Parliament Must Keep Criminals Away, "In National Interest": Supreme Court
NEW DELHI: Time has come for parliament to keep criminals away by bringing law, the Supreme Court said today on petitions asking that lawmakers facing criminal charges be barred from contesting elections or be disqualified after conviction.
"We are not in a position to add disqualification of candidates on filing of chargesheet in criminal cases," Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra said, reading out the order.
Leaving it to parliament to stop criminals from contesting polls, the court said: "National interest demands parliament enacts such legislation and the country awaits such a legislation."
The court said parliament must make law to ensure candidates with criminal antecedents don't enter public life and take part in law making.
The chief justice added, "It's the responsibility of all to enforce the law."
The top court responded to petitions seeking disqualification of lawmakers even before their conviction in criminal cases to curb "criminalisation of politics" in the country.
The court said while the Election Commission cannot deny anyone a symbol, contesting candidates must declare pending criminal cases before their parties, which must be put up on websites and given wide publicity. "Such candidates should give in bold letters details of pending criminal cases to the Election Commission," the court said.
The top court is hearing a batch of petitions seeking disqualification of lawmakers even before their conviction in criminal cases to curb "criminalisation of politics" in the country. The court had earlier dubbed criminalisation of politics as "rot".
Currently, lawmakers are barred at the time of conviction.
Justices Rohinton Fali Nariman, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra are part of the Chief Justice Misra's bench.
Referring to the concept of presumption of innocence until a person is proven guilty, Attorney General KK Venugopal, representing the Centre, had said that depriving a person from contesting elections on a party ticket would amount to denial of the right to vote, which also included the right to contest.
In course of an argument, the Attorney General had said, "Mere allegation cannot prevent a member from contesting." He also said the court can't remain oblivious of the fact that political aspirants are often framed in cases ahead of polls and said that fast-track courts to try accused politicians were "the only solution".
The petitioners pointed out that trials in cases involving politicians were deliberately delayed, and therefore, several lawbreakers enter the legislature and become lawmakers.
courtesy :ndtv.com
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Govt to set up Bureau of Port Security to boost port, vessel security
New Delhi (PTI): To beef up the security infrastructure of ports, the government will set up a statutory body -- the Bureau of Port Security -- that will ensure timely analysis, collection and exchange of security-related information of ports and vessels, officials said on Friday.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday convened a meeting for the constitution of the dedicated body, the Bureau of Port Security (BoPS), which was attended by the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, and the Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu, an official statement said.
Emphasising that there is a need to establish a country-wide robust port security framework, Shah directed that security measures should be implemented in a graded and risk-based manner, taking into account vulnerabilities, trade potential, location, and other relevant parameters.
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The meeting also noted that lessons learned from the maritime security framework shall be replicated in the aviation security domain, the statement said.
The new body, modelled on the lines of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), will be constituted as a statutory body under the new Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, and will work under the aegis of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), it said.
Headed by a senior IPS officer as its director general, the BoPS will be responsible for regulatory and oversight functions relating to the security of ships and port facilities.
"During the transition period of one year, the director general of shipping shall function as the director general of BoPS," the statement said.
"The BoPS will ensure timely analysis, collection and exchange of security-related information, with a special focus on cybersecurity, including a dedicated division to safeguard port IT infrastructure from digital threats," it said.
The government has designated the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) as a recognised security organisation (RSO), responsible for undertaking security assessments and preparation of security plans for port facilities.
The Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) will train and build the capacities of private security agencies (PSAs) engaged in port security.
"These agencies shall be certified and appropriate regulatory measures shall be introduced to ensure that only the licensed PSAs operate in this sector," the statement said.
