Allahabad HC's 1975 verdict disqualifying then PM Indira Gandhi was judgment of great courage: CJI
Allahabad, Sep 11: The 1975 verdict of Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha of the Allahabad High Court disqualifying then prime minister Indira Gandhi on charges of electoral malpractices was a judgment of "great courage" that "shook" the nation, leading to imposition of Emergency, CJI N V Ramana said on Saturday.
The Chief Justice of India (CJI), who along with President Ram Nath Kovind, took part in programmes, including the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Uttar Pradesh National Law University here and a new building complex of the Allahabad High Court, recalled the rich traditions and contributions of one of the oldest high courts in the country.
"In 1975, it was Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha from the Allahabad High Court who passed the judgment that shook the nation, when he disqualified Smt. Indira Gandhi. It was a judgment of great courage, which could be said to have directly resulted in the declaration of Emergency. The consequences of which I do not want to elaborate now, Justice Ramana said.
The CJI said that the Allahabad High Court has a history of more than 150 years and its Bar and Bench have produced some of the greatest legal luminaries in the country.
The June 12, 1975, verdict delivered by Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha of the Allahabad High Court had convicted the then prime minister of electoral malpractices and debarred her from holding any elected post under the Representative of Peoples Act.
The verdict is widely believed to have led to imposition of Emergency on June 25, 1975.
Indira Gandhi had won the 1971 Lok Sabha election from the Rae Bareli seat in Uttar Pradesh by defeating her opponent Raj Narain.
The defeated leader had challenged her election alleging electoral malpractices saying that Gandhi's election agent Yashpal Kapoor was a government servant and that she used government officials for personal election related work.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
