Delhi High Court to hear disqualification plea against PM Modi
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court will hear a petition requesting to disqualify Prime Minister Narendra Modi from contesting elections for a period of six years. The plea, filed by lawyer Anand S Jondhale, accuses PM Modi of soliciting votes for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by invoking Hindu and Sikh deities and places of worship.
The petition calls for the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take action under the Representation of Peoples Act, urging PM Modi's disqualification and a prohibition on soliciting votes in the name of religious figures and sites.
The petitioner's grievance stems from PM Modi's speech delivered on April 9th in Uttar Pradesh, where he allegedly invoked Hindu and Sikh deities and made remarks favouring certain religious groups over others.
Jondhale contends that PM Modi's speeches have the potential to incite religious and caste-based animosity among voters, and thus calls for action in accordance with the Model Code of Conduct.
Earlier, Jondhale had lodged a complaint with the ECI, seeking the registration of an FIR against PM Modi under Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code and his disqualification from elections for six years. However, he claims that no action has been taken by the ECI on the matter thus far.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Hamas accepts cease-fire proposal for Gaza, but Israel's stance still uncertain
Jerusalem, May 6: Hamas announced Monday it has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal, but there was no immediate word from Israel, leaving it uncertain whether a deal had been sealed to bring a halt to the seven-month-long war in Gaza.
It was the first glimmer of hope that a deal might avert further bloodshed. Hours earlier, Israel ordered some 100,000 Palestinians to begin evacuating the southern Gaza town of Rafah, signalling that an attack was imminent. The United States and other key allies of Israel oppose an offensive on Rafah, where around 1.4 million Palestinians, more than half of Gaza's population, are sheltering.
An official familiar with Israeli thinking said Israeli officials were examining the proposal, but the plan approved by Hamas was not the framework Israel proposed.
An American official also said the US was still waiting to learn more about the Hamas position and whether it reflected an agreement to what had already been signed off on by Israel and international negotiators or something else. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as a stance was still being formulated.
Details of the proposal have not been released. Touring the region last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had pressed Hamas to take the deal, and Egyptian officials said it called for a cease-fire of multiple stages starting with a limited hostage release and some Israeli troop pullbacks from Gaza. The two sides would also negotiate a “permanent calm” that would lead to a full hostage release and greater Israeli withdrawal, they said.
