BJP's national general secretary Muralidhar Rao
Panaji, June 26: A day after veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani warned about the rising strength of anti-democratic forces and bemoaned that contemporary Indian leaders are not committed to democracy, the party on Tuesday said its "Black Day" programme was inspired by Advani himself.
Asked to react to the contents of Advani's recent interview published in a national daily, in which the former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President also warned of a possible return of Emergency rule, BJP's national general secretary Muralidhar Rao said: "Advaniji's statement is an inspiration for us to perpetuate this programme.
"His services and contribution are working behind us, motivating us to perpetuate this programme."
Rao, who was addressing a press conference at the party's state headquarters in Panaji, is in Goa to deliver a lecture on the perils of Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister, late Indira Gandhi.
The lecture and many other public interactions by its top leaders are a part of a programme organised by the BJP across the country, in which the party's elected representatives and office-bearers are expected to highlight the hardships caused by the Emergency, imposition of which on June 23, 1975 is being referred to as Black Day.
"Advaniji has become an ideal leader for all of us, only because of the contribution he has made. We take his words and we take all such things as inspiration," Rao also said.
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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.
