Sabarimala gold issue: UDF alleges CM's office interference, disrupts Assembly
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Alleging interference by the Chief Minister’s office in the SIT probe into the Sabarimala gold loss cases, the Congress-led UDF opposition disrupted Assembly proceedings on Tuesday, declaring that it would no longer cooperate with the House.
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, V D Satheesan, informed Speaker A N Shamseer about the UDF's decision as the House proceedings commenced.
As the opposition protest continued in the House amidst the question hour, Congress MLA Anwar Sadath suddenly attempted to climb onto the Speaker's dais, leading to Shamseer stopping the assembly for around half-an-hour and leaving for his chambers.
Subsequently, when he returned at around 10 am, state Law Minister P Rajeev submitted in the House that the opposition was trying to subvert a proper probe into the Sabarimala gold case.
As the minister began speaking, the opposition started shouting and re-started its protest.
Rajeev alleged that it was the opposition which brought prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty into the picture to subvert the Global Ayyappa Sangam organised by the government.
"It is the opposition which knows who stole the gold from the shrine," he contended.
Dramatic scenes were witnessed in the House, after Shamseer said it was not right that some UDF MLAs tried to climb onto the Speaker's dais, as Sadath again tried to do the same and was pushed back by the watch-and-ward personnel of the assembly.
Subsequently, the watch-and-ward staff also forcibly pulled away the banner held up by the opposition MLAs in front of the dais.
Following the action by the watch-and-ward staff, more UDF MLAs tried to climb onto the dais, forcing the Speaker to again briefly adjourn the House as the ruling front legislators laughed at the actions of the opposition.
At 9 am when the House began, Satheesan alleged that the probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) was not going anywhere and conditions were being created for more of the arrested accused in the two Sabarimala gold loss cases to come out on statutory bail.
He said that soon prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty and three CPI(M) leaders, also arrested in the case, would be out on statutory bail.
"All this is happening due to the pressure and interference from the Chief Minister's Office. So, we would like to inform you (Speaker) that we are intensifying our protest by bringing it into the House and we are not going to cooperate with the assembly proceedings," the opposition leader said.
Opposition MLAs trooped into the well of the House and held up placards -- some of which claimed CPI(M) was protecting those accused in the two cases and that the Left party leaders stole Lord Ayyappa's gold -- in front of the Speaker's dais, shouting slogans against the government.
The question hour of the House, subsequently, proceeded amidst the opposition protest.
Responding to the opposition protest, state Health Minister Veena George said that not cooperating with the House proceedings shows the irresponsibility of the UDF.
The opposition intensified its protest a day after a vigilance court on Monday granted statutory bail to former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) executive officer D Sudheesh Kumar in two cases related to the loss of gold from the Sabarimala temple.
Former TDB administrative officers B Murari Babu and S Sreekumar are already out on statutory bail in the matter.
Sreekumar has not been made an accused in the second case involving the loss of gold from the doorframes of Sreekovil.
Potty has got statutory bail in one of the cases and once he gets the same relief in the other, he too will come out of jail.
The cases relate to the alleged loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idol plates and from the gold cladding on the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum).
The SIT has made 12 arrests in the matter till date.
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SC gives protection of arrest for two weeks to shaadi.com founder in fraud case
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted shaadi.com founder Anupam Mittal and two others protection from arrest for two weeks in a case related to alleged fraud by a user of the matrimonial platform.
A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and N V Anjaria set aside a Telangana High Court order refusing to quash the proceedings against Mittal and sent the matter back to the high court for fresh consideration. The apex court also asked Mittal to approach the high court for interim bail.
The case stems from a Hyderabad woman's allegation that she was defrauded of Rs 11 lakh by a man who used a fake profile on shaadi.com and that the platform failed to properly verify user details.
"Since the quashing petition has not been decided on merits, we set aside the impugned order and remit the matter to the high court to consideration on merits. Accordingly the criminal cases are restored to their original file. The same shall be dealt with by the high court on its merits. This court has not expressed any opinion on merits," the Supreme Court said.
"In the meanwhile, petitioner shall make a prayer for interim relief before the high court. For a period of eight weeks from today, no coercive steps to be taken against the petitioner," it added.
Senior advocate Atmaram Nadkarni, appearing for Mittal, submitted that he was running a matrimonial site, which is basically just a matchmaker.
"I am just facilitating matching. We are cooperating with the investigation. But why am I an accused?" Nadkarni asked.
On June 26, the top court had issued notice to the Telangana government and stayed all proceedings.
The Telangana High Court last year declined to quash the FIR registered against Mittal and two others, Vignesh and Satish, named as accused in the case.
