President nominates ex-diplomat, public prosecutor, 2 others to Rajya Sabha
Among the nominees is Ujjwal Nikam, one of India's most prominent public prosecutors, renowned for his role as Special Public Prosecutor in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks trial and other high-profile criminal cases. In the 2024 General Elections, Nikam was fielded by the BJP from the Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha constituency. However, he faced defeat at the hands of Congress candidate Varsha Gaikwad.Harsh Vardhan Shringla, a former Foreign Secretary, has held key diplomatic posts, including Ambassador to the United States, Bangladesh, and Thailand. He also served as Chief Coordinator for India's G20 Presidency in 2023.Kerala's C Sadanandan Master, a veteran teacher and social worker, has long been associated with the BJP. He contested the 2021 Kerala Assembly elections and is also known for surviving brutal political violence in 1994 when CPI(M) cadre allegedly attacked him and severed both his legs near his village of Perinchery.The list also included Dr Meenakshi Jain, a well-known historian and former Associate Professor of History at Gargi College, University of Delhi. Jain's work in the field of Indian history and her contributions to academia have been widely recognised.- EndsMust Watch
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Indian Express
21 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Opposition parties hit the streets in Tripura over state government's decision to install smart meters, hike power tariff
Various Opposition parties in Tripura Monday protested against the state government's recent decision to install smart electric meters and hike power tariffs. The Congress organised a protest outside a Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL) office in Agartala. Addressing the rally, a Congress leader said, 'The power tariff has been hiked without informing the people. We strongly condemn this and demand the withdrawal of the hike in power tariff… In West Bengal, their party is opposing the installation of smart meters, but in Tripura, the power minister is in favour of the installation of smart meters.' The Congress also organised similar protests over the issue in Unakoti, North Tripura, and Gomati districts. 'In Tripura, people want to know how much commission did (the BJP) get for introducing the smart meter. We demand that the installation be stopped immediately and the hike in tariff be withdrawn for the sake of poor people. There is no food, work here but the government, for the sake of a section of people, is trying to put the burden on the poor people,' said a Congress leader of Pabiacherra Block in Unakoti district. Another Congress leader in Kailasahar said the BJP had assured of fulfilling over 300 promises in their 'Vision Document' before coming to power. He claimed that the BJP said it would introduce a reasonable power tariff. 'After the BJP came to power, the power services are in a miserable condition in Kailasahar. On top of this, the BJP-led state government has decided to install smart meters. Why can the double-engine government not control power tariffs?' he added. Likewise, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) organised a protest in front of Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath's residence in Agartala, demanding the withdrawal of the power tariff and rollback of the decision to install smart meters. 'We have organised a sit-in in front of the power minister's residence and we shall continue our protest till he withdraws the decisions,' a TMC leader said. Meanwhile, the primary Opposition party, CPI(M), also protested in front of the Udaipur Bidyut Bhawan. 'We demand the state to stop the installation of smart meters and roll back the hike in power tariffs,' said a CPI(M) leader. Reacting to the protests, Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath said, 'There has been an attempt to confuse people. The power tariff and the smart meter are two separate things. In the last seven years of BJP rule, the power tariff has been hiked by 24.9 per cent, while the tariff rose by 116.03 per cent during the last seven years of the erstwhile CPI(M) government.' 'Earlier, power services were directly under the state power department, but the Left Front government formed the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited in 2004,' he added. The minister said power consumers can keep both meters – the existing electronic meters and the new smart meters – if they have doubts about the smart meters. If any fault were to be detected in smart meters, the government will roll back the decision to install them, he added.
Time of India
23 minutes ago
- Time of India
BJP sends legal notices to Lalu's daughter, Purnia MP & Cong state chief
Patna: BJP legal cell has sent legal notices to MP Rajesh Ranjan aka Pappu Yadav, RJD chief Lalu Prasad's daughter Rohini Acharya, Bihar Congress president Rajesh Ram and party's national spokesperson Supriya Shrinate besides other leaders for their comments against urban development and housing department (UDHD) minister Jibesh Kumar on fake medicines. "If they do not apologise within 15 days, the party will take legal action against them," BJP state media in charge Danish Eqbal said. He added all the allegations levelled by the opposition against the minister were based on lies and the statements of Congress's Supriya insulted the court. Supriya had demanded Jibesh's resignation as a minister. BJP legal cell senior lawyer Naresh Dixit said Jibesh was neither the owner of nor associated with the medicine company. "In such a situation, there is no question of him being associated with a fake medicine manufacturing company. He has no connection with its management either," he said. Dixit said the court has already given its judgment in the case. He explained the 2012 case when a drug inspector complained that the quality of a medicine, Ciproline 500, was affected due to its improper storage. There was no such report that this medicine was fake or adulterated. The distributors were also made accused on legal technical grounds. The court gave the decision under the benefit of the Probation of Offenders Act, which is given only when the accused does not have any such history. "If any fake medicine is made, then it cannot be given," he said. He even said no fine had been imposed. The opposition leaders alleged that the BJP minister Jibesh was found guilty by the Rajasthan's Rajsamand court in the alleged fake medicine case and convicted him. However, later he was released on the condition of maintaining good conduct by paying a fine of Rs 7,000, they alleged. Rohini had said a fake medicine businessman was still on the minister's chair. Congress state media cell chairman Rajesh Rathorre had demanded an investigation into Jibesh's connection with fake medicines.
Deccan Herald
24 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
Centre opposes Kerala govt's plea in SC to withdraw petition on delay by Governor in assenting bills
New Delhi: The Centre on Monday opposed before the Supreme Court a plea by Kerala to withdraw its petition, challenging delay by the Governor in grant of assent to bills passed by the state General R Venkantaramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted before a bench of Justices P S Narasimha and A S Chandurkar that the court should await the decision on the reference of the President under Article 143 of the Constitution over the grant of assent to bills. Mehta said the current petition could also be referred for tagging along with the presidential recording of conversations of spouses can be used in matrimonial cases: advocate K K Venugopal for the Kerala government submitted that he would withdraw the plea, as the issue had become infructuous against the backdrop of the April 8 Supreme Court's judgment in the case of Tamil Nadu the opposition to the withdrawal of the pleas as "strange", Venugopal said, "Why is the court hesitant for the state to withdraw the petition? There has to be some only means both parties will charge money." To this, the bench remarked, "We will make it very clear, tentatively there can't be an objection to withdrawal."The court, however, deferred the matter to July 25, after the Attorney General sought April 22, Venkataramani had told the court that the April 8 judgment in the case of Tamil Nadu Governor on pending bills does not cover the facts in the plea filed by the Kerala government over the delay in clearing the bills by the Governor. The apex court had said that it would examine whether the recent judgment on a plea by Tamil Nadu fixing timelines for the grant of assent to bills covered the issues raised by the Kerala government had earlier moved the apex court claiming inaction on the part of the Governor in relation with several bills passed by the state legislature and presented to the Governor for his assent under Article 200 of the its plea, the state government sought a declaration that the actions of the Governor in withholding Bills indefinitely without exercising discretionary power under Article 200 of the Constitution are "contumacious, arbitrary, despotic and antithetical to the democratic values, ideals of the Cabinet form of Government, and principles of democratic Constitutionalism and federalism".
