The Evening Wrap: EC tells X to take down Karnataka BJP post on Muslim quota

The Election Commission of India on May 7 directed social media platform ‘X’ to “immediately” take down an animated video shared by the Karnataka unit of the BJP related to the row over reservation for the Muslim community. In a letter to the nodal officer of ‘X’, the poll panel took exception to the non-compliance of the directive of the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer to the social media platform for taking down the video. The panel said the animated video shared by the Karnataka unit of the BJP on its social media handle was violative of the extant legal framework. The ECI said the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka registered an FIR in this connection and wrote to ‘X’ on May 5 to take down the objectionable post as per the provisions of the Information Technology Act and the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021. “However, the post has not been taken down yet. Therefore, ‘X’ is directed to take down the post immediately,” the ECI said. The fresh directive to ‘X’ came on the day votes were being cast in the remaining 14 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka. Polling in the other 14 parliamentary constituencies of Karnataka was held on April 26. The Karnataka Congress had filed a complaint with the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer, accusing the BJP of promoting enmity and hatred between the Muslim and the SC/ST communities. The complaint pertains to an animated video shared by the Karnataka BJP, which has caricatures of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The video shows the leaders putting an egg marked ‘Muslim’ on a bird’s nest and after it hatches, Gandhi feeds ‘funds’ to the ‘Muslim’ hatchling while others strive for it. The ‘Muslim’ hatchling grows as a result and kicks the three others — SC, ST and OBC — out as Gandhi and Siddaramaiah laugh. No interim bail yet for Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in excise policy case; SC may continue hearing plea on May 9 The Supreme Court on May 7, 2024 did not grant interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in excise policy case and said it may continue hearing his plea seeking bail on May 9, 2024. The court clarified that it is only considering whether interim relief need to be given on account of the Lok Sabha elections. “The matter may tentatively be listed the day after tomorrow,” the court said, adding, “next week would be tough as it is the last before the court before summer vacations.” During the hearing, a Bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta underscored that Kejriwal is the “elected Chief Minister of Delhi” and that he is not a habitual criminal. The judges further asserted that the situation is “extraordinary” as general elections are held once in five years. “We are not saying politicians form a different class or has to be treated differently. Every person would have their own individual, exceptional circumstances,” the Bench observed. The court, however, said that it is considering “giving you [Mr. Kejriwal] interim bail because of elections” and that Kejriwal cannot discharge official duties. “We do not want any interference in the working of the government in any way”, Justice Khanna said. “We thought or are considering giving you interim bail because of the elections. Otherwise, we would have heard arguments, reserved the judgment and pronounced it after vacations” Justice Datta told Kejriwal’s lawyer. The Enforcement Directorate objected to the Supreme Court granting bail to Kejriwal. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta urged the Court to not make any exception for the Delhi Chief Minister. He said that the interim bail to Kejriwal will send a wrong message to the common man. He pointed out that the Delhi CM evaded summons nine times in six months. Kejriwal’s argument that “heavens would fall if he does not get a chance to campaign” is wrong, he said. However, the top court said that the Delhi CM is not a hardened criminal. “While granting interim bail, we examine whether there will be any misuse or if the person is a hardened criminal. That is not the case here”, Justice Khanna said during the proceedings. Meanwhile, a Delhi court on May 7 extended the judicial custody of Kejriwal in a money-laundering case related to the alleged Delhi Excise ‘scam’ till May 20. Mallikarjun Kharge criticises ECI, wonders whether the delay in releasing poll turnout data is an attempt to doctor final results Casting doubts on the Election Commission of India (ECI)’s functioning, and criticising the panel for not publishing actual voting data, the delay in releasing poll turnout data, and the non-publication of the final voters’ lists for the upcoming phases, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, in a letter to leaders of all INDIA bloc parties, wondered whether all this was an effort to “doctor” the final results. Kharge called upon all INDIA parties to “collectively, unitedly and unequivocally” raise their voice against such “discrepancies” in a bid to protect the culture of a “vibrant democracy and the Constitution”. Criticising the delay in publishing the final voter turnout statistics, which came 11 days after the first phase and four days after the second phase of the Lok Sabha election, on April 30, Kharge said that the “credibility of ECI is at an all time low” and the delay raised doubts on the quality of data. The election panel, Kharge said, had not explained why there was a delay in releasing data on the voter turnout, considering the norm so far had been to publish it within 24 hours of polling. The provisional polling percentages for the first phase, released at 7 p.m. on April 19 for the 102 seats, was about 60%, and for the second phase on April 26 for the 88 seats was 60.96%. But the final figures released on April 30 for the first phase stood at 66.14%, and at 66.71% for the second phase. Kharge wants the ECI to explain this surge in polling