SC judgment on reservation: Congress says it will take decisive step' in two days
Chandigarh: The Congress on Friday said its members have approached the Supreme Court in their individual capacities against the recent job quota judgment and the party will take a decisive step on the issue in the next two days.
Congress leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala and Kumari Selja said the party will bring the government to its knees if it does not undo the judgment, which made clear that state governments are not bound to provide reservation to SC, ST and OBC communities.
The verdict came on February 7. But even a week after the Supreme Court ruling, neither the Uttarakhand government nor the Central government has filed any petition against the apex court verdict, Surjewala said.
Congress people have certainly come forward in their individual capacities to file petitions, he said. In the next 48 hours or so, we are about to take a more decisive step on this.
But Surjewala, who is the chief spokesperson of the Congress, did not elaborate if the party is planning to seek a review of the judgment.
Last week, the Supreme Court upheld the Uttarakhand government's contention on quotas, triggering a row.
There are two options before the government and we will force them on their knees on behalf of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes till they accept, Surjewala said.
He said the options are to go back to the Supreme Court and seek a review, or bring in an ordinance or legislation to undo the judgment.
At their joint press conference here, Surjewala and Haryana Congress chief Kumar Selja claimed that the BJP and RSS have been "sabotaging" reservation for the oppressed sections of society.
Surjewala said the prime minister should have sought an explanation from the BJP government in Uttarakhand its stand in the apex court.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi should apologise before the country and dismiss the Uttarakhand chief minister, he said.
The Congress leaders charged that it is in the DNA of the BJP and the RSS to try to erase reservation and take away the rights of the deprived sections.
Selja said the Congress will stage protests on Sunday at the district-level to "expose" the Modi government's "conspiracy to end reservation" for SC, ST and OBC.
The Supreme Court's ruling related to pleas on Uttarakhand government's September 2012 decision to fill up all posts in public services without providing reservations to the SC and ST.
"In view of the law laid down by this court, there is no doubt that the state government is not bound to make reservations, the bench of justices L Nageswara Rao and Hemant Gupta said.
There is no fundamental right which inheres in an individual to claim reservation in promotions," it added.
The Congress leaders also claimed that cases of atrocities against Dalits in the country have been on the rise under the BJP government. They said there was a 20 per cent increase in such cases during the five years of the BJP government in Haryana.
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ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, 'cosmetologist' for alleged money laundering
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday it has arrested a woman, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation.
The agency said the purported links of the woman, Sandeepa Virk, with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, Corporate Affairs), are also under its scanner. Sethuraman, in a statement, denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Virk was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday after searches were conducted against her and her associates in Delhi and Mumbai over the last two days.
A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The woman claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named hyboocare.com, which the ED claimed was a "front" for money laundering.
She and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.
According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website.
The federal agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited.
She was communicating with him regarding "illegal liaisoning", the ED claimed, adding that the searches at Sethuraman's residence "confirmed" these allegations.
"Besides, diversion of funds for personal benefit has also been unearthed during the course of the search action," it said.
The ED alleged that public money worth about Rs 18 crore belonging to Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) was disbursed to Sethuraman in 2018 by "flouting" prudent lending norms.
The funds were lent under terms that allowed a deferment of the principal amount as well as the interest, with multiple waivers granted and no due diligence conducted, it said.
The ED claimed that besides this, a home loan of Rs 22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms. "A large part of these loans are seen to have been eventually siphoned off and remained unpaid," it alleged.
Sethuraman, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as "baseless". He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Detailing about Virk's web portal, the agency said it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, the ED said the products listed on the website have been found to be non-existent and the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues.
A scrutiny of the website uncovered minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the finding of "non-genuine" commercial activity, the ED claimed.
"These factors, including limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval and technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds," it said.
Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist.
The ED said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Virk, was recorded.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police.
Sethuraman said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral.
