SC deprecates UP minister's 'Supreme Court is ours' remark
New Delhi, Sep 12: The Supreme Court on Thursday deprecated the remarks of an Uttar Pradesh minister that like the Ram Mandir and the disputed land in Ayodhya, the top court is also "ours".
A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi took note of the statement of senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for Muslim parties including Sunni Wakf Board in the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute, that he has received a threat message on his Facebook wall and his clerk has also been abused and assaulted by some people as he had been appearing against Hindu bodies in the case.
"This should not be happening in the country. We deprecate such statements. Both sides are free to put their arguments before court without any fear," said the bench which also comprised justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S A Nazeer.
As soon as the bench assembled to commence hearing on 22nd day in the politically sensitive case, Dhavan submitted that the atmosphere was not "conducive" and "right" for the hearing and referred to two recent incidents.
"Last week, I received a message on my Facebook wall. I received threats. Yesterday, my clerk was told that his boss was arguing against the Hindu deity," he said, adding there was an ugly spat including fisticuffs with his clerk.
Then he referred to the purported statement of Uttar Pradesh minister Mukut Bihari Verma made in 2018 and said, "He had said that 'jagah hamari hai. Mandir hamara hai aur Supreme Court bhi hamari hai (the place is ours, so are the temple and the Supreme Court)."
"I cannot go on filing contempt petitions," Dhavan said, adding that there was "camaraderie" in the court, but the situation outside was not conducive and "one word from My lords" would serve the purpose.
The bench then asked Dhavan whether he wanted security cover but the offer was declined by the senior lawyer.
Dhavan said he was "not arguing against the Hindu faith" and "people forgot that I had argued Kashi and Kamakhya cases in past".
Dhavan's clerk later told reporters that some unknown persons on Wednesday had stopped him and asked as to why his employer lawyer was fighting case against Hindus.
The clerk, however, said that he was not physically assaulted.
The top court then proceeded with the hearing in the case.
Earlier, the apex court had issued show cause notices to two persons, including an 88-year-old retired government servant N Shanmugam, on the contempt plea of Dhavan.
He had alleged that Shanmugam had hurled curses at him for taking up the case on behalf of Sunni Waqf Board and other Muslim parties.
Rajasthan resident Sanjay Kalal Bajrangi was the second person who had allegedly threatened Dhavan by sending a WhatsApp message.
Later, Dhavan had claimed that Iqbal Ansari, one of the litigants in the land dispute case, was attacked at his home in Ayodhya by two people including shooter Vartika Singh.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
