India

Chandigarh, Dec 20 (IANS) Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatraya on Friday expressed grief over the demise of former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala.

In his condolence message, Governor Dattatraya described Chautala as a seasoned politician and visionary leader who dedicated his life to the service of the people of Haryana.

"Om Prakash Chautala's contributions to the development of Haryana and his commitment to the welfare of its people particularly 'kisaans' (farmers) will always be remembered. His demise is a great loss to the state and its people," said Dattatraya.

Recalling his personal experience with Chautala, the Governor said: "When I was Union Urban Development Minister, Chautala was the CM of Haryana. He met me regarding the development of the National Capital Region.

"During the meeting of the NCR Development Board, Chautala, who was also a member, used to share his valuable insights and vision about the region's all-round development," the Governor said.

"Despite age, Chautala was active in public life. Only recently, I met his son Abhay Chautala at Raj Bhavan. I inquired about Om Prakash Chautala's health and conveyed my best wishes to him," he said.

Dattatraya spoke to Abhay and extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members and prayed for strength to help them endure this irreparable loss.

"May the departed soul rest in eternal peace," added Dattatraya.

Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) president and five-time Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, whose family ruled the state's dusty and defection-ridden politics for decades largely in rural areas with predominant Jat voters, died in Gurugram after a cardiac arrest.

The 89-year-old leader suffered a cardiac arrest at his home and was rushed to Medanta Hospital but he passed away.

Family said the elderly Chautala would be cremated at Teja Khera in Sirsa district on Saturday afternoon. His body would be kept there from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. for people to pay respects.

--IANS

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Srinagar, Dec 20 (IANS) Senior religious leader and separatist Hurriyat Conference Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was placed under house arrest in J&K's Srinagar on Friday to prevent him from delivering the weekly sermon at the Jamia Mosque in the old city, sources close to the cleric claimed.

Although there has been no official word on it, sources in the Anjuman-e-Nusratul Islam, the socio-religious organisation headed by Mirwaiz Umar, said he had been placed under house arrest in his Nigeen residence on the outskirts of the city.

The sources said a posse of police posted outside his house refused to let the Mirwaiz move outside his house.

Mirwaiz Umar has been in house arrest most of the time since 2019 and his weekly sermons at the Jamia Mosque take place only when he is allowed to move out of his home.

The administration has not issued any statement on whether the Mirwaiz is under house arrest or not.

The separate conglomerate, All Parties Hurriyat Conference was formed in 1993 and Mirwaiz Umar was chosen as its first Chairman. Senior hardline separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani formed his own Hurriyat group in September 2003.

Mirwaiz Umar, however, continued to lead his own group of the conglomerate. He also heads Anjuman-e-Nusratul Islam which manages the affairs of the Jamia Masjid in the old city's Nowhatta area in addition to running the historic Islamia School in Rajouri Kadal area of Srinagar.

In 1899, the then Mirwaiz, Molvi Rasool Shah formed this organisation. The organisation, started in a cottage, later became a prominent educational organisation that imparted both secular and religious education to Kashmiris. In addition to his religious duties, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has been closely associated with social and educational work. He himself had schooling in the Christian missionary Burnhall School in Srinagar.

--IANS

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Kolkata, Dec 20 (IANS) The Calcutta High Court on Friday rejected the state government’s objections on the venue for the sit-in protest by the West Bengal Joint Platform of Doctors, an association of senior doctors, against the default bail granted to two accused of tampering with the evidence in the case of the ghastly rape and murder of a woman junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital within the hospital premises in August.

The single-judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh on Thursday already gave permission to the doctors’ body to hold the sit-in-demonstration at Doreena Crossing in central Kolkata.

At the same time, the bench gave the opportunity to the administration to furnish its views by Friday on the possible restrictions on the programme.

However, on Friday, the counsel for the state government objected to the venue of the demonstration on grounds of traffic congestion on occasions of Christmas and New Year’s Eve and suggested an alternative location in the area for the event.

However, Justice Ghosh refused to accept the argument and said that when he had already given permission on Thursday for the demonstration to be conducted at Doreena Crossing, there was no reason for the administration to raise objections on the venue.

He advised the state administration to raise a seven-foot tall guardrail around the protest venue and ensure the protesters stayed within the enclosure during the protest period. He also said that under no circumstance, the protest programme can be extended beyond December 26.

