ECI has allowed Centre to assist Karnataka with drought relief: Centre informs Supreme Court
New Delhi: The Central government informed the Supreme Court on Monday that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has authorised it to provide assistance to Karnataka to address the ongoing drought situation in certain areas of the state.
A Bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta adjourned the matter after Attorney General of India R Venkataramani assured that the issue would be promptly addressed.
"No arguments are needed at this time," the AG stated, further mentioning that there would be progress in the matter by Monday.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the State of Karnataka, did not oppose the request for adjournment. The Court emphasised the need for an amicable resolution, stating, "Given this is a federal structure."
The Bench was considering a plea by the Karnataka government alleging that the Central government had failed to provide financial assistance to the State under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
The State's plea highlighted that it had been forced to approach the top court due to the Central government's alleged arbitrary actions, which had led to violations of the fundamental rights of the people of Karnataka.
The Union government had not yet acted upon an Inter-Ministerial Central Team report on the disaster for nearly six months, exacerbating the situation due to the withholding of NDRF benefits to the State, as per the submissions made in court.
In a previous hearing, the Court had stressed the need to avoid conflicts between the Union and State governments.
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Jharkhand: 3 arrested for 'raping' 2 women in Gumla
Gumla (PTI): Three persons were arrested on Monday for allegedly raping two women at a village in Jharkhand’s Gumla district, police said.
All the three accused have been remanded to judicial custody, Gumla Sadar Police Station officer-in-charge, Mahendra Karmali, told PTI.
According to police, one of the women had been called to Gumla Sadar by her boyfriend on Sunday for an outing.
“She arrived at the spot accompanied by a female. The woman’s boyfriend then called a friend, and they took the two women to a secluded place in Sisai police station area in the evening, forcibly made them consume alcohol before raping them,” the officer said.
The accused later called another man to the spot, who also allegedly raped the women, he said.
“The women later reached the Sadar Police Station and lodged a complaint on Sunday night. Police conducted raids and nabbed the three accused on Monday,” he added.
Further investigation is underway.
