Tag: corruption

  • Congress dares PM to investigate Ambani, Adani for ‘distributing’ black money to it

    New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to use his investigating agencies like the CBI and the ED to probe the charges he has levelled against businessmen Ambani and Adani that they were distributing sacks full of black money in tempos. Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate claimed that the prime minister was never seen so weak and desperate that he ended up making great revelations about corruption in the country and exposing his own friends.

    She was referring to the charge on Wednesday made by prime minister who, for the first time during Lok Sabha poll campaign, accused the Congress of having a “deal” with “Ambani and Adani”, and asked if the party has received “tempo loads of black money” from the two industrialists for its leader Rahul Gandhi to stop “abusing” them.

    Shrinate pointed out that Rahul Gandhi has been saying the same thing for the last 10 years that the big businessmen possessed black money but the prime minister was not taking action against them. She said, the prime minister has gathered the courage and admitted about it. She asked when will the prime minister use his agencies like the CBI, the ED and the Income Tax to probe these charges. AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther States “The prime minister of this country has never been so weak, helpless and desperate before. Yesterday, Narendra Modi showed courage and made a big revelation on corruption. “The PM got this courage by looking at Rahul Gandhi, who is fearlessly exposing corruption, speaking out against the corrupt with great vigour and exposing Adani and Ambani. It was with this courage that Narendra Modi made such a big disclosure about corruption,” she said. Shrinate charged that looking at his upcoming defeat, Prime Minister Modi made serious allegations of corruption. “Now that it has been revealed then what is there to fear from? Get it investigated… Get raids conducted at your friends’ places. The irony is that the prime minister is making allegations but the investigating agencies and the media are stunned. Don’t be afraid… Get it checked. We will support you,” she told reporters.

    Several Congress leaders put out video messages on their social media handles asking when will Prime Minister Modi order investigation against Adani and Ambani after his big allegation.

    Shrinate also said the Congress wants to assure the people that they should not be scared.

    “Narendra Modi created 22 billionaires. We will create crores of ‘lakhpatis’, and that is our promise,” she claimed.

    The Congress leader claimed that the revelations made by Prime Minister Modi on corruption have created a stir in the entire BJP and the government.

    “The people are scared because they know that when Modi Ji can sacrifice his close aides after seeing the defeat then where do they stand,” she alleged.

    She claimed that even those officers who were working on Modi’s instructions are scared. All of them have understood that the government is about to change, she said.

    “There is a clear writing on the wall that neither the BJP is going to form the government at the Centre on June 4 nor is Narendra Modi becoming the prime minister again,” she said, adding that this has already become clear in the first three phases of polling.

    In a change of narrative on the ‘Ambani-Adani’ issue, which was until now used by the Congress to attack Modi and his government at the Centre, the prime minister also demanded that the party should explain to the people why it has stopped raising the issue as its ‘Shehzada’ (Rahul Gandhi) used to do for the past five years and asked if it has struck a ‘sauda’ (deal).

    The Prime Minister also said, “Certainly something is fishy. For five years, (they) abused Adani-Ambani and it stopped overnight. It means you have received some tempo loads of ‘chori ka maal’ (loot)… Kaale dhan ki kitni boriya bharkar ke rupaye maare hain (how many sacks of black money you have taken)? You have to answer the nation.”

  • 'When BJP speaks about corruption it seems like Osama Bin Laden is speaking…': AAP's Sanjay Singh

    'When BJP speaks about corruption it seems like Osama Bin Laden is speaking…': AAP's Sanjay Singh

  • Arvind Kejriwal: Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest: AAP faces leadership crisis ahead of Lok Sabha election

    New Delhi: The arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the alleged excise policy scam case has posed a leadership crisis question before the AAP as well as the Delhi government, with his wife Sunita Kejriwal and cabinet ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj being talked about as his possible replacement. The challenge before the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) now is to come up with a worthy leader who could handle both the party and its government in Delhi in absence of Kejriwal.

