Plea in SC seeks direction to empower citizens to petition Parliament
New Delhi (PTI): A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre and others to take steps to create an appropriate system which empowers citizens to petition Parliament and seek initiation of deliberations on issues highlighted by them.
The plea came up for hearing on Friday before a bench comprising justices K M Joseph and B V Nagarathna.
The bench asked the counsel appearing for petitioner Karan Garg to serve a copy of the plea to the Centre's lawyer and posted the matter in February.
Advocate Rohan J Alva appeared for the petitioner.
The plea has sought a declaration that it is the fundamental right of citizens under Articles 14, 19(1)(a) and 21 of the Constitution to directly petition Parliament to seek initiation of a debate, discussion and deliberation on the issues highlighted by them in their petitions.
"The present writ petition prays that it is imperative for the respondents (Centre and others) to take substantive steps in order to ensure that citizens can have their voices heard in Parliament without facing undue barriers and difficulties," it said.
The plea said as an ordinary citizen of the country, the petitioner felt "diempowered" when it came to participation in the democratic process and after people cast their votes and elect representatives, there is no scope for any further participation.
It said there is a complete absence of any formal mechanism by which citizens can engage with the lawmakers and take steps in order to ensure that issues which are of vital importance are debated in Parliament.
"The absence of this mechanism creates a void between elected representatives and the citizens. The people are disconnected from the law-making process. This distancing of the citizens to their inherent rights to fully participate in Indian democracy is a matter of grave concern and is an issue which needs to be immediately addressed," the plea said.
It said a system by which the citizens can directly petition Parliament is already in place in the United Kingdom and it has been working well for several years.
It also said that if citizens have the ability to engage with the Centre and Parliament at a deeper level, it may reduce the burden on the apex court and high courts "since there may exist an effective and alternative remedy for espousing and pursuing public interest causes".
The plea said citizens have a fundamental right to participate in democratic affairs and are constitutionally entitled to present workable and constructive suggestions to Parliament on matters of national importance so that public interest is appropriately safeguarded.
"The current system does not fully allow citizens to initiate discussions in Parliament by moving appropriate petitions," it added.
The petition said formulation of well-reasoned and reasonable rules which allow citizens to directly petition Parliament will usher in a transformative era of democratic governance and create an environment for robust engagement between the people of the country and the members of Parliament.
It has sought a direction to the Centre and others to expeditiously take steps to create an appropriate system or reasonable rules and regulations which empower citizens to petition Parliament and seek initiation of a debate on the issues highlighted by them.
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Godman Ashok Kharat seems linked to Ajit Pawar plane crash, CID should probe: Rohit Pawar
Pune (PTI): NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Tuesday alleged that Nashik-based godman Ashok Kharat is prima facie linked to the fatal plane crash involving his uncle and then Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and demanded his interrogation by the CID.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the CID office in Pune to take stock of the status of the plane crash investigation, he alleged that some occult rituals had been performed outside late Ajit Pawar's house through a small political leader in Baramati.
"A goat was found hanging near Ajitdada's house. Kharat had told a farmer that an attack on the Pawar family could happen in the near future. A small political leader from Baramati used to visit Kharat for rituals and was in contact with leaders close to Ajitdada," he alleged.
Why was there a sudden increase in transactions in Kharat's account on January 27 and 28? he asked.
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Kharat was arrested in March for allegedly sexually exploiting several women and cheating people.
"Kharat's involvement appears to be linked to Ajit Pawar's accident, and the CID should investigate him. Kharat had stored some videos for blackmail, while video clips of common women have surfaced," Rohit Pawar added.
On the status of the CID probe, Rohit Pawar said he visited the office to submit "some evidence" regarding the fatal plane crash.
"It's been three months since the fatal plane crash. The first time we came, Sunil Ramanand (ADG, CID) was present. The second time, some other officers were there. Today, key officials were not present; they had gone to Mumbai for a cricket match," he said.
A Learjet 45 aircraft, operated by VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd, crashed at Baramati airport on the morning of January 28 while en route from Mumbai to Baramati, killing Ajit Pawar and four others.
Rohit Pawar had lodged the “Zero” FIR last month in Bengaluru under Section 173(1) of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, weeks after the fatal incident.
He alleged that instead of conducting a proper investigation, they (CID officials) are talking about conducting an inquiry.
"The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has sent us information. The aircraft's technical records are stored in the FDA system. The National Transportation Safety Board has been involved in this case. Earlier, they said the CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder) was burnt, now they are saying all the data has been downloaded. However, the real investigation should be handled by the CID," the NCP (SP) leader added.
ADG Ramanand had earlier said that the CID was already probing an Accidental Death Report registered with Pune Rural Police following the plane crash.
"The Zero FIR received from Bengaluru will be treated as a statement under Section 180 of the BNSS and factored into our probe,” he had said.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation is conducting a separate inquiry and submitted its preliminary findings on February 28.
