Press any button but vote will go to BJP, says BJP MLA Bakshish Singh Virk
Rahul Gandhi says this leader is "The most honest man in the BJP"
New Delhi/Chandigarh, Oct 21: A video of the ruling BJP candidate from Assandh purportedly making controversial remarks about EVMs emerged on the social media on the eve of Haryana Assembly polls, following which the Election Commission issued him a show cause notice and appointed a special observer to the constituency to take "corrective action".
In the clip, BJP candidate and sitting MLA Bakshish Singh Virk purportedly says that no matter which button is pressed on the electronic voting machine, the vote would go to the BJP, but he dubbed it as a fake video and alleged that it was a conspiracy by his opponents to defame him and his party.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today took a pot-shot at the BJP over one of its candidates in Haryana declaring that no matter what button is pressed on Electronic Voting Machine (EVM)s, every vote will go to the ruling party. The "most honest man in the BJP", Rahul Gandhi tweeted on MLA Bakshish Singh Virk, who has been served notice by the Election Commission for his controversial comment.
An EC statement on Sunday said former deputy election commissioner Vinod Zutshi is being sent to Assandh Constituency in Karnal "in light of the video circulating on social media.''
"Zutshi has been requested to proceed immediately to the constituency to take necessary corrective action and ensure free, fair and peaceful election," the Commission said.
After the video circulated on social media, the Election Commission took cognizance and issued a show cause notice to Virk, Haryana's Joint Chief Electoral Officer Dr Inder Jeet said over phone.
In the video, Virk also purportedly tells a small gathering of his supporters, We will come to know who has voted for whom, there should be no misconception about this....
Virk, however, claimed that he never said anything about EVMs .
"A fake video has been made viral. Some mediaperson has done this act and twisted the entire thing. I respect the Election Commission and have faith in EVMs. I never said anything about the voting machines.
"There is no truth in the allegations which are being levelled. It is a conspiracy to defame me and my party," he said.
Hitting out at the BJP, Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja said the saffron party knows that it will be rejected by the people and that is why it's MLA was making such remarks.
Congress leader Shamsher Gogi and JJP demanded that the EC should cancel Virk's candidature.
The most honest man in the BJP. pic.twitter.com/6Q4D43uo0d
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 21, 2019
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Dileep case: Advocate representing survivor alleges Judge favoured actor
Thiruvanthapuram: A month after Malayalam film Actor Dileep was acquitted in the the case pertaining to abduction and rape of a famous Malayalam actress, Advocate T B Mini, the survivor's counsel in the case has accussed the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court Judge Honey M Varghese of favouring Actor Dileep in her petition to the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court, reported On Manorama.
In her petition(accessed by Onmanorama), Mini has sought contempt of court proceedings against Honey Varghese alleging that the trial court judge made derisive remarks about her, including claims that she would doze off during court proceedings and was lax in handling the actress assault case.
Mini, who described the comments as false, contemptuous and defamatory, alleged in her petition that Honey Varghese had unduly favoured Dileep, the actor and producer who was the eighth accused in the case.
In the verdict delivered in December last year, Judge Honey Varghese acquitted Dileep and three other accused while sentencing six convicts to imprisonment.
The ruling drew major uproar, while Mini had refrained from making any public remarks against the judge at the time, stating only that the verdict was disappointing, now she has levelled serious allegations against the judge as the High Court is set to begin hearing the bail pleas filed by the six convicts on February 4.
Furthermore, Mini has stated in her petition that since the very first stage of the trial, the Judge Honey Varghese passed derogatory remarks against the survivor and behaved discourteously towards the prosecution, which eventually led to the resignation of two Special Public Prosecutors. According to Mini, the undue favour shown by Honey Varghese to Dileep resulted in a serious miscarriage of justice and brought disrepute to the judicial system.
She stated in the petition that it was a regular practice of Honey Varghese to pass derogatory comments about the survivor as well as the prosecution witnesses.
Mini also alleged that on several occasions, the Special Public Prosecutor was compelled to remind the judge that such conduct was in violation of the Supreme Court’s directions.
Mini also questioned the manner in which Honey Varghese conducted the inquiry into the illegal access of the memory card containing visuals of the sexual assault.
The memory card, a vital piece of evidence kept in the custody of the Sessions Court, was unlawfully accessed and tampered with, leading to a change in its hash value.
According to the report, an examination by the State Forensic Science Laboratory found that the card had been accessed on January 9, 2018, December 13, 2018, and July 19, 2021, while it was under the safe custody of different courts.
Mini stated in the petition that the memory card was illegally accessed for nearly half an hour in July 2021 while it was in the custody of the court presided over by Honey Varghese.
After the survivor approached the High Court citing a breach of privacy, the HC directed Honey Varghese to conduct an inquiry. Mini alleged that the judge carried out only a perfunctory inquiry, in violation of the High Court’s directions.
Mini has sought legal action against Honey Varghese, stating that when a lawyer is defamed in open court through false allegations, the judge is liable to face proceedings before the High Court. She noted in the petition that although she had a very limited role in the trial as the survivor’s counsel, she regularly attended the proceedings from November 2022 onward.
