Democracy was 'cremated' in Lok Sabha: Cong after Rahul Gandhi's remarks expunged
New Delhi, Feb 8: The Congress on Wednesday strongly criticised the expunging of certain remarks made by Rahul Gandhi in Parliament targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and alleged that "democracy was cremated" in Lok Sabha.
Gandhi had made these remarks while participating in a debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
In a tweet, without mentioning the expunging of his remarks, Gandhi said, "Mr Prime Minister, you cannot wipe out the voice of democracy."
"Indian people are asking you direct questions, you must reply," Gandhi said.
Later, while heading into Parliament during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks in Lok Sabha, Gandhi asked reporters, "Why were my words expunged?"
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "With the expunging of Rahul Gandhi's remarks on PM linked Adani Maha Mega Scam, deMOcracy was cremated in the Lok Sabha. OM Shanti."
In another tweet, Ramesh said, "18 remarks by Rahul Gandhi in LS expunged: 1.Every question asked of PM- deleted! 2. All references to relationship between Adani & Modi before 2014- deleted! 3.Misuse of agencies & foreign trips- deleted!"
"You can expunge,but you can't exterminate! Jagadguru of Jhoot stands exposed," the Congress general secretary said.
He also tweeted the three pages of expunged remarks.
In his remarks in Lok Sabha, Gandhi had alleged that the meteoric rise in Gautam Adani's fortunes happened after the BJP came to power in 2014 and he rose from the 609th to the second spot in the global rich list.
The Congress leader's remarks had drawn a sharp response from the treasury benches, with Law Minister Kiren Rijiju asking him not to level "wild allegations" and to furnish proof of his claims.
Outside Parliament, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad had accused Gandhi of making baseless, shameless and reckless allegations and charged that the Congress and the Gandhi family were involved in "big scams" that "tarnished" the image of the country.
प्रधानमंत्री जी, आप लोकतंत्र की आवाज़ को मिटा नहीं सकते। भारत के लोग आपसे सीधे सवाल कर रहे हैं। जवाब दीजिए! pic.twitter.com/xlUdLylvUw
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 8, 2023
न जांच कराएंगे, न जवाब देंगे – प्रधानमंत्री जी बस अपने ‘मित्र’ का साथ देंगे। pic.twitter.com/laJdQz7K5J
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 8, 2023
18 remarks by @RahulGandhi in LS expunged:
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) February 8, 2023
1.Every question asked of PM- deleted!
2.All references to relationship between Adani & Modi before 2014- deleted!
3.Misuse of agencies & foreign trips- deleted!
You can expunge,but you can’t exterminate!Jagadguru of Jhoot stands exposed pic.twitter.com/R5NblM951Z
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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.
