My Opinion

I am surprised to read the judgement of Chief Judicial Magistrate (Jodhpur Rural) in the blackbucks poaching case, wherein Bollywood superstar Saman Khan has been convicted and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment along with fine, while five of his co-accused were acquitted giving benefit of doubt.

I feel Salman Khan has been convicted for being a superstar, and not for being a culprit.

In this case, there were the same set of witnesses who deposed against Salman and his associates, and there were the same set of evidences which were put forward against Salman and his co-accused. How can we term it as justice if the five co-accused are acquitted and Salman is sentenced to five years’ imprisonment? Does it not imply that it was Salman who has been hunting alone, of driving the vehicle alone, of firing at the black bucks alone, and thus was adjudged the lone culprit?

The other point is that Salman was acquitted by the Rajasthan High Court in a similar blackbuck poaching case in another village near Jodhpur. Then where is the logic behind convicting him in this case?

The sad part is that the chief judicial magistrate in his verdict has mentioned that ‘Khan is a film star whose actions are followed by the common man and still he shot dead two innocent and mute blackbucks (sic), a Schedule-I animal under the Wildlife Protection Act, so he cannot be granted benefit under the Probation of Offenders Act as sought by the defence.”

In my opinion, if this is considered a valid criterion, then it is also a fact that Salman Khan donates crores of rupees in charities, arranges free treatment for lakhs of people, and the common people could also ‘follow’ his good work too. In such a circumstance, Salman should get the benefit for his positive work.

I personally feel that injustice has been meted out to Salman Khan. One should punish a culprit, not a superstar for his fame. I hope Salman Khan will get relief from higher courts soon.

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The situation in Bhind, Morena and Gwalior of MP, and in Agra, Allahabad and parts of westerm UP continues to remain tense, as reports pour in about how local politicians having vested interests planned violence and arson during Monday’s Bharat Bandh. The rumour factory via WhatsApp was active throughout this volatile period.

UP police has shared with media how politcians at the local level hatched conspiracies to unleash violence. The question arises as to why the local intelligence units of the police were not active.Had the local intelligent units been active, police could have acted in time.

I want to appeal to all sections of society to refrain from retaliating and act with utmost restraint. If some people have unleashed violence, the police is trying its best to round up these elements. Acts of retaliation will further vitiate the atmosphere. Peace is the need of the hour.

It is also clear that vote bank politics acted as a motive behind this cycle of violence, and most of the political parties worked with this ulterior motive. It is a known fact that tickets during polls are distributed on the basis of caste equations. Distributing tickets and seeking votes in the name of caste can be tolerated to some extent but inciting riots and unleashing violence in the name of caste is reprehensible and unacceptable.

All political parties should introspect and see in which direction they are leading our country. On one hand, we have unruly mobs unleashing violence, and, on the other hand, instructions are issued to police not to use teargas shells or lathis nor fire, to control the situation. Had the police used maximum force and if lives were lost, the situation could have deteriorated further.

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The Delhi High Court on Tuesday brought to an end the sordid affair of two civil defamation cases filed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after the latter and his associates offered unqualified apology for levelling baseless and false charges of corruption against the former. Kejriwal has apologized to Jaitley and his family members for accusing the Union Minister of corruption during his 13-year stint at Delhi and District Cricket Association.

Simultaneously, a trial court in Delhi accepted Kejriwal’s apology to Jaitley and disposed of the criminal defamation case. I want to mention here that when Arun Jaitley filed the defamation cases against Kejriwal, I appeared as witness number one in support of Jaitley. In my heart of hearts, I was convinced that the slanders and accusations levelled by Kejriwal against Jaitley were baseless and false, and it was a blatant act of defamation.

I know Arun Jaitley for the last 44 years. To allege that he promoted corruption while helming the affairs of DDCA, was a great injustice to an honest man. It was my firm conviction that I should stand in court to defend a person, honest to the core. I had then felt that if I did not publicly defend an honest person, I would never be able to forgive myself.

Today I am contented that my conviction has been proved true. Kejriwal offered apologies again and again, clearly and succinctly, to Jaitley in court. The court also accepted his apologies. Arun Jaitley came out of this entire slanderous drama, unblemished and untainted. I hope this legal case will give support to all those who are honest and are working tirelessly in politics. I also hope that this would act as a deterrence to mischief mongers and liars, who try to tarnish the image of others without any shred of solid evidence.

