Endangered soft-shell turtles seized in Bengal
Kolkata, May 26: West Bengal's CID on Saturday seized a consignment of endangered Indian soft-shell turtles having market value of almost Rs 20 lakh from the state's Howrah district, according to an official statement.
Acting on a tip off that the turtles - smuggled from Bhubaneswar - were being taken to North 24 Parganas district via National Highway 6, the CID organised a raid in communication with WildLife Crime Control Bureau and the state Forest Department.
The joint team raided Birati in North 24 Parganas and the Dhulagarh toll tax area in Hooghly district and apprehended a truck at the latter spot and found the reptiles, the CID release said.
Four persons - two businessmen, the truck driver and a labourer - have been detained and the vehicle seized.
The team has unloaded over 90 boxes of turtles. The counting process was on.
"This is probably the highest recovery of turtles in West Bengal and second biggest in India, as reported by WCCB," said the release.
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SC upholds inclusion of ‘secular, socialist’ in Preamble of Constitution
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the inclusion of the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ in the Preamble of the Constitution, confirming their retrospective application from November 26, 1949. The court ruled that the power to amend the Constitution under Article 368 extends to the Preamble, which is an integral part of the document.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna stated, “The power under Article 368 cannot be curtailed. It will equally apply to the Preamble.” The 42nd Constitutional Amendment, which introduced these terms in 1976 during the Emergency, was challenged on grounds of its retrospective application and the lack of states’ ratification.
The petitioners, including BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, argued that the amendment forced a particular economic theory on the nation and violated the original intent of the Constitution. Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay contended that the Preamble reflects the will of the people at the time of adoption in 1949 and is therefore unalterable.
The court dismissed these objections, affirming that both socialism and secularism are part of the Constitution's Basic Structure. The Bench clarified that socialism refers to a welfare state ensuring equality of opportunity without negating private sector participation or individualism. It emphasised that secularism is embedded in the Constitution, particularly in the principles of equality and fraternity.
Chief Justice Khanna remarked, “Secularism has always been a core feature of the Constitution.” He added that the amendment did not impose socialism as dogma but aligned with the welfare goals enshrined in various constitutional provisions.
