Man, booked for 'defaming' Tripura CM, claims BJP supporters set his house on fire
Agartala: Almost two weeks after he was booked for allegedly defaming Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on social media, Anupam Paul has taken to Facebook again, claiming that his ancestral house in Gomati district was set on fire by the supporters of the BJP.
Paul was charged with forgery, defamation and criminal conspiracy on April 26 after it was found that he was running a "fake online campaign", purporting that Deb's wife Niti has filed for a divorce.
The Facebook user had been on the run since then.
Deb described the rumour as a "deep-rooted conspiracy" to tarnish his image.
In a new Facebook post on Tuesday, Paul wrote, "My ancestral house at Jatanbari (Amarpur subdivision, Gomati district) was burnt for protesting against vulgar practices of BJP, I got the news today, my mother and younger brother were kidnapped by BJP hooligans on (April) 29 night. There is no news of my family till now."
Uttam Banik, the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of Amarpur, said, "A general diary entry has been made at Natunbazar police station. A portion of the house at Jatanbari was gutted after the kitchen caught fire. No FIR has been filed so far."
Meanwhile, the Congress Wednesday condemned the incident, asserting that no one "has the right to take law in his own hands".
"We condemn what happened at Jatanbari. If Anupam Paul has committed any crime, law will take its own course. Setting fire to someone's house means taking laws in hands," party vice-president Tapas Dey said.
Denying allegations of the BJP's involvement, spokesperson Ashok Sinha said Paul was "paid to malign the saffron party".
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BCI urges CJI to take action against Andhra HC judge for sending young lawyer to 24-hour custody
New Delhi (PTI): The Bar Council of India on Wednesday sought the urgent intervention of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant following a "deeply disturbing" incident where a judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court reportedly sent a young advocate to
24-hour judicial custody over a procedural lapse.
The Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairperson and senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, in a formal representation, termed the conduct of Justice Tarlada Rajasekhar Rao "grossly inappropriate" and "damaging to the confidence of the Bar".
“I most respectfully request your Lordship to kindly take immediate institutional cognizance of the matter and call for the video recording of the proceedings, the order passed, and the surrounding circumstances.
“I further request that appropriate administrative action may kindly be considered, including withdrawal of judicial work from the learned Judge pending review, his immediate transfer to some far off High Court, and his nomination for appropriate judicial training/orientation on court management, judicial temperament, Bar-Bench relations, and proportional exercise of contempt/judicial authority,” Mishra wrote.
This representation is made to preserve the “dignity, moral authority and public confidence of the judiciary”, he said, adding, “Judges command the highest respect not by fear, but by fairness, patience, restraint and constitutional humility”.
The communication urged the CJI to intervene at the earliest to ensure that the faith of Bar, particularly young advocates, in the protective and corrective role of the judiciary is restored.
The controversy stems from proceedings on May 5.
According to the BCI, a video circulating online shows Justice Rao rebuking a young advocate who was unable to produce a specific order copy during a hearing.
The letter said that despite the advocate "repeatedly seeking pardon and mercy" and claiming he was in physical pain, the judge remained "unmoved".
The judge allegedly told the lawyer, "now you will learn," and mocked his experience before directing the Registrar and police personnel to take him into custody for 24 hours.
The BCI chairperson said that the judge’s actions lacked proportionality and fairness.
"The dignity of the court is not enhanced when a lawyer is made to beg for grace in open court and is still sent to custody for a procedural lapse," the letter said.
"A young lawyer... is an officer of the Court, still learning, still growing, and entitled to correction without humiliation," it added.
The bar body said that such actions create a "chilling effect" on the legal fraternity, particularly among junior members, and undermine the mutual respect required between the Bench and the Bar.
