MP, 6 May 2024, Kolkata: Case against the Calcutta High Court’s verdict cancelling appointments of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff will be heard by the Supreme Court on May 7.
The matter was listed to be heard on Monday. According to a news agency, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) asked the counsels to prepare a sequence of arrangements amongst themselves to make orderly submissions before the bench.
Hence, the matter will be taken up for hearing on May 7. In the earlier hearing which took place on April 29, the Supreme Court stayed CBI probe with regard to the state government officials involved in approving supernumerary posts to accommodate illegal appointments and to take such persons into custodial interrogation if necessary.
However, the Apex Court turned down the prayer for stay of High Court’s direction to cancel the appointments of 25,753 candidates, which includes both teaching and non-teaching staff who were appointed in 2016.
The petition filed by the state government, West Bengal Central School Service Commission and affected employees will be heard by a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra. Ever since the judgement by the special bench of Justice Debangsu Basak and Justice Md. Shabbar Rashidi, the candidates who lost their jobs and claim to have been appointed in a ‘fair’ manner have been protesting against the judgement.
They had staged a protest outside the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) office recently. The Commission chairman Siddharth Majumder met with 10 representatives from the protesters and explained the legal constraints pertaining to the matter.
While expressing his sympathy towards legitimate candidates who allegedly lost their jobs in the case, he assured them that the commission will do everything possible within the legal framework to assist them.
Pradip Chatterjee, MP, 6 May 2024, Kolkata: At least six people died in South Bengal and many others were injured in separate incidents on Monday evening after the thunderstorm lashed several parts. According to a Railway official, frequent power trips were caused due to lightning which led to slow down in train movement.
A banner also fell on the overhead wire at Sonarpur under Sealdah Division. However, no major disruption occurred in Sealdah North and South, according to an official. Two died in Purulia after being struck by lightning. The victims have been identified as Priyaranjan Mahato (30) and Rahul Kumar (21).
A 49-year-old woman Uannati Majhi died after being struck by lightning in East Burdwan’s Katwa. Two others died in Ketugram under the same district. They are Biswanath Khandar (68) and Susmita Soren (14).
In Nadia’s Nakashipara, a couple died after a wall of a brick kiln fell on them. They have been identified as Jogeshwar Hembram (28) and Talakudi Hembram (25).Meanwhile, the rain brought relief from sweltering heat in the southern districts of Bengal on Monday evening. Moderate rains hit Kolkata and its neighbouring Howrah and North 24-Parganas districts and other parts of South Bengal.
Mercury may go down by 4-6 degrees in South Bengal in the next couple of days, said the Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore. A squall passed through several South Bengal districts gusting up to 50-60 km per hour on Monday evening.
Thudershowers and hailstorms had hit some parts of South Bengal, including Jhargram. The MeT office said that thunderstorms accompanied with lightning and rain is likely to continue over some parts of Kolkata, Howrah, North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas, Hooghly, Nadia, East Burdwan, Birbhum in the next two days.
People in South Bengal got some relief from an intense heatwave with the first rain and thunderstorm of the season lashing Kolkata and surrounding areas. It comes as a major relief to the people in South Bengal after 16 days of prolonged heatwave.
Temperature is expected to drop by a few notches in the next couple of days. Western districts like Purulia and Bankura also saw thunderstorms and rain as well.
The Alipore meteorological office said that there will be no heatwave in the next four to five days. Temperature in the western districts will remain below 40 degrees, the weather officials said.
There was a possibility of winds with a speed of 50-60 kmph in Kolkata, South 24-Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, East Midnapore and other places in Nadia district, they added. Moderate rain with thunderstorms were likely in these areas too.
The Meteorological department had earlier said that favourable rainfall conditions have been created in South Bengal.
However, the Alipore weather office had forecast rain from Monday. It has forecast thunderstorms in Kolkata and its suburbs on Tuesday and Wednesday also.
According to the MeT office record, South Bengal received 3.8 mm rainfall in April this year. South Bengal usually receives 48.8 mm rainfall on an average basis in April.
The city has therefore registered a 92 per cent deficit in rain in April this year. Not a single incident of Nor’wester occurred this April.
The conference that was hosted on the topic “Displacement Justice: Global Challenges, Issues, and Strategies” on May 4 and 5
TT Correspondent, Siliguri, 06.05.24 : A two-day international conference organised by the Indian Institute of Legal Studies (IILS) at Dagapur in Siliguri concluded on Sunday.
The conference that was hosted on the topic “Displacement Justice: Global Challenges, Issues, and Strategies” on May 4 and 5, was attended by a number of eminent members of the Indian judiciary and also representatives of the judiciary from some of the neighbouring countries.
“The idea was to set a stage for engaging discussions and exchanges among legal scholars, policymakers, and experts from around the world,” said Joyjit Choudhury, the additional advocate general of the state and the founder chairman of IILS.
