Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe orders probe into resignation of judge over life threats
Colombo (PTI): Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has ordered a probe into the resignation of a district judge in the Tamil-majority Northern province's Mullaithivu over threats to his life, officials said on Saturday.
T Saravanarajah tendered his resignation to the Judicial Service Commission on September 23, claiming threats to his life and reportedly left the country.
Among the various cases presided over by the judge, he had ruled against the building of a Buddhist shrine at a disputed archaeological site. The legal proceedings over the digging of an alleged mass grave in the same area were also presided over by Saravanarajah.
According to informed officials, President Wickremesinghe directed the Secretary to the President to probe the circumstances of Saravanarajah's resignation, as the judge hadn't lodged any complaints on the alleged threat to his life previously.
As the district judge of the northern region of Mullaithivu, Saravanarajah had ruled against the building of a Buddhist shrine at Kurunthamale, a disputed archaeological site. The Tamils in the region had protested against what they claimed were land grants by the state for Buddhist archaeological excavations.
Saravanarajah also presided over the legal proceedings at the digging of an alleged mass grave in the same area.
In June, the alleged mass grave was accidentally discovered at Kokkuthuduvai by the National Water Board workers while carrying out digging activities for a development project in the area. The minority Tamil community demanded a credible investigation into an alleged mass grave in the northeastern district.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ran a military campaign for a separate Tamil homeland in the northern and eastern provinces of the island nation for nearly 30 years before its collapse in 2009 after the Sri Lankan Army killed its supreme leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran.
Mullaithivu was a nerve centre of the LTTE as they ran a parallel state before May 2009 when they were defeated by the Sri Lankan military.
Many legal associations, including the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, described the judge's resignation as a "serious threat" to the independence of the judiciary in the island nation and urged the Judicial Service Commission to carry out an independent investigation.
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Adani Group emerges lowest bidder for Bengaluru’s 16.75-km tunnel road project
Bengaluru: The Adani Group has become the lowest bidder for both packages of the proposed 16.75-km tunnel road project in Bengaluru, according to sources familiar with the bids opened by Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE).
According to a report published by Deccan Herald on Monday, the government estimated the entire project to cost Rs 17,698 crore, while the Adani Group has quoted Rs 22,267 crore. The ports-to-power conglomerate’s bid is about 24% higher for the first package and 28% higher for the second than the government’s estimates, a gap that could prompt authorities to seek the state Cabinet’s approval on the tenders’ fate.
M Maheshwar Rao, Chief Commissioner of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), who is also the Managing Director of B-SMILE, declined to comment.
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In all, four infrastructure companies had participated in the tenders for the project, which has been proposed under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model, with 40% funding from the government and the remaining investment to be raised by the private concessionaire.
During the technical evaluation, the Adani Group and the Hyderabad-based Vishwa Samudra Engineering Ltd qualified for the financial round.
According to the report, Dilip Buildcon was disqualified due to a clause that bars firms linked to collapsed bridges or tunnels, while Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) was rejected because its joint venture (JV) partner did not meet technical requirements.
With only two companies left in the fray, the Adani Group emerged as the lowest bidder, ahead of Vishwa Samudra.
The tunnel project officially named the North–South underground corridor, is part of the Congress government’s ambitious to ease Bengaluru’s traffic congestion by building two major underground roads (totalling 40 km) along with 13 flyovers and elevated corridors.
The project is the brainchild of Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru development minister.
The proposal, however, has faced criticism and political opposition, especially from senior BJP leaders, who object to the alignment that requires acquiring six acres of Lalbagh Botanical Garden, a historic green space.
As per the report, Urban mobility experts have also warned that the tunnel corridor may clash with the alignment of Namma Metro’s Phase 3A, possibly affecting the metro expansion.