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The Bharat Bandh call given by some Dalit organisations and supported by Congress, BSP, RJD, Samajwadi Party and other opposition parties to protest against the Supreme Court order diluting SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, turned violent in some states on Monday leading to the death of nine persons, and wanton destruction of public and private properties.

Hooligans indulged in largescale violence in the name of Dalit rights, even as the Centre filed a review petition before the Supreme Court seeking restoration of mandatory arrest in cases of atrocities on Dalits and tribals. Rumours and fake news factory worked on overdrive and in some states internet services had to be suspended.

The picture is clear – those who indulged in violence were supported by the party which had the largest base of Dalit supporters in UP, MP, Rajasthan and Haryana. The maximum number of arson and violence took place in these states. On the whole, violence took place during Dalit protests in 10 states, which have 71 Lok Sabha seats, where SC/ST voters are predominant. These seats are significant in view of the forthcoming 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Most of the violent incidents took place in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, where assembly elections are due towards the end of this year. Clearly, political motives were at work behind the largescale violence that took place during these protests.

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Millions of Class X students across the country, except Delhi-NCR and Haryana, heaved a sigh of relief on Friday evening, when the Education Secretary announced that there would be no retest for Maths in all regions except Delhi-NCR and Haryana, where question paper leaks are supposed to have taken place. The date for Class XII Economics paper was also announced ending uncertainty and confusion in the minds of examinees and their parents.

There were three issues before the Education department of HRD Ministry: One, how to end uncertainties in the minds of examinees. This ended with the announcement of retest date for Class XII Economics, and a possible retest for Class X Maths, if required, in Delhi-NCR and Haryana.

Two, questions were raised as to why CBSE did not take action when it was getting leaked question papers on e-mail, fax and courier. The reply given was that in the past too, such claims of leaks were made but were later found to be fake. This time the board could not establish that the leaks did take place and hence, it did not pre-empt the cheaters by cancelling the exam.

Third point: How will the board ensure that such leaks do not recur in future? The reply given by the Education Secretary was that since the exams are due only next year, necessary measures to plug all loopholes in the system will be put in place.

The question now is: CBSE had an impeccable record of leak-proof examination system till date, there used to be more than one set of question papers to tackle such eventualities, question papers used to be kept in SBI branch lockers, question papers were printed at government security printing press, then how was the security breached? Till the time there are no specific answers to these questions, all other replies make no meaning.

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It has now come to light during investigation that the Class X Maths question paper that was leaked to students and tutors, was forwarded by a parent to a senior CBSE official five days before the exam was to take place. The official routinely forwarded this to a junior police officer for investigation, and nothing happened during the intervening period because of weekend holidays. The shit hit the fan when the exam took place five days later and it was found that the question paper was already leaked. CBSE then cancelled the exam and ordered retest.

It is clear that the CBSE management has not taken the leak of question papers seriously, otherwise this could have been avoided. On its part, the Delhi Police special investigation team is still shooting in the dark. It is questioning those students and tutors who got the leaked question paper on their WhatsApp. Police is yet to ascertain who were the real masterminds behind this leak. CBSE officials, on their part, are obfuscating the entire issue by giving vague replies.

CBSE must reply why it did not take immediate steps when the leaked paper landed with their official five days before the exam. The board could have postponed the exam and could have ordered fresh question papers to be reset, but it did not.

This is a sheer case of negligence and amounts to injustice to millions of students who toiled hard for the board exam. While the police is trying to nab the real masterminds behind the leak, the Centre must immediately take action against those erring CBSE officials who were responsible for conducting the exam in a fair manner, but did not take the complaints seriously.

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On Wednesday, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced that all examinees of Class X maths and Class XII economics will have to sit for re-tests on dates to be announced within a week. This followed reports of leaks of question papers on both these subjects. The matter has been handed over for investigation to the Crime Branch of Delhi Police, which has formed a special investigation team, to carry out raids and nab the culprits who were behind the paper leak.

