SC slams AG over students rescue from Ukraine, says we have not learned from previous situations
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday told the Attorney General for India, K.K Venugopal that it was concerned for the Indian students stuck in Ukraine amidst military tensions with Russia.
The SC was hearing two writ petitions filed seeking evacuation of the Indian citizens in Ukraine. The court observed it was not saying a “single word about the Centre” but was “concerned” about the students.
Moreover, it termed the situation “unfortunate” that “we haven’t learned from the past situation of wars”.
The AG confirmed to the apex court headed by Chief Justice N.V Ramana that the writ petitions have led to the evacuation of over 250 Indian students including Bangalore based Fathima Ahana Mohamed, stuck at the Ukraine border, to safely cross over to Romania.
Earlier on 3 March, the apex court had urged AG Venugopal to help get Indian students back home safely. However, despite AG’s disregard, and directions to stop entertaining High Courts to function on the matter, the apex court was already hearing the issue on Friday.
According to LiveLaw, CJI Ramana told Venugopal, that – “Mr AG, you can inform your counsels appearing in state High Courts that once we are hearing and Centre is taking steps, there’s no meaning of every High Court entertaining and issuing directions. Bring it to High Courts’ notice that we have seized the matter.”
Venugopal later acknowledged before the bench comprising Justices A.S Bopanna and Hima Kolhi that 17,000 Indian nationals stuck in Ukraine have been brought back from the conflict zones.
Further, when the bench claimed the Centre to set up a helpdesk for the families of the stranded people, the AG said that the government is as concerned as the court.
“We are not saying a single word about Centre. We appreciate that. But we are concerned about these students,” the CJI said.
The CJI also noted that “It’s unfortunate we haven’t learnt from the past situation of wars. We don’t have much say in this. But the anxiety is about students.”
The apex court condemned the second petition filed by lawyer Vishal Tiwari to be “shoddy” and “hasty”. LiveLaw reported that the bench felt it was an attempt to gain publicity by taking advantage of the situation.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
