After the fourth meeting between Union Ministers and farmer representatives to deliberate on their demands, in which the government proposed to give a guarantee on procuring five crops on Minimum Support Price (MSP), farmers on February 19 asserted they will discuss the proposal with domain experts and take a decision even as the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march is on standby for now.
After the fourth round of meeting between Centre and farmers on Sunday night, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said the meeting was held cordially in a positive direction with new ideas surrounding how to take the work done in farmers’ interest in the last 10 years to be taken forward. “Discussions were held on farmers’ demands and we have presented a road map. Farmer representatives brought forward some topics and in them, barring three-four issues, a consensus appeared to be emerging on the rest of the issues with innovative thinking that would help farmers of Haryana, Punjab, and rest of the country,” he said.
“A proposal was discussed in which the government agencies like NCCF and NAFED will get into a contract and buy produce pulses — arhar, tur and urad — and corn from the farmers on MSP. There will be no limit on the quantity. Similarly, we proposed that the Cotton Corporation of India will enter five-year agreement with farmers to buy cotton crops at MSP. We believe that cotton should be revived in Punjab. Farmer leaders said they will get back by tomorrow on the proposals. We hope farmers will come with a positive reply by tomorrow. The next round of meeting could be then held. I urge farmers to call off their protest,” he said.
Replying on a pointed question of giving a legal guarantee for MSP on crops, Goyal said “There are some issues which are policy matters and need time and wider consultations. The general elections are nearing so on such issues deliberations would continue.”
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that farmers of the State can adopt cotton and maize only if they get the MSP. He said that detailed discussions were held on this topic and the guarantee was sought in this regard adding that an agreement for the purchase of these crops should be made. This, he said will help give a major push to crop diversification in the country. The Chief Minister said that the mobile internet services in around five districts of the State have been suspended, which is adversely affecting the studies of the students. He said that these days exams are going on and online study is being done but the suspension of internet services is highly condemnable.
Meanwhile, protesting farmers from Punjab continued to camp near the inter-State boundary with Haryana.
Union Ministers Arjun Munda, Piyush Goyal and Nityanand Rai and farmer leaders Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher are attending the meeting among others. Mann is also attending the meeting.
Farmers from Punjab have been camping on two stretches – Shambhu-Ambala and Khanauri-Jind – on the inter-State boundary between Haryana and Punjab, since February 13 as their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march was stopped from entering Haryana amid elaborate security arrangements with multi-layer barricades.
The Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) — the two umbrella bodies of around 200 farmers’ and farm labourer unions — had given the call for the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march as they planned to lay siege to the National Capital to press for the fulfilment of their demands.
The protest has started to draw support from other farmer outfits and ‘khap’ panchayats as well. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella body of farmer unions that spearheaded the 2020-21 farmers’ protests against the Centre’s farm laws, as well as the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan), one of the largest outfits in Punjab, announced that they would hold day-and-night protests and demonstrations in front of the residences of BJP MPs, Ministers and MLAs in the State from February 20 to 22, and make all toll plazas “free” in support of the farmers’ demands.
The decision was taken in a meeting held in Ludhiana. The representatives of 34 organisations of the SKM (Punjab) out of 37 attended the meeting. The representatives of BKU (Ugrahan) also attended the meeting.
In Haryana, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) president Gurnam Singh said it held a meeting with different farmer outfits and ‘khap’ panchayats, and it was decided that a strategy would be finalised depending on the outcome of the meeting between the Centre and the farm leaders.
Chandigarh mayoral polls: Supreme Court talks tough to returning officer; seeks entire ballot papers and video recordings
The Supreme Court ordered producing ballot papers and the entire video recording for the Chandigarh mayoral polls. It called for ballot papers to be produced before it by 2 p.m. on February 20. The court asked Registrar General Punjab and Haryana High Court to depute a judicial officer, who will be provided with security.
On being asked why he put why he put ‘X’ marks on ballot papers, Returning Officer Anil Masih said he had found them to be ‘defaced’.
The top court said it is “deeply concerned with the horsetrading taking place” and refused to accept submission that the plea be heard on some other day.
The Supreme Court gave the BJP victory at Chandigarh mayoral elections a jolt, threatening to order fresh elections after a video played in the open courtroom on Monday showed the Returning Officer “obviously defacing” ballot papers, while taking stealthy glances at the camera overhead like a “fugitive”.