Among those who joined the conference include Justice Biswanath Somadder, Chief Justice, High Court of Sikkim, Justice Dipankar Datta, Judge, Supreme Court of India, Justice Jayantha Chandrasiri Jayasuriya, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, Justice Arindam Sinha, Judge, High Court of Orissa, Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya, Judge, Calcutta High Court, Justice Md. Rezaul Hasan, Judge, High Court Division, Supreme Court of Bangladesh and Dasho Kesang Choden, a Judge from Bhutan.
At the opening ceremony, the speakers came up with eloquent addresses and each of them underscored the urgency of addressing global challenges, issues, and strategies pertinent to displacement justice.
“They mentioned that it is imperative to come up with robust legal frameworks to safeguard the rights of displaced communities around the world,” said a source.
In the course of the conference, four technical sessions were conducted where experts and scholars delved deep into various topics, ranging from legal protection for displaced individuals to innovative policy interventions aimed at ameliorating displacement crises.
While the nurse has alleged that the doctor shoved and assaulted her, the doctor has accused her of verbally abusing him
TT Correspondent, Cooch Behar, 06.05.24 : A nurse and a doctor posted at the MJN Medical College & Hospital (MJNMCH) in Cooch Behar have filed complaints with the hospital authorities, accusing each other for misbehaviour and assault.
While the nurse has alleged that the doctor shoved and assaulted her, the doctor has accused her of verbally abusing him.
Sources said on Saturday afternoon, the nurse was on duty at the women’s medicine ward and was supposed to collect blood samples from a patient. As she could not collect the blood due to some reason, she informed an on duty doctor and sought his assistance. “The doctor told her that it is her duty and not his to collect blood. This led to an altercation between them,” said a source.
The doctor alleged that the nurse abused him verbally. The nurse, on the other hand, said the doctor assaulted her.
Later, other nurses resorted to demonstrations and sought intervention of the authorities.
Rajeev Prasad, the medical superintendent and vice-principal of the college, said: “Both of them have filed complaints with me. We have formed a five-member committee. The committee has been asked to submit a report within 72 hours, starting from Monday,” said Prasad.
MP, Kolkata, 5 May 2024 : An FIR was registered against former Justice of Calcutta High Court and BJP candidate from Tamluk in Lok Sabha elections Abhijit Ganguly for alleged vandalism, attempt to murder along with several other serious offences.
The FIR was registered on the basis of the complaint lodged by the teachers who had lost their jobs.
According to sources, on Saturday, BJP held a rally before Ganguly was going to file his nomination. However, a commotion started when the procession was passing through the place where a group of dismissed school teachers were sitting on a hunger strike near the Tamluk Hospital.
As the situation got tense with slogans and counter-slogans, a section of BJP workers allegedly vandalised the dais where the teachers were sitting. The dismissed teachers were also allegedly assaulted by the saffron party workers.
Later, a large contingent of police force brought the situation under control. It was alleged that several teachers were injured in the incident.
Later, a complaint was lodged at the Tamluk Police Station against several BJP workers, including Ganguly, based on which police have registered an FIR.
The complainants reportedly said that there will be a larger movement across the state if the culprits are not arrested soon.
YOWAN MOTHAY, EOI, KALIMPONG, MAY 5/–/ Drivers and common people of Kalimpong alike are faced with a number of problems due to the announced closure of National Highway 10 from Ravi Jhoda to 29th Mile from May 6 to May 9. Due to the closure of the road during the height of the tourist season, tourists, too, are facing problems.
The Kalimpong District Drivers’ Federation has objected to the repeated closure of National Highway 10.The highway was closed also in March and April intermittently. Association President Mahendra Gurung has alleged that the authorities are taking the problems of the lifeline of Sikkim and Kalimpong casually. If such repeated closures of National Highway 10 continue, drivers will come out on the road in protest at any time.
He has demanded that the administration as well as political leaders take drivers as well as common people seriously. Sick people who need to travel to Siliguri for treatment and traders are also affected by the frequent closure of NH 10. Even after paying road tax to the government in lakhs of rupees and ensuring the safety of passengers, the drivers are suffering because of the repeated closure of the National Highway, he has said.
PTI, Kolkata: Even as the 2024 Lok Sabha polls have started to unfold, anticipation remained high not only in the political landscape but also about the ripple effects on the economy, particularly in rural India, as experts described the elections as the most expensive one ever fought in the country’s history.
With an expenditure of a staggering Rs 1.35 lakh crore estimated by N Bhaskara Rao, who chairs the Centre for Media Studies and has been tracking election spending for 35 years, significant parts of the amount spent during the polls will reach the pockets of India’s rural population boosting sales, business houses feel.
According to a study, about 35 per cent of election expenditure in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in India was made on campaigns and publicity.
The second highest expenditure head was payments to voters via various means – hiring workers, purchasing campaign materials, freebies and direct cash transfers in some cases. Industry leaders expect these will have a positive impact on the economy, especially in India’s countryside
He said his company aims to leverage this opportunity by monitoring rural market dynamics and adapting its product offerings and marketing strategies to align with the evolving preferences and needs of rural consumers.
