HC dismisses PIL challenging renaming of Allahabad as Prayagraj
Allahabad, Nov 13: The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday dismissed a PIL challenging the renaming of Allahabad as Prayagraj, saying the petitioner should first approach the Uttar Pradesh government with the grievance.
Acting Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice CD Singh granted liberty to the petitioner to file a representation before the state government on the issue.
The court order came on a day the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet at a meeting presided by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath approved renaming of Allahabad and Faizabad divisions as Prayagraj and Ayodhya respectively.
The high court refused to grant any relief to petitioner Sunita Sharma saying she directly moved the court by filing a Public Interest Litigation without first approaching the state government.
The petition had challenged renaming of Allahabad as Prayagraj and had sought quashing of a government order in this regard. It had urged the court to issue writ of mandamus directing the state government to do away with the changing of the city name.
The bench said, It is well settled that any person who seeks writ of mandamus must approach the authority concerned with his demand and in case of refusal only one can seek directions in the form of writ of mandamus from court.
In the petition, it was prayed that the court should declare as unconstitutional the state government's notification of October 18 by which Allahabad district was renamed as Prayagraj.
During the course of hearing, the petitioner's counsel also raised the issue that the Ardh Kumbh was wrongly renamed as Kumbh 2019.
However, the court refused to entertain the issue saying the petitioner had neither made any prayer in this regard in her petition nor had she approached the state government raising this issue.
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EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
