Contempt of SC order? BJP candidates with 'serious' criminal charges: ADR report

Chief minister Vijay Rupani in Abdasa

By Our Representative

The Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), a well-known elite NGO monitoring political processes, especially elections, in India, has said that despite a Supreme Court order, political parties, including BJP and Congress, fighting eight by-elections in Gujarat, scheduled for November 3, have chosen candidates with criminal cases.
An ADR report, prepared with the help of the Gujarat Election Watch, especially notes that two of the eight BJP candidates -- Pradhyumansinh Mahipatsinh Jadeja, fighting bypoll from Abdasa in Kutch district, and Jitubhai Chaudhari, fighting bypoll from Kaprada constituency in Valsad district – are facing criminal charges, according to their own admission in their affidavits.
However, none of the eight Congress candidates face serious charges.
While Jadeja faces serious charge related to voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty and obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions and provoking breach, Chaudhary faces the charge related to criminal intimidation and causing hurt.
The Supreme Court order, says ADR, has insisted that winnability should not be the criterion for selecting a candidate, demanding “action for contempt of the order.”

A total of 81 candidates have filed their nominations, the report states, adding, of these, 14 have declared that they have criminal cases against them. Of these, seven, including two from BJP, have serious cases registered against them.

Two candidates (Bloch Ismail Yarmahmadbhai Baloch, an independent fighting from Morbi, and Mahendra of the Bharatiya Tribal Party fighting from Karjan) have charges of attempt to murder (IPC 307) against them.
The Supreme Court order dated March 6, 2020, says the report, states that “if political parties are selecting candidates with criminal background for the elections then they have to declare the details along with reasons for selection of that candidate on the website including social media platforms within 48 hours of the selection of the candidates.”

The order added, that “winnability cannot become criteria for selection, and political parties needs to consider criteria like education, merit and achievements etc.”, the report adds.
The report regrets, the two national parties, BJP and Congress, “have not paid much of the attention towards Supreme Court order and Election Commission directions issued thereafter and have selected candidates with criminal background. In the report submitted to the Election Commission, parties have said that since candidate is popular, involved in social work and charges are not serious, they have selected candidate over other candidates.”
Giving party-wise details, the report says, one of the two candidates from the Bhartiya Tribal Party, three of the eight candidates from BJP, two of the eight candidates from the Congress – apart from and eight out of 53 Independent candidates – “have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.”
These include one Bhartiya Tribal Party, two BJP and four out independent candidates having serious criminal cases against them. And of these, two candidates face cases related to attempt to murder (Section-307).

Comments

'Enough evidence' in Indian tradition to support legal basis for same-sex marriage

By Iyce Malhotra, Joseph Mathai, Sandeep Chachra* The ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage provides space for much-needed conversations on issues that have hitherto remained “invisible” or engaged with patriarchal locker room humour. We must recognize that people with diverse sexualities and complex gender identities have faced discrimination, stigma and decades of oppression. Their issues have mainly remained buried in dominant social discourse, and many view them with deep insecurities.

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Victim of communal violence, Christians in Manipur want Church leadership to speak up

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ* The first eleven days of May 2023 have, in many ways, been a defining period of Indian history! Plenty has happened in a rapid-fire stream of events. Ironically, each one of them are indicators of how crimes and the criminalisation of society has become the ‘new norm’; these include, the May Day rallies with a focus on the four labour codes which are patently against the rights of workers; the U S Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its Annual Report on 1 May stating that conditions for religious freedom in India “continued to worsen in 2022”; the continued protest by the Indian women wrestlers at Jantar Mantar for the expulsion of the chief of the Indian Wrestlers Federation on very serious allegations; the Elections in Karnataka on 10 May (with communalism and corruption as the mainstay); the release of the fake, derogative and insensitive film ‘The Kerala Story’; the release of World Free Press Index on 3 May which places India

Delhi HC rules in favour of retired Air Force officer 'overcharged' for Covid treatment

By Rosamma Thomas* In a decision of May 22, 2023, the Delhi High Court ruled in favour of petitioner Group Captain Suresh Khanna who was under treatment at CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, between April 28 and May 5, 2021, for a period of eight days, for Covid-19 pneumonia. The petitioner had to pay Rs 3,55,286 as treatment costs, but the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) only reimbursed him for Rs 1,83,748, on the basis of government-approved rates.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam* The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)

India joining US sponsored trade pillar to hurt Indian farmers, 'promote' GM seeds, food

Counterview Desk As many as 32 civil society organisations (CSOs), in a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and India joining the trade pillar, have said that its provisions will allow the US to ensure a more favourable regulatory regime “for enhancing its exports of genetically modified (GM) seeds and GM food”, underlining, it will “significantly hurt the livelihoods of Indian farmers.”

Polygamy in India "down" in 45 yrs: Muslims' from 5.7 to 2.55%, Hindus' 5.8 to 1.77%, "common" in SCs, STs

By Rajiv Shah Amidst All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) justifying polygamy, saying it “meets social and moral needs and the provision for it stems from concern and sympathy for women”, facts suggest the the practice is down from 5.7 per cent of Muslim families in 1961 to 2.55 per cent in 2006.

Modi govt 'wholly untrustworthy' on Covid data, censored criticism on pandemic: Lancet

By Rajiv Shah One of the world’s most prestigious health journals, brought out from England, has sharply criticised the Narendra Modi government for being “wholly untrustworthy on Covid-19 health data”, stating, the “official government figures place deaths at more than 530 000, while WHO excess death estimates for 2020 and 2021 are near 4·7 million.”

Search This Blog