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Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Stop eviction drives conducted sans due process, CLP urges guv
1 2 3 Guwahati: Assam's Congress Legislature Party (CLP) members on Saturday met governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya at the Raj Bhawan here and submitted a memorandum seeking his intervention to halt the ongoing and proposed eviction drives allegedly affecting indigenous, tribal, and erosion-displaced communities. In their memorandum, the opposition members said "The incidents of eviction transgresse the provisions of the Forest Rights Act 2006, the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA 1996), Chapter X (Protect Land Rights in Tribal Belts/Blocks) of the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation, 1886, Assam (Temporarily Settled Tenancy Areas) Act 1971 and landmark decisions by the Supreme Court." The CLP delegation also demanded that an independent commission of inquiry be constituted for probe into all evictions conducted since 2022, with a special focus on Sixth Schedule districts and tribal belt and block protections. "Direct the Govt of Assam to publish a comprehensive land rights regularisation policy, clearly distinguishing long-settled indigenous occupants from speculative encroachers," they said in the memorandum, added that legal and humane rehabilitation measures must be ensured in line with constitutional morality and India's obligations under the UN Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. "The people of Assam — especially its tribals, erosion-displaced citizens, and indigenous communities — look to your office as the constitutional conscience of the state. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo These eviction drives, conducted without due process or consent in the name of "development", threaten to dispossess the very people whose land rights the Constitution seeks to uphold," the memorandum read. They also submitted a "People's Charter for Humane and Lawful Eviction Policy in Assam" which "outlines urgent reforms that uphold constitutional values, protect marginalised communities, and promote accountability". The charter includes establishment of a state-wide eviction protocol, mandatory rehabilitation and resettlement framework, suspension of all evictions without due process, setting up of a legal aid and grievance redress platform and creation of a multi-stakeholder eviction review board.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Mining storm brews in Sariska over boundary rationalisation
1 2 Jaipur/Alwar: A recent decision by the State Wildlife Board to "rationalise" the boundary of Sariska Tiger Reserve's (STR) Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH) has triggered sharp criticism from environmentalists, wildlife experts, and the opposition Congress. The move is seen as a backdoor attempt to reopen marble and dolomite mines in the ecologically sensitive region. The proposal involves removing 48.39 sq km of hilly, human-impacted forest from the existing CTH and adding 90.91 sq km from the buffer zone as compensation. Many of the mines likely to benefit are located in villages such as Khoh, Palpur, Tilwad, Gordhanpura, Mallana, Doondpuri, Jaisinghpura, and Kalwar, all within a 1 km radius of the current CTH—an area where mining has long been prohibited. RTI activist Rajendra Tiwari raised serious legal objections, stating, "The state has no authority to reduce the area of a notified tiger reserve without following due process. Forest Clearance Approval (FCA) under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 is mandatory. The diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes is neither permissible without any public interest. Here we cannot see any public interest. If the forest department continues to bend the rules, we will move the Supreme Court. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Dhoni's Exclusive Home Interior Choice? HomeLane Get Quote Undo " Former Sariska Field Director Sunayan Sharma, IFS (Retd.), echoed these concerns, calling the move a covert push to restart mining. "The realignment appears deliberately drawn to benefit dormant mining leases," he said. "This southern stretch of Sariska is a crucial wildlife corridor that connects to Jamwa Ramgarh, Dausa, and Sawai Madhopur. Mining was stopped here in 1993 after tremendous effort. Reopening it would be an environmental catastrophe. The newly added areas lack adequate prey and are close to communities known for poaching." Congress National General Secretary and former Union Minister Bhanwar Jitendra Singh also hit out at the govt, alleging that mining mafias have hijacked the system. "Tigers vanished from Sariska 10–15 years ago. It was the Congress-led govt that airlifted tigers from Ranthambhore and revived the reserve. Today, Sariska is a global success story in tiger conservation. Despite a Supreme Court ban on mining, approvals were rushed through by the State and Central Wildlife Boards. I have never seen such blatant disregard for due process." A senior forest official, however, defended the move, saying it was based on recommendations by the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC), which highlighted inconsistencies in the 2007–08 CTH demarcation. The Supreme Court accepted the CEC's report in March 2024 and directed the Rajasthan govt to complete the rationalisation process by December 2025. The revised proposal is now set to be reviewed by the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SCNBWL) on June 26 in Dehradun. The original CTH boundaries, drawn up in 2007–08, were never formally notified due to ongoing land disputes. With Forest Minister Sanjay Sharma and Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav—both hailing from Alwar—the issue has gained priority status.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Arms dealer 'linked to Vadra' now a fugitive
NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Saturday declared arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari a fugitive economic offender, observing that failed extradition attempts does not make him an "angel or immune from the prosecution for the violation of Indian laws". The order, which was reserved by the court of Special Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal on May 24, was pronounced on Saturday. "Extradition attempt may have failed, but it will not make accused angel or immune from the prosecution for the violation of Indian laws. FEO proceedings are another way of making one come back to India to face trial by coercing him to return by attachment, confiscation of properties of such fugitive economic offender and proceeds of crime, and by disentitling the such fugitive economic offender from putting forward or defending any civil claim," the judge said in his 100-page judgment. "...this court is satisfied that Sanjay Bhandari is a fugitive economic offender under section 12(1) of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018, and is declared as such under the above provision(s)" of the Act, he said. ED and I-T department had in the extradition proceedings claimed that Bhandari had undisclosed foreign income worth Rs 655 crore on which he evaded tax worth Rs 196 crore. The middleman in defence deals, allegedly a key factor in deals like that of trainer aircraft Pilatus, deposited huge amounts of money in bank accounts of overseas shell companies and also invested in properties in the UAE and the UK between 2009 and 2016. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo The case against Bhandari has an important political dimension - his alleged links with Robert Vadra , spouse of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Robert is also being probed for his links with Bhandari, who fled to London when multiple agencies started investigating him in 2016. The judgment came on the ED's application filed under the Act in 2019. The court said the "fugitive" tag is to an individual who has committed schedule offence or offences involving an amount of Rs 100 crore or more and who has absconded or refused to return to avoid criminal prosecution. This will allow ED to confiscate his properties anywhere in the world and bar Bhandari, who is wanted by Indian agencies in multiple cases, from filing or defending any civil proceedings in India. The judge dismissed Bhandari's counsel's argument that the UK high court's order disallowing ED's plea for his extradition makes him eligible to stay in London, and therefore, FEO won't apply to him. "The said argument is without any substance as the extradition failure will not make any difference as the extradition of the accused was one of the means to bring the accused to India to face trial in the said offence under Section 51 of the Black Money Act," the judge said. The court stressed Bhandari wilfully refused to return to face criminal prosecution, and said, "...this court is satisfied that the total value of the schedule offence is Rs 100 crore or more i.e. the schedule to the present FEO Act which is Section 51 of Black Money Act." The court also rejected Bhandari's contention that declaring him a fugitive economic offender entails very serious consequences, effectively amounting to economic death penalty. "Bhandari always has an option to return... when he chooses not to return to India, he cannot take the plea of avoiding all the legal consequences... In any case those who play with fire should be aware of its consequences," the court said.
