'Centre wants to control EC': Cong asks govt to defer decision on new CEC till SC hearing
New Delhi, Feb 17 (PTI): The Congress on Monday asked the government to defer its decision on the new chief election commissioner till the Supreme Court hearing on a petition challenging the constitution of the selection panel.
The Congress' side was put forth by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi during the meeting of the selection panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sources said.
The meeting took place at the South Block office of the prime minister. Home Minister Amit Shah is the third member of the selection panel.
Addressing a press conference soon after the meeting, Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said that by removing the chief justice of India from the selection committee, the government has made it clear it wants control and not to preserve the credibility of the Election Commission.
Singhvi did not disclose anything on what transpired in the meeting apart from saying that Gandhi attended it.
The selection committee is learnt to have recommended the name of the next CEC to President Droupadi Murmu, sources said on Monday.
The sources in the government said the notification announcing the name of the next CEC could be issued "in the next few hours".
Incumbent CEC Rajiv Kumar demits office on Tuesday on attaining the age of 65 years.
At the presser, Singhvi said, "It is necessary that a transparent, balanced, impartial decision should be taken, which is in the public interest, and in the interest of democracy. Which can create a level playing field, which is in the foundation of our republic. This is the stand of Congress."
He said the case challenging the new act to appoint the CEC and other ECs is currently pending before the Supreme Court which has issued a notice, and the matter is now listed for next hearing on February 19.
It was just a matter of 48 hours and the government should have approached the apex court for an early hearing of the petition, he said.
"It was our suggestion that the Central government adjourn this meeting until after the hearing and instruct its counsels to appear and assist the court so that the hearing may be an effective one. Only then, can a decision be taken in earnest," Singhvi said.
He said the executive has the right to form law, but added that the Modi government brought the CEC and Other Election Commissioners Bill, 2023 in a rush, without understanding the spirit of the judgment.
"This Law did just the opposite, it had provision for selection totally by executive," he said.
"By removing or trying to keep CJI out of the appointment process as an independent entity, the government has made it clear they want only control but not credibility..." he added.
मोदी सरकार मुख्य चुनाव आयुक्त के चयन के लिए 2023 में जो नया कानून- The Chief Election Commissioner And Other Election Commissioners Act लेकर आई है, इसे सुप्रीम कोर्ट में चुनौती दी गई है।
— Congress (@INCIndia) February 17, 2025
अभी तक सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने इसे लेकर 3 आर्डर पास किए हैं और अगली सुनवाई 19 फरवरी के आस पास होनी… pic.twitter.com/wc0E9sgVuE
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UP man gets life term for electrocuting mentally challenged wife to death in Bareilly
Bareilly (UP) (PTI): A local court here has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for murdering his mentally challenged wife by repeatedly electrocuting her while she was tied to a cot, lawyers said on Thursday.
Additional district government counsel Harendra Singh Rathore said Additional Sessions Judge Avinash Kumar Singh on Wednesday convicted Vinod Kumar (45) for killing his wife, Satyavati, in Chaina village of Bareilly district and imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 on him.
According to the prosecution, he was allegedly frustrated with his wife Satyavati's mental illness and often assaulted her.
Rathore said the prosecution examined nine witnesses to establish the charges against him.
As per court records, on the night of May 1-2, 2022, when Satyavati was asleep, Vinod tied her hands and legs to a cot using ropes and then connected an aluminium cable to an electric board to repeatedly administer electric shocks to her.
"She writhed in pain, but the accused continued to electrocute her until she died," the prosecution said.
The court observed that the murder was carried out in an inhuman manner.
After committing the crime, the accused threw the rope and cable on the roof and left for work at a brick kiln around 2 am to create a false alibi.
He later tried to mislead the police and the victim's family by claiming that Satyavati, whose mental condition was unstable, had accidentally died by suicide after grabbing a live electric wire.
However, the victim's brother, Sanjeev, a resident of Shahjahanpur district, suspected foul play and lodged an FIR under sections 498A (husband subjecting wife to cruelty) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code at Nawabganj police station.
During the trial, the prosecution relied on the post-mortem report prepared by Dr Faraz Anwar, who stated that multiple electrocution marks found on different parts of the victim's body could not have been self-inflicted.
The police also recovered the rope and electric wire used in the crime on the accused's identification, officials said.
