Supreme Court to examine ‘material’ against activists, extends their house arrest till Sept 19
New Delhi : The Supreme Court Monday extended the house arrest of the five activists held in connection with the investigation into the Bhima-Koregaon violence till September 19, when the court will hear the matter next. Five activists — P Varavara Rao, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira, Sudha Bharadwaj and Gautam Navlakha — were arrested last month for their alleged Maoist link.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra extended the date after the government said it would produce the case diary and other evidence related to the investigation on that day. “Every criminal investigation is based on allegations; We have to see whether there is some material,” the bench said. The bench said if there were some grave lapses, then it may consider the prayers like an investigation by a SIT in the case.
During the hearing, the government objected to the Supreme Court’s hearing in the case. Questioning the way the petitioners directly approached the apex court, the government’s counsel said, “Every case can’t come to the Supreme Court. It is a wrong procedure. They have options to approach the lower court, high courts or even other legal options to seek redressal. What is it that creates doubts in their minds that lower judicial forum won’t hear them? They have not said that courts below are not hearing them.”
Appearing for the Maharashtra government, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the petitioners were strangers to the matter and could not be allowed to intervene in a criminal case. Lawyers appearing for petitioners Romila Thapar and others countered this, saying that families of some of the victims had also filed affidavits and “this was now as good as a petition by people under house arrest”. On this, CJI Misra said that the court entertained the plea on the foundation of liberty. “Issues like independent enquiry, etc, comes at a later stage,” he said.
Appearing for the petitioners, Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that they had approached the Supreme Court as they needed a court-monitored investigation in the case.
Several people including historian Romila Thapar had filed a petition in the Supreme Court last month challenging the arrests of the activists.
courtesy : indianexpress.com
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EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
