NCP, Uddhav-led Sena camp welcome Koshyari's exit as Maha governor
Mumbai (PTI): Nationalist Congress Party's Maharashtra chief Jayant Patil on Sunday welcomed the resignation of Bhagat Singh Koshyari from the state governor's post and said they hope the new occupant of the Raj Bhavan here would not be a "puppet of the BJP".
President Droupadi Murmu has accepted the resignation of Koshyari, a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said on Sunday.
Koshyari was replaced by Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais.
Reacting to the development, NCP leader Jayant Patil in a tweet said, "I hope the new governor would not be a puppet of the BJP like the previous one (Koshyari). We welcome the decision of the Union government to change the Maharashtra governor as it was the demand of the Maha Vikas Aghadi."
"The previous governor had lowered the stature of his post by making controversial remarks against social icons from the state as well as conducting swearing in ceremony of the current unconstitutional state government. We welcome the news of appointment of a new governor of Maharashtra," he added.
The new Eknath Shinde-BJP coalition came to power in June last year after a split in the Shiv Sena and the subsequent collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (comprising the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress) government.
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MLA and former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray also welcomed Koshyari's resignation.
"Big win for Maharashtra! The resignation of anti Maharashtra Governor has finally been accepted," he tweeted.
"He, who constantly insulted Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotiba Pule and Savitri bai Phule, our Constitution, Assembly & democratic ideals, cannot be accepted as a Governor," the MLA said in the tweet.
Some of Koshyari's statements had triggered controversy, leading to an announcement by the state Raj Bhavan last month that he wants to quit the post.
Addressing a gathering in November last year, Koshyari said Chhatrapati Shivaji was an icon of olden times' and personalities like Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar to Nitin Gadkari were the modern icons of the state.
Uddhav Thackeray, when he was Maharashtra chief minister, accused Koshyari of being overactive, and pointed out that the governor had not filled 12 vacant seats in the state Legislative Council despite the state government's recommendation.
In November 2019, Koshyari administered oath of office to BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and NCP's Ajit Pawar as chief minister and deputy CM in a shock early morning swearing-in ceremony, amid the BJP-Shiv Sena tussle over the CM's post.
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K’taka HC judge whose controversial remarks triggered controversy expresses regret before open court
Bengaluru: Karnataka High Court judge, Justice V Srishananda, on Saturday expressed regret in open court after facing backlash over his controversial remarks in his recent court hearings, reported Bar and Bench.
Two purported video clips from Justice V Srishananda’s court hearing that show him making inappropriate comments went viral across social media platforms.
On Saturday, Justice Srishananda invited members of the Advocates Association, Bengaluru, and senior lawyers to his courtroom at 2:30 PM, where he read out a note expressing regret for inappropriate comments.
Quoting Advocates Association President Vivek Subba Reddy, Bar and Bench wrote, “He expressed regret for the comments and clarified that it was not his intention to offend any community or members of the Bar. He also requested the association to relay this message to all members of the Bar.”
Reddy further stated, “We also advised him to encourage young lawyers in the courtroom and refrain from making any irrelevant remarks during hearings.”
Another senior lawyer present during the session confirmed to the legal news portal that Justice Srishananda also addressed comments directed at a woman lawyer, who was seen in one of the videos being reprimanded by the judge. The judge Justice Srishananda clarified that his remarks were not intended to target her (woman lawyer) specifically, but rather pertained to the appellant she was representing. “He explained that his comment was meant to imply that the appellant seemed to know a lot about the other party,” said the lawyer.
In addition, Justice Srishananda assured those present that he would avoid making such comments in the future.
The controversy came to light on September 19, when a video clip from an August 28 Court hearing surfaced on social media, showing Justice Srishananda referring to a Muslim-majority sub-locality in Bengaluru’s Goripalya as "Pakistan." Hours later, another video from the same courtroom emerged, in which the judge was seen making a gender-insensitive remark.
Following outrage over the viral videos, a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, Surya Kant, and Hrishikesh Roy, on September 20 took a suo motu cognizance and sought a report from the Karnataka High Court Registrar General in connection with the viral video.
