Do not insult the constitution
In the recent past, some esteemed Judges had cautioned against the subverting of constitution and the powers granted by the constitution. They had felt ever since BJP came to power in the centre, democracy was under threat. Extra constitutional powers were constantly attempting to destabilize the democracy and democratic institutions. Today, assembly elections in Karnataka are a big example of this subversion in progress. It is no secret that the raids conducted in the run up to the elections using IT and other agencies were done for political reasons. Even after all this, BJP didn’t get a full majority, but had to be satisfied with 104 seats, at least nine seats short of the majority. Now the governor Vajubhai Vala has invited B S Yeddyurappa, the Karnataka leader of this party to form the government. This has obviously created anxiety among activists who fight to retain the spirit of democracy. Opinions that governor’s decision to allow one party to form the government and then take time or be given time to prove majority on the floor will give rise to ‘horse trading’ are not too far from the truth either. HD Kumaraswamy of JD(S) has already said his party members are being offered Rs 100 crore to defect and join the BJP.
One interpretation is that BJP legislative party leader BS Yeddyurappa is being invited to form the government against the people’s mandate since the party did not get absolute majority. This morning he may even take oath to the office of the Chief Minister of Karnataka. If this happens, it would create a very bad precedence. The governor may claim he invited the single largest party to form the government with 104 members. If this was the case, why was it not followed in the case of Goa which has 40 seats where Congress was in majority with 17 members over the BJP and its allies? When this matter was taken to the Supreme Court, even the court upheld the decision of the governor. The same case repeated in Manipur where Cong emerged as the single largest party. BJP with just two members was allowed to form the government with allies. Meghalaya too favoured Congress with 21 seats, but the party was denied the opportunity to form the government. BJP and allies formed the government there too. Union minister Jaitley said this was a constitutionally appropriate measure. Same thing repeated in Nagaland too where Cong emerged as the biggest party but was denied the opportunity to form the government. But one needs to know why the same rule cannot be applied in Karnataka too? JD(S) and Congress together have submitted a list of MLAs in their support to the governor, to stake claim to form a government. Governor needs to give them an opportunity to show solidarity at least. But then this is not being done.
Elected governments have to be formed under the very rules laid down by the constitution. But the happenings after the conclusion of assembly elections in Karnataka are quite appalling. The person who occupies the chair of a prime minister says he would not allow the JD(S) and Congress to form the government. This amounts to directly influencing the governor who has invited the party without majority to form the government. All these aspects do not hold up the spirit of democracy. The governor is not concerned about how the leader of this party would even prove majority on the floor later. Because there are not too many independent MLAs in Karnataka at the moment except for one and that number is not sufficient to achieve majority.
Now horse trading will have to be done between JD(S) and Congress MLAs. This move by the governor will give rise to all probabilities of this happening. Amit Shah is in Karnataka to achieve this very goal. Though no party has got absolute majority, nearly 64% of the voters have favoured secular parties. BJP could secure only 36.2% votes among the ones polled. Now when secular forces have come together to form the government, the governor should allow this to happen acting in the spirit of democracy. But the governor Vajubhai Vala comes from the Sangh Parivar background and was a minister in PM Narendra Modi’s government. But whatever be his history, he has to be impartial when he sits in the office of the governor. There are many examples on how a governor should take decisions in political situations like this. In 1998 when a similar situation had arisen, President K R Narayanan had allowed time to Atal Behari Vajpayee’s government to prove majority on the floor. Then the BJP had accepted this. Even now, the same parameter must be followed, Kumaraswamy and his allies should be allowed to form the government. Else, he would be committing a major blunder on this matter and would be failing the constitution as well as democracy.
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Big conspiracy against me; my documents are real, says 'fake' cardiologist in MP's Damoh
Damoh (MP), Apr 17 (PTI): 'Fake' cardiologist Narendra Yadav alias Narendra John Camm, allegedly responsible for the death of seven patients after botched surgeries at a hospital in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh, on Thursday said he was a victim of a "big conspiracy", and claimed his degrees were genuine.
He made the remark during his brief interaction with media persons waiting outside a local court at the end of his police remand, which it extended by a day.
"A big conspiracy has been hatched against me. My documents (degrees) are real which you will come to know after the investigations draw to a close. Wait for a while," he told reporters.
Sources close to the investigation said except for his MBBS degree, Yadav had faked his post-graduate degree and other documents to claim that he was a trained cardiologist.
Arrested on April 7 from Uttar Pradesh, Yadav will be produced in the court on Friday again.
He was arrested after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) received a complaint claiming seven persons died at the Mission Hospital, Damoh, where he operated on patients in the name of treating heart diseases.
The FIR against Yadav was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 315 (4) (dishonest misappropriation), 338 (forgery), 336 (3) (creating or altering documents or electronic records with fraudulent intent), 340 (2) (forged documents and electronic records) and 3 (5) (joint criminal liability when a criminal act is committed by several persons in furtherance of a common intention).
Chief Judicial Magistrate Riya Singh on Thursday extended by one day Yadav's police remand.
His lawyer Sachin Nayak opposed the prosecution plea, saying his client was in police custody since April 7 after following his arrest in Prayagraj.
He said his client would move the Madhya Pradesh High Court to seek his bail.
The director of an Indore-based employment consultancy firm had last week said Yadav had sent his resume three times between 2020 and 2024 for a job by claiming he had operated on thousands of patients.
In a 9-page resume sent to his firm in 2024, Camm had described himself as a senior cardiologist and gave his permanent address as Birmingham in Britain. In the resume, he had also mentioned that he was involved in the operations of thousands of heart patients, including 18,740 for "coronary angiography" and 14,236 for "coronary angioplasty", the director said.
