HC dismisses PIL seeking direction to Centre to allow Bengal's tableau on Netaji for R-Day parade
Kolkata(PTI): The Calcutta High Court on Monday dismissed a PIL seeking direction to the Centre to allow West Bengal's tableau on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose for the Republic Day parade in New Delhi on January 26.
Observing that the petitioner has approached the court at a late stage, a division bench presided by Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava said that no effective direction can be issued now with the Republic Day celebration to be held on Wednesday.
The bench, also comprising Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj, noted various defects in the petition, which were pointed out by the additional solicitor general.
"Hence, no case for interference in the present writ petition is made out which is accordingly dismissed," the bench said in its order.
The petitioner, an advocate of the high court, prayed for issuance of a direction to the central government to permit the West Bengal tableau of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose for the ensuing Republic Day parade.
The petitioner submitted this is the year of the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji and that the Centre has "wrongly rejected" the state's tableau for the Republic Day parade themed on the great patriot and Indian National Army (INA) without assigning any reason.
Appearing for the central government, Additional Solicitor General Y J Dastoor submitted that the petition is not maintainable citing technical defects in it.
He also submitted that "though Netaji was ignored by the earlier governments, the present government is treating Netaji as icon and recognising his contribution in hastening the process of Independence".
Dastoor said in his submission that January 23, the birth anniversary of Netaji, has already been declared 'Parakram Diwas' and the central government is celebrating it from January 23 to 30.
"Hologram of Netaji has been put at India Gate which will be replaced by statue of Netaji in August, 2022," he stated before the court.
The ASG also submitted that as far as reasons for rejection are concerned, if the state wants, the same can be supplied and the decision to exclude a tableau is taken as per the rules.
Advocate General S N Mookherjee, representing the state, stated that he has no instruction if the reasons for rejection have been communicated to the West Bengal government.
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PM Modi holds talks with Dutch counterpart Jetten; discusses trade, investment
The Hague (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held wide-ranging talks with his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten, focusing on trade, investment, and critical technologies.
Modi arrived in the Netherlands on Friday on the second leg of his five-nation tour. This is his second trip to the Netherlands, following his visit in 2017.
Ahead of the bilateral talks, Modi, along with Jetten, held discussions with prominent CEOs of leading Dutch companies across various sectors such as energy, ports, health, agriculture trade, and technology, among others.
Modi invited Dutch companies to explore opportunities in India, particularly in maritime, renewable energy, digital technologies, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and healthcare sectors.
"We are continuously reducing compliance and increasing the ease of doing business. We have recently carried out next-generation reforms in taxation, labour code, and governance," he told the business leaders.
The prime minister added that manufacturing in India is becoming very cost-effective, and in the services sector, it has become the engine of efficiency and innovation.
"We invite all of you to design and innovate in India. There can be no better time for this than today," he said.
"Today's India is a symbol of scale and stability. In terms of scale, we are also the fastest-growing major economy in the world and the world's largest talent pool. Infrastructure, clean energy or connectivity – no one in the world can match India's speed," Modi said.
"And on the subject of stability, I have completed 12 years of serving as the Prime Minister of the world's largest democracy. In these 12 years, with continuous reforms, we have transformed our economic DNA. Our direction has been clear – to give policy predictability to the private sector and increase opportunities for them," he added.
Modi said his government has opened up every sector for the private sector, be it space, mining or nuclear energy.
Ahead of the meeting, an agreement between ASML and Tata Electronics was signed in the presence of the two leaders.
The two prime ministers also called for early implementation of the India-EU-FTA.
Earlier, Prime Minister Modi met King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima at the Royal Palace and discussed close cooperation in digital technology, innovation, fintech and blue economy.
PM Modi's visit will build on the momentum of high-level engagements and close cooperation spanning diverse sectors, including defence, security, innovation, green hydrogen, semiconductors and a strategic partnership on water, the MEA said ahead of his visit.
The Netherlands is one of India's largest trade destinations in Europe, with bilateral trade worth USD 27.8 billion in 2024-25. The European nation is India's fourth-largest investor with cumulative foreign direct investment of USD 55.6 billion.
From the Netherlands, the prime minister will travel to Sweden for a two-day trip from May 17 to 18.