“The company also plans to intensify its efforts to expand its distribution network and enhance brand visibility in rural areas to capture a larger share of the anticipated post-election market growth,” Bhajanka said. Shreeram Bagla, Managing Director of city-based snacks major Annapurna Swadisht, highlighted that rural demand for the FMCG sector as a whole had been slightly subdued during the second and third quarters of the 2023-24 fiscal.
“We are expecting a steady recovery in demand in the rural and semi-urban markets in the wake of higher spending on election-related expenses. The government seems to be laying a major thrust on boosting the rural economy. This is likely to spur consumption in villages, thereby shoring up the demand for FMCG products,” Bagla noted. Emami Ltd, another FMCG major with considerable rural dependence, also expressed a positive outlook.
“We expect the economy to bounce back on multiple counts in the backdrop of the election. First, anticipation of a good monsoon is expected to boost the rural economy. Secondly, with the softening of raw material prices, while companies are gearing up to pass on the benefits to the consumers, they will also invest more in brand building. The combination of these will definitely push the demand for the FMCG sector up,” Emami Wholetime Director & Vice Chairman, Mohan Goenka, told PTI.
Amnish Aggarwal, head of Institutional Research at Prabhudas Lilladher, while offering a nuanced perspective, pointed out that in present circumstances election spending may not be boosting rural demand in the manner it did before. Reflecting on the trends observed in past elections, Aggarwal underscored that the correlation between poll expenditure translating into a surge in rural demand is over-hyped in current times due to cash movement restrictions which are imposed with the model code of conduct.
“This direct correlation was perhaps true a decade or more ago. Factors like the anticipation of a good monsoon and inflation play pivotal roles in shaping consumer behaviour in current times compared to cash flow during polls,” he said.
Political parties, though, acknowledged that demand for vehicles goes up during poll seasons, whether sourced from rentals or new purchases for use in election activities. Automobile sales in March this year were up by 10 per cent over last year, totalling 3.7 lakh vehicles. However, a senior official of a major car company said that on account of model code of conduct-related restrictions, overall sales of both passenger and commercial vehicles were subdued in April.
Grassroots-level workers of political parties said that there has been a high purchase of snacks and beverages and certain FMCG items required for workers. FMCG products are also used as freebies for audiences brought to political rallies, they said.
A shopkeeper in Hooghly district stated, “Local political leaders become more generous during election times, and we sell more.” West Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer confirmed that since the commencement of MCC, freebies worth Rs 57.67 crore have been seized from the state.
* On 7th May, at Gorubathan Government Degree College a seminar is organised at 10 am.
* The three UPSC passed out candidates will present motivational speech to those who are preparing for the UPSC examinations and also other aspiring candidates and also guide regarding coaching and preparation for the examinations.
* About 13 lakh candidates appeared in the UPSC examination 2023.
Result of the UPSC Examination 2023 proves that a new batch of honest, dedicated brave Gorkhas who protect the country’s borders are now preparing for the higher administrative services of the country.
By passing the UPSC civil service examination, three Gorkhas of the 2023 batch from the beautiful, gentle, peaceful Himalayan district of Darjeeling have held the head of the Gorkha community higher than the Mount Everest.
Gorubathan Future Vision and Gorubathan Government College will jointly honour those warriors with pen on May 7 during the programme. It is confirmed that Jayasree Pradhan and Ajay Moktan will attend the program, while due to an examination Goutam Thakuri will not be able to attend it.
Puran Rai, the chairman of Future Vision, said that in order to celebrate this historic achievement of our Gorkha heroes by congratulating them and to share their experiences to the local educated youth, a motivational program is organized for the graduate students of Gorubthan and adjoining areas.
“The youth icons Jayasree, Gautam and Ajay are and have now become celebrities”, Rai said. With their significant achievement, the administrative and educational strength of the people of Darjeeling Hills has been marked in the map of the country. He further said that this achievement should be taken as a turning point by the Gorkhas. Dissemination of information, proper guidelines and coaching will come forth with more similar result in the future days too.
Darjeeling’s Jayasree Pradhan (52 Rank), Gautam Thakuri (391 Rank) and Ajay Moktan (494 Rank) were amongst the 14,624 successful students who cleared the UPSC Examination 2023, out of the 13 lakh candidates who appeared in the said examination.
UPSC conducts this exam every year to select candidates for the higher administrative posts of the ranks of IPS, IAS, IFS, IRS, and others. The UPSC CSE exam is held in three phases – prelims, mains and interview. Generally around 10 lakh students attempt this examination every year, however, only 0.2% use to pass the examination. This shows how difficult this exam is.
The Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2023 was conducted on May 28, 2023. A total of 10,16,850 candidates applied for this examination, out of which 5,92,141 candidates appeared in the examination Out of these, a total of 14,624 candidates qualified for appearance in the Main exam which was held in September 2023.
