Rajkot fire tragedy: HC asks why civic chief was not suspended for 'inaction'
Ahmedabad (PTI): The Gujarat High Court on Thursday came down heavily on the state government over the Rajkot game zone fire that killed 27 persons last month, and sought to know why the then chief of the local civic body was not suspended for not taking action against the facility that was being run without permission.
The high court expressed anger after learning that though a demolition notice was served to the TRP Game Zone, where the devastating fire took place on May 25, by the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) in June last year, no action was taken for one year against the facility by the civic body, whose commissioner was Anand Patel at that time.
A special bench of Justices Biren Vaishnav and Devan Desai of the high court was hearing a suo motu PIL it had taken up on May 26, a day after the fire accident at TRP Game Zone in Rajkot.
During a hearing held on Thursday, RMC's lawyer G H Virk, through an affidavit, informed the court that no periodic checks were carried out by the RMC's fire department at the TRP Game Zone and there was no compliance of the safety measures in accordance with the Fire Safety Act.
It was also revealed during the hearing that the game zone owners never applied for any fire NOC and the facility was running without any police permission, which is mandatory under section 33(w) of the Gujarat Police Act.
The court was also apprised of the RMC's Town Planning Department knew about the illegal structure and a notice for demolition was given in June 2023. Prior to that, a notice was also given in April 2023 to remove the unauthorized construction under the provisions of the Municipal Corporation Act.
"So you fired the Town Planning Officer. But why was the then municipal commissioner not suspended? The responsibility lies at the top. A demolition order was passed in June 2023. Then what happened after that? You rested in peace till 27 lives were lost. You did nothing for one year," said Justice Vaishnav.
He even asked why Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 302 (murder) should not be invoked against IAS officer Patel, who was the commissioner at the time of the incident and then transferred without a posting by the state government.
In the RMC's defence, Virk told the bench that Patel was unaware of the unauthorised structure because fire officers of the RMC never marked any communication regarding the game zone to Patel ever since it came up on a piece of land in 2021.
Advocate General Kamal Trivedi assured the bench that action will be taken once the state government-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) submits its final report.
Trivedi said the SIT has been given a deadline to submit its report by June 20.
When Justice Vaishnav asked if the state government intends to fix the responsibility of senior officers in such situations, Trivedi said the government was waiting for the final SIT report for further action.
"RMC officers neither took action against the management nor did they bring the game zone issue to Patel's notice. SIT has named these officials. They cannot get away from the clutches of law. I assure you," Trivedi said, adding that the state government has refused to grant any extension to the SIT and the probe panel has been asked to submit a report by June 20.
When Trivedi said since India is a democratic country and officials cannot be sent to the gallows without any probe, Justice Vaishnav said, "They have to go to the gallows if they are guilty."
"This time, we want to see that no municipal commissioner, incumbent or present, of all municipal corporations, must be held personally liable for such incidents. They can not just sit in officers and pass on the buck," said Vaishnav.
The bench has scheduled the further hearing on June 13.
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
