BJP files complaint against Congress for 'assassinating' Kangana Ranaut's character
Shimla (PTI): The Himachal Pradesh BJP Sunday filed a complaint against the Congress and the Hamirpur Youth Congress Club for allegedly portraying actor and BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Mandi, Kangana Ranaut, in a negative light by using pictures from her films.
The BJP urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to initiate appropriate legal action against them for using objectionable, scandalous and offensive language on social media.
In its complaint to the ECI, with copy to the Himachal chief electoral officer, the BJP alleged that the Congress has directed its various wings to assassinate the character of Kangana on social media. The Hamirpur Youth Congress Club has used a picture of Kangana from her "artistic pursuits" to portray her as a negative character and posted "derogatory double meaning remarks".
The complaint filed by BJP state media in-charge Karan Nanda cited the repeated instances of alleged "serious violations" of the provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860; Representation of People Act (RPA), 1951; and the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by the Congress leaders.
The instances also attract offences under the relevant sections of IPC and Information Technology Act, 2000 and the remarks fall within the definition of "corrupt practice", it said.
"It is the duty of every artist to portray the character given to him or her as convincingly as they can and every character has its own challenges and requirements but ignoring this aspect, the Congress was repeatedly using Kangana's artistic pursuits to portray her in a vulgar manner with intentions to demean her as the remarks are not only derogatory and sexually oriented, undermining the dignity of a woman but are also violative of the mandatory guidelines of the Model Code of Conduct," the complaint added.
The page of Hamirpur Youth Congress Club on which a photograph of Kangana with a remark has been posted has 10,000 followers, Nanda told PTI.
The BJP also urged the ECI to take into account the "irresponsible" behaviour of the Congress which is following a "dangerous" pattern. It also pointed out that the Congress leaders are "habitual offenders" with a history of violating the provisions of law, it said.
The party further said this is not for the first time that the Congress leaders made such objectionable and derogatory remarks against Kangana.
Earlier, soon after the BJP declared Kangana as its candidate from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, Congress Spokesperson Supriya Srinate had commented "Mandi main ladkion ke kya bhav chal rahe hain". It drew vociferous reactions from the BJP, which filed a complaint against the Congress leader with ECI, the complaint said.
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Gujarat HC acquits ex-BJP MP, 6 others in RTI activist Amit Jethwa murder case
Ahmedabad (PTI): The Gujarat High Court on Monday allowed the appeals of former BJP MP Dinu Solanki and six others against their conviction by a CBI court in the case of RTI activist Amit Jethwa's murder in 2010.
Observing that the trial court conducted proceedings with a "predetermined notion of conviction," a division bench of Justices AS Supehia and Vimal K Vyas quashed the CBI court's order sentencing Solanki and the six others to life imprisonment.
Jethwa was shot dead outside the high court premises here on July 20, 2010.
Solanki and six others were sentenced to life imprisonment by the CBI court in 2019 and ordered to pay a fine of Rs 15 lakh in the case of murder and criminal conspiracy.
The high court had later suspended the life sentences of Dinu Solanki and his nephew Shiva Solanki, who was also convicted in the case.
"We reiterate that the entire investigation right from the inception of the offence appears to be perfunctory and prejudiced. The prosecution has failed to secure the confidence of the witnesses," the HC bench said in its order.
The trial court on a "preconceived notion of conviction has analysed the evidence divorced from statutes and legal precedence," it said.
The HC said the trial court was duty-bound to apply the law as written, "not as per its instinct".
"Resultantly the common judgment on order of conviction dated July 11, 2019 passed by the special judge, CBI court...whereby the accused have been convicted for the offence under section 302 (murder) and section 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and are sentenced is quashed and set aside," the HC order said.
The high court further observed that the survival of democracy and the unity and integrity of the nation depends upon the realisation that "constitutional morality is no less essential than constitutional legality."
Jethwa was shot dead outside the Gujarat High Court on July 20, 2010 after he tried to expose illegal mining activities allegedly involving Dinu Solanki by seeking information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
An FIR was then lodged against two unidentified assailants and the investigation was transferred to the state police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which later filed a chargesheet.
In September 2012, the high court handed over the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The CBI arrested Dinu Solanki in November 2013.
On July 11, 2019, Dinu Solanki and his nephew were convicted in the case of Jethwa's murder.
The high court in September 2021 suspended Dinu Solanki's sentence pending his appeal against conviction by the CBI court.
Last year, the HC also suspended the life sentence of his nephew Shiva Solanki and granted him bail pending hearing of his appeal against his conviction by the CBI court.
