'Hindu Pakistan' comment: Calcutta HC stays arrest warrant against Shashi Tharoor
Kolkata, Aug 22: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday stayed an arrest warrant issued against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor for the "Hindu Pakistan" remark he had allegedly made last year.
Justice Rajasekhar Mantha stayed the bailable warrant and proceedings against Tharoor, issued by a city court here, till further orders.
He directed Tharoor's lawyer to serve notice on Sumit Chowdhury, who had filed the case against the Congress MP, and fixed the matter for hearing on September 20.
At an event in Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor had allegedly said that the BJP would rewrite the Constitution and pave the way for creation of a "Hindu Pakistan" if voted to power again.
The statement had sparked off a controversy, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanding an apology.
Tharoor's counsel Ritzu Ghoshal moved the petition ex-parte challenging the warrant against him, claiming that that the summons issued by the chief metropolitan magistrate was faulty and that he was not a resident within its jurisdiction.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Dipanjan Sen had on August 13 issued a bailable warrant against the MP from Thiruvananthapuram on a petition filed by lawyer Sumit Chowdhury, claiming that the statement promoted disharmony among people.
The matter was scheduled for hearing again on September 24.
Chowdhury had claimed that the former union minister was indulging in a deliberate act to promote enmity between different groups of people on religious lines.
The petitioner also claimed that Tharoor's statement had violated section 2 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.
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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
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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.