    However, it’s indeed a big task for the AAP leadership to come up with a name of a leader that at least comes closer to Kejriwal’s stature as convener of the party since its inception in 2012 and holding Delhi Chief Minister’s post for three terms spanning nearly a decade.

    The urgency of the task becomes even more pressing as the AAP is gearing up to contest the Lok Sabha polls in Punjab, Delhi, Gujarat, Assam and Haryana in which Kejriwal was to be a key campaigner of the party. Apart from Sunita Kejriwal, a former IRS officer, the names of AAP government ministers Atishi and Bharadwaj too are taking rounds for the post of Delhi chief minister.

    Atishi, who holds the maximum number of portfolios in the Delhi government, including education, finance, PWD, revenue and services, is considered close to Arvind Kejriwal.

    She is also a frontline spokesperson of the party defending the AAP government and Kejriwal, and attacking the BJP in her regular press conferences and appearances on news channels. Likewise, Bharadwaj is also a prominent member of the Delhi Cabinet holding several important portfolios including health and urban development. He, too, is a well known face of the party, often engaged in defending the party and its leaders and counter-attacking the BJP and its government at the Centre on a range of governance-related and political issues.

    However, in December last year, the AAP launched a signature campaign ‘Mai Bhi Kejriwal’, asking people whether he should resign as Delhi chief minister or run the government from jail if arrested.

    During the campaign, the AAP supremo also met party MLAs and municipal corporation councilors in Delhi for their feedback on the issue.

    Bharadwaj recently told reporters in a press conference, “Nearly 90 per cent of people in this exercise opined that Kejriwal has the mandate of Delhi and he has been elected and hence, only he would run the government in Delhi no matter from where.”

    The AAP leadership also has to find a replacement of Kejriwal to head the party that runs governments in Delhi and Punjab besides having MLAs in Gujarat and Goa as well.

    In this area also, the options of the party are rather limited.

    Apart from Sunita Kejriwal, name of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Atishi too are taking rounds as leaders who could hold the responsibility of new AAP national convener.

  • TMC: Modi hits out at TMC over corruption and dynasty politics

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday upped the ante against the TMC on the issue of corruption and dynasty politics and said the opposition alliance INDIA parties such as the Trinamool Congress and the Congress are bothered only about the development of their families. Giving a clarion call to defeat the Mamata Banerjee-led party in West Bengal, the prime minister while addressing a mega rally in Siliguri said, “The road to oust the corrupt TMC government from West Bengal will open from the Lok Sabha polls.”

    “I have seen mothers of our country struggling for basic amenities. That is why I stress on sanitisation, free electricity, bank accounts and tap water to make the lives of our mothers and sisters easier. But here, first the Left Front and then the TMC government have ignored the basic needs of the people of the state,” he said.

    Modi said the TMC has been looting the people of the state and had indulged in creating fake job cards for looting central funds sent by the Centre under MGNREGA. Hitting out at dynasty politics of opposition parties, Modi said the “TMC is only bothered about its nephew whereas the Congress is bothered only about the royal family,” in an apparent reference to TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and the Gandhi family in Congress.

  • ‘Parivarvad has destroyed J&K bank…’: PM Modi targets Abdullah and Mufti in Srinagar rally – The Economic Times Video

    Srinagar, J&K: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says “J&K has been a huge victim of ‘Parivarvad’ and corruption. The previous governments here had left no stone unturned to destroy our J&K Bank, by filling the bank with their relatives and nephews, these ‘Parivarvadis’ have ruined the bank. Due to mismanagement, the bank had incurred so much loss that all of you were in danger of losing thousands of crores of rupees…”

  • Will fulfil Shah’s Lok Sabha seat target in West Bengal: Majumdar

    The BJP’s West Bengal president Sukanta Majumdar has flagged the issue of infiltration and said his party will contest the upcoming general election in the state on the planks of “large-scale corruption” of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and the performance of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

    “Infiltration is the biggest challenge faced by Bengal and it is a question of how the state can be saved,” Majumdar told ET in an exclusive interview. “The law and order situation is precarious in West Bengal, especially in some parts like the border area of Sandeshkhali. Demography in these bordering regions has completely changed over the years since independence. If we compare the census in 1947 and the last census in 2011, there is a huge change in the demography due to infiltration.”

