SC refuses to entertain plea against LG's power to nominate 5 MLAs in J-K assembly
New Delhi, Oct 15: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea challenging the power vested in the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor (LG) to nominate five members to the Legislative Assembly of the union territory.
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar asked the petitioner Ravinder Kumar Sharma to approach the high court.
"In cases where we have entertained a petition at the first instance, we find that many things are left out," the bench said as it gave liberty to the petitioner to approach the high court.
In the recently concluded election, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference-Congress alliance got a majority with 48 seats in the 90-member assembly.
The bench said it is not inclined to entertain the petition under Article 32 of the Constitution and clarified that it has not expressed any opinion on the merits of the issue.
Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the petitioner, said that such nomination could throttle the electoral verdict and it was an issue, which dealt with the basic structure of the Constitution.
"We are three above the majority. The total of all the others is 42. If you nominate five, they become 47 and I become 48. You have to only get one more person…You can easily nullify the elected mandate. The electoral verdict of numbers can be negated…," submitted Singhvi.
Justice Khanna said that the said power of the LG had not been exercised as of now and the petitioner should approach the high court first.
CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami, whose party was in alliance with the National Conference and Congress also won the election from Kulgam constituency.
Several other independents and lone Aam Aadmi Party MLA has also extended support to the National Conference-Congress alliance.
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Additional District Magistrate found dead at his quarters in Kannur
Kannur (Kerala), Oct 15: A senior district administration official in Kerala was found dead at his official residence here on Tuesday, a day after facing corruption allegations from the District Panchayat president during his farewell ceremony.
Police said Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Kannur, Naveen Babu K, who was supposed to reach his home district of Pathanamthitta on Tuesday morning to take charge as ADM there, was found hanging in his quarters.
At his farewell ceremony organised by his colleagues and attended by district Collector Arun K Vijayan, the ADM faced allegations of corruption from District Panchayat president P P Divya, who allegedly attended the event without an official invitation.
The death of Babu, allegedly by suicide, has sparked a row in the state, with the opposition Congress seeking the resignation of Divya, who is the ruling CPI(M)'s Kannur district panchayat president.
The Congress leaders alleged that the humiliation Babu suffered from Divya during his send-off ceremony was the reason for his extreme step. They demanded that Divya be arrested.
Kerala Revenue Minister K Rajan described the death of the official as a sad incident and stated that a serious investigation would be conducted into it. He said that there were no complaints of corruption against Babu.
In an indirect message to Divya, the minister said that elected representatives, if any, must possess maturity and public awareness when engaging with the broader society.
The police, which conducted the inquest into the body, reported that they did not find a suicide note.
Rejecting the police version, the Youth Congress alleged that the police destroyed evidence to protect the culprits involved in the incident.
The relatives of Babu rejected the narrative from certain quarters attempting to "portray" him as corrupt.
They said Babu's family had been followers of the Left party since his parents' time, and both Babu and his wife were members of Left-backed service organisations.
Attending the send-off ceremony of Babu allegedly without an official invitation on Tuesday, the District Panchayat president had criticised the ADM for delaying the approval of a petrol pump in Chengalai for several months.
Divya accused the ADM of granting approval only two days after being transferred and hinted that she knew the reasons behind this sudden approval.
Speaking in the presence of the District Collector and Babu's other colleagues, she also stated that more information would be revealed within two days.
After concluding her speech, Divya declined to stay for the presentation of a memento, saying she did not wish to stand for it, and left the stage.
The death of the official came to light when his wife, a tehsildar, and their children went to Chengannur railway station on Tuesday morning to receive Babu, who was supposed to take charge as ADM Pathanamthitta, later in the day.
When Babu was not found on the train, the family tried to reach him on his mobile phone, but it went unanswered. They subsequently contacted his colleagues in Kannur, and during their search, they found Babu hanging in his quarters.
Meanwhile, a protest erupted in Kannur by supporters of the Congress, seeking the resignation of Divya.
Talking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan alleged that the death of the ADM is equivalent to murder.
He said the arrogance and contempt shown by the district panchayat president towards the ADM are unacceptable.
Satheesan said a case should be registered, and an investigation must be conducted to bring the culprit to justice.
Meanwhile, Prasanthan, who was planning to start a petrol pump in Chengalai, alleged that he paid a bribe to Babu, the ADM of Kannur, to obtain a NOC for the petrol pump license.
He claimed that although he had submitted an application for petrol pump approval, Babu delayed the process for six months, stating that the file needed to be reviewed.
Prasanthan further alleged that he was later called to Babu's residence and asked for money. He said that he had also emailed a complaint against Babu to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The Youth Congress alleged that Prasanthan was a CPI(M) member and a close relative of a party leader. The organisation also claimed there was a conspiracy behind Prasanthan's allegations.
The BJP also held a protest march towards the district panchayat office, seeking the resignation of Divya. The party also called for the registration of a case against Divya.