He also ruled that the protesters should not make any objectionable comment from the protest venue or do anything that might hamper the festive mood of the city in this part of the year.

Justice Ghosh also ruled that under no circumstance the number of protesters assembling at the venue should exceed 250.

Last week, a special court in Kolkata granted default bail to the former and controversial principal of R.G. Kar Sandip Ghosh and the former SHO of Tala Police Station Abhijit Mondal as the CBI failed to file the supplementary charge sheet against the two within 90 days from the day of their arrests. Both were accused of misleading the investigation and tampering with evidence while the initial investigation was being carried out by Kolkata Police. Following the development, the representatives of the medical fraternity in the state as well as the victim’s parents accused the CBI of gross incompetence

--IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Over 10.05 crore women from rural households have so far been mobilised into 90.87 lakh self-help groups (SHGs) under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), the Parliament was informed on Friday.

Minister of State for Rural Development Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha, that the total bank loans disbursed to SHGs till November 2024 are Rs 9.71 lakh crore.

The MoS said that the Mission is being implemented in 7,138 blocks in 742 districts across 28 States and six UTs.

The number of SHGs formed and supported under DAY-NRLM during the last three years is 21.54 lakh, he said.

DAY-NRLM provides funds to create a resource in perpetuity for the community institutions to strengthen their institutional and financial management capacity and build their track record to attract mainstream bank finance.

These include Revolving Fund of Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 per SHG and Community Investment Fund up to Rs 2.50 lakh per SHG. The total amount of Capitalisation Support (Revolving Fund and Community Investment Fund) provided is Rs 48,290 crore.

He said that in order to reduce the effective cost of bank credit to women SHGs, DAY-NRLM provides interest subvention to SHGs on loans from banks.

In response to another question, the MoS said that the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP), a sub-scheme under DAY-NRLM, supports the SHG women or their family members to set up small enterprises. SVEP has so far supported 3.13 lakh rural enterprises.

Elaborating on the SHG women’s engagement, the MoS said that they are deployed as Banking Correspondents Sakhis, improving access to banking services, including deposits, credit, remittances, pensions and insurance.

Number of Banking Correspondents Sakhi/Digipay Sakhi deployed with support of DAY-NRLM is 1,35,127. Under Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETI), a sub-scheme of DAY-NRLM, a total of 53.89 lakh youth have been trained, out of which 38.35 lakh have been settled so far, the MoS said.

--IANS

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Chandigarh, Dec 20 (IANS) Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) president and five-time Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, whose family ruled the state’s dusty and defection-ridden politics for decades largely in rural areas with predominant Jat voters, died in Gurugram after a cardiac arrest on Friday.

He was 89 and cleared his Class 10 and 12 exams two years ago. He suffered cardiac arrest at his home and was rushed to Medanta Hospital but passed away.

Family said Chautala would be cremated at Teja Khera in Sirsa district on Saturday afternoon. His body would be kept there from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. for people to pay respects.

Expressing grief, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X, “I am deeply saddened by the demise of former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala ji. He was active in state politics for many years and strove constantly to carry forward the work of (Chaudhary) Devi Lal.”

Former Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal was Om Prakash Chautala’s father.

Condoling Chautala’s death, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said, “His contribution to the state politics will always be remembered.”

INLD spokesperson Rakesh Sihag said the former chief minister was feeling unwell in the morning. “However, a cardiac arrest took his life,” he added.

Om Prakash Chautala's wife Sneh Lata died in August 2019. Chautala has three daughters and two sons, Abhay Singh Chautala and Ajay Singh Chautala.

Abhay, a former MLA from Ellenabad, was the Leader of Opposition in the state Legislative Assembly from October 2014 till March 2019.

The Chaudhary Devi Lal clan has ruled the state seven times, with Devi Lal being the Chief Minister twice and his son Om Prakash Chautala five times since December 1989.

From March 2000 to March 2005 was the longest term of Om Prakash Chautala. After that, the party emerged as the principal opposition party in 2014 polls with 19 legislators. In the previous Assembly, the party had a lone legislator, Abhay Chautala, who lost the polls in 2024.

The political landscape of the state dominated significantly by the Jat community witnessed a drastic change in the last one decade, ever since the BJP came to power in 2014, and continued its winning streak in 2024.

