Assault case: Kejriwal agrees to join probe
New Delhi, May 17: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has agreed to join the police investigation on Friday in a case of alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash in February, police said on Thursday.
Kejriwal, in a letter, urged the Station House Officer of the Civil Lines police station to defer the meeting from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday.
He also said that he will video record the entire proceedings.
"I wish to video record the entire proceedings during the investigation. If you have any objection, then I would request you to kindly make arrangements at your end to video record the same," Kejriwal wrote.
On February 20, the Chief Secretary alleged that he was assaulted by two Aam Aadmi Party MLAs - Amanatullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal - in the presence of Kejriwal at the Chief Minister's residence.
So far, the police have questioned 11 AAP MLAs who were present in the meeting at the Chief Minister's residence on February 19.
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SC upholds inclusion of ‘secular, socialist’ in Preamble of Constitution
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the inclusion of the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ in the Preamble of the Constitution, confirming their retrospective application from November 26, 1949. The court ruled that the power to amend the Constitution under Article 368 extends to the Preamble, which is an integral part of the document.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna stated, “The power under Article 368 cannot be curtailed. It will equally apply to the Preamble.” The 42nd Constitutional Amendment, which introduced these terms in 1976 during the Emergency, was challenged on grounds of its retrospective application and the lack of states’ ratification.
The petitioners, including BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, argued that the amendment forced a particular economic theory on the nation and violated the original intent of the Constitution. Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay contended that the Preamble reflects the will of the people at the time of adoption in 1949 and is therefore unalterable.
The court dismissed these objections, affirming that both socialism and secularism are part of the Constitution's Basic Structure. The Bench clarified that socialism refers to a welfare state ensuring equality of opportunity without negating private sector participation or individualism. It emphasised that secularism is embedded in the Constitution, particularly in the principles of equality and fraternity.
Chief Justice Khanna remarked, “Secularism has always been a core feature of the Constitution.” He added that the amendment did not impose socialism as dogma but aligned with the welfare goals enshrined in various constitutional provisions.