percentages. Apart from the delay, the Congress President noted that the voter turnout data released by the ECI did not mention “crucial yet related figures”, such as the votes polled in each parliamentary constituency and in the respective Assembly constituencies. “If the voter turnout data was published within 24 hours of voting along with the crucial figures, then we would have known if the increase (of ~5%) had been witnessed across constituencies? Or only in constituencies where the ruling regime had not performed well in the 2019 elections?” he wrote. Pointing to media reports, Kharge also said that the final registered voters’ list of the next phases had not been made public. “As the India National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), it should be our collective endeavour to safeguard Democracy and protect the independent functioning of the ECI. All the aforementioned facts force us to ask a question — could this be an attempt to doctor the final results?” he said. He said the ruling party was worried about the lower turnout numbers. “The entire nation knows that an autocratic regime, drunk with power, can go to any extent to stay in the chair. In this context, I would urge all of you that we must collectively, unitedly and unequivocally raise our voice against such discrepancies, for our only objective is to protect the culture of a vibrant Democracy and the Constitution,” Kharge said. Ex-Congress leader Radhika Khera, actor Shekhar Suman join BJP Former Congress leader Radhika Khera and actor Shekhar Suman joined the BJP on May 7, 2024, amid the ongoing Lok Sabha election. Khera, the former national coordinator of the Congress’s media department, resigned from the party’s primary membership on Sunday, days after her altercation with another leader at the party’s Chhattisgarh office. In her resignation letter to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Khera also said she was facing opposition in the party for her visit to the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Both Khera and Suman joined the saffron party at its headquarters New Delhi in the presence of senior leaders, including BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde and national media department in-charge Anil Baluni. Delhi court to pass order on framing charge against Brij Bhushan Singh on May 10 A Delhi court is likely to pronounce its order on whether to frame charges against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a sexual harassment case lodged by six female wrestlers against him on May 10. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Priyanka Rajpoot, who was scheduled to pass an order on May 7, adjourned the matter, saying certain corrections were required in the order. The judge had earlier dismissed an application filed by Singh, seeking time for making further submissions on the charges and for further investigation. Singh had claimed that he was not in India on the date of one of the incidents, where a complainant alleged that she was harassed at the WFI office. His counsel had claimed that the Delhi Police had relied upon the call detail records (CDR) of the coach who had accompanied the complainant and stated that they had gone to the WFI on September 7, 2022, where she was allegedly molested. However, the CDR has not been placed on record by the police, the counsel had claimed. The city police had filed a chargesheet in the case against Singh, a six-time MP, on June 15 under Sections 354 [assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty], 354A [sexual harassment], 354D [stalking] and 506 [criminal intimidation] of the IPC. The police had also charged Vinod Tomar, the suspended assistant secretary of the WFI, in the case. Poll roundup: An estimated 66.05% voter turnout was reported till 5 pm on Tuesday, for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka, in 14 constituencies. Out of the 14 segments, the highest turnout of 72.75% was recorded in Chikkodi, followed by Shimoga 72.07%, and least 57.20% in Gulbarga. Meanwhile, sporadic incidents of violence marred the third phase of Lok Sabha polls in the four constituencies in West Bengal as TMC, BJP and Congress workers clashed with each other in various parts of Murshidabad and Jangipur seats. The TMC, the BJP, and the Congress-CPI(M) alliance lodged separate complaints related to poll violence, voter intimidation, and assaults on poll agents in the first few hours of polling, sources from the parties said. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi announced on May 7 that the Agniveer scheme would be abolished if the INDIA bloc is voted to power, alleging that it was initiated by PM Narendra Modi and not by the Army. He also promised to amend the GST and bring out a separate Sarna religious code for tribals. “INDIA bloc will scrap the Agniveer scheme, a scheme brought by Modi and not by the Army. We do not want to differentiate between martyrs. Anyone sacrificing for the nation should be attributed martyr status, should be given pension,” he said at an election rally in Jharkhand’s Gumla. “The BJP government implemented wrong GST schemes with five tax slabs. We will amend it and make one tax slab which will be minimum. We will reduce the tax burden on the poor,” he said. In brief: An Israeli tank brigade seized control on Tuesday of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt as Israel moved forward with an offensive in the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remain on a knife’s edge. The development came after hours of whiplash in the Israel-Hamas war, with the militant group on Monday saying it accepted an Egyptian-Qatari mediated cease-fire proposal. Israel, meanwhile, insisted the deal did not meet its core demands. The high-stakes diplomatic moves and military brinkmanship left a glimmer of hope alive — if only barely — for an accord that could bring at least a pause in the 7-month-old war that has devastated the Gaza Strip. The Evening wrap will return tomorrow [logo] The Evening Wrap 07 May 2024 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( Karnataka BJP post on Muslim quota: Election Commission tells X to take down post [The Election Commission of India on May 7 directed social media platform ‘X’ to “immediately” take down an animated video shared by the Karnataka unit of the BJP related to the row over reservation for the Muslim community.]