, the additional district judge (ADJ) court in Aklera convicted him in 2020, imposing a three-year sentence and a fine of ₹3 lakh. Meena was in the news also in 2023 in connection with the abduction case of BJP MLA Lalit Meena allegedly at the behest of Vasundhara Raje's son Dushyant Singh, at a time when hectic political activities were going on in the state for picking a chief minister. Rahul to Azam: Leaders disqualified under RP Act Gandhi was found guilty of criminal defamation by a Surat court for his remark on PM Narendra Modi's surname at an election rally in 2019 and was sentenced to two years in jail 23 March 2023. He got bail and was given 30 days to appeal, but the court did not suspend his conviction. The Lok Sabha secretariat issued the Wayanad MP's disqualification notice 24 March. In a note issued 13 October 2015, the Election Commission asked state chief secretaries to direct departments concerned to ensure cases of convictions of sitting MPs or MLAs were brought to the notice of the speaker or the house chairperson. More than a dozen lawmakers have been disqualified under the act since 2013 when the Supreme Court struck down relief under section 8(4) of RP Act which gave convicted MPs and MLA three months time to appeal and save their memberships. Senior leaders like Lalu Prasad (fodder scam), the late Jayalalithaa (disproportionate assets case) and NCP MP Mohd Faizal (attempt to murder case) were among the lawmakers disqualified under the act. Gandhi and Faizal's suspensions were later revoked. 'No provision in Constitution about time-frame' Sources close to Meena told ThePrint he surrendered Wednesday per the Supreme Court deadline. 'Now the ball is in the court of the governor and the court. There is no provision in Constitution about time-frame when the Speaker will act.' Meena's aides also denied the MLA has requested the governor to grant him pardon. They claimed the MLA was waiting for the Supreme Court's decision. Rajasthan BJP spokesperson Laxmikant Bhardwaj said the issue of disqualification is between the speaker and the MLA concerned. 'And the speaker has to make a decision on his disqualification. Maybe the MLA is exploring his last legal options.' Sources close to Speaker Vasudev Devnani told ThePrint, 'The speaker has consulted legal minds and is waiting for the Supreme Court decision on this matter. This has delayed the decision.' But Congress spokesperson Swarnim Chaturvedi asked, 'Why is he being given so much time to explore legal options? Why was he not disqualified immediately? Why is the Speaker waiting for his Supreme Court review petition? It's a murder of the Constitution. There can't be separate laws for BJP leaders and opposition leaders.' (Edited by Ajeet Tiwari) Also Read: 'Should have been more careful' — Surat court order rejecting Rahul Gandhi's plea for stay on conviction
Washington Post
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Many women ‘just don't want to' have kids. These books don't blame them.
When the writer Shirley Jackson went to the hospital to give birth to her youngest son in 1951, a clerk at the front desk asked for her personal information. 'Age?' the clerk chirped. 'Sex? Occupation?' 'Writer,' Jackson replied. 'Housewife,' the clerk countered. 'Writer,' Jackson insisted. 'I'll just put down housewife,' the woman told her. That Jackson's best fiction is about the debasements of domesticity is a cruel irony, one the dismissive hospital clerk no doubt failed to appreciate.
New Indian Express
14-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Punjab Minister Harpal Cheema urges Centre to amend law regulating methanol; cites misuse in Amritsar hooch tragedy
CHANDIGARH: Following the recent Amritsar hooch tragedy, Punjab Finance and Excise Minister Harpal Singh Cheema has urged Union Minister Piyush Goyal to regulate methanol under the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951. In his letter, Cheema urged the Central Government to take immediate action to regulate the use of methyl alcohol (methanol) under the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951. He emphasised the urgent need for stricter controls on this highly toxic industrial chemical to prevent further loss of life. Highlighting repeated mass casualties from spurious liquor, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema stressed the regulatory gap around methanol. He noted its similarity to ethyl alcohol makes it a silent killer when diverted into the illicit liquor supply chain. He pointed out that despite the Centre's authority to regulate industrial alcohol under the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951, methanol remains in a grey area, resulting in systematic failures in monitoring and compliance. He emphasised that the current legal framework does not address vulnerabilities of this substance for tracking, buyer registration, and cross-state regulation, leaving the methanol supply chain vulnerable.
