Governor has no authority to summon officers to discuss pending Bills: Bengal minister
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Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay said the governor does not have any authority to summon officers to discuss pending Bills.
Chattopadhyay's statement on Thursday came after Governor C.V. Ananda Bose said he has sought meetings with officers of different departments before approving some Bills that are pending with him.
"The Constitution clearly states that the governor does not have the power to indefinitely hold back Bills. If there are legal concerns with a Bill, the governor may write to the government. But nowhere does the Constitution say he can summon officials or hold discussions. I have read the Constitution many times," the minister said.
Following a Supreme Court verdict on the matter, Speaker Biman Banerjee said 23 Bills passed by the West Bengal Assembly since 2016 have not received the governor's assent.
In a major victory for the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government, the apex court on Tuesday cleared 10 Bills that were stalled and reserved by Governor R.N. Ravi for the President's consideration, and also set a timeline for all governors to act on the Bills passed by state assemblies.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin hailed the verdict as a "victory for all Indian states".
Echoing similar sentiments, Speaker Banerjee hoped that the West Bengal governor would follow suit.
In a statement, the Raj Bhavan said the governor had sent 11 Bills -- 10 related to state universities and the Aparajita Bill -- for consideration by the President between 2024 and 2025.
The Raj Bhavan also said that it has sought additional information from the state government on several other Bills, and claimed that appropriate responses have not been received.
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Probe underway into links between Odisha YouTuber and 'Pak spy' Jyoti Malhotra: Police
Bhubaneswar (PTI): The Odisha Police have started an investigation into the alleged links between a Puri-based YouTuber and Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested on the charge of passing on sensitive information to Pakistani intelligence operatives, an officer said on Sunday.
The police found that Malhotra, who runs a YouTube channel, Travel with JO, and hails from Hisar in Haryana, had visited Puri in September 2024 and came in contact with a woman in the coastal town, who is also a YouTuber, Puri SP Vinit Agrawal said.
Jyoti, whose YouTube channel and Instagram account have 3.77 lakh subscribers and 1.33 lakh followers respectively, allegedly was in contact with a Pakistani staffer working at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi. On May 13, India had expelled that Pakistani official for allegedly indulging in espionage.
The woman in Puri had also travelled to Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan recently, the SP said.
“We found that Jyoti Malhotra had visited Puri last year, and we are verifying the fact. Anything more can be shared after the verification,” Agrawal said.
Asked whether the woman from Puri had shared intelligence inputs with Malhotra, Agrawal said, “The Haryana Police are investigating the matter and we are providing them the required assistance.”
The police are also "examining the objective" of Malhotra's visit to Puri, and trying to find out "where she stayed, whom she contacted and any possible suspicious activities", the Puri SP said.
“We are in touch with various central agencies and the Haryana Police. We will share details with the media after field verification,” he said while responding to queries from reporters.
The Odisha Police did not disclose the identity of the Puri YouTuber for its investigation into the matter.
Puri YouTuber’s father said the police had quizzed her daughter on Saturday and sought some information.
A team of police personnel visited the woman's residence in Puri for an investigation into the matter.
"My daughter came in contact with Jyoti Malhotra as both are YouTubers. As a friendship developed between them, Malhotra visited Puri. As it is a matter of the nation’s security, a proper investigation should be carried out. We will cooperate with the police,” he said.
“My daughter visited Kartarpur in Pakistan with another friend, not Malhotra, three or four months ago for a pilgrimage. My daughter has no involvement in anti-national activities and was unaware of Malhotra's alleged espionage,” the Puri YouTuber’s father said.
In a social media post, the woman from Puri said, “Jyoti was just a friend of mine, and I came in contact with her through YouTube. I was unaware of anything which she is accused of. I would not have been in touch with her if I knew she was spying for enemy Pakistan.”
“If any investigative agency wishes to cross-question, I would provide full cooperation. Nation is above all. Jai Hind,” she wrote on an Instagram post.
