by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Representational Image
Ahmedabad : The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday issued a show-cause notice to the state government seeking an explanation for using an online examination form for the Class X and XII board examinations, taken by the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB), to collect data and segregate students of Muslim community.
The notice was issued following a PIL filed by K.R. Koshty, who alleged that the BJP-ruled Gujarat government was resorting to religious-profiling of students from Muslim community appearing for the board exams.
Koshty also challenged Gujarat government’s mandatory online forms for the board exams, arguing that Internet connectivity in many parts of the state was poor. According to the PIL, the forms also seek Aadhaar details which is against the Supreme Court’s recent judgement.
The state government has been collecting data for the last five years of Muslim students appearing for the board exams, the state Education Minister had said on Tuesday.
A division bench of acting Chief Justice Anant Dave and Justice Biren Vaishnav sought replies from the state government, Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) by December 6.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Ahmedabad : The CID Crime Branch of Gujarat Police on Wednesday arrested dismissed IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt in a 1996 case relating to falsely framing a lawyer in a narcotics peddling case.
The CID picked up Bhatt and seven others, including two former police officers, following directives from the Gujarat High Court.
“Sanjiv Bhatt was initially detained for questioning and shortly after that he was arrested by CID while others are still under detention,” Director General of Police (CID) Ashish Bhatia said.
Going by the details of the case, lawyer Sumersingh Rajpurhoit was arrested by Bhatt in 1996 with a kg of drugs and booked in a case under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Bhatt was then serving as the District Superintendent of Police in Banaskantha district.
Police claimed that the drugs were found from the room of a hotel that was occupied by Rajpurohit. However, an investigation by Rajasthan Police later revealed that the lawyer was falsely implicated in the case.
This, Rajasthan Police claimed, was done to compel the lawyer to let go a disputed property at Pali district in Rajasthan.
The Rajasthan Police also claimed that Rajpurohit was abducted by Banaskantha Police from his residence at Pali.
Following this investigation, former Banaskantha Police Inspector I.B. Vyas moved the Gujarat High Court in 1999 demanding a detailed probe in to the incident.
The court in June handed over the probe to the CID and asked it to complete the investigation within three months.
Bhatt, who has been a vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media platforms, has had several spats with the ruling establishment in the state since the 2002 communal riots.
In 2011, Bhatt even filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court, accusing Modi of being complicit in the 2002 riots.
Bhatt was dismissed from the Indian Police Service in 2015 for “unauthorized absence” from service. Bhatt even met fasting Patel quota stir leader Hardik Patel last week and extend his support for Hardik’s cause.
“I have been fighting for justice for over two decades now and those responsible for my suffering have been arrested today,” lawyer Rajpurohit told reporters.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Ahmedabad : The Gujarat High Court on Friday upheld the life imprisonment awarded by a SIT court to 14 people for the massacre of 23 persons in a village during the 2002 riots.
A division bench of Justice Akil Qureshi and Justice B.N. Kariaay also upheld the sentence of seven years in jail to five others. It acquitted four others in the case.
On March 1, 2002, two days after the Godhra Sabarmati Express train burning left 57 persons dead, 23 persons were burnt to death in Pirwali Bhagol area of Ode village near Anand in central Gujarat.
It was one of the nine cases of major riot cases that were handed over to the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT).
In 2012, the SIT found 23 of 47 accused guilty and sought capital punishment. Seeking relief from the SIT court ruling, those held guilty approached the Gujarat High Court.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Gandhinagar : A Division Bench of the Gujarat High Court on Friday acquitted former BJP Minister Maya Kodnani, saying there was absence of sufficient proof of her presence at the crime scene in the Naroda Patiya massacre case of 2002.
The court also upheld the conviction of Bajrangi Dal activist Babu Bajrangi, who was sentenced to imprisonment for life by the trial court.
The Bharatiya Janata Party Minister was one of the key accused in the riot case and was convicted by a special SIT court in August 2012. She was sentenced to 28 years in imprisonment.
The judgment was pronounced on the appeals filed by the former BJP Minister and others against their conviction by the SIT court.
The Division Bench of Justice Harsha Devani and Justice A.S. Supehia upheld the conviction by the special court of Babubhai Patel alias Bajrangi, a prominent leader of the Bajrang Dal Hindu outfit.
He was a key conspirator in the massacre in Naroda Patiya area, where 97 Muslim persons were killed in the Godhra aftermath.
The Naroda Patiya riots was one of the worst incidents during communal conflagration that engulfed Gujarat, following the train burning incident on February 27, 2002, at Godhra in which 59 Kar Sevaks were killed.
The High Court in August 2017 had reserved its order after the hearing concluded against the judgment of the special court.
The special court had sentenced 32 people, including Kodnani and Bajrangi. Seven others were given enhanced life imprisonment of 21 years, which they will serve after undergoing 10 years’ imprisonment under IPC section 326 (causing grievous hurt).
The remaining accused were given simple life imprisonment of 14 years.
The trial court’s acquittal of 29 other accused in the case, for want of evidence was challenged by the SIT, even as those convicted had challenged the lower court’s order in the High Court for respite.
Government counsel Prashant Desai said: “It is clear from the Gujarat High Court’s judgment that the court has gone on no witness theory.”
“Twelve accused have been convicted. Besides Babu Bajrangi, Prakash Rathod and Suresh Chara alias Suresh Langda have been convicted under the IPC 120 (B) as key conspirators.
“The sting operation by the Tehelka was not taken into account by the court. The 12 have been convicted with 21 years imprisonment without remission.
“Whatever Babu Bajrangi did was no different from what the others did, so his conviction was on parity. Court believed police witnesses.”
“On Maya Kodnani, there were contradictions in the witnesses’ testimony against her presence at the crime scene. None of the police witnesses have said that they saw Kodnani at the scene.
“The SIT will have to appeal within 90 days to the Supreme Court if they want to challenge the Gujarat High Court verdict,” added the counsel.
Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said: “Our minister Kodnani was wrongfully implicted in the Naroda Patiya massacre case. But today after the Gujarat High Court acquittal, she has been found innocent.”
“We are happy with the verdict and welcome the decision. She has worked hard for the party and definitely she will be given an active role in the party if she wishes to continue.”
Meanwhile, the state BJP president Jitu Vaghani has blamed the Congress party for arraigning Kodnani in the case. “The Congress wrongfully involved our former minister.”
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Abhishek Singhvi
Ahmedabad : The Gujarat High Court today issued a notice to Congress party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi in the Rs 5,000 crore defamation suit filed against him by the Reliance Anil Ambani group.
The notice was issued by Justice Paresh Upadhyay after hearing the petitioners and the next hearing has been scheduled for December 26.
The defamation suit, filed on December 15, had accused Singhvi of making “false, defamatory and libelous statements”.
Singhvi had, on November 30, attacked Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, for “fooling” people by claiming the government had not waived loans of big defaulters.
Alleging that the Centre had written off Rs 1.88 lakh crore debt of wilful defaulters, he had said: “We all know that top 50 corporates owe Rs 8.35 lakh crore to banks and out of those, three top Gujarat-based companies — Reliance (Anil Ambani Group), Adani and Essar — owe Rs 3 lakh crore.”
He had contended that Jaitley, instead of declaring these liabilities as NPAs, was “trying to help the defaulter with further defence contracts like the Rafale deal”.
A Reliance Defence statement had clarified earlier that the joint venture between Reliance Aerostructure Ltd and Dassault Aviation was a bilateral agreement between two private companies — and had nothing to do with the government.
—IANS