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Karnataka BJP MLA Janardhana Reddy disqualified following conviction in illegal mining case
G Janardhana Reddy, a BJP leader, has been disqualified from the Karnataka Legislative Assembly following his conviction in an illegal iron ore mining case by a CBI court. Representing the Gangavati Constituency, Reddy faces a seven-year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000. This disqualification will persist for six years post-release, unless a competent court stays the conviction. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads BJP leader G Janardhana Reddy was disqualified as a member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly after a special CBI court convicted him in an illegal iron ore mining case. With this, one seat in the state Assembly has fallen vacant."Consequent upon conviction of G Janardhana Reddy, Member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly representing the Gangavati Constituency by the Court of the Principal Special Judge for CBI, cases, Hyderabad in of 2012, he stands disqualified from the membership of Karnataka Legislative Assembly from the date of conviction i.e., May 6, 2025 in terms of the provisions of article 191(1) (e) of the Constitution of India read with section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951," Karnataka Assembly said in a notification on said, "Such disqualification shall continue for a further period of six years since his release, unless the conviction is stayed by a competent Court."A special CBI court in Hyderabad on Tuesday convicted Reddy and three others in the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) illegal iron ore mining case after a prolonged legal battle spanning nearly 14 court sentenced them to seven years rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on was named accused number two. The court also imposed a Rs 1 lakh fine on the after the judgment, the CBI took Reddy and others into custody, and were shifted to had formed the Kalyana Rajya Pragati Paksha (KRPP) ahead of the Assembly polls in 2023, snapping his two-decade-old association with the BJP, and won the Gangavati assembly however, rejoined the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls by merging his outfit with the saffron party.
Euronews
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Germany's new government vows tougher border controls once Merz takes office
ADVERTISEMENT Germany's new government intends to tighten migration policy and reject undocumented asylum seekers at the country's borders as soon as Friedrich Merz is sworn in as chancellor next week, his incoming chief of staff said on Wednesday. Thorsten Frei, the next head of the Chancellery, said the stricter rules would apply from 6 May — although it remains to be seen whether there will be pushback from Brussels due to potential conflicts with European law. "Anyone who tries to enter Germany illegally must expect that the German border will be the end of the road from 6 May," Frei said. The government will "expand and intensify identity checks at the German borders from day one", he told the Funke Media Group. Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) on Wednesday approved a deal to join a new coalition government led by Merz's centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU). "No one can apply for asylum in the country of their choice," Frei said. "According to European law, this must happen where someone enters the European Union for the first time. That is almost never Germany." FILE: Friedrich Merz, right, Chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, and Thorsten Frei in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. AP Photo While Germany is technically allowed to reject individuals at its borders who lack valid documentation, there are legal limits in place, particularly regarding asylum seekers. Under EU asylum law, the 1951 Refugee Convention and the German Asylum Act, Germany is generally required to let individuals who claim asylum at its borders into the country to process their claim. Germany significantly tightened controls in September 2024, when it implemented temporary checks at all nine of its land borders in an effort to curb irregular migration. The measure, which was eventually extended, sparked the ire of Germany's neighbours including Poland, whose leader Donald Tusk claimed the move was fundamentally opposed to the principle of Europe's passport-free Schengen area. Other countries, such as Austria, have expressed reluctance to take back migrants who have been turned away from the German border. Controversial measure It is unclear to what extent Germany's decision to uphold strict border checks and potentially turn asylum seekers away at its border will be welcomed by other countries in the bloc and the European Commission, which has previously emphasised the need for a collective and unified approach to migration. Frei announced that the incoming government was already coordinating the upcoming changes with neighbouring countries such as France, Austria and Poland. The planned change of course has already received "very broad approval", Frei claimed. The Commission did not immediately react to the announcement made by the upcoming German government. It has repeatedly said that pushbacks at the border are against EU law and urged member states to guarantee fair and equal access to the asylum process. Brussels has given Poland the green light to temporarily suspend the right to asylum, however, this exceptional provision only applies to cases where migration flows are being weaponised by foreign actors, which does not apply to the situation in Germany. Related Germany extends border checks amid migration debate ahead of election Germany announces temporary border checks at all land borders Frei has made it clear Merz's new government intends to reshape the country's immigration policy to one focused on control and limitation. ADVERTISEMENT "We have made very clear agreements on returns to Afghanistan and Syria, for example, on border controls and pushbacks, on our initiatives at European level," he said earlier this month. The incoming coalition government's agreement stops short of permanent border checks and broad entry bans for undocumented migrants, instead proposing that asylum seekers arriving from another EU state would be refused entry. The agreement says that the measures should be implemented "in coordination with our European neighbours." The SPD insisted this should require the explicit consent of neighbouring countries, a precondition the CDU previously deemed unnecessary. ADVERTISEMENT