    Poll Planks”We will fight the Lok Sabha polls on two issues – large-scale corruption of Trinamool Congress and PM Narendra Modi’s performance in the last few years and Modi’s developmental model,” Majumdar said.

    Talking about candidate selection for the upcoming polls, he said, “We will consider certain factors during candidate selection for Lok Sabha polls – whether they are associated with the party’s work actively, ideological background and clean image. These three factors will be considered with utmost importance during candidate selection.”

    While inducting new workers into the party, the BJP aims to focus on fresh faces with a clean image, he said. “Fresh faces will be taken into the party. We will not accept rotten potatoes. We will rather focus on fresh faces and karyakartas (workers) instead of leaders,” he said.The BJP has worked hard to build an organisational base in the state in the past few years, Majumdar said. “We have built a strong organisational structure and the number of people in the booths is far higher than that in 2019. We have become stronger and booths have also been strengthened. We will be able to fulfil the target set by Amit Shah for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” he said.Shah has fixed a target of winning 35 out of the 42 seats in the state in the Lok Sabha polls. In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the BJP had won 18 seats, up from two seats in 2014.

    Rohingyas

    “There is a presence of Rohingyas in Sandeshkhali area. People like Shahjahan Sheikh have given place in the area to the Rohingyas in and around the fisheries and they are used by the Trinamool Congress politically. The Trinamool Congress government in Bengal is aware of it but they are silent on the matter. It is an open secret,” Majumdar said, adding that large tracts of areas where fisheries are run in Sandeshkhali and adjacent areas are a haven of illegal and anti-social activities.

    Talking about the central government’s intervention on AITC leader Shahjahan Sheikh, Majumdar said, “It should be an administrative decision as to what kind of central intervention is required to control these kind of incidents. The Centre should intervene in the matter depending on the law of the land.”

    Majumdar had written a letter to Union home minister Amit Shah last Friday, seeking intervention of the Centre and National Investigation Agency probe into the attack on Enforcement Directorate officials who went to raid Sheikh’s residence in connection with alleged Public Distribution System case. The officials were attacked and suffered serious injuries during the attack. “It is not only merely an attack on the Enforcement Directorate but an attack on the Constitution of India and sovereignty of the country,” said Majumdar.

  • Those involved in corruption coming on one platform: PM Modi attacks Opposition parties

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday linked opposition parties coming together against the BJP to his government’s campaign against corruption, and asserted that the clampdown on graft will continue without being hindered by “false allegations”.

    After inaugurating an extension of the BJP headquarters here, Modi said that at a time when India’s strength is rising to a new high, it is natural that “anti-India” forces within and outside the country will join hands.

    “Some parties have launched ‘bhrashtachari bachao abhiyan’ (save corrupt campaign),” he said in a blistering attack on opposition parties protesting against the alleged misuse of probe agencies such as the ED.

    Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from Lok Sabha following his conviction in a criminal defamation case has also become a rallying point for the Opposition.

    Modi said, “The country will not bend nor will the action against corruption stop due to false allegations.”

    The “anti-India” forces are attacking constitutional institutions as they are the strong “foundation” of a rising India, he said.

    And, to stop the country’s growth, they are resorting to attacking its foundation and are engaged in conspiracies to defame bodies such as the judiciary and probe agencies and destroy their credibility, he said.

    When agencies act against those involved in corruption, they are targeted and when courts deliver a verdict not to the liking of these forces, they are questioned, the prime minister said.

    “Some people are bound to get angry when we act so much against corruption,” he said.

    Never before in the history of independent India, such a big campaign against corruption has taken place and it has rattled the corrupt.

    “All those involved in corruption have come onto one platform,” he said, asserting that people realise that when the BJP comes to power, corruption goes away.

