Modi, Shah not behind BSY ordering CBI probe into telephone tap scandal: Deve Gowda
Bengaluru, Aug 19: Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda said on Monday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were not behind Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's decision to order a CBI probe into the alleged phone-tapping scandal during the previous Congress-JD(S) government headed by his son H D Kumaraswamy.
The JD(S) patriarch said political parties and the government, instead of "mudslinging" at each other on such issues, should concentrate on addressing the needs of the people, especially at a time the state was facing a difficult situation due to floods.
"The Prime Minister has got a lot of national issues, also Home Minister like- Kashmir, Article 370, 35(a), PoK and other things. I will never come to any conclusion that the union government has given instructions, nothing doing," Gowda told reporters here.
Yediyurappa on Sunday had announced a CBI probe into the scandal after his return from Delhi late on the previous day.
"We are in difficult times. It may take time for the central government to give money for relief. Our focus should be on that, people are suffering...rather than that,this (phone tapping) is being projected in a big way as though it has happened for the first time in Karnataka," he said as he hit out at sections of the electronic media.
On whether BJP was involved in political vendetta against his son by ordering a CBI probe, Gowda said: "these types of things, if you go on allowing (CBI to probe), where is the end?".
"...Siddaramaiah (CLP leader) has said refer taking of MLAs to Bombay and Operation Lotus to CBI, another leader has said why not all (similar things that have happened during the tenure of various CMs in the past). Someone spoke about Yediyurappa's sting operation audio case (where he is reportedly heard luring a JDS MLA's son)...should all these things be referred (to CBI)? Where is the end for these things?" he asked.
"Operation Lotus" is a reference to BJP successfully engineering defection of opposition legislators to ensure stability of the Yediyurappa government in 2008.
As the phone tapping scandal came to light, Congress leaders, including Siddaramaiah, M Mallikarjuna Kharge and home minister in the alliance government M B Patil had sought a probe, while another key party leader and former minister D K Shivakumar rejected the snooping charges and appeared to side with Kumaraswamy.
According to reports, phones of several political leaders, officials, journalists and also those close to Siddaramaiah, who was then the coalition coordination committee chief, too had come under watch.
Several BJP leaders, including former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, have directly accused Kumaraswamy of being behind the episode to save his government, which was then rocked by dissidence within.
The coalition government ultimately collapsed last month with Kumaraswamy losing the trust vote in the assembly.
Pointing out that the issue came to light because of two officers, Gowda said one or two Congress leaders took that as an 'advantage' and suggested an impartial inquiry, which has been taken as a plea by Yediyurappa.
Also BJP people here started putting pressure on him.
"The point is I have never mixed matters. From day one I'm only talking about the concerns of the people," he said, as he pointed out that when Siddaramaiah and Yediyurappa were Chief Ministers in the past, they had stated several times that they would not refer cases to CBI.
The snooping controversy surfaced as Bengaluru police commissioner Bhaskar Rao earlier this month ordered an inquiry into the phone tapping incident against the backdrop of a recently leaked telephone conversation, purportedly between him and someone in Delhi lobbying on his behalf with some politicians for the post he is occupying now.
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MP HC sets up judicial commission to probe water contamination in Indore
Indore (PTI): The Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday set up a commission of inquiry comprising a former HC judge to probe the issue of water contamination in city's Bhagirathpura, saying the matter requires probe by an independent, credible authority and "urgent judicial scrutiny".
It also directed the commission to submit an interim report after four weeks from the date of commencement of proceedings.
A division bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi constituted the commission while hearing several public interest litigations (PILs) filed simultaneously regarding the deaths of several people in Bhagirathpura due to the consumption of contaminated water.
The HC reserved the order after hearing all the parties during the day, and released it late at night.
The state government on Tuesday told the HC that the deaths of 16 people in Indore's Bhagirathpura area was possibly linked to a month-long outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea caused by contaminated drinking water.
The government presented an audit report of 23 deaths from the current gastroenteritis epidemic in Bhagirathpura before the bench, suggesting that 16 of these fatalities may have been linked to the outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea caused by contaminated drinking water.
The report, prepared by a committee of five experts from the city's Government Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, stated that the deaths of four people in Bhagirathpura were unrelated to the outbreak, while no conclusion could be reached regarding the cause of death of three other people in the area.
During the hearing, the high court sought to know from the state government the scientific basis behind its report.
The division bench also expressed surprise at the state government's use of the term "verbal autopsy" in relation to the report, sarcastically stating that it had heard the term for the first time.
The HC expressed concern over the Bhagirathpura case, stating that the situation was "alarming," and noted that cases of people falling ill due to contaminated drinking water have also been reported in Mhow, near Indore.
In its order, the HC said the serious issue concerning contamination of the drinking water supply in Bhagirathpura area allegedly resulted in widespread health hazards to residents, including children and elderly persons.
According to the petitioners and media reports, death toll is about 30 till today, but the report depicts only 16 without any basis or record, it said.
It is averred that sewage mixing, leakage in the pipeline, and failure of civic authorities to maintain potable water standards have led to the outbreak of water-borne diseases. Photographs, medical reports, and complaints submitted to the authorities prima facie indicate a matter requiring urgent judicial scrutiny, the HC said.
"Considering the gravity of the allegation and affecting the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India and the need for an independent fact-finding exercise, the Court is of the opinion that the matter requires investigation by an independent, credible authority," it said.
"Accordingly, we appoint Justice Sushil Kumar Gupta, former judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, a one-man commission of inquiry into the issues relating to water contamination in Bhagirathpura, Indore, and its impact on other areas of the city," the HC added.
As per the order, the commission shall inquire into and submit a report on the cause of contamination -- whether the drinking water supplied to Bhagirathpura was contaminated; and the source and nature of contamination (sewage ingress, industrial discharge, pipeline damage etc).
The panel will also probe the number of actual deaths of affected residents on account of contaminated water; find out the nature of disease reported and adequacy of medical response and preventive measures; suggest immediate steps required to ensure safe drinking water as well as long-term infrastructural and monitoring reforms.
It will also identify and fix responsibility upon the officers and officials found prima facie responsible for the Bhagirathpura water contamination incident, and suggest guidelines for compensation to affected residents, particularly vulnerable sections.
The commission shall have powers of a civil court for the purpose of summoning officials and witnesses; calling up records from the government department, hospitals, laboratories and civic bodies; ordering water quality testing through accredited laboratories; conducting spot inspections.
All state authorities involving district administration, Indore Municipal Corporation, public health engineering department and Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board shall extend full co-operation and provide records as sought by the commission, it said.
The state government shall provide office space, staff, and logistical support to the commission, it said.
During the hearing in the day, the state government also presented a status report to the court in this matter.
According to reports, a total of 454 patients were admitted to local hospitals during the vomiting and diarrhea outbreak, of whom 441 have been discharged after treatment, and 11 are currently hospitalised.
According to officials, due to a leak in the municipal drinking water pipeline in Bhagirathpura, sewage from a toilet was also mixed in the water.
