"Don't Lay Your Liberties At Feet Of A Great Man": Chief Justice Gogoi
New Delhi, Nov 26: Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi today underscored the primacy of the Constitution and warned that to preserve democracy and the country's institutions, the constitutional liberties must be safeguarded.
"We must observe the caution which (British political economist) John Stuart Mill has given to all who are interested in maintenance of democracy, namely not to lay their liberties at the feet of even a great man. Or to trust him with power which enables him to subvert their institutions," the Chief Justice said at an event to mark Constitution Day. "There is nothing wrong in being grateful to a great man who has rendered life-long services to the country. But there are limits to gratefulness," he added.
The Constitution Day, marking the adoption of the constitution in 1950, is "inextricably entwined" in our lives and it is in our best interest to pay attention to its advice, the Chief Justice said. "If we do not, our hubris will result in sharp descent into chaos," he said.
His warning comes amid Congress allegations of subversion of institutes by the government, which have been sharpened after the recent crisis at the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Over the last year, the Congress and the BJP have levelled tit-for-tat political attacks, accusing each other of failing to uphold the Constitution.
In April, following a spate of attacks on people from the Scheduled Castes, the Congress had launched a year-long "Save the Constitution" campaign.
Hours later, BJP chief Amit Shah accused the Congress of trampling on the Constitution for 60 years. The Congress, he said, had also tried to impeach the Chief Justice of India and accused the party of attacking every institution, including the national auditor CAG, the Election Commission, the Army and the Supreme Court at different points of time.
Over the last few months, the Congress has alleged that the BJP-led government was tearing apart the judiciary, the Election Commission, the CBI and the Reserve Bank.
Courtesy: www.ndtv.com
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