    Citing figures, Modi said that during the Congress-led UPA rule between 2004 and 2014, assets worth Rs 5,000 crore were seized under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, while the figure has zoomed to Rs 1.10 lakh crore in the nine years of the BJP rule.

    The cases registered under the act more than doubled under his government while the number of arrests surged 15 times, he said.

    Under the Congress rule, banks were “looted” and people accused of siphoning off Rs 22,000 crore fled abroad, he said, adding his government has seized their assets worth Rs 20,000 crore.

    The CBI has registered more than 5,000 cases under corruption charges under his government and hundreds of senior officials facing graft allegations were forcibly retired and are facing lawful action, Modi said.

    Corruption has harmed the country a great deal and hollowed it out like termites, he said, adding that people realise that the country will progress only when a graft is contained.

    People, Modi asserted, are applauding his government’s campaign against corruption and tell him wherever he goes, “Don’t stop Modi ji”.

    Taking a swipe at the Opposition for its campaign against the BJP and him, he said senior Congress leaders used to talk about rooting out the Jana Sangh once and now the main opposition party is talking about digging his grave.

    The BJP is a party that sacrificed itself to save democracy, he said, referring to the merger of the Jana Sangh, its earlier avatar, with other parties after the Emergency.

    In a reference to the probe into 2002 Gujarat riots when he was the state’s chief minister, Modi said many conspiracies were hatched to send him to jail but they all failed miserably while he flourished due to people’s blessings.

    In his speech, the prime minister dwelt on the BJP’s growth from having two Lok Sabha seats in 1984 to 303 in 2019.

    In an apparent reference to the anti-Sikh violence following then-prime minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination, he said it was a black chapter that the country will not be able to forget.

    The Congress won a historic mandate in emotionally-charged polls while the BJP was almost destroyed but it did not lose hope and blame others.

    It continued to work among people and strengthened its organisation.

    The BJP has now emerged as the only pan-India party amidst family-run political parties in the country as it worked on the ground with people braving all odds.

    “BJP started its journey from just two Lok Sabha seats and reached 303 in 2019. In many of the states, we get more than 50 per cent votes,” he said.

    “From north to south and from east to west, the BJP is the only pan-India party today,” he added.

    The BJP has emerged as not only the world’s biggest but also the most futuristic party, he said, adding that its only goal is to make a modern and developed India.

    The party is expanding in south India, he said, adding that it is the number one party in Karnataka and is the only reliable force in Telangana.

    It is growing in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, he said.

    “The people of the northeast have shown unprecedented faith in the BJP. It has four chief ministers there and is part of coalition governments in two other states,” he said.

    Modi met workers involved in the construction of the building before its inauguration.

    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday linked opposition parties coming together against the BJP to his government’s campaign against corruption, and asserted that the clampdown on graft will continue without being hindered by “false allegations”.

    After inaugurating an extension of the BJP headquarters here, Modi said that at a time when India’s strength is rising to a new high, it is natural that “anti-India” forces within and outside the country will join hands.

    “Some parties have launched ‘bhrashtachari bachao abhiyan’ (save corrupt campaign),” he said in a blistering attack on opposition parties protesting against the alleged misuse of probe agencies such as the ED.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from Lok Sabha following his conviction in a criminal defamation case has also become a rallying point for the Opposition.

    Modi said, “The country will not bend nor will the action against corruption stop due to false allegations.”

    The “anti-India” forces are attacking constitutional institutions as they are the strong “foundation” of a rising India, he said.

    And, to stop the country’s growth, they are resorting to attacking its foundation and are engaged in conspiracies to defame bodies such as the judiciary and probe agencies and destroy their credibility, he said.

    When agencies act against those involved in corruption, they are targeted and when courts deliver a verdict not to the liking of these forces, they are questioned, the prime minister said.

    “Some people are bound to get angry when we act so much against corruption,” he said.

    Never before in the history of independent India, such a big campaign against corruption has taken place and it has rattled the corrupt.

    “All those involved in corruption have come onto one platform,” he said, asserting that people realise that when the BJP comes to power, corruption goes away.

