Publicise criminal records of candidates: Supreme Court to political parties
New Delhi, Sep 25 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed political parties to post on their websites and publicise in the media full details of the criminal charges the candidates they are fielding in elections are facing.
Pronouncing the judgment, a five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra also urged Parliament to enact a law to address the malaise of criminals entering the legislature.
He also said this law should address fake cases being instituted against political opponents.
The court directed that:
►Each contesting candidate must state in bold the criminal cases pending against him/her in the forms to be filed up at the time of filing nomination papers.
►The candidate aspiring to contest an election would be required to inform the political party about the criminal cases pending against him.
►Political parties to put-up on their website the criminal antecedents of the candidates being fielded by them in the elections.
►Political parties and the candidate will give wide publicity of the criminal cases pending against the contesting candidate both in print and electronic media after filing their nomination papers.
The apex court said it could not add any further disqualification to the law, it was now up to Parliament to make a law to prevent person with serious criminal cases from entering the legislature.
The Chief Justice wished that such a law might come sooner than later before criminalisation of politics sounds its death knell for democracy, it was required to cure the cancer of criminalisation of politics.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
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.
