JD(S) indicates support to Murmu for President, formal announcement soon
Bengaluru, Jun 29: Indicating his party's support to BJP-led NDA's candidate for presidential polls Droupadi Murmu, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Wednesday said a final decision on this will be arrived at soon after going through the background of the two candidates in the fray.
The former Karnataka chief minister said Murmu has spoken to JD(S) patriarch and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda seeking support and has also sought appointment to meet him personally.
"Already she (Murmu) has discussed with our national president (Gowda) over phone twice and has requested for support. Also, she had sought time to come and meet. I requested our national President that there is no need for her to come personally in the current situation," Kumaraswamy said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said Murmu already has the majority on her side and she has expressed her desire to seek Gowda's support out of goodwill and generosity.
"She has already won...she need not come so far...we will decide in the party...You (media) may have understood by now what our decision might be. Before taking a final decision, we will look into the background of both candidates. There is no question of Congress or BJP or any B-team here," he said, adding that he has gone through Murmu's background and her struggle.
Recently calling Murmu, as a "suitable" and "non-controversial" candidate, Gowda had noted that he doesn't want to refer her as merely a tribal candidate, but wants to say that she is "competent" for the post of President.
Battle lines have been drawn for the July 18 presidential election with the BJP-led NDA naming Murmu, a tribal leader from Odisha, as its candidate, while former Union minister Yashwant Sinha has filed nomination as a joint nominee by major opposition parties, including the Congress, the NCP and the TMC.
Murmu, 64, had been the Jharkhand governor and also served as minister in the Odisha government earlier in her career.
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SC asks states to treat rising child trafficking cases as grave; seeks coordinated action
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has voiced grave concern over rising cases of child trafficking, saying gangs are operating across the country and if States and Union territories do not take immediate action, thing will go beyond control.
The court said only the state government and its home department can act vigilantly in this regard.
“As a court we can monitor, but ultimately the action has to be on the part of the state government, the police, and other agencies. Therefore, this is our humble request”, a bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan said during the hearing of a plea on Wednesday.
The bench was irked over the "lackadaisical" approach of several states and UTs in implementing a 2025 judgment aimed at dismantling organised trafficking networks.
Justice Viswanathan said the retrieval of children in some cases proves the problem can be tackled, but it requires a level of political and administrative will which is lacking at present.
The verdict, delivered on April 15, 2025, had mandated several institutional reforms, including completion of trials in trafficking cases within six months on a day-to-day basis.
It had also directed strengthening of Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and improving investigation standards.
Besides asking for setting up of state-level committees to monitor vulnerable trafficking hotspots, it had asked the authorities to treat missing children cases as trafficking unless proven otherwise.
Earlier, the bench had termed the compliance reports filed by a few states as "nothing but an eye wash."
On Wednesday, the bench noted that Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, and Punjab had still failed to file reports in the prescribed format.
When the home secretary of Madhya Pradesh offered an apology for the lapse, the bench granted a "final opportunity" but warned that continued failure would lead to states being officially branded as "defaulting".
The bench noted that at least 15 states are yet to constitute review committees mandated to identify and monitor trafficking-prone areas.
The matter will now be heard on April 29.
