Dissenting SC judgment vindicates our stand: Petitioners
New Delhi, Sep 28 : As the Supreme Court on Friday refused to interfere in the arrest of five rights activists, the five petitioners in the case said that their stand had been "vindicated" by the "dissenting verdict" delivered by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud.
The Supreme Court, by a 2:1 majority judgment, also rejected the plea for a SIT probe into the Bhima-Koregaon case.
The five rights activists, accused of having links with Maoists, were arrested on August 28 by Pune police in connection with a probe into the Bhima-Koregaon violence on January 1.
Addressing the media here, historian Romila Thapar -- who is one of the five petitioners who challenged the arrest of the five activists -- said that due to the top court's judgment the liberty and dignity of the human rights activists had not been "jeopardised" for the time being.
Supreme Court advocate Vrinda Grover, who represented the petitioners, said: "Justice Chandrachud has categorically held that liberty cannot be sacrificed at the altar of conjecture."
Citing Justice Chandrachud, Grover said: "The role of the court seeks particularly sensitive balance when the state seeks to curb the freedom to investigate perceived breaches involving offences against the state."
Economist Prabhat Patnaik said that under "draconian" laws in the country, the accused don't get bail and the trial drags on for years.
"Even if the activists are acquitted after many years, they actually undergo imprisonment," he added.
The five petitioners demanded a fair investigation in the case.
Apart from Romila Thapar, social activist Maja Daruwala, Satish Deshpande, Prabhat Patnaik and Devaki Jain were the five petitioners in the cas
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Top US counterterrorism official resigns over Iran war, says Iran posed no imminent threat
Washington (AP): Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Centre, announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying he “cannot in good conscience” back the Trump administration's war in Iran.
Kent said on social media Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
There was no immediate comment from the White House.
Kent, a former political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists, was confirmed to his post last July on a 52-44 vote.
As head of the National Counterterrorism Centre, he was in charge of an agency tasked with analysing and detecting terrorist threats.
Before entering President Donald Trump's administration, Kent ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Congress in Washington state. He also served in the military, seeing 11 deployments as a Green Beret, followed by work at the CIA.
Democrats strongly opposed Kent's confirmation, pointing to his past ties to far-right figures and conspiracy theories. During his 2022 congressional campaign, Kent paid Graham Jorgensen, a member of the far-right military group the Proud Boys, for consulting work. He also worked closely with Joey Gibson, the founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer, and attracted support from a variety of far-right figures.
During his Senate confirmation hearing, Kent also refused to distance himself from a conspiracy theory that federal agents instigated the January 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol, as well as false claims that Trump, a Republican, won the 2020 election over Democrat Joe Biden.
Democrats grilled Kent on his participation in a group chat on Signal that was used by Trump's national security team to discuss sensitive military plans.
Still, Republicans praised Kent's counterterrorism qualifications, pointing to his military and intelligence experience.
Sen. Tom Cotton, the GOP chair of the intelligence committee, said in a floor speech that Kent had "dedicated his career to fighting terrorism and keeping Americans safe.”