After the feud within the INLD, five-time Chief Minister Om Parkash Chautala's grandson Dushyant split the party vertically in 2018 and formed the JJP.

The INLD and its breakaway faction Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which played the kingmaker in the 2019 Assembly poll, were decimated in the October Assembly polls.

Jats, who constitute about 27 per cent of the electorate and once the traditional vote base of the state’s regional parties, seemed to have made a sway -- a shift that proved detrimental both for the INLD and the JJP.

While the results came as a massive setback for Om Prakash Chautala’s grandson Dushyant Chautala, the youngest scion Arjun Chautala, however, managed to defeat Independent candidate and sitting legislator Ranjit Chautala -- an outcome from which the party might hope that all is not lost yet.

Ranjit Chautala, who was the Cabinet minister in the previous BJP government in the state, is Om Prakash Chautala’s brother.

Both patriarch-dominated regional parties lost their grip, concentrated largely in rural areas, with their top leaders Abhay Singh Chautala of the INLD and his nephew Duhsyant Chautala of the JJP biting the dust.

Interestingly, the JJP, which was at the helm with the outgoing BJP government led by Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar for four and a half years, had struggled to secure any seat or build a significant vote base across Haryana, marking a tough setback.

In the Assembly elections, the INLD partnered with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), while its breakaway faction JJP had an alliance with the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram).

A special Central Bureau of Investigation court in Delhi on January 22, 2013, had sentenced the Chautalas, including Om Prakash, and eight others to 10 years in jail after finding them guilty of illegally recruiting 3,206 junior basic trained teachers in 2000.

He was released from Tihar jail in July 2021. Om Prakash Chautala cleared his Class 10 and 12 exams at the age of 87. He received his mark sheets from the Haryana board.

In 2021, Chautala had appeared for Class 12 exams under the Haryana Open Board. However, his result was withheld because he had not yet passed a Class 10 English exam. In order to get his Class 12 result released, he appeared for the Class 10 exam.

He scored 88 marks out of 100 in the English paper in his Class 10 examination last year.

Except for English, he had cleared his Class 10 exams from the National Institute of Open School in 2017 while serving a 10-year sentence in Delhi's Tihar Jail in connection with the recruitment scam.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)

--IANS

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Bengaluru, Dec 20 (IANS) BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai accused the Congress government in Karnataka of torturing MLC C. T. Ravi, who allegedly made an inappropriate statement in the Legislative Council.

Bommai further demanded an inquiry to uncover the truth about whether Ravi made such a statement.

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, he said: "We are speaking justly, and we have not opposed any investigation. Reaching any conclusion without an inquiry or investigation is wrong."

The MP said: "In earlier incidents within Vidhana Soudha, no one was taken to a police station. A committee was formed within the legislature, and action was taken based on its report. But here, Ravi was suddenly arrested, taken to the police station, and driven around all night. Under which law is such action permissible?"

Slamming the state government, the former CM said, "Governance in Karnataka has gone astray. A police Raj is prevailing, with police being misused in every matter. Multiple SITs are being formed to target opposition leaders and conduct various investigations."

"Even Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is mired in corruption, and investigations are underway against him. Amidst all this, police misuse has extended to the Vidhana Soudha," Bommai said.

He said arresting Ravi without any investigation and how he was treated is unacceptable.

Such cases require issuing a show-cause notice, conducting an inquiry, and taking action based on evidence.

"In many cases, Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) labs examine videos and audio. However, in this case, none of that was done. Within two hours of a complaint, Ravi was arrested, taken to the Khanapur Police Station, and subjected to mental and physical torture," he said.

"There are laws and procedures, but none has been followed. The police have violated the law, acting under political influence. The Chief Minister must take serious note of this. Such oppressive and repressive actions cannot last long in the face of public power. If this continues, difficult times are not far off for the government," Bommai warned.

--IANS

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Hyderabad, Dec 20 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) appears set to begin an investigation into the Formula-E race case against Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President and former Telangana minister K. T. Rama Rao.

The ED on Friday wrote to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), seeking a copy of the First Information Report (FIR) and other documents related to the case.

The central agency is likely to register the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against K.T. Rama Rao and others, after receiving FIR and other details.

Sources said the ED will register an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under the PMLA.

The ACB Thursday registered a case against KTR and two others alleged financial irregularities linked to the Formula-E race held in Hyderabad in February 2023.