    Citing figures, Modi said that during the Congress-led UPA rule between 2004 and 2014, assets worth Rs 5,000 crore were seized under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, while the figure has zoomed to Rs 1.10 lakh crore in the nine years of the BJP rule.

    The cases registered under the act more than doubled under his government while the number of arrests surged 15 times, he said.

    Under the Congress rule, banks were “looted” and people accused of siphoning off Rs 22,000 crore fled abroad, he said, adding his government has seized their assets worth Rs 20,000 crore.

    The CBI has registered more than 5,000 cases under corruption charges under his government and hundreds of senior officials facing graft allegations were forcibly retired and are facing lawful action, Modi said.

    Corruption has harmed the country a great deal and hollowed it out like termites, he said, adding that people realise that the country will progress only when a graft is contained.

    People, Modi asserted, are applauding his government’s campaign against corruption and tell him wherever he goes, “Don’t stop Modi ji”.

    Taking a swipe at the Opposition for its campaign against the BJP and him, he said senior Congress leaders used to talk about rooting out the Jana Sangh once and now the main opposition party is talking about digging his grave.

    The BJP is a party that sacrificed itself to save democracy, he said, referring to the merger of the Jana Sangh, its earlier avatar, with other parties after the Emergency.

    In a reference to the probe into 2002 Gujarat riots when he was the state’s chief minister, Modi said many conspiracies were hatched to send him to jail but they all failed miserably while he flourished due to people’s blessings.

    In his speech, the prime minister dwelt on the BJP’s growth from having two Lok Sabha seats in 1984 to 303 in 2019.

    In an apparent reference to the anti-Sikh violence following then-prime minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination, he said it was a black chapter that the country will not be able to forget.

    The Congress won a historic mandate in emotionally-charged polls while the BJP was almost destroyed but it did not lose hope and blame others.

    It continued to work among people and strengthened its organisation.

    The BJP has now emerged as the only pan-India party amidst family-run political parties in the country as it worked on the ground with people braving all odds.

    “BJP started its journey from just two Lok Sabha seats and reached 303 in 2019. In many of the states, we get more than 50 per cent votes,” he said.

    “From north to south and from east to west, the BJP is the only pan-India party today,” he added.

    The BJP has emerged as not only the world’s biggest but also the most futuristic party, he said, adding that its only goal is to make a modern and developed India.

    The party is expanding in south India, he said, adding that it is the number one party in Karnataka and is the only reliable force in Telangana.

    It is growing in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, he said.

    “The people of the northeast have shown unprecedented faith in the BJP. It has four chief ministers there and is part of coalition governments in two other states,” he said.

    Modi met workers involved in the construction of the building before its inauguration.

  • Unsatiated greed for wealth has facilitated corruption to develop like cancer: SC

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI:  Unsatiated greed for wealth has facilitated corruption to develop like cancer and the constitutional courts owe a duty to the people of the country to show zero tolerance to corruption and come down heavily against the perpetrators of the crime, the Supreme Court has said.

    The top court said corruption is a prominent hurdle in achieving the “preambular promise” of the Constitution to secure social justice to the people of India by striving to achieve equal distribution of wealth.

    A bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Dipankar Datta made the observations while setting aside an order of the Chhattisgarh High Court which had quashed the FIR registered against the state’s former principal secretary Aman Singh and his wife for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets.

    “Though it is the preambular promise of the Constitution to secure social justice to the people of India by striving to achieve equal distribution of wealth, it is yet a distant dream.

    If not the main, one of the more prominent hurdles for achieving progress in this field is undoubtedly ‘corruption’.

    “Corruption is a malaise, the presence of which is all-pervading in every walk of life.  It is not now limited to the spheres of activities of governance; regrettably, responsible citizens say it has become a way of one’s life,” the bench said.

    The top court said it is a matter of disgrace for the entire community that there is a steady decline in pursuing the lofty ideals which the founding fathers of our Constitution had in mind and degradation of moral values in society is rapidly on the rise.