Ahead of the SC hearing, city’s Mayor Manoj Sonkar had resigned from his post on Sunday. Last month, BJP candidate Sonkar won the post of Mayor by securing 16 votes in the 35-member MC House. Eight votes were declared invalid. The Congress and the AAP members created a ruckus in the House alleging poll rigging. The Congress and the AAP, both INDIA bloc partners, had decided to jointly contest the mayoral elections against the BJP. As per the alliance, the Congress contested the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor while the AAP fought for the Mayor post.
Congress-AAP candidate Kuldeep Kumar, after losing the Mayor poll, approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, seeking to set aside the process of the election of the Mayor, alleging complete fraud and forgery in the process of elections. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had refused to grant the AAP any interim relief, following which Kumar approached the Supreme Court.
On February 5, the Supreme Court gave the BJP win in Chandigarh mayoral polls a jolt, threatening to order fresh elections after a video played in the open courtroom showed Returning Officer Anil Masih “obviously defacing” ballot papers.
Supreme Court allows Sharad Pawar faction to continue using ‘NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar’ name, apply to ECI for symbol
The Supreme Court on February 19 allowed Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar and his faction to operate under the name ‘Nationalist Congress Party-Sharad Chandra Pawar’ apparently beyond the Rajya Sabha polls scheduled on February 27.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) had allocated the new name to the Sharad Pawar faction in an order on February 7 as a one-time measure to participate in the Rajya Sabha polls.
In a further interim relief for Sharad Pawar, a Bench of Justices Surya Kant and K.V. Viswanathan permitted his faction to apply for a party symbol. It directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to allot the Sharad Pawar faction a party symbol within a week of their application.
“At some stage, let the voter have some say. He originally had a say… the little man, the voter, I mean. Otherwise, there would be chaos. The ‘clock’ symbol [the original symbol of the NCP] is with you now. They are only asking for a name allotted by the ECI,” Justice Viswanathan addressed Ajit Pawar’s counsel, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi and advocate Abhikalp Pratap Singh.
Rohatgi raised objections against the interim order, saying the new name was valid only till the Rajya Sabha polls and cannot be used beyond that point.
Senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, for Sharad Pawar, said the objections were aimed to “hurt” his client. “They want me to be left without a symbol or a name,” he said.
Justice Kant said the Indian voter was very intelligent. “Ultimately, the voter is going to vote for either Ajit Pawar or Sharad Pawar,” Justice Kant observed. Justice Viswanathan pointed out that Mr. Ajit Pawar had not challenged the February 7 order till date.
The Bench issued notice to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who broke away from Sharad Pawar to join the BJP coalition in power in the State, on a petition filed by the elder Pawar challenging the ECI decision on February 6 that Mr. Ajit Pawar’s camp was the “real” NCP.
The court gave Ajit Pawar two weeks to file a counter-affidavit to the petition. Sharad Pawar was directed to file his rejoinder in a week thereafter. The case was posted for hearing after three weeks. “We will resolve this issue by the time of the Parliament elections,” Justice Kant indicated.
During the hearing, senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, for Sharad Pawar, said his client would be left “nameless and symbol-less” after the Rajya Sabha polls.
He said the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly was due to convene on Tuesday in a special sitting. The State Budget was due by the end of February. The printing and publication of pamphlets for the Lok Sabha polls have to start. The Sharad Pawar camp should not be left handicapped without a name or symbol after the Rajya Sabha elections. “As an interim order, let me continue with the very name the ECI allotted me,” Singhvi submitted.
Otherwise, he said, an “absurd” situation would arise by which the Sharad Pawar loyalists would be subject to the whip issued by Ajit Pawar.
“That cannot be… Such a situation would be absurd, astonishing,” Singhvi said.
He said the faction led by Sharad Pawar had presence in States like Kerala, Nagaland, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.
Justice Viswanathan observed that the ECI order of February 6 had found that both factions had violated the party constitution and its aims and objectives. Singhvi said the ECI had decided that Mr. Ajit Pawar’s faction was the “real” party even as the defection petitions were pending.
Arrest of Kochhars in loan fraud case amounted to abuse of power by CBI: Bombay HC
A division Bench of Justices Anuja Prabhudessai and N.R. Borkar had on February 6 held the Kochhars’ arrest as illegal and confirmed a January 2023 interim order passed by another Bench granting them bail.