Out of the total 10,16,850 candidates applying for the UPSC Civil Services examination, as many as 5,92,141 candidates actually appeared. Of them, 14,624 candidates qualified for the UPSC CSE Main (written) examination and a total of 2,855 candidates qualified for the interview and personality test of the examination in which three Gorkha candidates of the Darjeeling district were the qualifiers..
The result of the UPSC Preliminary Examination was declared on 12th June 2023. These successful candidates filled up the DAF form for UPSC Mains 2023 from September 15 to 24, 2023. Candidates who cleared the mains were called for the interview round which was conducted between January 4 and April 9. UPSC has kept the candidature of 355 recommended candidates in provisional. Of the 1,016 recommended candidates, as many as 347 are from the general category, 115 are from the EWS category, 303 candidates are from the OBC category and from SC and ST, the number of recommended candidates are 165 and 86 respectively.
Two fake circulars announcing the date and time of the ICSE and ISC results and a fake link to a page with the name of the council on social media caused anxiety for thousands of students on Saturday.
ICSE (Class X) and ISC (Class XII) examinees kept calling their teachers and checking the website in anticipation of their results.
“The circulars were fake,” Sangeeta Bhatia, deputy secretary of Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), told The Telegraph from Delhi.
One of the circulars said the results would be published on May 4 at 1pm while the other one said they would be out on May 7 at 10am.
“The council will take up this matter with police and is waiting for advisers to say what to do,” said a council official in Delhi. Asked if the council would lodge any complaint, the official said: “Yes, we will be doing that.”
A senior officer of Kolkata Police’s detective department said they had not received any complaint till Saturday evening. “We have not received any complaint so far.”
The ICSE and ISC results are usually published by the middle of May and the council makes an announcement before publishing the results.
Last year, the results were published on May 14.
Some of the teachers issued their own clarification to anxious students.
“I sent out a message to parents and children saying that one should check the official website of the council and not believe in any other link,” said Souvic Jati, ICSE coordinator of The Heritage School.
The ICSE exam ended on March 28 and ISC on April 4.
“This is a serious harassment of students. Some will be appearing for the Neet (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) on Sunday and they are getting unnecessarily stressed. There should be action against those who are spreading such rumours,” said Rodney Borneo, principal, St Augustine’s Day School Shyamnagar.
Before leaving the city, Bose had said in an audio statement that he smelt a “sinister plot” and that no one would be able to deter him from his “determined efforts to expose corruption and curb violence”
Kinsuk Basu, TT, Calcutta, 05.05.24 : The special enquiry team probing allegations of “physical advances” against governor C.V. Ananda Bose, as levelled by a contractual Raj Bhavan employee, has sought CCTV footage from the governor’s office.
A letter sent late on Friday night requested footage related to some of the places the young woman has mentioned in her complaint. The letter set no timeframe.
A city police officer quoted the letter as saying that the footage was required in connection with a complaint the police had received against the governor.
Among the places identified in the letter are the governor’s office and a conference room where Bose has been accused of trying to lure the complainant with the offer of a promotion, a senior police officer said.
“The footage is part of a basic enquiry about what the woman has alleged,” he added.
“Over the next few days, we will speak to some Raj Bhavan staff members as part of our preliminary enquiry into the allegations. If the CCTV footage is not made available, we will mention that in our report.”
The officer in charge of the police’s Raj Bhavan outpost handed the letter to a senior official from the governor’s secretariat, the police said.
“Since there is no specific timeframe for the enquiry, the letter sent to the Raj Bhavan doesn’t specify the time within which the footage would have to be submitted,” a senior police officer said. “We will wait a few days.”
Senior police officers did not want to comment whether they would visit the Raj Bhavan to question the staff or send summons asking them to face the enquiry team.
After the woman lodged her complaint with Hare Street police station on Thursday evening, the police made a general diary entry (GDE) and formed an eight-member special enquiry team headed by deputy police commissioner (central) Indira Mukherjee.
Bose left for Kochi on Friday. On Saturday, this newspaper tried to contact the governor over his phone several times but he remained “unreachable”.
A message to the governor has gone unanswered so far. Calls to Bose’s officer-on-special-duty at the Raj Bhavan have not elicited any response.
Before leaving the city, Bose had said in an audio statement that he smelt a “sinister plot” and that no one would be able to deter him from his “determined efforts to expose corruption and curb violence”.
On Saturday, Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee asked why the governor had left the city if he had nothing to hide.
“I feel ashamed to talk about this. Two days ago, Bengal’s governor sexually assaulted a contractual staff who is his daughter’s age,” Abhishek alleged at a news conference.
“The next day, he left the city. If you have nothing to hide, then cooperate with the investigation. Why are you running away?”
The woman has accused Bose of making an indecent proposal to her and touching her inappropriately.
She has mentioned two alleged incidents, the first purportedly taking place at Bose’s office at the Raj Bhavan around 12.45pm on April 24. The complainant has said she managed to get out of the room.
The second alleged incident happened on May2, this time in the conference room, the woman has said.
