JNU Poll Results Expected Tomorrow After Attempt To Snatch Ballot Boxes
New Delhi, Sept 15: The counting of votes for the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) polls resumed on Saturday evening after being suspended for around 14 hours.
The counting had been suspended early morning after an attack on the counting centre allegedly by members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad or ABVP who rejected the charge and claimed that the exercise was started without informing them. Results are expected to be out on Sunday afternoon, delayed by the hold-up.
In a statement, the JNU Election Committee had said it suspended the counting temporarily but did not name the party which attacked the counting centre. It firmly denied allegations that it did not make the necessary announcements before starting the counting.
"The counting process, which began at 10 pm on September 14, has been suspended due to the forced entry into the counting venue, and attempts to snatch sealed ballot boxes and papers," a statement from the JNU Election Committee read.
In a separate statement, a group of JNU's Left-wing student organisations said, "Around 4:00 am, ABVP (members) broke the glasses of the School of International Studies building. Election Committee stopped the counting indefinitely." The Left bloc alleged that the protesters also intimidated Left party members.
Shehla Rashid, former union vice president, expressed outrage over the incident. "Shocked! Never seen something like this in JNU. ABVP goons broke glass doors and forcibly tried to enter the #JNUSU_Election2018 counting venue last night. They attacked the members of Election Committee and tried to snatch ballot boxes. Counting suspended," she tweeted.
The right-wing ABVP, linked to the ruling BJP, denied the Left bloc's claim. Vijay Kumar, ABVP president of JNU, said the counting process was initiated only in front of rival party members without informing their polling agent. "We protested peacefully as the EC (Election Committee) is biased towards the Left. We did not create any ruckus," he said.
Mr Kumar said his organisation could move the Delhi High Court for justice.
A joint statement from the All JNU Organisations supported the Left bloc's version, and even accused the ABVP of attacking poll panel members. "Late night on Friday, the EC made announcements calling for candidates to send their counting agents for central panel votes from the combined schools (science schools and smaller schools). ABVP did not send counting agents even after the last call was made. Long after the sealed ballot boxes were opened and counting began, ABVP resorted to violence demanding that its agents be allowed in," it said.
The voter turnout in the election was 67.8 per cent, believed to be the highest in six years. Over 5,000 students cast their votes.
(With inputs from PTI)
Courtesy: www.ndtv.com
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‘Pay worker before sweat dries’: Madras HC invokes prophet’s teaching to settle lawyer’s dues
Madurai: Invoking the teachings of Prophet Muhammad to emphasise principles of fairness in labour jurisprudence, the Madras High Court has directed the Madurai City Municipal Corporation to settle the unpaid legal fees of a former standing counsel. Justice G.R. Swaminathan, in an order passed on Saturday, referred to the prophetic principle, “pay the worker before his sweat dries”, observing that this tenet is a facet of fairness eminently applicable to service and labour law.
The court was hearing a plea filed by P. Thirumalai, who served as the standing counsel for the Madurai City Municipal Corporation for over 14 years, from 1992 to 2006. Thirumalai contended that the civic body had failed to pay outstanding dues amounting to Rs 13.05 lakh for his representation in approximately 818 cases before the Madurai District Courts. The current petition was filed after the Corporation rejected a substantial part of his claim following a previous court direction to consider his representation.
Addressing the practical difficulties faced by the petitioner, who stated he could not afford to engage a clerk to obtain certified copies of the 818 judgments to substantiate his work, Justice Swaminathan devised a pragmatic solution. The court permitted the former counsel to approach the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) with a list of cases. The DLSA has been directed to procure the certified copies within two months, with the costs to be borne by the corporation and later deducted from the petitioner’s final settlement.
While the court acknowledged the Corporation's stance that fee bills must be in order, it ordered the civic body to settle the dues within two months of receiving the records from the DLSA.
However, citing the petitioner’s 18-year delay in challenging the non-payment, the court ruled that the settlement would be made without interest.
Beyond the specific relief granted to the petitioner, the single-judge bench made strong observations regarding the administration of legal fees and public funds. Justice Swaminathan termed the petitioner’s claim a "pittance" compared to the number of his appearances and expressed concern over the disparity in payments within the legal field. He noted that while "scandalously high amounts" are often paid to certain senior counsels and law officers by government and quasi-government bodies, others struggle to receive basic dues. The court observed that good governance requires public funds to be drawn on a measured basis and not distributed capriciously to a favoured few.
The Judge also flagged the "embarrassment" caused by the high number of Additional Advocate Generals (AAGs) in the state, noting that the appointment of nearly a dozen officers leads to work being allotted unnecessarily. He criticized the frequent practice of government counsel seeking adjournments on the pretext that an engaged AAG is appearing elsewhere. Justice Swaminathan expressed hope that such practices would cease in the Madurai Bench and that the Additional Advocate Generals would "turn a new leaf" from 2026.