( In a letter to the nodal officer of ‘X’, the poll panel took exception to the non-compliance of the directive of the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer to the social media platform for taking down the video. The panel said the animated video shared by the Karnataka unit of the BJP on its social media handle was violative of the extant legal framework. The ECI said the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka registered an FIR in this connection and wrote to ‘X’ on May 5 to take down the objectionable post as per the provisions of the Information Technology Act and the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021. “However, the post has not been taken down yet. Therefore, ‘X’ is directed to take down the post immediately,” the ECI said. The fresh directive to ‘X’ came on the day votes were being cast in the remaining 14 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka. Polling in the other 14 parliamentary constituencies of Karnataka was held on April 26. The Karnataka Congress had filed a complaint with the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer, accusing the BJP of promoting enmity and hatred between the Muslim and the SC/ST communities. The complaint pertains to an animated video shared by the Karnataka BJP, which has caricatures of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The video shows the leaders putting an egg marked ‘Muslim’ on a bird’s nest and after it hatches, Gandhi feeds ‘funds’ to the ‘Muslim’ hatchling while others strive for it. The ‘Muslim’ hatchling grows as a result and kicks the three others — SC, ST and OBC — out as Gandhi and Siddaramaiah laugh. No interim bail yet for Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in excise policy case; SC may continue hearing plea on May 9 [The Supreme Court on May 7, 2024 did not grant interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in excise policy case and said it may continue hearing his plea seeking bail on May 9, 2024.]( The court clarified that it is only considering whether interim relief need to be given on account of the Lok Sabha elections. “The matter may tentatively be listed the day after tomorrow,” the court said, adding, “next week would be tough as it is the last before the court before summer vacations.” During the hearing, a Bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta underscored that Kejriwal is the “elected Chief Minister of Delhi” and that he is not a habitual criminal. The judges further asserted that the situation is “extraordinary” as general elections are held once in five years. “We are not saying politicians form a different class or has to be treated differently. Every person would have their own individual, exceptional circumstances,” the Bench observed. The court, however, said that it is considering “giving you [Mr. Kejriwal] interim bail because of elections” and that Kejriwal cannot discharge official duties. “We do not want any interference in the working of the government in any way”, Justice Khanna said. “We thought or are considering giving you interim bail because of the elections. Otherwise, we would have heard arguments, reserved the judgment and pronounced it after vacations” Justice Datta told Kejriwal’s lawyer. The Enforcement Directorate objected to the Supreme Court granting bail to Kejriwal. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta urged the Court to not make any exception for the Delhi Chief Minister. He said that the interim bail to Kejriwal will send a wrong message to the common man. He pointed out that the Delhi CM evaded summons nine times in six months. Kejriwal’s argument that “heavens would fall if he does not get a chance to campaign” is wrong, he said. However, the top court said that the Delhi CM is not a hardened criminal. “While granting interim bail, we examine whether there will be any misuse or if the person is a hardened criminal. That is not the case here”, Justice Khanna said during the proceedings. Meanwhile, a Delhi court on May 7 extended the judicial custody of Kejriwal in a money-laundering case related to the alleged Delhi Excise ‘scam’ till May 20. Mallikarjun Kharge criticises ECI, wonders whether the delay in releasing poll turnout data is an attempt to doctor final results [Casting doubts on the Election Commission of India (ECI)’s functioning, and criticising the panel for not publishing actual voting data, the delay in releasing poll turnout data, and the non-publication of the final voters’ lists for the upcoming phases, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, in a letter to leaders of all INDIA bloc parties, wondered whether all this was an effort to “doctor” the final results.]( Kharge called upon all INDIA parties to “collectively, unitedly and unequivocally” raise their voice against such “discrepancies” in a bid to protect the culture of a “vibrant democracy and the Constitution”. Criticising the delay in publishing the final voter turnout statistics, which came 11 days after the first phase and four days after the second phase of the Lok Sabha election, on April 30, Kharge said that the “credibility of ECI is at an all time low” and the delay raised doubts on the quality of data. The election panel, Kharge said, had not explained why there was a delay in releasing data on the voter turnout, considering the norm so far had been to publish it within 24 hours of polling. The provisional polling percentages for the first phase, released at 7 p.m. on April 19 for the 102 seats, was about 60%, and for the second phase on April 26 for the 88 seats was 60.96%. But the final figures released on April 30 for the first phase stood at 66.14%, and at 66.71% for the second phase. Kharge