My heart cries out for those 22 lakh students who burnt the midnight oil for months to study and prepare for the CBSE exams. These students toiled hard with sincerity to sit for the exams, but a handful of unscrupulous people have forced them to toil hard again and sit for the retests.

One should remember the tips that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given to students to prepare for board exams, but even the PM did not foresee such a crisis that the students would have to face. Leak of question papers denotes failure of the system. It amounts to sheer injustice to lakhs of students. For filthy lucre, the handful of unscrupulous persons have put lakhs of students in a precarious situation.

Delhi Police should round up the gang that leaked the question papers. Such culprits should be arrested and brought to justice immediately. Police should also arrest those who sit within the system and encourage question paper leaks. Police should know that the Prime Minister himself is unhappy over this sordid incident and he is keeping a watchful eye on the progress of investigation.

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Christopher Wylie, a former employee of controversial firm Cambridge Anayltica, on Tuesday told the UK House of Commons digital, culture, media and sports committee, that his firm undertook work for the Congress party in India and has worked “extensively in India”.

Wylie admitted in his testimony that “I believe their client was Congress. I know that they have done all kinds of projects..I don’t remember a national project but I know regionally, they have. They do have offices there, they have staff there. I believe I have some documentation on India I can provide.”

Last week when news broke that Cambridge Analytica had misused Facebook user data to profile voters in the US presidential elections and the Brexit referendum in UK, the Congress had categorically maintained that it never hired Cambridge Anayltica. On Tuesday, the Congress dared Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to file an FIR against the firm and its Indian partners and also against Facebook on the basis of evidence obtained by the government. Prasad had earlier warned Facebook that the government could take stern action against user data mining for political purposes.

The witness in question, Christopher Wylie, has nothing to do with Congress or Indian politics, but his revelations could be embarrassing for India’s oldest political party. This has been worse confounded because of earlier assertions by the party that it had nothing to do with Cambridge Analytica.

The Congress spokesman, in turn, has alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi hired the services of CA during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Probably the spokesman Randeep Surjewala has not listened to Wylie’s testimony carefully. Wylie has told the House of Commons committee that his firm had worked in several states of India, but never handled any general elections on a national scale. Instead of knee-jerk reactions, the Congress would be well advised to frame its reply carefully, because it can cause political damage to the party in the long run.

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Four years after 39 Indian construction workers were kidnapped by ISIS terrorists in Mosul, Iraq, the government finally announced in Parliament on Wednesday that the deaths of all these hostages have been confirmed through DNA tests. The remains of these workers were dug out after use of deep penetration radar in a desert.

The whole word knows what has happened in Iraq in the last five years, how ISIS went to the extremes of brutality to kill innocent people in cold blood. Lakhs of people lost their lives and their remains lie beneath the soil. It was an arduous task for former Army Chief and Minister of State for External Affairs V. K. Singh to trace the remains of the victims buried in the desert and match them with the DNA samples of their relatives based in India. He deserves kudos for his efforts.

As far as the delay is concerned, it is known to everybody that Mosul was in control of ISIS all these years, and only after the Iraqi army regained Mosul, efforts to trace the kidnapped Indians began in right earnest. No government can declare its 39 nationals dead based on the testimony of a single witness, who survived the massacre. Political parties should realize that this is a humane issue and there should be no politicking over this massacre.

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On Wednesday, Union Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad warned Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg by name and said that any data leak relating to Indian users for political purposes in India would not be tolerated.

Prasad also alleged that Cambridge Analytica, which has been charged of leaking Facebook data for misuse during Trump’s election in the US and Brexit referendum in the UK, was trying to fix a deal with Congress party for next year’s Lok Sabha elections. The minister asked Congress to explain its connection with CA, since it was “a serious security threat for the country”.

Prasad said, “we welcome FB profile in India, but if any data theft of Indians is done through colllusion of Facebook, it shall not be tolerated, and the government has stringent powers under the IT Act, which it shall use.”

There are more than 200 crore Facebook users across the world, out of which more than 24 crore active users are in India. Twitter, WhatsApp and Instagram have become part of daily life for most Indians who use smartphones. Imagine what will happen if the data of such social media users are leaked out to interested parties. Social media, particularly Facebook and WhatsApp, have vital data relating to their users including their telephone numbers, their locations, their present and past profile, their contacts and even their social and political leanings.

