Madras High Court questions basis of Shobha Karandlaje’s allegation on Rameshwaram Cafe Blast
Chennai: The Madras High Court on Wednesday sought clarification from Shobha Karandlaje, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment, regarding her allegation that the bombers involved in the Rameshwaram Café blast in Bengaluru on March 1 were trained in Tamil Nadu.
Justice G Jayachandran, who presided over the hearing of Karandlaje's petition to quash the FIR filed against her by the Madurai City Cybercrime Police, questioned the minister about the basis of her claims. The FIR was lodged following a complaint by a local resident who objected to the minister's allegations.
The judge pointed out that Karandlaje made the allegations about the bombers' training before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches in Chennai. He indicated that this timing suggested Karandlaje had prior knowledge of details related to the bombing, including the identities and activities of the bombers and their trainers. Justice Jayachandran emphasized that if Karandlaje had such information, she should have disclosed it to the police as a responsible citizen but had failed to do so.
Karandlaje's advocate, R Hariprasad, argued that the FIR was politically motivated and sought an interim injunction to prevent the police from continuing the investigation. However, the public prosecutor, KMD Muhilan, opposed the request for an interim injunction. Muhilan urged the court to view the video clip in which Karandlaje made her comments about the blast. He noted that the NIA's investigation had not implicated any individual or organization from Tamil Nadu, yet the minister publicly made the unfounded allegation.
After reprimanding Karandlaje for her statements, the Madras High Court adjourned the case to Friday, July 12.
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Right to vote under threat, must be made fundamental right: Cong's Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged on Thursday that the right to vote is under threat and the time has come when it should be made a fundamental right for citizens.
Speaking with reporters, Ramesh lashed out at Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, saying the Election Commission (EC) has never been as compromised as it has been under him.
"The rot started under his predecessor. This man is a player and not a neutral observer," the Congress leader said, slamming Kumar.
Kumar is completely compromised and has become a player in elections, he alleged.
"Home Minister Amit Shah had talked about three Ds -- detect, delete and deport. So we want to know how many non-Indian citizens have been detected, how many have been deleted and how many have been deported," Ramesh said, adding that the right to vote is now under threat.
On opposition parties submitting a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha, seeking to move a motion for the CEC's removal, the Congress leader said they will continue to make efforts for Kumar's removal as he is "compromised".
Ramesh also batted for the right to vote to be recognised as a fundamental right.
"I believe that the time has come that the right to vote should be made a fundamental right. It is a statutory right, it is not a fundamental right. Fundamental rights are justiciable," he said.
The former Union minister said this was discussed in the Constituent Assembly, but it was eventually decided that it should be made part of the Constitution.
B R Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram had warned that in the future, governments might try to disenfranchise voters, he added.
"Once and for all, include the right to vote as a fundamental right for Indian citizens," Ramesh asserted.
