Uma Bharti links crime against women in MP to drinking
pushes for converting liquor shops into cow shelters
Bhopal, Jan 31: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Uma Bharti on Tuesday sought to link rise in cases of crime against women in Madhya Pradesh, ruled by her party, to consumption of alcohol and pushed for converting liquor outlets which are being operated in violation of rules into cow shelters.
Ending her four-day-long stay at a temple in Bhopal, Bharti announced the launch of "Madhushala Me Gaushala" (cow shelters in place of liquor outlets) programme in support of her demand for a "controlled" liquor policy in the state.
On Saturday afternoon, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister reached a temple located near a liquor shop in Ayodhya Nagar trisection of the state capital and announced she will stay there till January 31, awaiting announcement of a new liquor policy by the government.
She ended her four-day-long stay at the temple on Tuesday as the state government has delayed its liquor policy announcement.
Addressing the media here, Bharti claimed a liquor shop located near the famous Ram Raja Sarkar temple at Orchha in Niwari district, located around 350km from Bhopal, was illegal.
"Without waiting for the liquor policy, I will start converting liquor shops, which are being run in contravention of rules, into cow shelters," she said.
Bharti said she has told people to arrange 11 cows to be put up outside the "illegal" liquor shop in Orchha.
"Will see who dares to stop me... will feed these cows and arrange water for them at the liquor shop," said the former Union minister.
Governments are being formed in the name of Lord Ram, but a liquor shop has been allowed to come up near the Ram Raja Sarkar temple in Orchha, she said.
Quoting an unnamed report, Bharti said the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh is leading in crime against women and liquor consumption was one of the reasons for this disturbing trend.
Bharti said the BJP is winning elections due to the "magic" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"People have the choice to elect good or bad people in a democracy When one has a choice between bad and very bad, the people elect the bad, which is not an achievement... Forming a government is not a big deal but the big thing is to develop a healthy society and ensure protection of women and the future of children," the BJP leader maintained.
She alleged a section of the BJP has been trolling her over her drive against liquor consumption and linking it to her political ambitions.
Bharti said she has held the post of CM, served as a Union minister and now only the position of Prime Minister is left to be achieved, but very few politicians can occupy that top office.
"Will I get that post (of PM) due to liquor prohibition agitation? A section of the BJP is spreading such things," she said.
Bharti also threatened that she will start now revealing what the ministers, MPs and MLAs talk to her during as such people are continuously meeting her.
The senior BJP leader said during a meeting with Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the latter agreed to her suggestion to come out with a "controlled" liquor policy.
Earlier, addressing a gathering, Bharti claimed women don't want schemes like the recently announced Ladli Bahina Yojana (targeted at women from financially weaker section) but they instead want a controlled liquor policy.
Bharti said women roam freely at night in Gujarat like "lioness of Gir" and eat 'bhelpuri' (a street snack) at midnight because prohibition is in force in the adjoining state.
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SC stays CBI probe into West Bengal govt officials' role in teacher recruitment scam
New Delhi, Apr 29: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed a Calcutta High Court order directing the CBI to probe the role of West Bengal government officials in a teacher recruitment scam. It, however, refused to stay for now the cancellation of the appointment of over 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff.
The top court was hearing a plea by the West Bengal government against a high court order invalidating the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff made by the School Service Commission (SSC) in state-run and state-aided schools.
A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, however, refused to stay the high court order cancelling the appointments and said it will hear the matter on May 6.
Observing that taking away the jobs of about 25,000 persons is a serious matter, the top court asked if it is possible to segregate the valid and invalid appointments on the basis of the material available and who the beneficiaries of the fraud are.
"We will stay the direction which says the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) will undertake further investigation against officials in the state government," the bench said.
Calcutta High Court had said the CBI would undertake further investigations with regard to the persons in the state government involved in approving the creation of supernumerary posts to accommodate illegal appointments.
If necessary, the CBI will undertake custodial interrogation of such persons involved, it had said.
Challenging the order, the state government, in its appeal filed before the top court, said the high court cancelled the appointments "arbitrarily".
"The high court failed to appreciate the ramification of cancelling the entire selection process, leading to straightaway termination of teaching and non-teaching staff from service with immediate effect, without giving sufficient time to the petitioner state to deal with such an exigency, rendering the education system at a standstill," the plea said.
Calcutta High Court last week declared the selection process as "null and void" and directed the CBI to probe the appointment process. It also asked the central agency to submit a report within three months.
"All appointments granted in the selection processes involved being violative of articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution of India, are declared null and void and cancelled," the high court said in its April 22 order.
The high court said those appointed outside the officially available 24,640 vacancies, appointed after the expiry of the official date of recruitment, and those who submitted blank Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets but obtained appointment to return all remunerations and benefits received by them with 12 per cent interest per annum within four weeks.
Observing that it had given "anxious consideration to the passionate plea" that persons who obtained the appointments legally would be prejudiced if the entire selection process was cancelled, the bench said it hardly had any choice left.
The high court held that all appointments involved were violative of articles 14 (equality before law) and 16 (prohibiting discrimination in employment in any government office) of the Constitution.
"It is shocking that, at the level of the cabinet of the state government, a decision is taken to protect employment obtained fraudulently in a selection process conducted by SSC for state-funded schools, knowing fully well that, such appointments were obtained beyond the panel and after expiry of the panel, at the bare minimum," the high court had said.
It said unless "there is a deep connection between the persons perpetuating the fraud and the beneficiaries" with persons involved in the decision-making process, such action to create supernumerary posts to protect illegal appointments is "inconceivable".
The division bench had also rejected a prayer by some appellants, including the SSC, for a stay on the order and asked the commission to initiate a fresh appointment process within a fortnight from the date of the results of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
The bench, constituted by the high court chief justice on a direction of the Supreme Court, had heard 350 petitions and appeals relating to the selection of candidates for appointment by the SSC in the categories of teachers of classes 9, 10, 11 and 12 and group-C and D staffers through the SLST-2016.
In its 282-page judgment, the high court had said retaining appointees selected through "such a dubious process" would be contrary to public interest.
