SC upholds Belthangady court order: 3-month imprisonment, Rs 4.5 lakh fine for Somanath Nayak
Belthangady: The apex court has upheld the Belthangady civil court judgment imposing three-month imprisonment and also a fine of Rs 4.5 lakh on Somanath Nayak, president of the Nagarika Seva Trust, Guruvayanakere, here.
Nayak is reported to have been charged with defamation of dharmadhikari of Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala D Veerendra Heggade and also disobeying an order of temporary injunction to not publish any statement that would harm the reputation of the dharmadhikari.
Justices M R Shah and M M Sundresh said in their order on October 19, “Having gone through the impugned judgment and order passed by the Karnataka High Court and the learned trial court, we see no reason to interfere with the same in exercise of powers under Article 136 of the Constitution of India.”
They also said that the earlier injunction had been violated repeatedly by the petitioner, said sources. The Belthangady court had rightly judged Nayak guilty for violation of the injunction, said the apex court judges, citing the application under Order 39 Rule 2A of Civil Procedure Code. “The Special Leave Petition stands dismissed,” the bench added.
Heggade had filed an original suit before the Additional Civil Judge and JMFC, Belthangady. He had also secured a temporary injunction order in November 2013 against Nayak and five other people to hold them from making or publishing any statement that would impact the reputation of Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala and Heggade himself.
Since Nayak continued to publish statements against Heggade, the dharmadhikari is learned to have filed an interim application against Nayak for violation of the injuction. The Belthangady civil court had sentenced Nayak to three months of imprisonment along with payment of a compensation of Rs 4.5 lakh.
While Nayak appealed against the order, his application was turned down by the senior civil judge and the JMFC, Belthangady, in March 2022 and the Karnataka High Court in May 2022.
Nayak had then filed a special leave petition before the Supreme Court, which, however, has now also dismissed his petition.
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13 lakh litres of 'Rail Neer' supplied to train passengers daily: Government
New Delhi (PTI): Approximately 13 lakh litres of packaged drinking water -- 'Rail Neer' -- are being supplied to train passengers across the railway network daily, the government informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday.
Apprising the Lower House about the Indian Railways' endeavour to provide safe and potable drinking water facilities at all stations, the government also provided zone-wise details of the water vending machines (WVMs) installed there.
"To ensure the quality of drinking water being made available at the railway stations, instructions exist for periodical checking and required corrective action to be taken.
"Regular inspection and maintenance of drinking water facilities is carried out and complaints are attended to promptly," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while responding to a question raised by BJP MP Anup Sanjay Dhotre seeking to know the supply of drinking water at railway stations across the country
"Complaints regarding deficiency in services, including water supply, are received through various channels such as public complaints, web portals, social media, etc. These complaints are received at various levels, including the Railway Board, zonal railways, division office, etc.," Vaishnaw said.
"The complaints so received are forwarded to the concerned wings of Railways and necessary action is taken to check and address them. As receipt of such complaints and action taken thereon is a continuous and dynamic process, a centralised compendium of these is not maintained," he added.
Providing zone-wise details of water vending machines, the minister said 954 such machines have been installed across railway stations.
"The Indian Railways also provides safe and affordable packaged drinking water bottles -- Rail Neer -- approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in trains and at stations," Vaishnaw said.
"Approximately, 13 lakh litres of Rail Neer are being supplied per day to the travelling passengers in trains and at stations across the Indian Railways network," he added.