    “Not much debate is required to trace the root of corruption. ‘Greed’, regarded in Hinduism as one of the seven sins, has been overpowering in its impact. In fact, unsatiated greed for wealth has facilitated corruption to develop like cancer.”

    “If the corrupt succeed in duping the law enforcers, their success erodes even the fear of getting caught. They tend to bask under a hubris that rules and regulations are for humbler mortals and not them. To get caught, for them, is a sin,” it said.

    Noting that an outbreak of scams is commonly noticed, the bench said what is more distressing is the investigations or inquiries that follow.

    “More often than not, these are botched and assume the proportion of bigger scams than the scams themselves. However, should this state of affairs be allowed to continue? Tracking down corrupt public servants and punishing them appropriately is the mandate of the Prevention of Corruption Act.”

    “We the people, with the adoption of our Constitution, had expected very high standards from people occupying positions of trust and responsibility in line with the Constitutional ethos and values.”

    Regrettably, that has not been possible because, inter alia, a small section of individuals inducted in public service for ‘serving the public’ appear to have kept private interest above anything else and, in the process, amassed wealth not proportionate to their known sources of income at the cost of the nation.

    The apex court said although appropriate legislation is in place to prevent the cancer of corruption from growing and developing, where maximum punishment by way of imprisonment for ten years is stipulated, curbing it in adequate measure, much less eradicating it, is not only elusive but unthinkable in present times.

    Since there exists no magic wand as in fairy tales, a swish of which could wipe out greed, the Constitutional Courts owe a duty to the people of the nation to show zero tolerance to corruption and come down heavily against the perpetrators of the crime while at the same time saving those innocent public servants, who unfortunately get entangled by men of dubious conduct acting from behind the screen with ulterior motives and/or to achieve vested interests.

    “The task, no doubt, is onerous but every effort ought to be made to achieve it by sifting the grain from the chaff. We leave the discussion here with the fervent hope of better times in future,” it said.

    The apex court said law of the land abhors any public servant to intentionally enrich himself illicitly during the tenure of his service.

    “Increase in the assets of such a public servant tantamount to constitutionally impermissible conduct and such conduct is liable to be put under the scanner of the Prevention of Corruption Act,” it said.

    The Chhattisgarh High Court had earlier quashed the FIR registered against Singh and his wife for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets observing that the registration of the case was the “abuse” of the process of law and that the allegations were prima facie based upon probabilities.

    The case was registered in February 2020 against the Singhs under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code based on a complaint lodged by Uchit Sharma.

    Sharma, who claims himself to be an RTI activist, is based in Raipur.

    NEW DELHI:  Unsatiated greed for wealth has facilitated corruption to develop like cancer and the constitutional courts owe a duty to the people of the country to show zero tolerance to corruption and come down heavily against the perpetrators of the crime, the Supreme Court has said.

    The top court said corruption is a prominent hurdle in achieving the “preambular promise” of the Constitution to secure social justice to the people of India by striving to achieve equal distribution of wealth.

    A bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Dipankar Datta made the observations while setting aside an order of the Chhattisgarh High Court which had quashed the FIR registered against the state’s former principal secretary Aman Singh and his wife for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “Though it is the preambular promise of the Constitution to secure social justice to the people of India by striving to achieve equal distribution of wealth, it is yet a distant dream.

    If not the main, one of the more prominent hurdles for achieving progress in this field is undoubtedly ‘corruption’.

    “Corruption is a malaise, the presence of which is all-pervading in every walk of life.  It is not now limited to the spheres of activities of governance; regrettably, responsible citizens say it has become a way of one’s life,” the bench said.

    The top court said it is a matter of disgrace for the entire community that there is a steady decline in pursuing the lofty ideals which the founding fathers of our Constitution had in mind and degradation of moral values in society is rapidly on the rise.

    “Not much debate is required to trace the root of corruption. ‘Greed’, regarded in Hinduism as one of the seven sins, has been overpowering in its impact. In fact, unsatiated greed for wealth has facilitated corruption to develop like cancer.”