According to Article 361 of the Constitution, no criminal proceedings can be conducted against the President or a governor during their term in office.
If a complaint is lodged against a governor, the police can submit a preliminary report to the state government, which can forward it to the President, the appointing authority of governors.
The purported sting video — whose authenticity could not be independently verified by The Telegraph — prompted Trinamool to seek an apology from the BJP national leadership, which has been citing Sandeshkhali to try and corner Mamata Banerjee in election season
Abhishek Banerjee addresses the media in Calcutta on Saturday.: PTI photo
Devadeep Purohit, TT, Calcutta, 05.05.24 :
Trinamool on Saturday flagged a viral video that appears to show a local BJP leader admitting that women in Sandeshkhali were given Rs 2,000 each to file rape and sexual abuse complaints on the instructions of Suvendu Adhikari.
The purported sting video — whose authenticity could not be independently verified by The Telegraph — prompted Trinamool to seek an apology from the BJP national leadership, which has been citing Sandeshkhali to try and corner Mamata Banerjee in election season.
With the local BJP leader in the video purportedly contending that no rape or sexual abuse had taken place in Sandeshkhali, Mamata and Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee castigated the BJP for “maligning Bengal”. Senior BJP leaders claimed the video was fake.
The chief minister, who was in Nadia to address two poll rallies, was the first to talk about the video. “They created a big drama over Sandeshkhali…. I have been telling you that it’s a conspiracy scripted by the BJP, which has finally come out,” she said.
Her brief comments suggested she was leaving it to Abhishek, her nephew and political heir apparent, to lead the charge against the BJP in connection with the video.
“This is the nadir of shamelessness…. How low can they (the BJP) stoop? If a party can sell the dignity of women at Rs 2,000 for political gain, people should think twice before voting for them,” Abhishek said at a hurriedly convened news conference.
A short video was played before the two-hour news conference at Trinamool Bhavan, off EM Bypass. It juxtaposed, with the “sting” video’s contents, footage of Sandeshkhali-related comments by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and Bengal leader of the Opposition Adhikari.
The video, played by Abhishek, sought to suggest that the attempted ED raid on local Trinamool leader Sheikh Shahjahan’s home on January 5, which brought on a mob attack and catapulted Sandeshkhali to national limelight, was politically motivated.
It also tried to establish that the local women’s subsequent allegations of rape and sexual abuse by ruling party leaders, and the April 26 arms seizure at the house of a Shahjahan aide in Sandeshkhali, were stage-managed.
“I give 48 hours to the BJP national leadership to apologise to the people of Bengal…. If they don’t, people will think that the party president, Union home minister and the Prime Minister were part of the conspiracy,” Abhishek thundered.
Late on Saturday evening, Amit Malviya, co-in-charge of the Bengal BJP, accused Trinamool of orchestrating “a fake sting on a junior functionary of the BJP”.
“TMC, instead of expressing regret over what happened in #Sandeshkhali, first tried to defend, then brazen it out and now is attempting to obfuscate,” he posted on X.
The Bengal BJP too swatted away the charge of a conspiracy. Adhikari accused Abhishek and two others of manufacturing the video with “mala fide intention”, and state unit spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya termed it “fake” and demanded a CBI probe.
When this newspaper asked Abhishek about the origin of the purported sting video, which had gone viral on Saturday morning, he said: “I got it the way you all got it.”
Asked whether it was genuine, he said: “The onus is not on me. There are three characters (Gangadhar Koyal, mandal president, Sandeshkhali-II; Shanti Dolui, mandal president, Sandeshkhali-I; and a woman complainant of sexual abuse) in the video.
“The person who is there for 80 per cent of the time (Koyal) has admitted that it is his voice… and that it’s him in the video…. This is a testament to the video not being fake.”
Dolui appears to say in the video that the arms seized on April 26 had been brought from outside as part of a plan. The woman, whose name this newspaper is withholding since she is a sexual abuse complainant, purportedly says she had signed the complaint letter without being aware of its content.
Attempts by this newspaper to reach Koyal, Dolui and the woman failed as their cellphones were switched off.
In the evening, BJP sources released a letter Koyal had written to the CBI terming the video footage “morphed and edited”.
Koyal had earlier in the day told some television channels that he indeed featured in the video but alleged the audio had been tampered with.
“We have been saying from Day One that everything was part of a plot, and the sting video has vindicated us…. The Sandeshkhali-II mandal president can be heard saying that everything was done at the instruction of Suvendu Adhikari,” Abhishek said.
“You can hear in the video that women were brainwashed into lodging rape and sexual abuse complaints. Gangadhar said Rekha Patra (who was initially the face of the Sandeshkhali protests and later became the BJP candidate from Basirhat) took Rs 2,000 to lodge complaints…. In their complaints, they said the incidents had taken place six to seven months earlier, and therefore no medical examination can be done.”
Patra said the video was a Trinamool “tactic” and suggested that Koyal “must have been scared” into making the purported remarks in the video.