In the order made available on Monday, the court said the CBI has been unable to demonstrate the existence of circumstances or supportive material based on which the decision to arrest was taken.
The absence of such circumstances renders the arrest illegal, it said. “Such routine arrest without application of mind and due regard to the law amounts to an abuse of power,” the court said.
The court also refused to accept the probe agency’s contention that the arrest was made as the Kochhars were not cooperating with the probe and said the accused had a right to remain silent during interrogation.
“The right to silence emanates from Article 20(3) of the Indian Constitution, which gives an accused the right against self-incrimination. Suffice it to say that exercise of the right to remain silent cannot be equated with non-cooperation,” it said in the order.
The CBI arrested the couple on December 23, 2022, in the Videocon-ICICI Bank loan case. They immediately moved the high court challenging the arrest and sought for the same to be declared illegal, and by way of interim order, sought to be released on bail.
On January 9, 2023, the court, in an interim order, granted the Kochhars bail, noting that the CBI had made the arrest casually and mechanically and without application of mind.
In the February 6 order, the Bench noted that section 41A of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) was introduced to avoid routine arrests. It cited that this provision restricts the power to arrest when an accused person complies with the notice issued by the police to appear for questioning and mandates that an arrest shall be made only when the police are of the opinion that it is necessary.
The court held that while it was within the domain of the investigating agency to interrogate an accused and to arrive at a subjective satisfaction on the issue, the same was not “wholly immune from judicial reviewability”.
“The court can consider whether the reasons for deprivation of liberty are rational, reasonable or fanciful,” it said. The Bench further said that the first information report (FIR) against the Kochhars was registered in 2019, and they were summoned for questioning only in 2022.
“Despite the gravity of the offence, the petitioners (Kochhars) were not interrogated or summoned for a period of over three years from the date of registration of the crime,” it said.
From June 2022, the Kochhars have been appearing before the CBI as and when notices under section 41A were issued to them, the Bench said.
The CBI had claimed that the Kochhars were arrested as they were not cooperating with the probe and that their custodial interrogation was required to unearth the entire gamut of conspiracy.
Apart from the Kochhars, the CBI had also arrested Videocon group founder Venugopal Dhoot in the case. The high court granted him bail in January 2023 in its interim order.
The probe agency has alleged that private sector lender ICICI Bank had sanctioned credit facilities to the tune of ₹3,250 crore to the companies of Videocon Group promoted by Dhoot in violation of the Banking Regulation Act, Reserve Bank of India’s guidelines, and credit policy of the bank.
The CBI had named the Kochhars, Dhoot along with Nupower Renewables (NRL) managed by Deepak Kochhar, Supreme Energy, Videocon International Electronics Ltd and Videocon Industries Ltd as accused in the FIR registered in 2019 under the Indian Penal Code sections related to criminal conspiracy and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The agency has alleged that the ICICI Bank sanctioned credit facilities to the tune of ₹3,250 crore to these companies in violation of norms.
It further claimed that as a part of quid pro quo, Dhoot made an investment of ₹64 crore in Nupower Renewables through Supreme Energy Pvt Ltd (SEPL) and transferred SEPL to Pinnacle Energy Trust managed by Deepak Kochhar through a circuitous route between 2010 and 2012.
In brief
Supreme Court stays criminal proceedings against Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah for 2022 protest march
The Supreme Court on February 19 stayed criminal proceedings against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah after he argued that peaceful protest against the ruling dispensation was a fundamental right of every citizen. Mr. Siddaramaiah and 35 others were chargesheeted for assembling unlawfully with an intent to use criminal force to intimidate the then BJP government during a protest march held in 2022.
Supreme Court refuses to entertain PIL seeking court-monitored probe into Sandeshkhali violence
The Supreme Court refused to entertain a PIL seeking a court-monitored CBI or SIT probe into the violence in West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali village on February 19. A bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Augustine George Masih said the Calcutta High Court is already seized of the matter. “The local High Court will be the best to assess the situation. Let there be no dual forums,” the bench said while granting liberty to the PIL petitioner to approach the High Court.
Delhi Excise case | Arvind Kejriwal skips ED summons for sixth time
AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on February 19 skipped the sixth summons from the ED to appear before the agency for questioning in connection with the Delhi excise case. Terming the summons “illegal” the AAP said in a statement that the ED should stop sending summons and wait for the court’s decision on the matter as the ED has already approached the court.
Evening Wrap will return tomorrow.
