'India should better itself in ''ease of doing agriculture''': H.D Deve Gowda
Bengaluru, Nov 30: Supporting the farmers' march in New Delhi, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda Friday said, along with "ease of doing business", India should also better itself in "ease of doing agriculture".
Referring to the Karnataka government's farm loan waiver initiative, the JD(S) supremo urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi issue proper direction to banks who are issuing notices to farmers and creating uncertainties.
"Modi Government and BJP are boasting about betterment of India's position in the 'Ease of Doing Business' index. But, with 'Ease of Doing Business', India should also better itself in 'Ease of Doing Agriculture'. This is very important @narendramodi avare (sic)," Deve Gowda tweeted.
Noting that agriculture is still the backbone of Indian economy, the former prime minister, in another tweet, said, "Eradication of poverty, employment generation, rural development are all possible if India betters itself in 'Ease of Doing Agriculture' too."
Thousands of farmers from across the country, who have been camping at the Ramlila ground in Delhi since Thursday, began their march to Parliament Street on Friday amid heavy policy deployment, to press for their demands, including debt relief and remunerative prices for their produce.
Gowda cited the farm loan waiver scheme announced by the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka headed by his son Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy as an example for "ease of doing agriculture."
"With farmers' loan waiver scheme, Karnataka is bettering itself in 'Ease of Doing Agriculture'. Meanwhile, @narendramodi should direct nationalised and commercial banks who are issuing notices to farmers and are creating uncertainties," he tweeted.
Farmers had recently staged a protest against a private bank in many parts of Karnataka after arrest warrants were served on some of them for non-repayment of loans, prompting Chief Minister Kumaraswamy to direct the officials concerned to resolve the issue at the earliest.
The Kumaraswamy-led Congress-JD(S) coalition government announced about Rs 45,000 crore farm loan waiver in the state soon after coming to power, fulfilling an electoral promise made by Gowda's party.
With Farmers' loan waiver scheme, Karnataka is bettering itself in 'Ease of Doing Agriculture'. Meanwhile, @narendramodi should direct Nationalised and Commercial banks who are issuing notices to farmers and are creating uncertainties.#FarmersMarch #FarmersProtest
— H D Devegowda (@H_D_Devegowda) November 30, 2018
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Delhi HC Judge Justice Sharma to pass order on recusal plea by Kejriwal at 4.30 pm
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi High Court Judge Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma on Monday said that she would pronounce her verdict at 4.30 pm on pleas by Arvind Kejriwal and others seeking her recusal in the liquor policy case, as she took on record additional pleadings by the AAP chief on his plea.
Justice Sharma said although the pronouncement was scheduled for 2:30 pm, she was "going out of her way" in accepting Kejriwal's rejoinder as a written submission in the matter.
The former chief minister virtually appeared before the judge through video conferencing and urged her to take on record his rejoinder to the written submissions filed by the CBI.
Even as Kejriwal asserted that the registry's refusal to take his rejoinder on record was "miscarriage of justice", Justice Sharma remarked that since he was not being represented by a lawyer, the court went "out of its way" for him when it permitted him to file his additional affidavit last week even after the order on the recusal issue was reserved.
The judge said that as per the registry's rule, a party in-person must take permission from the court to file anything and since the present case was not "extraordinary", the same practice was being followed.
She added that in law, there is no concept of filing a "rejoinder" to the opposite party's written submissions, and she would permit Kejriwal to tender his pleadings as written submissions instead, so that he does not feel that he was not heard.
"You say you have respect for me. I have respect for every litigant. The rule of court will not be changed for anyone so I will treat it as written submissions. I am taking it on record. I am giving the indulgence to Mr Kejriwal," the court stated.
Solicitor general Tushar Mehta appeared for the CBI and opposed Kejriwal's request to file rejoinder. Mehta said nowhere in the country were pleadings taken on record after order was reserved a court.
He also said there is no concept of filing rejoinder to a written submission, and the court should do what it would do for any ordinary litigant.
Kejriwal had raised several objections against the judge hearing the CBI's plea against his discharge in the liquor policy case, including that she had earlier denied him relief on his petition challenging his arrest and refused to grant relief on the bail pleas of other accused, including Manish Sisodia and K Kavitha.
He also claimed that Justice Sharma had made "strong and conclusive" findings.
The former Delhi chief minister further alleged a "direct conflict of interest", claiming that the judge's children are empanelled central government lawyers who receive work through the solicitor general, who is appearing in the matter for the CBI.
Besides Kejriwal, the applications for recusal of the judge were also filed by AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Durgesh Pathak.
Other respondents, including Vijay Nair and Arun Ramchandra Pillai, have also sought her recusal.
Solicitor General urged Justice Sharma to initiate contempt action against Kejriwal and others for seeking her recusal.
Terming concerns by Kejriwal and others as "apprehensions of an immature mind," Mehta told the court it was a matter of "institutional respect" and Justice Sharma should not succumb to pressure as her recusal on "unfounded allegations" would set a bad precedent.
On February 27, the trial court discharged Kejriwal, Sisodia and others in the Delhi liquor policy case, saying that the CBI's case was wholly unable to survive judicial scrutiny and stood discredited in its entirety.
