The Evening Wrap: Former judges, senior lawyers write to CJI for suo motu action on U.P. demolitions

Former judges and senior advocates have written to Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana urging him to take suo motu cognizance of alleged incidents of illegal detention, bulldozing of residences, and police action on protestors agitating against certain objectionable remarks made by BJP spokespersons. The letter signed by them said, “the letter petition is being presented as an urgent appeal to the Supreme Court of India to take cognisance of the recent incidents of violence and repression by state authorities on citizens of Uttar Pradesh.” It further said that the recent remarks made by certain BJP spokespersons (since suspended from the office) on the Prophet Mohammed have resulted in protests in multiple parts of the country, particularly in U.P. The letter petition has been signed by former judges of the top court Justices B. Sudarshan Reddy, V. Gopala Gowda, and A.K. Ganguly, former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court A.P. Shah, former judge of Madras High Court Justice K. Chandru, and former judge Karnataka High Court Mohammed Anwar. Among the senior lawyers who have signed the letter petition include senior advocates Shanti Bhushan, Indira Jaising, C.U. Singh, Sriram Panchu, Prashant Bhushan, and Anand Grover. It said, “Instead of giving protestors an opportunity of being heard and engaging in peaceful protests, the U.P. State administration appears to have sanctioned taking violent action against such individuals. The Chief Minister has reportedly officially exhorted officials to take such action against those guilty that it sets an example so that no one commits a crime or take the law into their hands in future.” It added that the U.P. CM has further directed that the National Security Act, 1980, and the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986, be invoked against those found guilty of unlawful protests. It is these remarks that have emboldened the police to brutally and unlawfully torture protestors, the letter petition added. “Pursuant to this, the U.P. police have arrested more than 300 persons and registered FIRs against protesting citizens. Videos of young men in police custody being beaten with lathis, houses of protestors being demolished without notice or any cause of action, and protestors from the minority Muslim community are chased and beaten by police, are circulating on social media, shaking the conscience of the nation”, it added. It said that such a brutal clampdown by a ruling administration is an unacceptable subversion of the rule of law and a violation of the rights of citizens, and makes a mockery of the constitution and fundamental rights guaranteed by the State. “The mettle of the judiciary is tested in such critical times. On many occasions, including in the recent past, the judiciary has faced such challenges and emerged with distinction as the custodian of the rights of the people. Some recent examples are suo motu actions taken by the Supreme Court in the migrant workers’ matter and the Pegasus matter” it added. The petition further said, “In the same spirit, and its role as custodian of the constitution, we, therefore, urge the Supreme Court to take immediate suo motu action to arrest the deteriorating law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, specifically involving the high-handedness of the police and state authorities, and the brutal clampdown on the fundamental rights of the citizen. We hope and trust the Supreme Court will rise to the occasion and not let the citizens and the constitution down at this critical juncture”. Centre’s move to recruit 10 lakh employees: BJP hails announcement, Opposition dubs it as ‘jumle-baazi’ The BJP on Tuesday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s directive to various government departments and ministries to undertake recruitment of 10 lakh people in the next year and a half, even as the Opposition dubbed it as “jumle-baazi (rhetoric)” and reminded him that the promise was to provide two crore jobs every year. The direction from PM Modi came following a review of the status of human resource in all government departments and ministries, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said. Reacting to the announcement, BJP chief J.P. Nadda said, “We are grateful to our Hon. PM Shri @narendramodi for this new mission of recruiting 10 lakh people into different government departments and ministries in 1.5 years. This shows our government’s emphasis on job creation for our youth and focus on efficient management of workload,” he said on Twitter. Describing it as a farsighted decision, Home Minister Amit Shah said this will make India’s young population disciplined, skilled, fit and financially empowered so as to make them self-reliant. This will be a foundation of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ in a true sense, he said. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, however, took a swipe at the Centre over the announcement, saying this is a government not of ‘jumlas’ but ‘maha jumlas’. Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi, “Just like eight years ago the youth were deceived with a promise of 2 crore jobs every year, in the same manner it is now the turn of 10 lakh government jobs. This is a government of not jumlas (rhetoric) but maha jumlas,” the former Congress chief said. The Prime Minister is not an expert at creating jobs, but in creating “news” over jobs, Gandhi alleged. BJP MP Varun Gandhi said that meaningful efforts will have to be made to create new employment opportunities and to fill up over one crore “sanctioned but vacant” posts. He said more fast-paced initiatives will have to be taken to fulfill the pledge of giving employment to two crore persons. Hailing the announcement, BJP vice president Baijayant Jay Panda said it is a great opportunity for youngsters that gives them the chance to be a part of India’s growth story. “10 lakh job opportunities that too in government sector only is a testament to the fact that our’s is the fastest growing economy and we are on the path to be a $5 trillion economy,” Panda said. The Congress took a swipe at Prime Minister Modi over the announcement and asked till how long will “jumle-baazi” continue. Congress’s chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said PM Modi had promised to provide two crore jobs every year and that going by the promise, 16 crore jobs should have been provided in the last eight years. “The promise was to provide two crore jobs every year and 16 crore jobs were to be given in eight years. Now they are saying they will only provide 10 lakh jobs by year 2024. Sixty lakh posts are lying vacant in governments. Thirty lakh posts are lying vacant in the central government,” he said in a tweet in Hindi. “Till when will Jumle-baazi (rhetoric) continue?” Surjewala asked. In a tweet, the CPI(M) said that having “miserably failed” in his promise of providing crores of jobs every year with record high unemployment, Prime Minister Modi now “seeks to deflect criticism over his abysmal record” by announcing 10 lakh recruitments in “mission mode” in the next year and a half. BSP chief Mayawati questioned the announcement by the Centre to recruit 10 lakh people in the next one and half year and asked whether it is an “election mirage”. “Due to wrong policies and working style of the Centre, poverty, inflation, unemployment and devaluation of the Rupee are at an all-time high due to which all (people) are feeling worried and restless, and now this announcement by the Centre of 10 lakh jobs in the next one-and-half years i.e. before the Lok Sabha election, is it an election mirage (‘chunaavi chhalaava’)?” Mayawati said in a series of tweets in Hindi. “The posts in the government meant for the SCs, STs and OBCs, are lying vacant for years are much more. The BSP has been demanding to fill them by running a special campaign both inside and outside Parliament. The government is silent about this, and this section of the society is affected the most by poverty and unemployment,” she said. Pawar meets Mamata, others ahead of Opposition meet on Presidential polls Ahead of the Opposition meet on Presidential polls that has been convened by West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday held a series of meetings in Delhi, including one with Ms. Banerjee. Mr. Pawar ruled himself out of the Presidential race but sources said a shortlist of names will be discussed in the meeting on Wednesday. The name, however, is likely to be finalised only by June 20. Ms. Banerjee called on the NCP chief as soon as she landed in Delhi. The contents of the discussions were not known but TMC sources had earlier told The Hindu that they were keen on fielding Mr. Pawar as a consensus candidate or a senior politician with wide acceptability. The NCP chief, who arrived from Mumbai on Tuesday morning, also had a lunch meeting with Communist Party of India-Marxist’s (CPI-M) Sitaram Yechury and Communist Party of India’s (CPI) D. Raja, in which the leaders are believed to have discussed potential candidates for the July 18 Presidential polls. Though the Congress and the Left parties were miffed at Ms. Banerjee’s “unilateral” move of inviting 22 Opposition leaders to formulate a joint strategy, both the parties will be a part of her initiative. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, chief whip Jairam Ramesh and general secretary Randeep Surjewala would be representing the Congress. The Left parties, however, will be nominating their MPs for the meeting, instead of their top leadership. In a letter to the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mr. Yechury stressed the need to hold prior consultations to enable the participation of the maximum number of people instead of “unilaterally announcing the date, time and venue”. IPL media rights: Star India bags TV rights; Viacom18 digital rights The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has fetched a total revenue of ₹48,390 crore through Indian Premier League’s (IPL’s) media rights. At the end of intense bidding over three days through e-auction, BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced on Tuesday evening the winning bidders. Star India has bagged the television rights for ₹23,575 crore, while Viacom 18 has been awarded the digital rights for ₹23,758 crore. The overseas rights were awarded to Times Internet Ltd for ₹1,057 crore. Referring to the development as a “red-letter day” for Indian cricket, Shah said: “The BCCI will utilise the revenue generated from IPL to strengthen our domestic cricket structure starting from grassroots, to boost infrastructure and spruce up facilities across India and enrich the overall cricket-watching experience.” In Brief China has announced plans to provide visas to Indian professionals and their families stranded in India for over two years following the strict visa restrictions imposed by Beijing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Separately, China is also processing requests of thousands of Indian students studying in Chinese universities who have conveyed their interest to re-join their colleges and universities. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow [logo] The Evening Wrap 14 JUNE 2022 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Former judges, senior lawyers write to Chief Justice of India for suo motu action on U.P. demolitions [Former judges and senior advocates have written to Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana]( urging him to take suo motu cognizance of alleged incidents of illegal detention, bulldozing of residences, and police action on protestors agitating against certain objectionable remarks made by BJP spokespersons. The letter signed by them said, “the letter petition is being presented as an urgent appeal to the Supreme Court of India to take cognisance of the recent incidents of violence and repression by state authorities on citizens of Uttar Pradesh.” It further said that the recent remarks made by certain BJP spokespersons (since suspended from the office) on the Prophet Mohammed have resulted in protests in multiple parts of the country, particularly in U.P. [A bulldozer demolishes the house of an activist in Prayagraj on June 12, 2022. ] The letter petition has been signed by former judges of the top court Justices B. Sudarshan Reddy, V. Gopala Gowda, and A.K. Ganguly, former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court A.P. Shah, former judge of Madras High Court Justice K. Chandru, and former judge Karnataka High Court Mohammed Anwar. Among the senior lawyers who have signed the letter petition include senior advocates Shanti Bhushan, Indira Jaising, C.U. Singh, Sriram Panchu, Prashant Bhushan, and Anand Grover. It said, “Instead of giving protestors an opportunity of being heard and engaging in peaceful protests, the U.P. State administration appears to have sanctioned taking violent action against such individuals. The Chief Minister has reportedly officially exhorted officials to take such action against those guilty that it sets an example so that no one commits a crime or take the law into their hands in future.” It added that the U.P. CM has further directed that the National Security Act, 1980, and the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986, be invoked against those found guilty of unlawful protests. It is these remarks that have emboldened the police to brutally and unlawfully torture protestors, the letter petition added. “Pursuant to this, the U.P. police have arrested more than 300 persons and registered FIRs against protesting citizens. Videos of young men in police custody being beaten with lathis, houses of protestors being demolished without notice or any cause of action, and protestors from the minority Muslim community are chased and beaten by police, are circulating on social media, shaking the conscience of the nation”, it added. It said that such a brutal clampdown by a ruling administration is an unacceptable subversion of the rule of law and a violation of the rights of citizens, and makes a mockery of the constitution and fundamental rights guaranteed by the State. “The mettle of the judiciary is tested in such critical times. On many occasions, including in the recent past, the judiciary has faced such challenges and emerged with distinction as the custodian of the rights of the people. Some recent examples are suo motu actions taken by the Supreme Court in the migrant workers’ matter and the Pegasus matter” it added. The petition further said, “In the same spirit, and its role as custodian of the constitution, we, therefore, urge the Supreme Court to take immediate suo motu action to arrest the deteriorating law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, specifically involving the high-handedness of the police and state authorities, and the brutal clampdown on the fundamental rights of the citizen. We hope and trust the Supreme Court will rise to the occasion and not let the citizens and the constitution down at this critical juncture”. Centre’s move to recruit 10 lakh employees: BJP hails announcement, Opposition dubs it as ‘jumle-baazi’ The BJP on Tuesday hailed Prime Minister [Narendra Modi’s directive to various government departments and ministries to undertake recruitment of 10 lakh people]( in the next year and a half, even as the [Opposition dubbed it as “jumle-baazi (rhetoric)”]( and reminded him that the promise was to provide two crore jobs every year. The direction from PM Modi came following a review of the status of human resource in all government departments and ministries, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said. Reacting to the announcement, BJP chief J.P. Nadda said, “We are grateful to our Hon. PM Shri @narendramodi for this new mission of recruiting 10 lakh people into different government departments and ministries in 1.5 years. This shows our government’s emphasis on job creation for our youth and focus on efficient management of workload,” he said on Twitter. Describing it as a farsighted decision, Home Minister Amit Shah said this will make India’s young population disciplined, skilled, fit and financially empowered so as to make them self-reliant. This will be a foundation of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ in a true sense, he said. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, however, took a swipe at the Centre over the announcement, saying this is a government not of ‘jumlas’ but ‘maha jumlas’. Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi, “Just like eight years ago the youth were deceived with a promise of 2 crore jobs every year, in the same manner it is now the turn of 10 lakh government jobs. This is a government of not jumlas (rhetoric) but maha jumlas,” the former Congress chief said. The Prime Minister is not an expert at creating jobs, but in creating “news” over jobs, Gandhi alleged. BJP MP Varun Gandhi said that meaningful efforts will have to be made to create new employment opportunities and to fill up over one crore “sanctioned but vacant” posts. He said more fast-paced initiatives will have to be taken to fulfill the pledge of giving employment to two crore persons. Hailing the announcement, BJP vice president Baijayant Jay Panda said it is a great opportunity for youngsters that gives them the chance to be a part of India’s growth story. “10 lakh job opportunities that too in government sector only is a testament to the fact that our’s is the fastest growing economy and we are on the path to be a $5 trillion economy,” Panda said. The Congress took a swipe at Prime Minister Modi over the announcement and asked till how long will “jumle-baazi” continue. Congress’s chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said PM Modi had promised to provide two crore jobs every year and that going by the promise, 16 crore jobs should have been provided in the last eight years. “The promise was to provide two crore jobs every year and 16 crore jobs were to be given in eight years. Now they are saying they will only provide 10 lakh jobs by year 2024. Sixty lakh posts are lying vacant in governments. Thirty lakh posts are lying vacant in the central government,” he said in a tweet in Hindi. “Till when will Jumle-baazi (rhetoric) continue?” Surjewala asked. In a tweet, the CPI(M) said that having “miserably failed” in his promise of providing crores of jobs every year with record high unemployment, Prime Minister Modi now “seeks to deflect criticism over his abysmal record” by announcing 10 lakh recruitments in “mission mode” in the next year and a half. BSP chief Mayawati [questioned the announcement by the Centre]( to recruit 10 lakh people in the next one and half year and asked whether it is an “election mirage”. “Due to wrong policies and working style of the Centre, poverty, inflation, unemployment and devaluation of the Rupee are at an all-time high due to which all (people) are feeling worried and restless, and now this announcement by the Centre of 10 lakh jobs in the next one-and-half years i.e. before the Lok Sabha election, is it an election mirage (‘chunaavi chhalaava’)?” Mayawati said in a series of tweets in Hindi. “The posts in the government meant for the SCs, STs and OBCs, are lying vacant for years are much more. The BSP has been demanding to fill them by running a special campaign both inside and outside Parliament. The government is silent about this, and this section of the society is affected the most by poverty and unemployment,” she said. Pawar meets Mamata, others ahead of Opposition meet on Presidential polls Ahead of the Opposition meet on Presidential polls that has been convened by West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief [Sharad Pawar on Tuesday held a series of meetings]( Delhi, including one with Ms. Banerjee. Mr. Pawar ruled himself out of the Presidential race but sources said a shortlist of names will be discussed in the meeting on Wednesday. The name, however, is likely to be finalised only by June 20. [West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee with president of Nationalist Congress Party Sharad Pawar during a meeting in New Delhi on June 14, 2022. Photo: West Bengal CMO via PTI] Ms. Banerjee called on the NCP chief as soon as she landed in Delhi. The contents of the discussions were not known but TMC sources had earlier told The Hindu that they were keen on fielding Mr. Pawar as a consensus candidate or a senior politician with wide acceptability. The NCP chief, who arrived from Mumbai on Tuesday morning, also had a lunch meeting with Communist Party of India-Marxist’s (CPI-M) Sitaram Yechury and Communist Party of India’s (CPI) D. Raja, in which the leaders are believed to have discussed potential candidates for the July 18 Presidential polls. Though the Congress and the Left parties were miffed at Ms. Banerjee’s “unilateral” move of inviting 22 Opposition leaders to formulate a joint strategy, both the parties will be a part of her initiative. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, chief whip Jairam Ramesh and general secretary Randeep Surjewala would be representing the Congress. The Left parties, however, will be nominating their MPs for the meeting, instead of their top leadership. In a letter to the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mr. Yechury stressed the need to hold prior consultations to enable the participation of the maximum number of people instead of “unilaterally announcing the date, time and venue”. IPL media rights: Star India bags TV rights; Viacom18 digital rights The [Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has fetched a total revenue of ₹48,390 crore]( through Indian Premier League’s (IPL’s) media rights. At the end of intense bidding over three days through e-auction, BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced on Tuesday evening the winning bidders. Star India has bagged the television rights for ₹23,575 crore, while Viacom 18 has been awarded the digital rights for ₹23,758 crore. The overseas rights were awarded to Times Internet Ltd for ₹1,057 crore. Referring to the development as a “red-letter day” for Indian cricket, Shah said: “The BCCI will utilise the revenue generated from IPL to strengthen our domestic cricket structure starting from grassroots, to boost infrastructure and spruce up facilities across India and enrich the overall cricket-watching experience.” In Brief China has [announced plans to provide visas to Indian professionals and their families stranded in India]( for over two years following the strict visa restrictions imposed by Beijing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Separately, China is also processing requests of thousands of Indian students studying in Chinese universities who have conveyed their interest to re-join their colleges and universities. 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