No coercive steps against Kanhaiya till Friday, HC tells JNU
New Delhi, July 18 : The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) not to take any coercive step against the former students union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar till Friday (July 20).
The former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union president was fined by a panel of the university in connection with a 2016 incident in which anti-India slogans were allegedly raised at an event.
Justice Rekha Palli's order came while hearing Kumar's plea challenging the university's order which has imposed a fine against him.
As the bench of Justice Siddharth Mridul was on leave, Justice Rekha Palli deferred the matter till Friday for further hearing.
Kumar's plea, filed through advocate Tarannum Cheema and Harsh Bora, has sought quashing of notification issued by high level enquiry of university.
A high-level enquiry found student-activist Umar Khalid, along with Kanhaiya Kumar and Anirban Bhattacharya, guilty in the February 2016 episode in which a group of students allegedly raised "anti-national" slogans.
It had also recommended rustication of Umar Khalid in connection with the incident, apart from imposing financial penalty on 13 other students for violation of disciplinary norms.
Kumar, a member of Communist Party of India's student wing, was the president of the varsity's student union that year.
The three student-activists were accused -- though none yet chargesheeted by police -- of raising slogans against the integrity of India during a poetry-reading gathering of students at Sabarmati Dhaba inside the JNU campus on February 9, 2016.
Delhi Police arrested Kumar few days after the incident, invoking the sedition law, while Khalid and Bhattacharya, along with three other students, went into hiding
The event was followed by a chain of student protests across India in solidarity with the students, who decried the acts of fabrication of evidence against them and anachronistic character of the sedition law dating back to 1860.
All three are now out on bail.
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Karnataka govt directs municipal corps to regulate, prohibit pigeon feeding
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has issued directions to municipal corporations across the state to regulate and prohibit feeding pigeons in public places, citing serious public health concerns.
Deputy Secretary to Government V Lakshmikanth has written to the Urban Development Department requesting it to issue directions to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and all municipal corporations to take immediate steps to implement the measures.
In an official note dated December 16 issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department and released to the media on Wednesday, the department said uncontrolled feeding of pigeons in public places has resulted in large congregations of birds, excessive droppings and serious health concerns, particularly respiratory illnesses linked to prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other lung diseases.
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"The commissioner, the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Commissioners and chief officers of other municipal corporations shall take necessary action to mitigate the causes of dangerous disease spread by pigeon and enforce specified guidelines in their respective jurisdiction," the note said.
According to the department, these include a prohibition on feeding pigeons or causing pigeons to be fed in areas where it may cause nuisance or pose a health hazard to the public. Pigeon feeding shall be permitted only in designated areas in a controlled manner, subject to certain conditions.
"The designated areas may be selected in consultation with stakeholders. The responsibility for upkeep of the designated areas and compliance to the directions shall be taken up by some charitable organisation or an NGO. The feeding in designated areas shall be permitted only for some limited hours in the day," it said.
The note further stated that authorised officers of local authorities shall issue on-the-spot warnings and may impose fines for violation of the order, or lodge complaints to prosecute offenders under Sections 271 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 272 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It also directed local authorities to conduct public awareness campaigns, including the display of signboards, banners and digital messages, explaining the health hazards associated with pigeon droppings and feathers, the content of the regulatory directions and penalties for violations, and alternative humane methods of bird conservation that do not endanger public health.
