Telecom tower damage: High Court issues notice to Punjab, Centre on Reliance Jio plea
Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the Punjab government and the Centre on a plea filed by Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, seeking action against "miscreants" damaging its telecom infrastructure and forcibly closing its stores in the state.
During the ongoing agitation by farmers against three new farm laws enacted by the Centre, over 1500 mobile towers in Punjab have ben damaged.
Reliance Jio, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd, on Monday, submitted in its plea that "vested" interests are engaged in spreading "false rumours" against it and that the petitioner, its parent company and its affiliates had no plans to enter corporate or contract farming.
Justice Sudhir Mittal has issued notice of motion for February 8, according to Aashish Mittal, the counsel for Reliance Jio.
The company has made the state of Punjab through its chief secretary, Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Telecommunications and the Punjab Director General of Police as respondents in the matter.
In the civil writ petition, Reliance Jio has also sought appropriate directions to respondents for investigation into the well-orchestrated and sustained disinformation campaign being carried out by vested interests and miscreants against it.
In the petition, the company has stated that in the past few weeks, its over 1,500 telecom towers were damaged or rendered inoperative by miscreants crippling its mobile network in Punjab.
A number of its centres and stores were also forcibly closed by miscreants by using illegal force and intimidation, it submitted.
The petitioner submitted that its subscribers were being forced to port to other networks, while its employees were being subjected to grave threat to life and forcibly prevented from serving subscribers in the state.
According to the petition, vested interests inimical to the petitioner and its parent company Reliance Industries, are engaged in spreading false rumours to the effect that the petitioner and its affiliates were somehow a beneficiary of recent legislation passed by Parliament governing marketing of agricultural produce.
In a statement, Reliance said it "has nothing whatsoever to do with the three farm laws currently debated in the country, and in no way benefits from them .
The company also sought constitution of a competent authority under the Punjab Prevention of Damage to Public and Private Property Act for the assessment of losses caused to it.
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CM Siddaramaiah says no decision taken on 4 per cent Muslim reservation in govt tenders
Mysuru (Karnataka), Nov 13: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said there was a demand for four per cent reservation for Muslims in government tenders, but no decision has been taken yet on it.
Prominent Muslim leaders, including Karnataka Minister for Municipal Administration and Hajj, Rahim Khan, Congress MLAs and MLCs wrote to the chief minister on August 24 demanding to consider giving four per cent reservation to socially and economically backward Muslims in government contracts. The chief minister wrote on the petition on August 31 that the file should be put up, sources said.
"There was a demand for four per cent reservation, but we have not taken any decision yet," Siddaramaiah told reporters here.
When asked about the BJP raking up this issue, he said, "The BJP wants to communalise everything. Their job is to create a rift between Hindus and Muslims. Did they ever wish peace in society?"
BJP state president B Y Vijayendra termed the purported move unhealthy.
"In a bid to woo the Muslim community, the @INCKarnataka government is going to give reservation in contracts as well, which will damage the health of a harmonious society," he said in a post on ‘X’.
He said it had become inevitable to protest against such stances of the Congress government.
Former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar alleged in his post on social media 'X' saying what seemed like "shameless appeasement politics" to be a "cover for Congress corruption machine".
ಮುಸ್ಲಿಂ ಸಮುದಾಯವನ್ನು ಓಲೈಸುವ ನಿಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಸರಣೀ ರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿ ಹೆಜ್ಜೆಗಳನ್ನು ಇಡುತ್ತಿರುವ @INCKarnataka ಸರ್ಕಾರ ವಕ್ಫ್ ವಿವಾದದ ನಂತರ ಗುತ್ತಿಗೆಯಲ್ಲೂ ಮೀಸಲಾತಿ ನೀಡಲು ಹೊರಟಿರುವುದು ಸಾಮರಸ್ಯ ಸಮಾಜದ ಸ್ವಾಸ್ಥ್ಯ ಹಾಳುಮಾಡುವ ನಡೆಯಾಗಿದೆ.
— Vijayendra Yediyurappa (@BYVijayendra) November 12, 2024
ಪರಿಶಿಷ್ಟರಿಗೆ ಒಳ ಮೀಸಲಾತಿ ಹಾಗೂ ಜಾತಿ ಗಣತಿಯ ವಿವಾದಗಳು ನಮ್ಮ ಮುಂದಿರುವಾಗ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು… pic.twitter.com/1mnZqxpLpQ
