AIBA urges CJI not to take note of letter plea seeking withdrawal of adverse remarks against Nupur
New Delhi, Jul 5: The All India Bar Association has written a letter urging Chief Justice of India (CJI) N V Ramana not to take cognisance of a letter petition which has sought withdrawal of adverse remarks made by a Supreme Court bench against suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma.
A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and J B Pardiwala had on July 1 severely reprimanded Sharma for her comments against Prophet Mohammed, saying her "loose tongue" has "set the entire country on fire" and that she was "single-handedly responsible for what is happening in the country".
Refusing to entertain Sharma's plea for clubbing FIRs lodged in various states against her for the remarks, the bench had said they were made either for cheap publicity, political agenda, or some nefarious activities.
The letter petition has been filed by Delhi resident Ajay Gautam, who claims to be a social activist, urging the CJI to issue appropriate orders or directions... to withdraw their observations in the matter of Nupur Sharma so that Nupur Sharma gets a chance of fair trial.
The All India Bar Association (AIBA), through its chairperson - senior advocate Adish C Aggarwala- has written to the CJI to not take cognisance of any letter or petition filed seeking withdrawal of those adverse remarks.
During the course of hearing of any matter, the judges engage with the counsels. They don't maintain sphinx-like silence. While engaging with counsel, it is natural for judges to open up and make observations and suggestions. The question of expunging observations, even if irrelevant, shouldn't arise since these remarks are only observations without any precedential value, the bar body said in the letter to Ramana.
The letter said AIBA appreciates the views expressed by the Hon'ble Judges, since the offending remarks were made by a seasoned leader and a lawyer.
The AIBA's letter to Ramana came on a day when a group of 15 former high court judges and bureaucrats demanded that the Supreme Court recall its observations against Sharma, alleging that the court crossed the "Laxman Rekha" while making comments that are an "indelible scar on the justice system of the largest democracy".
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
