HC disposes of petition on Rahul Gandhi's Indian citizenship
Lucknow (PTI): The Allahabad High Court's Lucknow bench on Monday disposed of a petition questioning Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Indian citizenship and allowed the petitioner to explore other alternative legal remedies.
A bench of Justices AR Masoodi and Rajiv Singh said that as the central government is not able to give any time limit to resolve the petitioner's complaint, there is no justification to keep this petition pending.
The court told petitioner S Vignesh Shishir, a BJP worker from Karnataka, that he is free to adopt other alternative legal remedies.
In the PIL, Sishir had claimed that he has documents and some emails of the British government which prove that Rahul Gandhi is a British citizen, and due to this he is ineligible to contest elections in India and cannot hold the post of a Lok Sabha member.
In the previous hearing on April 21, the court was told that the Centre had written to the UK government seeking details about claims that Gandhi had British citizenship.
After the submission, the bench had granted time to the central government till May 5 to place before it the outcome of a representation moved by the petitioner against the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, seeking cancellation of his 2024 Lok Sabha election over claims that he had British citizenship.
Earlier, the petitioner had told the court that he sent complaints twice to the competent authority regarding Rahul'Gandhi's alleged dual citizenship, but no action was taken by them.
While hearing the PIL on November 25, the court sought information from the central government regarding its decision on the representation of the petitioner.
Deputy Solicitor General SB Pandey had informed the court that acting on the petitioner's representation, the ministry concerned had written to the UK Government seeking details about Gandhi's alleged British citizenship and hence the government needed more time to take a final decision on the petitioner's representation.
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.
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.
