Jharkhand BJP MLA stages symbolic protest with oxen, plough over poor road condition in Hazaribagh
Hazaribagh (PTI): Jharkhand's Hazaribagh BJP MLA Pradeep Das on Monday staged a symbolic protest using a pair of oxen, a yoke, and a plough to draw attention to alleged poor condition of roads in the district.
Das told PTI that he was forced to undertake such a protest after repeated complaints before authorities failed to evince any response.
"I lodged complaints about poor road conditions before the district administration for nearly six months. But no action has been taken to repair the potholed roads even during festive seasons. This forced me to take up such a symbolic protest. If the authorities do not undertake repairs, I will launch an agitation both in Hazaribagh and also at the Vidhan Sabha," Das said.
Standing with the oxen and plough along Lepo Road near NH-33 for about 10–15 minutes, Das claimed that several roads in Hazaribagh city were in a dilapidated state, riddled with potholes.
He also pointed to clogged roadside drains, which he said had led to waterlogging during Durga Puja.
"It is not only this road where I am standing, several other roads in the city are damaged and people face problems commuting. Potholes dot almost every road and cleaning work of roadside drains are not being carried out regularly leading to clogging of drains and subsequent waterlogging," the BJP MLA alleged.
"People faced problems during Durga Puja. We want the problems to be addressed before Diwali and Chhath Puja. It seems officials are only busy in meetings and not taking action on the ground," Das said.
Deputy Commissioner Shashi Prakash Singh told PTI that the process for floating tenders for road repairs are underway.
Hazaribagh Municipal Corporation Assistant Municipal Commissioner Vipin Kumar said the road stretch which the MLA had highlighted comes under National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).
NHAI Hazaribagh section junior engineer Manish Choudhary told PTI that the process to finalise tenders for repair of NH-33 stretch has been completed and work will commence soon.
"Due to rain, work was delayed. Tender process for road repair has been completed and work will begin soon," the NHAI official said.
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Court can reject anticipatory bail but cannot direct accused to surrender: SC
New Delhi (PTI): A court can reject anticipatory bail of an accused but it has no jurisdiction to direct him to surrender before the trial court, the Supreme Court has said.
A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and Ujjal Bhuyan made the observation while hearing a plea filed by a man accused of cheating and forgery.
"If the court wants to reject the anticipatory bail, it may do so, but the court has no jurisdiction to say that the petitioner should now surrender," the bench said.
The Jharkhand High Court had rejected anticipatory bail plea of the accused and asked him to surrender and seek regular bail.
In this case, a complaint had been filed before a magistrate alleging offences under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using forged document) and 120B read with 34 of the IPC, in connection with a land dispute.
The high court had dismissed the second anticipatory bail application of the accused on the ground that no new circumstances were shown.
It had relied on its earlier order rejecting his first anticipatory bail plea, in which the court directed the petitioner to surrender before the trial court and seek regular bail in terms of the decision in Satender Kumar Antil v. CBI.
The top court said such a direction was wholly without jurisdiction and said that if a court chooses to reject anticipatory bail, it may do so, but it cannot compel the accused to surrender.