Asked whether the party would press for a probe on the basis of the video, Abhishek said he would urge the state government to bring it to the attention of the Supreme Court, which is hearing a case on Sandeshkhali.
Unlike his party colleagues, Abhishek did not want to comment on whether the video would give Trinamool an advantage in the 36 seats in Bengal where polls are yet to be held.
5 May 2024 : Indian Meteorological Department has forecast that heat wave conditions with reduced intensity are likely to continue in isolated pockets over East India till Sunday and some places over south Peninsular India till 6th May. Heat wave conditions are very likely in isolated pockets over Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema on Saturday and Sunday. Interior Karnataka will face heat wave conditions till the 7th of May whereas Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are likely to face heat wave till the 8th of May.
Yesterday, highest maximum temperature of 46.3 degree Celsius was reported at Nandyal in Rayalaseema. Heat wave conditions have been prevailing over Odisha since 15th April, Gangetic West Bengal since 17th April and Rayalaseema since 24th April. Rise in maximum temperatures by two to four degrees is very likely over many parts of Northwest India, except Uttar Pradesh, during next five days.
Meanwhile, Met department has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall spell accompanied with thunderstorms and gusty winds over Northeast India in the next two days. Wet spell accompanied with thunderstorms and gusty winds is very likely over East India during 5th to 9th of this month with maximum intensity on 6th and 7th May.
PTI, New Delhi, May 4, 2024 : The intensity of the heat wave prevailing in east and parts of southern peninsular India came down slightly on Saturday, with the weather office predicting relief from the scorching conditions in these regions after two days.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said heatwave to severe heatwave conditions prevailed in parts of Gangetic West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Telangana, with maximum temperatures settling 3-5 degrees Celsius above normal in these regions.
The mercury settled above 44 degrees Celsius in at least 10 places in these states.
According to IMD data, 13 places on Friday and 17 on Thursday recorded maximum temperatures above 44 degrees Celsius. Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh sizzled at 46 degrees Celsius and was the hottest place in the country for the third consecutive day on Saturday.
Maximum temperatures were recorded at 45.9 degrees Celsius in Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh), 45 degrees in Mahbubnagar (Telangana), 44 degrees in Odisha’s Boudh, 43.5 degrees in Karur Paramathi (Tamil Nadu), 44.6 degrees in Nizamabad (Telangana), 45.4 in Andhra Pradesh’s Cuddapah, and 43.5 degrees in West Bengal’s Kalaikunda.
The IMD said the ongoing heatwave spell in east and south peninsular India will continue until May 5-6 and abate thereafter.
Light to moderate rainfall and thunderstorms are predicted in Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand from May 5 to 9.
Scattered light to moderate rainfall is expected in east Uttar Pradesh, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh during this period.
Scattered light to moderate rainfall is also very likely in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and Karnataka from May 6 to May 9.
The Met office on Wednesday said above-normal maximum temperatures are likely over most parts of the country in May and a significantly high number of heatwave days expected over the northern plains, central region and adjoining areas of peninsular India.
April witnessed record-smashing maximum temperatures in east, northeast and south peninsular India, prompting health warnings from government agencies and some states to suspend in-person classes in schools.
A number of stations also recorded their highest-ever April day temperatures. Five active western disturbances led to rainfall, thunderstorms and hail storms over north and central India at regular intervals in April, preventing heat waves.
The IMD data shows that heat waves this April were far worse than in 2023, the warmest year on record so far.
This trend is likely to continue in May, with around eight to 11 heatwave days predicted over the south Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Marathwada and the Gujarat regions.
The remaining parts of Rajasthan, east Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and some parts of Chhattisgarh, interior Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, north interior Karnataka and Telangana may record five to seven heatwave days during the month.
Normally, the northern plains, central India and adjoin
The chief minister claimed that though the saffron party was repeatedly saying that the BJP-led NDA will get above 400 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, it will ‘lose’ the elections
PTI, 04.05.24 : Claiming that the BJP has not been able to deliver on its promise of “acche din” (good days), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday alleged that the Narendra Modi-led government was turning “democracy into a jail.” She claimed that though the saffron party was repeatedly saying that the BJP-led NDA will get above 400 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, it will “lose” the elections.
Addressing an election rally here in Ranaghat Lok Sabha constituency in Nadia district, the TMC supremo asked, “Where is the acche din promised by them (BJP)?” Banerjee claimed that the BJP is planning to make “one nation, one party, one government, one leader, and send all others to jail.” She alleged that the Modi-led government was turning “democracy into a jail.” Banerjee asked whether the BJP was a washing machine, alleging that anyone accused of illegalities becomes clean if they join the saffron party.
She accused the BJP of making false claims of providing various reliefs to the people from electricity to cooking gas or free ration.
“We have delivered on promises made by us, from Lakshmir bhandar to free healthcare under the Swasthya Sathi project,” she said.
The TMC boss claimed that those who are already citizens of India were being asked to make applications for getting it again under the CAA.
