Australian court asks ex-Indian envoy to pay compensation to former employee
New Delhi (PTI): A court in Australia has ordered India's ex-high commissioner to Canberra Navdeep Singh Suri to pay a former domestic employee thousands of dollars in compensation after she accused him of unfair working conditions, according to Australian media reports.
People familiar with the case in New Delhi said it was an ex-parte proceeding in the Australian court and filing of the case by the employer was an "after-thought".
Justice Elizabeth Raper of the federal court ordered Suri to pay Seema Sherghill more than 136,000 dollars plus interest within 60 days, ABC News said.
Sherghill had travelled to Australia in April 2015, and spent about a year working for Suri at his Canberra home, it said.
People familiar with the case said Sherghill was issued an official passport and was asked to return to India in 2016, but she defied government orders.
She took Australian citizenship in 2021 and there are reasons to believe that she filed the case with an intention to stay back in that country, they said.
According to them, if the employee had any grievances, she should have returned to India and approached competent authorities or any court.
There was no reaction from the Ministry of External Affairs on the ruling by the Australian court.
The Federal Court heard Sherghill worked seven days a week, for 17.5 hours per day, the media report said.
Sherghill was initially paid the equivalent of about 7.80 dollars per day before she complained and Suri increased her rate to 9 dollars per day, it said.
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Right to vote under threat, must be made fundamental right: Cong's Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged on Thursday that the right to vote is under threat and the time has come when it should be made a fundamental right for citizens.
Speaking with reporters, Ramesh lashed out at Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, saying the Election Commission (EC) has never been as compromised as it has been under him.
"The rot started under his predecessor. This man is a player and not a neutral observer," the Congress leader said, slamming Kumar.
Kumar is completely compromised and has become a player in elections, he alleged.
"Home Minister Amit Shah had talked about three Ds -- detect, delete and deport. So we want to know how many non-Indian citizens have been detected, how many have been deleted and how many have been deported," Ramesh said, adding that the right to vote is now under threat.
On opposition parties submitting a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha, seeking to move a motion for the CEC's removal, the Congress leader said they will continue to make efforts for Kumar's removal as he is "compromised".
Ramesh also batted for the right to vote to be recognised as a fundamental right.
"I believe that the time has come that the right to vote should be made a fundamental right. It is a statutory right, it is not a fundamental right. Fundamental rights are justiciable," he said.
The former Union minister said this was discussed in the Constituent Assembly, but it was eventually decided that it should be made part of the Constitution.
B R Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram had warned that in the future, governments might try to disenfranchise voters, he added.
"Once and for all, include the right to vote as a fundamental right for Indian citizens," Ramesh asserted.