The case relates to the alleged unauthorised transfer of Rs 55 crore from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) to Formula E Operations (FEO) without proper approvals.

The FIR was registered under Sections 13(1)(A) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, along with Sections 409 and 120(B) of the Indian Penal Code.

It is alleged that on the direction of then Industry Minister Rama Rao, the HMDA paid Rs 55 crore to a foreign company in violation of RBI guidelines. The payments were reportedly made without obtaining approvals from the Cabinet or the Finance Department.

The ACB named KTR, as Rao is popularly known, as accused number one in the FIR. IAS officer and then HMDA Commissioner Arvind Kumar and former HMDA Chief Engineer B.L.N. Reddy have been named as accused number two and three respectively.

The ACB registered the FIR a few days after Governor Jishnu Dev Varma gave permission to try KTR on a request made by the state government.

The BRS leader has denied the allegations of corruption. He asked the Congress government to explain where the corruption was when the organisers confirmed that they received Rs 55 crore from the HMDA.

KTR has filed a petition in the Telangana High Court, seeking orders to quash the FIR registered by the ACB.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Friday said that non-compliance with the provisions of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, dealing with the disposal of seized drugs, cannot be the sole ground for grant of bail.

A bench of Justices Bela M. Trivedi and SC Sharma said that not adhering to the procedure outlined in Section 52A of the NDPS Act would not affect the admissibility of the seized contraband as evidence or entitle the grant of bail to the accused.

The Justice Trivedi-led Bench added that Section 52A is a procedural provision and any lapse or delay in adhering to the provision in question would merely be a procedural irregularity. It ruled that any procedural irregularity observed in conducting search or seizure during the course of the investigation or thereafter would not by itself make the entire evidence inadmissible.

The apex court said that any lapse or delay in compliance with the provisions of Section 52A cannot be ground to order the release of the accused on bail unless the rigours of the grant of bail under the NDPS Act are satisfied.

The verdict came on an appeal filed by the Narcotics Control Bureau against a May 2023 decision of the Delhi High Court.

In its impugned decision, the Delhi HC, while granting bail to an accused, had observed that the seized samples of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances should be forwarded to the laboratory within 72 hours. Further, it had ordered that the seized samples of contraband ought to be drawn under Section 52A in the presence of a magistrate.

A bench of Justice Jasmeet Singh also recorded that neither the seizure memo nor sampling was prepared on the spot, which was a mandate upon the investigating agency as per the Standing Order.

Now, the apex court ordered the Delhi High Court to afresh decide the matter in terms of its judgment and in the meantime, the accused will continue to remain on bail.

--IANS

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Nagpur/Mumbai, Dec 20 (IANS) The Maha Vikas Aghadi allies continued protests against Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his remarks on B. R. Ambedkar, while the Mumbai Police booked several Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leaders for vandalism at Mumbai Congress party office on Friday.

MVA allies Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (SP)-Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders and legislators staged vociferous protests outside the Maharashtra Legislature in Nagpur, carrying photos of Dr Ambedkar, raising full-throated slogans slamming Shah and demanding an apology.

The placards carried slogans like ‘Then We Fought the White Rulers, Now We Fight the BJP Goons’, ‘Bhakt Goonda Party’, ‘First They Broke Parties, Now They Destroy Party Offices’.

SS (UBT)’s Leader of Opposition in Council Ambadas Danve, Aditya Thackeray, Congress’ Nana Patole, Vijay Wadettiwar, Dr Nitin Raut, Jyoti E. Gaikwad, NCP (SP)’s, and other legislators joined the standing protests outside the legislature.

Patole also targeted BJP for starting a fake narrative by accusing Congress’ Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of pushing around some BJP MPs outside the Parliament on Thursday.

“They claimed to have evidence of this but so far, there is no such video. Shah has committed the sin of insulting Dr Ambedkar and the Constitution which has generated huge anger among the masses all over the country. The BJP is diverting from the issues by attacking Rahul Gandhi” said Patole.

NCP (SP)’s leader Dr Jitendra Awhad and SS (UBT)’s Aditya Thackeray criticised the Centre for filing FIRs against Rahul Gandhi and accused BJP of adopting diversionary tactics while reiterating the MVA’s demand for Shah’s resignation or sacking from the Cabinet.

Wadettiwar claimed that BJP has "blurted out what was always in its heart" and the extent of their hatred for Dr Ambedkar is evident from Shah’s comments.