wants the ECI to explain this surge in polling percentages. Apart from the delay, the Congress President noted that the voter turnout data released by the ECI did not mention “crucial yet related figures”, such as the votes polled in each parliamentary constituency and in the respective Assembly constituencies. “If the voter turnout data was published within 24 hours of voting along with the crucial figures, then we would have known if the increase (of ~5%) had been witnessed across constituencies? Or only in constituencies where the ruling regime had not performed well in the 2019 elections?” he wrote. Pointing to media reports, Kharge also said that the final registered voters’ list of the next phases had not been made public. “As the India National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), it should be our collective endeavour to safeguard Democracy and protect the independent functioning of the ECI. All the aforementioned facts force us to ask a question — could this be an attempt to doctor the final results?” he said. He said the ruling party was worried about the lower turnout numbers. “The entire nation knows that an autocratic regime, drunk with power, can go to any extent to stay in the chair. In this context, I would urge all of you that we must collectively, unitedly and unequivocally raise our voice against such discrepancies, for our only objective is to protect the culture of a vibrant Democracy and the Constitution,” Kharge said. Ex-Congress leader Radhika Khera, actor Shekhar Suman join BJP [Former Congress leader Radhika Khera and actor Shekhar Suman joined the BJP on May 7, 2024, amid the ongoing Lok Sabha election.]( Khera, the former national coordinator of the Congress’s media department, resigned from the party’s primary membership on Sunday, days after her altercation with another leader at the party’s Chhattisgarh office. In her resignation letter to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Khera also said she was facing opposition in the party for her visit to the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Both Khera and Suman joined the saffron party at its headquarters New Delhi in the presence of senior leaders, including BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde and national media department in-charge Anil Baluni. Delhi court to pass order on framing charge against Brij Bhushan Singh on May 10 [A Delhi court is likely to pronounce its order on whether to frame charges against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a sexual harassment case lodged by six female wrestlers against him on May 10.]( Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Priyanka Rajpoot, who was scheduled to pass an order on May 7, adjourned the matter, saying certain corrections were required in the order. The judge had earlier dismissed an application filed by Singh, seeking time for making further submissions on the charges and for further investigation. Singh had claimed that he was not in India on the date of one of the incidents, where a complainant alleged that she was harassed at the WFI office. His counsel had claimed that the Delhi Police had relied upon the call detail records (CDR) of the coach who had accompanied the complainant and stated that they had gone to the WFI on September 7, 2022, where she was allegedly molested. However, the CDR has not been placed on record by the police, the counsel had claimed. The city police had filed a chargesheet in the case against Singh, a six-time MP, on June 15 under Sections 354 [assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty], 354A [sexual harassment], 354D [stalking] and 506 [criminal intimidation] of the IPC. The police had also charged Vinod Tomar, the suspended assistant secretary of the WFI, in the case. Poll roundup: - [An estimated 66.05% voter turnout was reported till 5 pm on Tuesday, for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka, in 14 constituencies](. Out of the 14 segments, the highest turnout of 72.75% was recorded in Chikkodi, followed by Shimoga 72.07%, and least 57.20% in Gulbarga. Meanwhile, sporadic incidents of violence marred the third phase of Lok Sabha polls in the four constituencies in West Bengal as TMC, BJP and Congress workers clashed with each other in various parts of Murshidabad and Jangipur seats. The TMC, the BJP, and the Congress-CPI(M) alliance lodged separate complaints related to poll violence, voter intimidation, and assaults on poll agents in the first few hours of polling, sources from the parties said. - [Congress leader Rahul Gandhi announced on May 7 that the Agniveer scheme would be abolished if the INDIA bloc is voted to power]( alleging that it was initiated by PM Narendra Modi and not by the Army. He also promised to amend the GST and bring out a separate Sarna religious code for tribals. “INDIA bloc will scrap the Agniveer scheme, a scheme brought by Modi and not by the Army. We do not want to differentiate between martyrs. Anyone sacrificing for the nation should be attributed martyr status, should be given pension,” he said at an election rally in Jharkhand’s Gumla. “The BJP government implemented wrong GST schemes with five tax slabs. We will amend it and make one tax slab which will be minimum. We will reduce the tax burden on the poor,” he said. In brief: [An Israeli tank brigade seized control on Tuesday of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt as Israel moved forward with an offensive in the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remain on a knife’s edge](. The development came after hours of whiplash in the Israel-Hamas war, with the militant group on Monday saying it accepted an Egyptian-Qatari mediated cease-fire proposal. Israel, meanwhile, insisted the deal did not meet its core demands. The high-stakes diplomatic moves and military brinkmanship left a glimmer of hope alive — if only barely — for an accord that could bring at least a pause in the 7-month-old war that has devastated the Gaza Strip. 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