Publicise criminal records of candidates: Supreme Court to political parties
New Delhi, Sep 25 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed political parties to post on their websites and publicise in the media full details of the criminal charges the candidates they are fielding in elections are facing.
Pronouncing the judgment, a five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra also urged Parliament to enact a law to address the malaise of criminals entering the legislature.
He also said this law should address fake cases being instituted against political opponents.
The court directed that:
►Each contesting candidate must state in bold the criminal cases pending against him/her in the forms to be filed up at the time of filing nomination papers.
►The candidate aspiring to contest an election would be required to inform the political party about the criminal cases pending against him.
►Political parties to put-up on their website the criminal antecedents of the candidates being fielded by them in the elections.
►Political parties and the candidate will give wide publicity of the criminal cases pending against the contesting candidate both in print and electronic media after filing their nomination papers.
The apex court said it could not add any further disqualification to the law, it was now up to Parliament to make a law to prevent person with serious criminal cases from entering the legislature.
The Chief Justice wished that such a law might come sooner than later before criminalisation of politics sounds its death knell for democracy, it was required to cure the cancer of criminalisation of politics.
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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.