Any political party would happily misuse such info about its voters, but if such data are passed on to third parties having malicious intent, the very essence of privacy will vanish. Anybody could be easily blackmailed or tracked.

Till now, social media was being blamed for circulating fake news and allegations, it was spreading rumours that could cause unrest in society, but Wednesday’s revelations pose a greater risk. It is now time that the Centre must take strong steps to regulate social media.

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Aam Aadmi Party supremo and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday tendered a signed written apology on his party’s letterhead to Akali Dal leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia, who had filed a defamation case against him for levelling unsubstantiated charges of collusion with drug peddlers.

During the Punjab assembly elections, Kejriwal had called Majithia a “druglord” and had threatened to “drag him by his collar to jail”, if his party came to power. Kejriwal’s party lost the elections badly and Majithia filed a defamation case against him in order to redeem his family’s honour. In his written apology, Kejriwal writes, “now I have learnt the allegations are unfounded… I hereby withdraw all my statements and allegations made against you and apologize.”

Kejriwal is being lampooned on social media for his written apology. Dissident AAP leader Kumar Vishwas posted a caustic Hindi verse on his Twitter handle “Hum kya us shakhs par thooken, Jo khud thook kar chaatne me maahir hain”, (why should I spit at one who himself excels in licking his own spit).

Well, Kejriwal excels in the art of apologizing. He had apologized to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari publicly in court and now he has apologized to Bikram Majithia. The inside story is that Kejriwal has already sent feelers to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley offering to apologize for his allegations about DDCA. He has already sent several messages to Jaitley, offering to apologize in return for withdrawing defamation cases from court. He has also promised never to level such charges in future, but he is yet to get any response from Jaitley. Former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit has also filed a defamation case against Kejriwal, and there are chances that the latter may apologize to her too.

The reason why Kejriwal is on an apology spree is that he even lies to his lawyers. None other than Ram Jethmalani has disclosed this. Since Kejriwal has no evidences with him to back up his charges, nor has good lawyers, he is opting for the easiest way out: tendering apologies.

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Why did BJP lose in its two bastions in UP – Gorakhpur and Phoolpur? Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, it could be because of overconfidence, while Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said, it was because of social engineering and the support extended by BSP supremo Mayawati. During the last Lok Sabha and assembly polls, the BJP had worked out a complex caste equation in UP which yielded rich dividends. This time, Akhilesh Yadav applied the same caste formula to give BJP a drubbing in the bypolls. During the Lok Sabha and assembly polls in UP, BJP had accomodated a large number of dissident SP, BSP leaders belonging to different castes, but this time, Akhilesh tied up with Nishad Party, Peace Party, and after the nomination filing process was over, Mayawati announced that her party would support the strongest candidate who can defeat the BJP. The ruling party was then left with no other option but face the battle. That is why, after the byelection results were announced on Wednesday, Akhilesh Yadav in his 15-minute long press conference profusely thanked his political rival-turned-ally Mayawati several times. He then spoke to Mayawati over phone seeking a meeting, and the BSP supremo sent a black Mercedes car to bring Akhilesh to her residence.

Speculations are rife whether the SP and BSP will forge an alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in UP to defeat BJP. On the other hand, whatever BJP leaders may say in public, the byelection drubbings in UP and Bihar do not bode well for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. Leaders of opposition parties are already trying to forge a joint platform since the last few days. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and National Conference chief Omar Abdullah were the first to welcome the byelection results, which can act as a magnet to bring disparate opposition parties on a single platform.

The biggest challenge will have to be faced by Congress. Its candidate stood fourth in Gorakhpur and lost her deposit. The party is gradually losing its bargaining power in the process, and Akhilesh Yadav may not give much importance to the party now. This was made clear by his associate Ramgopal Yadav on Wednesday in an interview to India TV, when he pointed out that the Congress had fielded its own candidate, and the state Congress chief had hurled abuses at Akhilesh while addressing election meetings. He himself questioned the scope for alignment with Congress. If ever an all India anti-BJP front emerges, there remains ambiguity about the role of the Congress. Even the Congress leaders themselves do not know what role the party will play in opposition unity.

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