Ranaghat constituency has a significant Matua population, over whose citizenship issue the BJP and the TMC have been sparring for quite a long time.
“I cannot make false promises like (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi,” the chief minister said, asserting that she makes only those incentives which she can keep.
Banerjee accused the Centre of not giving West Bengal its financial dues on account of GST collection.
Kolkata Police (KP) is exploring legal opinion from prominent lawyers and constitutional experts seeking to know about what steps should be taken against the governor C V Ananda Bose.
SNS | Kolkata | May 4, 2024 : Kolkata Police (KP) is exploring legal opinion from prominent lawyers and constitutional experts seeking to know about what steps should be taken against the governor C V Ananda Bose.
A temporary woman employee at Raj Bhavan on Thursday, lodged a molestation complaint against Mr Bose, the constitutional head in the state, with Hare Street police station alleging he ‘sexually assaulted her twice’. The incident has rocked the state prompting the ruling Trinamul Congress to come down heavily on Mr Bose amidst the ongoing seven-phase Lok Sabha elections in the state.
Mr Bose dismissed the allegation and said that he would not be cowed down by the “engineered narratives’.
On Thursday evening, soon after the complaint was lodged with police station, Indira Mukhopadhyay, deputy commissioner (DC) of police (central division), told media that they are in touch with lawyers and constitutional experts in the city seeking to know their opinions about the investigation process, particularly what should be legal steps when a constitutional head faces allegations of molestation.
Senior police officials held a meeting today at Lalbazar to discuss the issue, it has been learnt.
“No criminal cases can be framed against the President and Governors of states in our country. The complainant will land in deep trouble if the allegations brought against the Governor are not proved true,” said Tathagata Roy, former Governor of Tripura and Meghalaya.
Prominent lawyers in the city felt that no criminal procedures can be initiated against the President of India and Governors of states as per the Section 361 of the Constitution. But civil cases can be filed against Governors in connection property related disputes, they said.
“The Supreme Court in its verdict has clearly stated that any organized crime against women must be investigated with extreme importance. But in the case of the President of India and Governors, only complaints can be lodged against them. They can’t be arrested till they belong to the coveted posts,” one prominent lawyer said.
On Thursday night, Mr Bose through a statement banned the entry of the minister Chandrima Bhattacharya into the Raj Bhavan premises in Kolkata, Darjeeling and Barrackpore for making “defamation and anti-constitutional media statements” and also barred the police from conducting any investigation against him in the alleged molestation case.
In the statement, the Governor said, “Truth shall triumph. I refuse to be cowed down by engineered narratives. If anybody wants some election benefits by maligning me, God bless them. But they cannot stop my fight against corruption and violence in Bengal.”
Mr Bose left for Kochi to attend a pre-scheduled programme there after the Prime Minister left Raj Bhavan today.
On Friday, the same bench was told that the chief secretary was not the appropriate authority to grant the sanction
Tapas Ghosh And Debraj Mitra, TT, Calcutta, 04.05.24 : A Calcutta High Court bench had rebuked Bengal’s chief secretary on multiple occasions for an alleged delay in greenlighting the trial against state government officials arrested for alleged irregularities in school recruitments.
On Friday, the same bench was told that the chief secretary was not the appropriate authority to grant the sanction.
The counsel representing one of the accused told the division bench of Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Gaurang Kanth that the CBI, which is probing the case, should have instead approached the governor, who appointed his client.
“The investigating agency should have obtained permission from the governor. Both Subires Bhattacharyya and Kalyanmoy Ganguly were appointed by the governor,” said the lawyer appearing for Bhattacharyya, who was the chairman of the West Bengal School Service Commission from 2014 to 2018.
Ganguly, an accused in the case, was the president of the state secondary education board from 2021 to 2022.
The CBI had submitted before the division bench that it had applied for approval — for initiating the trial against Bhattacharyya and Ganguly — from the chief secretary two years ago, but the top bureaucrat of the state had yet to give his nod.
The bench had thrice issued orders to the incumbent chief secretary, B.P. Gopalika, asking him to state why he was not issuing approval for the trial.
The chief secretary had on April 24 filed an application in the high court praying for some more time to file an affidavit stating the reasons.
That prompted Justice Bagchi to say: “The CBI had applied for permission two years ago. Why is the state hesitant? Then, I have to believe that all the accused are so influential that they can influence the government as well.”
Justice Bagchi had given the government time till May 2 for obeying the court order. “Otherwise, the state will have to face the consequences,” the court had said.
On Friday, the submission from Bhattacharyya’s lawyer prompted Justice Bagchi to say: “Actually, the CBI does not have the idea from whom it should obtain the approval. This court unnecessarily criticised the state chief secretary.”
“If the agency seeks permission from the wrong authority, what would the court do,” he said.
The bench fixed the matter for hearing on May 7 and directed the additional solicitor general to be present in the court during the hearing.