    “If the corrupt succeed in duping the law enforcers, their success erodes even the fear of getting caught. They tend to bask under a hubris that rules and regulations are for humbler mortals and not them. To get caught, for them, is a sin,” it said.

    Noting that an outbreak of scams is commonly noticed, the bench said what is more distressing is the investigations or inquiries that follow.

    “More often than not, these are botched and assume the proportion of bigger scams than the scams themselves. However, should this state of affairs be allowed to continue? Tracking down corrupt public servants and punishing them appropriately is the mandate of the Prevention of Corruption Act.”

    “We the people, with the adoption of our Constitution, had expected very high standards from people occupying positions of trust and responsibility in line with the Constitutional ethos and values.”

    Regrettably, that has not been possible because, inter alia, a small section of individuals inducted in public service for ‘serving the public’ appear to have kept private interest above anything else and, in the process, amassed wealth not proportionate to their known sources of income at the cost of the nation.

    The apex court said although appropriate legislation is in place to prevent the cancer of corruption from growing and developing, where maximum punishment by way of imprisonment for ten years is stipulated, curbing it in adequate measure, much less eradicating it, is not only elusive but unthinkable in present times.

    Since there exists no magic wand as in fairy tales, a swish of which could wipe out greed, the Constitutional Courts owe a duty to the people of the nation to show zero tolerance to corruption and come down heavily against the perpetrators of the crime while at the same time saving those innocent public servants, who unfortunately get entangled by men of dubious conduct acting from behind the screen with ulterior motives and/or to achieve vested interests.

    “The task, no doubt, is onerous but every effort ought to be made to achieve it by sifting the grain from the chaff. We leave the discussion here with the fervent hope of better times in future,” it said.

    The apex court said law of the land abhors any public servant to intentionally enrich himself illicitly during the tenure of his service.

    “Increase in the assets of such a public servant tantamount to constitutionally impermissible conduct and such conduct is liable to be put under the scanner of the Prevention of Corruption Act,” it said.

    The Chhattisgarh High Court had earlier quashed the FIR registered against Singh and his wife for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets observing that the registration of the case was the “abuse” of the process of law and that the allegations were prima facie based upon probabilities.

    The case was registered in February 2020 against the Singhs under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code based on a complaint lodged by Uchit Sharma.

    Sharma, who claims himself to be an RTI activist, is based in Raipur.

  • Rahul’s remarks on PM Modi expunged, Congress says ‘democracy was cremated in Lok Sabha’

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Wednesday strongly criticised the expunging of certain remarks made by Rahul Gandhi in Parliament targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and alleged that “democracy was cremated” in Lok Sabha.

    Gandhi had made these remarks while participating in a debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

    In a tweet, without mentioning the expunging of his remarks, Gandhi said, “Mr Prime Minister, you cannot wipe out the voice of democracy.”

    “Indian people are asking you direct questions, you must reply,” Gandhi said.

    Later, while heading into Parliament during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks in Lok Sabha, Gandhi asked reporters, “Why were my words expunged?” Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, “With the expunging of Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on PM linked Adani Maha Mega Scam, deMOcracy was cremated in the Lok Sabha. OM Shanti.”

    In another tweet, Ramesh said, “18 remarks by Rahul Gandhi in LS expunged: 1. Every question asked of PM- deleted! 2. All references to relationship between Adani & Modi before 2014- deleted! 3. Misuse of agencies & foreign trips- deleted!”

    “You can expunge, but you can’t exterminate! Jagadguru of Jhoot stands exposed,” the Congress general secretary said.

    He also tweeted the three pages of expunged remarks.

    18 remarks by @RahulGandhi in LS expunged:1.Every question asked of PM- deleted!2.All references to relationship between Adani & Modi before 2014- deleted!3.Misuse of agencies & foreign trips- deleted!You can expunge,but you can’t exterminate!Jagadguru of Jhoot stands exposed pic.twitter.com/R5NblM951Z
    — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) February 8, 2023
    In his remarks in Lok Sabha, Gandhi had alleged that the meteoric rise in Gautam Adani’s fortunes happened after the BJP came to power in 2014 and he rose from the 609th to the second spot in the global rich list.

