Gujarat High Court orders re-publication of apologies by major newspapers for incorrect reporting
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court has directed The Times of India(ToI), The Indian Express, and Divya Bhaskar to reissue public apologies after finding their previous apologies for incorrect court reporting insufficient.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Pranav Trivedi rejected the apologies published by the three newspapers on August 23, stating that they were not in bold letters or prominently placed as instructed in the Court's order on August 22.
"You should have given it a complete headline that the apology is in relation to what. Who is going to understand what the apology is for?" Chief Justice Agarwal remarked, expressing dissatisfaction with the format of the apologies.
The Court granted the newspapers an additional three days to publish fresh apologies on their front pages, ensuring they are in bold letters and clearly indicating that the apology pertains to a wrong report published on August 13, 2024, regarding court proceedings on the rights of aided minority institutions.
The Court had previously issued notices to the regional editors of the newspapers for what it described as a "false and distorted narration" of the proceedings. Although the newspapers tendered apologies in their affidavits, the Court was not satisfied and ordered the publication of public apologies.
During the hearing on Monday, the Bench observed that the apologies published were too small and lacked the necessary emphasis. The Chief Justice also warned that failure to comply with the Court’s directions could result in contempt of court notices against the editors.
The Court also directed the newspapers to give wide publicity to the next Lok Adalat session as a form of compensation for the judicial time wasted on this issue.
Senior Advocate Devang Nanvati appeared for The Indian Express and ToI, while Advocate Maulik G Nanavati represented Divya Bhaskar.
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.
Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