We had submitted a list of the undeserving candidates to the division bench of Calcutta High Court: SSC
Subhankar Chowdhury, TT, Calcutta, 04.05.24 :
School Service Commission, Salt Lake office.: File
The school service commission (SSC) chief on Friday said they would tell the Supreme Court that it was possible to make a distinction between the deserving and the undeserving candidates among the 25,000-odd teachers and other employees at government-aided schools whose services were terminated by Calcutta High Court.
“The commission will definitely stand by those who got their jobs through fair means. We will try to assure the Supreme Court, where a case is being heard, that it is possible to make a distinction between those who are deserving and those who are not from this list (of the 25,700 candidates),” SSC chairperson Siddhartha Majumdar told a news conference.
The briefing was convened hours after a section of the 25,700-odd teaching and non-teaching employees who stand to lose their jobs following a Calcutta High Court order on April 22 held a protest outside the SSC office in Salt Lake.
“We had submitted a list of the undeserving candidates to the division bench of Calcutta High Court. Similarly, we can hand over the list of the disputed candidates to the Supreme Court. The commission will definitely stand by those who are not guilty or those who cannot be identified as tainted. This is the stand of the commission,” Majumdar said
On April 25, Majumdar had said at a news conference that the commission had informed the high court through three affidavits that 5,300 teaching and non-teaching employees had got their jobs allegedly through unfair means.
The SSC chairman had made the comment while countering the court’s
statement that the commission did not cooperate in tracing the candidates who had got their jobs allegedly through unfair means.
On April 29, the Bengal government, SSC and the state secondary education board had submitted before the Supreme Court that the high court’s April 22 order scrapping the jobs of all 25,700 candidates who had been appointed based on their performance in the 2016 selection tests, because of possible irregularities in some appointments, violated the principles of natural justice.
Chief Justice Chandrachud then observed: “You have to demonstrate that… on the basis of material available, it is possible to segregate who all are validly and invalidly appointed; who are the beneficiaries of the frauds.”
The apex court will again hear the case on May 6.
The SSC chairperson on Friday said it was in this context that he said that they would try to assure the Supreme Court that it was possible to make a distinction between the deserving and the undeserving candidates.
“A section of those who stand to lose jobs following the Calcutta High Court order was staging a protest outside the SSC office. I told the media persons who came to the office that it was possible to make a distinction between those who are deserving and those who are not,” Majumdar told Metro later.
When this newspaper sought to know how the commission would make a distinction, an official said: “We could give the apex court a list of the candidates against whom there are no allegations so far.”
The counsel for the Bengal government had submitted in the Supreme Court on Monday that the high court judgment violated the Supreme Court ruling in the Inderpreet Singh Kahlon and Others vs State of Punjab in 2006, which said the entire selection process cannot be cancelled because of irregularities in some appointments.
The high court invalidated the appointments of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching employees at state-sponsored and aided schools because of irregularities in the State Level Selection Test, 2016
Mamata Banerjee addresses a rally at Memari in East Burdwan on Friday.: Munshi Muklesur Rahaman
Pranesh Sarkar, TT, Calcutta, 04.05.24 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday pledged that the BJP would stand by those teachers whose appointments had been cancelled by Calcutta High Court recently though they had landed jobs rightfully.
The high court invalidated the appointments of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching employees at state-sponsored and aided schools because of irregularities in the State Level Selection Test, 2016.
While promising to stand by those whose appointments were not tainted by charges of corruption, Modi said the BJP’s Bengal unit would set up a legal cell and a social media platform to assist them.
“The TMC extortionists cheated lakhs of youths in the recruitment of teachers…. You saw what kind of irregularities took place when it was found that machines got tired of counting bundles of currency notes. Many genuine teachers, who have proper documents, are also suffering because of the sin of others.… I have suggested that the Bengal BJP set up a legal cell and a social media platform to assist genuine teachers who lost their jobs,” Modi said during an election rally in Burdwan on Friday.
While addressing a rally in East Burdwan’s Raina later in the day, chief minister Mamata Banerjee tore into Modi and the BJP, holding them responsible for “eating 26,000 jobs”.
“Where were you Modi babu? You have eaten 26,000 jobs. Your party has eaten these jobs. Your party and the CPM have together eaten the jobs…. Your assistance is not required. The Bengal government has already engaged lawyers in the Supreme Court. The education department has also engaged lawyers. We would not let the youths lose their jobs,” said Mamata.
As a large number of teachers not tainted by chargesof corruption became the high court order’s collateral damage, Mamata held the Opposition, especially the BJP, responsible for the job losses.
The Prime Minister’s bid to address the concerns of genuine teachers who lost their jobs reflected the BJP’s unease with Mamata’s consistent effort to blame the saffron camp for the high court order.
“Elections have been held only in six Lok Sabha constituencies in Bengal so far and another 36 seats will go to the polls in the remaining five phases. Most of the affected teachers are residents of these 36 constituencies. So, the Prime Minister had to send a message particularly after the chief minister had vowed to stand by the teachers who lost jobs,” said a BJP leader.
