Delhi High Court upholds EC’s power to recognise national or state-level political parties
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court dismissed a petition questioning the Election Commission of India’s authority to recognise political parties as national or state-level entities on Friday, reaffirming the validity of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
According to a report published by The Hindu, the Bench comprising Justices Nitin Sambre and Anish Dayal held that the issues raised in the plea had already been settled by the Supreme Court and found no grounds to declare the Symbols Order either ultra vires or discriminatory. The court said the legal framework governing the recognition of political parties was backed by statutory provisions and long-standing judicial interpretation.
The petition was filed by the Hind Samrajya Party, a registered political party. It argued that the Election Commission lacked the power to classify parties as national or state-level. It also contended that recognised parties were granted election symbols well in advance, while newly registered parties received symbols only after the scrutiny stage, leaving them with limited time to campaign.
The High Court noted that the Supreme Court had already ruled that the allotment of election symbols could not be claimed as a fundamental right, rejecting these arguments. The Bench observed that differential treatment between recognised and unrecognised parties flowed from objective criteria laid down under the Symbols Order and the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
The court said the inability of the petitioner, described as a Uttar Pradesh-based political party, to access privileges available to recognised parties did not amount to discrimination, while clarifying that such privileges were granted only after parties met prescribed qualifications under the law. The court concluded that the recognition process and symbol allotment mechanism followed by the Election Commission were legally sound and constitutionally valid.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
===================
The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
