Will SC hold Bengal CM, DGP accountable for deteriorating law and order situation: BJP

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Kolkata, Jan 20 (IANS) Amid Supreme Court’s order on issuing a slew of directions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, especially the verification of voters under the “logical discrepancies” category, is conducted transparently and without causing undue hardship to citizens, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has raised the question on whether the apex court will hold the state DGP, Rajeev Kumar and the state administration led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accountable for the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

BJP’s Information Technology Cell Chief and the party’s central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, issued a statement on Tuesday pointing out that on Monday, the apex court also and again directed the West Bengal director general of police to ensure law and order in the state, a reminder it has had to issue far too often.

According to Malviya, even as the apex court’s order was being written, West Bengal was burning. The question is whether the apex court will take cognisance of the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

In his statement, which he posted on his social media handle X in the morning, Malviya claimed that across districts in West Bengal, widespread and organised violence has unfolded with the silent consent of the police.

He added that Trinamool Congress goons ran amok to ensure that electoral registration officers (EROs) would not accept Form-7 submissions, while the police stood by as mute spectators and, in several cases, as active facilitators.

The BJP leader also said that the minority-dominated Murshidabad district, in particular, has been in a state of chaos for days, with no relief in sight, which was not anecdotal but systematic, state-wide, and documented.

“This is the collapse of constitutional governance. Will the Supreme Court take cognisance and hold the DGP and the Mamata Banerjee administration accountable?” Malviya raised the question in his statement.

According to him, it is tragic that the people of West Bengal continue to suffer, crushed between an authoritarian regime and judicial apathy.

In his statement, Malviya has also given a summary of the district-wise incidents of tension and violence in the state, allegedly unleashed by the ruling party activists over the ongoing SIR exercise in the state.

–IANS

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India’s domestic air traffic posts double-digit growth in November

New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS) India’s commercial airlines flew 1.42 crore passengers on domestic routes in November this year, which represents a robust 12 per cent increase compared to the same month in the previous year, according to figures compiled by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

IndiGo maintained its position as the market leader with a 63.6 per cent share of air traffic, followed by Air India (24.4 per cent), Akasa Air (4.7 per cent) and SpiceJet (3.1 per cent). The market share of Alliance Air stayed flat at 0.7 per cent during the month.

“Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-November 2024 were 1,464.02 lakh as against 1,382.34 lakh during the corresponding period of the previous year thereby registering an annual growth of 5.91 per cent and monthly growth of 11.90 per cent,” according to the DGCA report.

Domestic air passenger traffic was at 142.52 lakh in November compared to 127.36 lakh in the same period a year ago. The number of flyers that took to Indian skies in Nov was also higher than the corresponding figure of 1.36 crore for October.

However, the On Time Performance (OTP) of scheduled domestic airlines at Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai declined during November with passengers facing longer delays.

IndiGo’s OTP stood at 74.5 per cent while that of Akasa Air and SpiceJet touched 66.4 per cent and 62.5 per cent, respectively.

The OTP of Air India and Alliance Air were at 58.8 per cent and 58.9 per cent, respectively, the data showed.

The figures also showed that 2,24,904 passengers were hit by delays in November. The airlines paid up close to Rs 2.9 crore towards the facilitation of stranded passengers.

As many as 624 passenger-related complaints were received by the scheduled domestic airlines during November.

A total of 3,539 passengers were denied boarding in November and an expenditure of Rs 2.84 crore was incurred by airlines for compensating and providing facilities to them.

The figures also showed that 27,577 passengers were affected by flight cancellations for which airlines spent Rs 36.79 lakh as compensation and providing facilities.

–IANS

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‘Vande Mataram’ walkout: BJP accuses Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi of insulting national sentiment

Chennai, Dec 9 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on Members of Parliament Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, accusing the Congress leadership of “deliberately insulting national sentiment” by walking out of the Lok Sabha during a special discussion marking the 150th anniversary of the national song Vande Mataram.

In a strongly worded statement, TN BJP spokesperson A.N.S. Prasad alleged that the Congress walkout from the Lok Sabha during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address on Monday amounted to a rejection of a sacred symbol of India’s freedom struggle.

The party said the act was not a routine parliamentary protest but a “conscious political statement” that hurt the sentiments of millions of Indians.

The Prime Minister’s speech had focused on the historical and cultural significance of ‘Vande Mataram’, tracing its role in awakening national consciousness during the freedom movement.

PM Modi described the song as a unifying force that transcended caste, region, and language, and played a vital role in mobilising people against British rule.

Composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, ‘Vande Mataram’ was first sung at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress and later became a war cry for generations of freedom fighters.

It was closely associated with the soldiers of the Indian National Army and revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, who embraced it as a symbol of sacrifice and resistance.

The TN BJP alleged that the Congress party has historically displayed “unease” with explicit expressions of Indian nationalism and cited the walkout as a continuation of that ideological discomfort.

The party further claimed that the absence of the Leader of the Opposition during such a milestone discussion undermined the spirit of parliamentary tradition.

Responding to the criticism, Congress sources defended the walkout, stating that it was part of a broader protest against what they termed as the government’s “selective appropriation” of national symbols and the shrinking of space for dissent in Parliament. The party insisted that its respect for the freedom struggle and the Constitution remains unwavering.

Political observers see the controversy as another flashpoint in the ongoing ideological confrontation between the BJP and the Congress over nationalism, history, and symbolism.

–IANS

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SC orders JPSC to conduct fresh medical exam for ST candidate

New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) The Supreme Court has directed the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) to conduct a fresh medical examination for a Scheduled Tribe candidate who was denied selection in the state civil services owing to confusion in the notification.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta allowed a special leave petition (SLP) filed by Shreya Kumari Tirkey, challenging the Jharkhand High Court’s decision that had upheld the rejection of her candidature by the JPSC.

In its order, the Justice Vikram Nath-led Bench noted that the petitioner-Tirkey had cleared all stages of the exam – prelims, mains, and interview – but failed to appear for the medical test, as she believed that interviews and document verification ended on May 16, 2022 and expected her medical examination to be on May 17, 2022.

As per the JPSC’s press advertisement, the interviews were scheduled from May 9-16, 2022, with medical examinations scheduled for the following day at Sadar Hospital, Ranchi.

“The meaning of the words ‘medical examination of the candidates participated in the interview is fixed for next day’ does give rise to a genuine doubt as to what is the day on which the candidate is expected to appear,” the bench observed.

The apex court stressed that the absence of clarity in the instructions should not result in such a disproportionate penalty.

“Medical examination is conducted to only assess the physical fitness of a candidate and their suitability for the job, and is not an assessment on merit of the candidate. We therefore fail to understand why would the appellant intentionally omit to appear for medical examination and thus, be punished so disproportionately as has been done in this case,” it said.

“Even if it is accepted that the appellant was negligent in not being available for medical examination as per prescribed schedule, the appellant deserves to be dealt leniently,” it added.

In its order, the Supreme Court, highlighting the government’s duty as a model employer, observed: “To uphold the constitutional promise by uplifting individuals belonging to marginalised communities, such procedural hurdles must not be resorted to cause further hardship and injustice. The goal is upliftment and not finding out ways to reject them at the very threshold.”

The Supreme Court directed the JPSC to conduct a fresh medical examination for the petitioner. “In case the appellant successfully qualifies the medical examination… we further direct the respondents to create a supernumerary post for appointment of the appellant,” it ordered.

The bench added that the petitioner would be entitled to continuity of service from the date the last selected candidate joined following the selection process, but she would not be entitled to back wages.

–IANS

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