Cong writes to K'taka DG-IGP against BJP candidate's audio clip plotting Kharge's assasination
Bengaluru: An audio clip containing a criminal conspiracy to eliminate Congress leader Mallikarjuna Kharge and his family members by BJP candidate Manikanta Rathore has gone viral on social media. The clip is reportedly a mobile phone conversation between Rathore and one of his associates and runs for 51 seconds. The voice has been identified as that of Rathore, who is the official BJP candidate for the Chittapur (AC-40) reserved constituency in the Gulbarga district.
The audio clip has raised concerns about the safety of Kharge and his family members and has prompted the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Vice Chairman of Media Wing Ramesh Babu to write a letter to the Director General and Inspector General of Police, seeking action against Rathore. In the letter, Babu alleges that the BJP candidate is a habitual offender with over 40 criminal cases against him, and has a history of serious offences such as attempts to murder, assault, threats to life, illegally storing diesel, disturbing public peace, and cheating.
Babu also claims that Rathore has not furnished complete details of criminal cases registered against him in his nomination papers, which is a clear violation of the election code of conduct and the Supreme Court guidelines judgment rendered in WP.No. 536/2011. According to Babu, the concerned returning officer should have rejected Rathore's nomination papers on this basis.
The letter also alleges that the BJP leaders might be actively involved in the conspiracy, citing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's recent campaign speech in Chittapur, in which he allegedly stated that illegal means were used in the 2019 parliament elections to defeat Kharge and that the same tactics would be adopted to defeat his son, Priyanka Kharge, in the upcoming assembly elections. Babu claims that Adityanath's statement coincides with the contents of the viral audio clip attributed to Rathore.
The letter concludes by calling for immediate action against Rathore and for the protection of Kharge and his family members. Babu also calls for the local police to take suo motu action against Rathore by registering an FIR against him. He further urges the Election Commission to disqualify Rathore for his involvement in criminal activities and for creating a threat to the life and limbs of another candidate, as well as for attempting to create fear in the minds of voters using undue influence. The letter includes photocopies of newspaper clippings and the viral audio CD as evidence.
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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.
