On Activists' Arrests, High Court Questions Press Conference By Police
MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has pulled up Maharashtra Police for holding a press conference, elaborating on the evidence it claims to have, against activists arrested in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case. While hearing a petition, the court said how can the police hold a press conference when the case is subjudice.
The petitioner told the court that the police on one hand wants an in camera hearing while on the other are reading out evidence in the form of the activists' letters in public.The petitioner wants the case to be handed over to the NIA or the National Investigative Agency.
Facing criticism on the raids and arrests targeting rights activists, the Maharashtra police had claimed it had solid evidence including "thousands of documents and letters" that established the activists' links to Maoists and their role in facilitating weapons and funding.
The activists who were arrested on August 28 - poet and Maoist ideologue Varavara Rao, lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, activists Arun Fereira, Gautam Navlakha and Vernon Gonsalves - are under house arrest on the orders of the Supreme Court till September 6.
There is nothing new in the allegations made by the police, said Mr Rao's nephew. Calling the Maharashtra Police's "conclusive proof", "cooked up", Mr Rao's nephew told news agency PTI that "it is illegal to hold a press conference when the Supreme Court asked the evidence to be submitted on September 6."
Lawyer and activist Sudha Bharadwaj, who is also under house arrest, said that one of the letters mentioned by the police is fabricated. "It is a totally concocted letter fabricated to criminalize me and other human rights lawyers, activists and organisations," she said in hand-written statement shared through her lawyer Vrinda Grover.
The Bombay High court has been adjourned the matter till September 7, as copies of the petition have not been served to all parties.
courtesy : ndtv.com
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Congress names candidates for 8 Haryana LS seats, fields Kumari Selja, Deepender Hooda
Chandigarh (PTI): The Congress on Thursday announced candidates for eight of the nine Lok Sabha seats it is contesting in Haryana, fielding former Union minister Kumari Selja, Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda and youth leader Divyanshu Budhiraja, besides two sitting MLAs.
The party has also fielded former MP Jai Prakash and leaders Satpal Brahmachari and Mahendra Pratap, according to the list released late Thursday evening.
The Congress is contesting nine of the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana. It has not yet announced its candidate for the Gurugram constituency.
The Aam Aadmi Party, a constituent of the opposition INDIA bloc, will contest the Kurukshetra seat.
Congress general secretary and former Union minister Selja will contest from the Sirsa (reserved) seat and sitting MLAs Varun Choudhary and Rao Dan Singh from the Ambala (reserved) and the Bhiwani-Mahendragarh Lok Sabha seats, respectively.
Deepender Hooda, son of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, will enter the fray from Rohtak. He has represented the Rohtak parliamentary constituency three times in the past.
Jai Prakash has been fielded from Hisar, the Congress' Haryana youth wing president Divanshu Budhiraja from Karnal, Satpal Brahmachari from Sonipat and Mahendra Pratap from Faridabad.
