Army chief slams UN report on Kashmir, calls it motivated
New Delhi, June 27 : Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Wednesday termed a UN report on alleged human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir as "motivated" and said there was no need to be concerned about it as the Army's record was absolutely above board.
"I don't think we need to speak about the human rights record of the Indian Army. It is well known to all of you, it is well known to the people of Kashmir, the international community," Gen Rawat said here on the sidelines of an event here.
"I don't think we should get too concerned about this report. Some of these reports are motivated. The human rights record of the Indian Army is absolutely above board," he added. Gen Rawat was asked about the report on human rights in Kashmir from the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
India had earlier rejected the report, terming it "fallacious, tendentious and motivated" and questioned the intent behind it.
The 49-page report detailed "human rights violations and abuses on both sides of the Line of Control and highlights a situation of chronic impunity for violations committed by security forces".
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K’taka HC judge whose controversial remarks triggered controversy expresses regret before open court
Bengaluru: Karnataka High Court judge, Justice V Srishananda, on Saturday expressed regret in open court after facing backlash over his controversial remarks in his recent court hearings, reported Bar and Bench.
Two purported video clips from Justice V Srishananda’s court hearing that show him making inappropriate comments went viral across social media platforms.
On Saturday, Justice Srishananda invited members of the Advocates Association, Bengaluru, and senior lawyers to his courtroom at 2:30 PM, where he read out a note expressing regret for inappropriate comments.
Quoting Advocates Association President Vivek Subba Reddy, Bar and Bench wrote, “He expressed regret for the comments and clarified that it was not his intention to offend any community or members of the Bar. He also requested the association to relay this message to all members of the Bar.”
Reddy further stated, “We also advised him to encourage young lawyers in the courtroom and refrain from making any irrelevant remarks during hearings.”
Another senior lawyer present during the session confirmed to the legal news portal that Justice Srishananda also addressed comments directed at a woman lawyer, who was seen in one of the videos being reprimanded by the judge. The judge Justice Srishananda clarified that his remarks were not intended to target her (woman lawyer) specifically, but rather pertained to the appellant she was representing. “He explained that his comment was meant to imply that the appellant seemed to know a lot about the other party,” said the lawyer.
In addition, Justice Srishananda assured those present that he would avoid making such comments in the future.
The controversy came to light on September 19, when a video clip from an August 28 Court hearing surfaced on social media, showing Justice Srishananda referring to a Muslim-majority sub-locality in Bengaluru’s Goripalya as "Pakistan." Hours later, another video from the same courtroom emerged, in which the judge was seen making a gender-insensitive remark.
Following outrage over the viral videos, a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, Surya Kant, and Hrishikesh Roy, on September 20 took a suo motu cognizance and sought a report from the Karnataka High Court Registrar General in connection with the viral video.
