Kerala Governor approves CM's recommendation to re-induct Saji Cheriyan as minister
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Tuesday said he has approved Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's recommendation to re-induct CPI(M) leader Saji Cheriyan as minister, as the CM's advice is binding on him.
Khan told reporters here that whatever he had to say to the Chief Minister regarding Cheriyan's induction has been stated, and he will not be discussing that before the media.
"Ultimately, I accepted the CM's recommendation and we will have the swearing-in tomorrow. Even yesterday, I had said that in these matters his (CM) advice is binding on me," the Governor said.
Khan's decision comes a day after he said that Cheriyan's induction was "not a normal case" and therefore, he needs to examine the documents related to it.
Cheriyan will be administered the oath of office on Wednesday at 4 pm, an official source said.
Meanwhile, the Congress continued to oppose the decision to re-induct Cheriyan into the state Cabinet.
Leader of Opposition in the state assembly and senior Congressman V D Satheesan said the decision to re-induct the CPI(M) leader was "unethical".
He also questioned the logic behind the decision and said the opposition was not going to accept it.
"We will strongly oppose it and will even adopt legal recourse," he said and added that no one from UDF would attend the swearing-in ceremony.
Why did he resign if he said nothing in violation of the law or the Constitution, Satheesan asked.
Talking to reporters here, Cheriyan claimed he did not say anything in violation of the law or the Constitution.
"It was you (media) who kept saying that I said something unconstitutional. In order to uphold the dignity of my party, I did not hang on to my post and resigned in the face of the allegations against me," he said.
Cheriyan further said that the Kerala High Court on December 8, 2022 had dismissed two pleas seeking a declaration that he was not entitled to hold the office of MLA in view of his speech.
A division bench of the High Court headed by Chief Justice S Manikumar had held that no provision could be found in the Representation of People Act, 1951 to disqualify the MLA.
Referring to the verdict, Cheriyan said it proves that he committed no illegality and therefore, he can continue as MLA. "Then, why cannot an MLA become a minister?" he asked.
He also claimed that there are no pending cases against him in any court in the state.
The CPI(M) leader had resigned in July last year from the state Cabinet over his alleged remarks against the Constitution during a speech in Pathanamthitta district and the lodging of a criminal case against him in that connection.
Subsequently, the ruling CPI(M) decided on December 30, 2022 to bring him back into the Cabinet and sent a letter to the Governor the next day seeking his convenience for administering the oath of office to the MLA on January 4.
Khan, who returned to the state on Monday, had said that he needs to go through the papers related to Cheriyan's reinstatement into the Cabinet as it was not a normal case.
He had said that in normal circumstances it was essential for the Governor to accept the recommendation of the Chief Minister.
"But, this is not a normal case. He (Cheriyan) is not being inducted for the first time. It is a case which is totally different," Khan had said.
The Congress and the BJP had criticised the CPI(M) decision to reinstate the legislator as a minister and termed the move as unacceptable and anti-constitutional.
The Congress had said it would observe January 4 as a 'Black Day'.
Cheriyan's speech had created a political row in the state with the proceedings of the Assembly being suspended for a day due to protests by the Opposition demanding that he resign or be sacked and finally resulted in his resignation from the Cabinet.
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Riyan Parag likely to be fined 25 percent of match fees for vaping inside dressing room
New Delhi (PTI): Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag is set to be fined 25 per cent of his match fee for bringing the game into "disrepute" after being caught vaping on camera during the IPL game against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur.
Parag's actions during the Royals' chase on Tuesday night drew condemnation on social media.
PTI has learned that on field umpires Tanmay Srivastava and Nitin Menon had not reported the matter to match referee Amit Sharma right after the game. They only did that after seeing visual proof and Sharma found Parag guilty for a code of conduct breach as per the IPL guidelines.
The Level 1 offences carries 25 per cent deduction from match fees and one demerit point.
"He is set to be fined a portion of his match fees and a demerit point for a Level 1 offence," said an IPL source.
The Indian government had banned e-cigarettes back in 2019, prohibiting their production, sale and distribution. As per the law, the offender faces imprisonment up to one year and/or a Rs one lakh fine for a first time offence.
"Article 2.21 of IPL Code of Conduct is intended to cover all types of conduct that bring the game into disrepute and which is not specifically and adequately covered by the specific offences set out elsewhere in this Code of Conduct, including Article 2.20," the IPL Code of Conduct states.
"By way of example, Article 2.21 may (depending upon the seriousness and context of the breach) prohibit, without limitation, the following: (a) public acts of misconduct; (b) unruly public behaviour; and (c) inappropriate comments which are detrimental to the interests of the game.
"When assessing the seriousness of the offence, the context of the particular situation, and whether it was deliberate, reckless, negligent, avoidable and/or accidental, shall be considered.
"Further, the person lodging the Report shall determine where on the range of severity the conduct lays (with the range of severity starting at conduct of a minor nature (and hence a Level 1 Offence) up to conduct of an extremely serious nature (and hence a Level 4 Offence)."
Since it is a Level 1 offence there was no need for a hearing.
Parag, who has not had the best of times with the bat this IPL, was seen inhaling an e-cigarette, also known as vaping, in the dressing room during the live broadcast of their game against Punjab Kings. Royals won the game to end Kings' unbeaten run in the tournament.
This is not the first controversy to hit the Royals this season. Earlier this month, team manager Romi Bhinder was fined Rs one lakh for breaching PMOA protocol after being found using his phone in the dugout.
IPL and BCCI officials involved in the conduct of the IPL termed it as a careless act in the age of social media and prying TV cameras.
Royals next host Delhi Capitals at home on Friday night.
