AAP government directs officers to expedite projects, Yechury hits out at BJP
New Delhi, July 4: Within hours of the apex court ruling that Delhi's Lt Governor was constitutionally bound by the "aid and advice" of the elected government, the Delhi government on Wednesday directed officials to expedite projects like installation of CCTV cameras and doorstep delivery of ration.
"The cabinet has directed all the officers to work as per the Supreme Court's orders and expedite the work of CCTV camera installation and doorstep ration delivery, which was earlier obstructed by the Lt. Governor," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told the reporters here.
He said that with this decision, the elected government "only needs to inform the Lt. Governor Anil Baijal and not get approval over every other project of Delhi".
Sisodia also expressed his contentment over the fact that the power which was taken from the Delhi government two years ago are now being restored and now the Delhi Government and not the LG has the power to transfer or post IAS and other officers.
"Two years back as per a High Court decision, the power to transfer and post officers was taken away from the elected government of Delhi and was reposed with the LG and other officials," he said.
"Being the Minister of Services, I have now ordered that this system be changed with immediate effect and be given back to the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister," he told reporters here.
Meanwhile, Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, in his reaction to the ruling, accused the BJP of "destroying our federal structure" by misusing the role of LGs and Governors.
"The role of LGs and Governors and their misuse has been brought into sharp focus by today's judgement. BJP's charade of cooperative federalism and in reality destroying our federal structure is condemnable. LGs/Governors cannot usurp rights of an elected state government," Yechury tweeted.
A Supreme Court Constitution Bench on Wednesday ruled in favour of the Arvind Kejriwal government saying the real powers of governance in Delhi rest with the elected representatives.
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Broken relationships don't automatically amount to abetment of suicide: SC
New Delhi (PTI): Broken relationships, while emotionally distressing, do not automatically amount to abetment of suicide in the absence of intention leading to the criminal offence, the Supreme Court on Friday said.
The observations came from a bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and Ujjal Bhuyan in a judgement, which overturned the conviction of one Kamaruddin Dastagir Sanadi by the Karnataka High Court for the offences of cheating and abetment of suicide under the IPC.
"This is a case of a broken relationship, not criminal conduct," the judgment said.
Sanadi was initially charged under Sections 417 (cheating), 306 (abetment of suicide), and 376 (rape) of the IPC.
While the trial court acquitted him of all the charges, the Karnataka High Court, on the state's appeal, convicted him of cheating and abetment of suicide, sentencing him to five years imprisonment and imposing Rs 25,000 in fine.
According to the FIR registered at the mother's instance, her 21-year-old daughter was in love with the accused for the past eight years and died by suicide in August, 2007, after he refused to keep his promise to marry.
Writing a 17-page judgement, Justice Mithal analysed the two dying declarations of the woman and noted that neither was there any allegation of a physical relationship between the couple nor there was any intentional act leading to the suicide.
The judgement therefore underlined broken relationships were emotionally distressing, but did not automatically amount to criminal offences.
"Even in cases where the victim dies by suicide, which may be as a result of cruelty meted out to her, the courts have always held that discord and differences in domestic life are quite common in society and that the commission of such an offence largely depends upon the mental state of the victim," said the apex court.
The court further said, "Surely, until and unless some guilty intention on the part of the accused is established, it is ordinarily not possible to convict him for an offence under Section 306 IPC.”
The judgement said there was no evidence to suggest that the man instigated or provoked the woman to die by suicide and underscored a mere refusal to marry, even after a long relationship, did not constitute abetment.
