Nagpur, Aug 6: The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on Friday dismissed a petition which sought that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah be disqualified under the Representation of the People (RP) Act, 1951.
The court also imposed a cost on the petitioner Ram Khobragade, a lawyer.
The petition demanded that Modi and Shah be declared guilty of "corrupt practices" under section 123 of the RP Act and disqualified for alleged violation of the model code of conduct during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. A division bench of Justices Sunil Shukre and Anil Killor said the petition was not maintainable as it was filed "in ignorance of the provisions made in sections 80-81 of the RP Act" and also Article 102 of the Constitution.
Sections 80 and 81 deal with under what circumstances a petition challenging election can be filed, and Article 102 explains how an MP can lose the membership of Parliament.
The petitioner, instead of pursuing other remedies under the law, moved the high court even when he himself is an advocate, the judges noted. The court dismissed the petition and imposed a cost of Rs 1,000 on the petitioner. He will have to deposit the amount with the HC legal services committee.
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Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
