Shankar Poojary is innocent; we are trying for his acquittal - Mubarak Ali of Udupi clarifies
Udupi, Sept 01: Mubarak Ali of Udupi informed that they were putting every possible effort for the acquittal of Shankar Poojary of Kundapur Taluk Aangalli Kalanje, who was arrested by Kuwait police for allegedly carrying drugs containing prohibited molecules while flying to Kuwait from his native place.
Addressing a press conference here, Mubarak Ali admitted that he had sent three types of medicines with Shankar on the basis of a prescription issued by KMC's doctor for his cousin Tasleem Fatima.
Besides giving the medicines prescribed by the doctor after purchasing them from the city's medical shop to Shankar Poojary, he had also sent homemade desserts, he informed.
I had given medical prescription and bills along with the medicines. But Shankara Poojary did not carry the bills. The Kuwait police arrested Shankar at the Kuwait airport on June 13 due to lack of proper documents for taking the medicines. After 20 days we learned from Shankar's wife Jyoti about his arrest, Mubarak Ali said.
Then we went to Kundapur police station and discussed with the inspector there. He then introduced us to Gopal Kalanje, general secretary of the BJP’s SC District Morcha, who is the neighbor of Shankar Poojary.
Later, as per his instruction, I submitted doctor's certificate, MRICD to Udupi MP Shobha Karandlaje and Mangaluru MP Nalin Kumar Kateel along with his letters. Also contacted the Indian Ambassador to Kuwait in Kuwait and making every effort to get Shankar released.
Shankar Poojary is innocent.
But Jyoti and Karnataka Rakshana Vedike President Ansar Ahmed are giving false statements without knowing the truth. But we have continued our struggle to get Shankar without paying heed to their statements. Shankar Poojary is innocent, and the problem was that the drugs we sent are banned in Kuwait. We were unaware of it. We will continue to put all our efforts and help him to get released," Mubarak Ali said.
Gopal Kalanje was present at the press conference.
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HC to decide if gram panchayat members can continue in Manipur post tenure: SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Thursday said the high court would decide whether the elected gram panchayat members, whose five-year tenure was over in Manipur, were entitled to continue in their posts in the event of the appointment of an administrative committee or an administrator.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh said it would like to have the benefit of the view of the high court in the matter and set a three-month time frame to adjudicate the legal question.
"The question that falls for consideration in this case is that whether the elected member of the Gram Panchayat whose five-year tenure is over was entitled to continue as members of the gram panchayat in the event of appointment of administrative committee or administrator, as contemplated under Section 22 of the Manipur Panchayati Raj Act of 1994," the bench noted.
The Manipur government’s counsel said the state could not hold panchayat elections due to the unprecedented violence.
"Since, we would like to have the advantage of the opinion of the high court, we dispose of the special leave petition without expressing any opinion on merits, with the request to the chief justice of Manipur High Court to post the main case before a division bench at the earliest. We further request the division bench, before whom the matter is listed, to provide expeditious hearing with an endeavour to resolve the controversy within three months," the bench said.
The bench noted that provision of Manipur Panchayati Raj Act was amended to substitute the word "cease" with the word "continue" with respect to the tenure of the elected members of the gram panchayat.
The petitioners have challenged a high court order and submitted that since elections in gram panchayat could not be held in Manipur for various reasons, the previously elected members of the panchayat were entitled to continue as per the amended Section 22 (3) of 1994 Act.
Section 22 deals with the power of deputy commissioner to appoint an administrative committee or an administrator for a period of six months, which will then oversee the election.
Section 22 (3) of the law says once the administrative committee or an administrator is appointed by the deputy commissioner, the elected members of earlier gram panchayat shall cease to exist.
The top court said what has been challenged before it was an interlocutory order of the high court and the main petition in which the question of law that had been raised was still pending.
The original petitioners before the high court were elected representatives at the fifth general elections for gram panchayats and the zilla parishads who sought a direction to continue in the office beyond the period of five years as stipulated by law as elections were last held in 2017.
They sought to continue as panchayat members till the time the state election commission notified the election for the sixth general elections for gram panchayats and zilla parishads.
On February 29, last year, the high court in its interim order gave liberty to Manipur government to appoint an administrative committee for each gram panchayat and zilla parishad in accordance with law and the provision of the Act.
