SC ruling on activists vindicates Pune police: Fadnavis
Mumbai, Sep 28 : Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday welcomed the Supreme Court ruling on the arrest of five rights activists and termed it a "victory for the Pune police and the country."
"We welcome the decision based on Pune police investigations and evidence it collected has been considered valid. The court has said it will not interfere in the investigations," Fadnavis said to the media here.
He pointed out that the apex court had accepted that there is no political influence nor a plot to suppress opposition voice.
"They (activists) have been indulging in this for many years, but since there was no evidence, the probe was incomplete," Fadnavis added.
He said that the verdict vindicates the government's stand against urban Maoists who have been hatching a conspiracy to create unrest in the country.
"These persons have been working against the nation and planning to kill our Prime Minister. But we have collected all evidences against them and now will move the appropriate courts to seek their custody. They will not be spared," Fadnavis said.
In nationwide swoops in August, Pune police arrested five human rights and Dalit activists -- Varavara Rao, Sudha Bhardwaj, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves and Gautam Navlakha.
They were accused of involvement in the Koregaon-Bhima riots in January and other charges. They were later placed under house arrest by an apex court order on August 29.
In a 2:1 ruling, the Supreme Court on Friday declined relief to the activists, rejected their plea for a Special Investigating Team and allowed the Pune police to continue with their investigations.
While extending their house arrest by another four weeks, the apex court also directed the activists to approach local court for relief in the matter.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