Patole added that the BJP doesn’t want any discussions on such issues in Parliament but is targeting two leaders (former PMs Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi), who sacrificed themselves for the unity and integrity of the country.

On Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ statements that Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra had links with Maoist groups, Patole retorted that if it were so, “then why did he fail to take action” when the two processions passed through Maharashtra.

“If Fadnavis indeed had such information, he should have acted if he was an efficient Home Minister… The truth is that he and BJP cannot tolerate the immense popularity of Rahul Gandhi and the epochal BJY-BJNY so it is indulging in this kind of false propaganda,” said an irked Patole.

They also condemned the ‘hooliganism’ of the BJYM – the youth wing of Bharatiya Janata Party – activists who indulged in vandalism at Congress headquarters at Mumbai's Azad Maidan.

The Congress Mumbai held a separate demonstration on Friday to condemn the BJYM action of December 19, and many were detained and packed off in police vehicles.

Meanwhile, following a complaint lodged by Congress city working president Mandar Pawar, the Azad Maidan Police Station has registered cases against the BJYM city chief Tejindar Tiwana and another three dozen activists for Thursday’s mayhem.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) NDA leaders on Friday condemned Samajwadi Party (SP) Rajya Sabha MP, Jaya Bachchan for her remarks accusing injured BJP MPs and Nagaland BJP MP Phangnon Konyak of "acting" and suggesting they "deserved Oscars" for their performances.

Bachchan's comments came after a heated confrontation in Parliament on Thursday during an INDIA bloc protest against alleged disrespect towards Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

The BJP accused the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, of deliberately pushing BJP MPs Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput, who reportedly sustained injuries.

However, LoP Rahul Gandhi has denied the allegations and was quoted by media reports as saying that he was also pushed during the face-off with the BJP MPs.

Nagaland BJP MP Phangnon Konyak also alleged that the LoP "shouted" at her and came close, leaving her feeling "uncomfortable."

Addressing reporters during the INDIA bloc protest, Bachchan said, "We were proceeding towards the House, but these (NDA) leaders blocked our way at the stairs. If someone gets a slight push in such a situation, it's natural for them to fall."

"Sarangi ji, Rajput ji, and the MP from Nagaland have delivered better performances than I ever did in my acting career. They deserve Oscars and all the awards for their acting. This was as scripted as any film," she added.

Labelling the incident as "man-made," Bachchan accused the BJP of relying on "baseless allegations" to divert from the insult to Dr Ambedkar and the protests over it.

NDA leaders swiftly rebuked the SP MP's remarks, accusing her of insensitivity and undermining women parliamentarians.

Speaking to IANS, BJP MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat said, "She comes from a world where everything seems cinematic to her. She enjoys creating drama, even when the Speaker addresses her by name."

Sehrawat explained that INDIA bloc protests had been ongoing near Parliament gates, with NDA members using side passages.

"Yesterday, for the first time, the NDA demonstrated against the INDIA bloc's cheap politics. Instead of using the safe passage, Rahul Gandhi pushed through the crowd, even though a safe passage was created, causing injuries to our MPs, who had to be hospitalised," she said.

Taking a jab at Bachchan's "deserve Oscars" remark, Sehrawat added, "The people of this country are already awarding the BJP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's third term is our award."

LJP (RV) MP, Shambhavi Choudhary condemned Bachchan for questioning Konyak's account, saying, "This reflects her mindset. Parliament is a safe space for women MPs, and if any woman MP raises her voice about feeling uncomfortable, it must be respected. Calling it a drama is highly inappropriate."

"Everything happened on camera. Pratap Sarangi received five stitches, is that a 'drama' too? Such remarks undermine the dignity of women representatives," she told IANS.

Speaking to IANS, Union Minister of State, B.L. Verma, accused LoP Rahul Gandhi of recklessly pushing through the crowd.

"Hundreds of MPs and the media witnessed it. Pratap Sarangi was pushed, and I personally helped Mukesh Rajput, who got hurt," he said.

Verma questioned how Bachchan would react if someone dismissed her injuries as "drama."

"Would she tolerate it if a similar comment was made about her?" he asked.

NDA leaders stressed that the incident, recorded on cameras, speaks for itself and urged the Opposition to uphold parliamentary decorum instead of dismissing serious issues with derogatory remarks.

--IANS

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