Rajnath Singh calls for “new United Nations” at International Chief Justices Conference in Lucknow
Lucknow: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended the 26th International Conference of Chief Justices of the World organised by City Montessori School (CMS) in Lucknow, where jurists and dignitaries from 52 countries are taking part. The event is being held at the CMS Kanpur Road auditorium from November 20 to 23.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the conference in the morning, while Rajnath Singh inaugurated the cultural evening organised in honour of the visiting Chief Justices and global delegates.
Speaking at the event, Rajnath Singh said that global conflicts and changing geopolitical conditions required reforms in the United Nations. He said the world needed a UN with “new energy, a new working style and a renewed perspective”. During the programme, Singh presented the “Key to the City of Lucknow” to former Croatia President Stjepan Mesić. The “Hope of Humanity Award” was given to Dr. Augusto López-Claros from Spain, and Justice Rosa María Acon of Costa Rica received the “Mother Teresa Award”.
CMS Manager and conference convener Prof. Geeta Gandhi Kingdon welcomed the delegates and said that the conference, now in its 26th year, had helped position Lucknow globally as a centre for dialogue on unity and peace.
In his inaugural address earlier in the day, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the conference offered a platform to discuss justice, morality, international law and global cooperation. He noted that collective efforts were essential to address global challenges.
During various parallel sessions, President Mesić said the judiciary remained the “last line of defence” for universal values, adding that justice was a shared interest of all humanity. Adel Omar Sherif, Deputy Chief Justice of Egypt, spoke about the importance of judicial independence in maintaining peace. He also recalled the words of the conference’s founder, the late Dr. Jagdish Gandhi, who had stressed that a divided world could not survive.
Sessions through the day saw discussions on global governance, international law, multilateralism, corruption, cybercrime, climate and health-related legal frameworks, judicial cooperation, dispute resolution and protection of global commons and outer space.
CMS Communications Head Rishi Khanna said Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh Rana will attend the conference on Saturday. Guests from India and abroad will also visit the Chief Minister’s residence at 5 Kalidas Marg for a dinner hosted in their honour.
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Mamata’s decision not to quit part of her protest against Centre, EC: Raut
Mumbai (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday backed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s decision not to quit after her defeat in the assembly polls, calling it a part of her protest against the Centre and the Election Commission of India.
Talking to reporters, Raut asserted that it is necessary to unite against the “dictatorship of the Centre and partisan behaviour of the Election Commission”. He said the poll body has become “slaves” of the Centre.
The Opposition has to decide whether it has to contest the polls or not, he said.
“Mamata Banerjee is not resigning is part of her agitation against the government (Centre), the Election Commission (EC) and a series of acts against democracy,” Raut said.
It has to be seen what direction the agitation takes, he added.
Alleging that the West Bengal assembly poll verdict was “not a people's mandate but a conspiracy”, Banerjee on Tuesday refused to resign as chief minister.
The BJP sealed a landslide victory with 207 seats in the 294-member assembly, ending the TMC’s uninterrupted 15-year rule. Banerjee dismissed the outcome as “engineered” and asserted that her party was fighting the Election Commission, not the BJP. The TMC could only manage 80 seats.
In a post on Facebook, Raut said Banerjee’s decision not to quit is fully justified. He also sought to draw a parallel with the 2022 Maharashtra political crisis.
The then Chief Justice of India had observed during hearings on petitions seeking the disqualification of rebel MLAs of the undivided Shiv Sena that Uddhav Thackeray, who headed the party at the time, could have been reinstated as chief minister had he not resigned, Raut said.
The Rajya Sabha MP said Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray had called up Banerjee after the polls and extended support. Almost all INDIA bloc leaders have called Banerjee and extended their support to her.
“We have to come together if we have to unite against the dictatorship of the Centre and the partisan behaviour of the EC or the way the poll body has become slaves of the government,” Raut said.
He claimed that even many in the government do not agree with the “degradation of democracy”.
