Madras HC orders CBI probe into gutka scam
Chennai, April 26: The Madras High Court on Thursday ordered a CBI probe into the multi-crore gutka scam in which a minister and top state police officers and government officials are alleged to be involved.
Leaders of various opposition parties have welcomed the court order and also demanded the resignation of Chief Minister K. Palaniswami's government.
The court ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe following a petition filed by DMK legislator J. Anbazhagan.
The case is related to an Income Tax Department raid in the offices, residences and godowns of a gutka manufacturer in Tamil Nadu in 2016.
A diary was then seized which listed alleged bribe payments made to various officials.
The Tamil Nadu government has banned the manufacture and storage of gutka -- a tobacco product. However, the product was reportedly available in the market with the alleged connivance of police officers and others.
Several political parties had demanded the CBI probe into the scam but the AIADMK government did not agree.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Director General of Police T.K. Rajendran met Chief Minister Palaniswami, Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan and Home Secretary Niranjan Mardi soon after the court order.
Welcoming the High Court order, PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss demanded Palaniswami's resignation.
In order to allow the CBI probe to progress smoothly, the Palaniswami government should resign, he said.
DMK Leader M.K. Stalin said gutka was openly sold during late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa's rule and under Palaniswami's rule.
Stalin said an English television channel had reported bribes were allegedly paid to top police officials.
Stalin added the issue was raised by him in the state Assembly he and several of his party members were sent out. Speaker P. Dhanapal termed it as breach of privilege for bringing a banned substance into the Assembly.
The issue was referred to Privilege Committee which had issued a notice to Stalin and some DMK law makers.
"We had obtained a stay against that notice," Stalin said.
According to Stalin, if the CBI probe should proceed smoothly then Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar, DGP T.K. Rajendran should resign from their respective posts.
Adding further, Stalin said Chief Minister Palaniswami should quit his post so that people are benefitted.
Similarly, the Communist Party of India's (CPI) Tamil Nadu State Secretary R. Mutharasan said the CBI probe should be under the supervision of the High Court.
He also said the minister and other officials alleged to be involved in the scam should quit their posts.
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Guv invites Hemant Soren to form govt in Jharkhand, oath on Nov 28
Ranchi, Nov 24: JMM leader Hemant Soren on Sunday met Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar and staked claim to form the government, soon after leaders of the INDIA bloc in the state unanimously elected him as the legislature party leader.
He resigned as the chief minister, before staking claim to form the government. He will officiate as the acting chief minister till oath is administered to him on November 28.
"I met the governor. We staked claim to form the government, and handed over support letter of alliance partners to him. He invited us to form the government. The swearing in ceremony will be held on November 28," Soren told reporters after meeting Gangwar.
Soren, who drove to the Raj Bhavan in his car, said the governor asked him to officiate as the acting chief minister in the interim.
Soren will be sworn in as the 14th chief minister of Jharkhand, which was carved out of Bihar on November 15, 2000. He will be sworn in as the chief minister for the fourth term.
Earlier, leaders and MLAs of the alliance, during a meeting at Hemant Soren's residence here, unanimously elected him as the coalition's leader.
Congress's Jharkhand in-charge and party general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir and senior party leader Rajesh Thakur also attended the meeting, besides legislators of the coalition parties.
In a stunning comeback, Hemant Soren's JMM-led alliance on Saturday stormed to power in Jharkhand for a second consecutive term, winning 56 seats in the 81-member assembly, despite an all-out blitz by the BJP-led NDA which managed only 24 seats.
The majority mark in the state assembly is 41 seats.
Soren retained the Barhait seat by defeating BJP's Gamliyel Hembrom by a margin of 39,791 votes.
Soren had to resign as the CM in January before being arrested by the ED in a money laundering case.
He is out on bail after he was released from jail on June 28 after nearly five months, as the high court granted him bail in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.
He had resigned as the CM shortly before his arrest on January 31 by the ED.
Hemant Soren, the son of JMM supremo Shibu Soren, began his political career in 2009 as a Rajya Sabha member, but his tenure in the upper House of Parliament was short-lived.
He resigned in 2010 to become the deputy chief minister in the BJP-led Arjun Munda government. However, the alliance collapsed in 2012, leading to President's Rule in the state. Despite this setback, Soren's resolve to lead Jharkhand never faltered.
In 2013, Soren became the state's youngest chief minister at the age of 38, forming the government with the support of Congress and RJD.
However, his first term was short-lived, as the BJP took power in 2014, and Soren became leader of the opposition.
A pivotal moment in his career came in 2016 when the BJP-led government attempted to amend laws protecting tribal land, such as the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act and the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act.
Soren led a massive movement to protect tribal rights, which not only earned him widespread support but also set the stage for his return to power.
In 2019, Soren, with the backing of his allies Congress and RJD, reclaimed the chief minister's office. His JMM party won 30 seats.
This time, the party won 34 seats, its highest ever tally in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, signaling the growing popularity of his leadership.