    WATCH: Rahul tears into the BJP government

    The Congress leader’s remarks had drawn a sharp response from the treasury benches, with Law Minister Kiren Rijiju asking him not to level “wild allegations” and to furnish proof of his claims.

    Outside Parliament, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad had accused Gandhi of making baseless, shameless and reckless allegations and charged that the Congress and the Gandhi family were involved in “big scams” that “tarnished” the image of the country.

    ALSO READ | PM Modi responds to opposition’s criticism in Lok Sabha

    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Wednesday strongly criticised the expunging of certain remarks made by Rahul Gandhi in Parliament targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and alleged that “democracy was cremated” in Lok Sabha.

    Gandhi had made these remarks while participating in a debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

    In a tweet, without mentioning the expunging of his remarks, Gandhi said, “Mr Prime Minister, you cannot wipe out the voice of democracy.”

    “Indian people are asking you direct questions, you must reply,” Gandhi said.

    Later, while heading into Parliament during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks in Lok Sabha, Gandhi asked reporters, “Why were my words expunged?” Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, “With the expunging of Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on PM linked Adani Maha Mega Scam, deMOcracy was cremated in the Lok Sabha. OM Shanti.”

    In another tweet, Ramesh said, “18 remarks by Rahul Gandhi in LS expunged: 1. Every question asked of PM- deleted! 2. All references to relationship between Adani & Modi before 2014- deleted! 3. Misuse of agencies & foreign trips- deleted!”

    “You can expunge, but you can’t exterminate! Jagadguru of Jhoot stands exposed,” the Congress general secretary said.

    He also tweeted the three pages of expunged remarks.

    18 remarks by @RahulGandhi in LS expunged:
    1.Every question asked of PM- deleted!
    2.All references to relationship between Adani & Modi before 2014- deleted!
    3.Misuse of agencies & foreign trips- deleted!
    You can expunge,but you can’t exterminate!Jagadguru of Jhoot stands exposed pic.twitter.com/R5NblM951Z
    — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) February 8, 2023
    In his remarks in Lok Sabha, Gandhi had alleged that the meteoric rise in Gautam Adani’s fortunes happened after the BJP came to power in 2014 and he rose from the 609th to the second spot in the global rich list.

    WATCH: Rahul tears into the BJP government

    The Congress leader’s remarks had drawn a sharp response from the treasury benches, with Law Minister Kiren Rijiju asking him not to level “wild allegations” and to furnish proof of his claims.

    Outside Parliament, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad had accused Gandhi of making baseless, shameless and reckless allegations and charged that the Congress and the Gandhi family were involved in “big scams” that “tarnished” the image of the country.

    ALSO READ | PM Modi responds to opposition’s criticism in Lok Sabha

  • UP govt opposes Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj Uni VC’s plea in HC challenging FIR against him

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government has opposed the plea filed by the vice-chancellor of Kanpur’s Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University in the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court challenging the FIR lodged against him on charges of corruption and extortion.

    After hearing the arguments of the parties at length, a bench of Justices Rajesh Singh Chauhan and V K Singh reserved its order till Thursday.

    Vice-Chancellor Professor Vinay Pathak pleaded that he cannot be arrested without prosecution sanction in a corruption case.

    It was submitted on behalf of the state government and the complainant that since the FIR prima facie disclosed commission of serious offences, it cannot be quashed and Pathak cannot be granted relief from arrest.

    Pathak had on Tuesday moved the high court challenging the FIR lodged against him.

    On Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) registered the FIR against Pathak and Ajay Mishra, the owner of XLICT company, on charges of corruption and extortion and began its probe.

    The FIR was registered at Indira Nagar police station based on an October 29 complaint by one David Mario Denis under IPC sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 386 (extortion), 504 (intentional insult) and 506 (criminal intimidation) and Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

    Denis alleged that he had paid about Rs 1.31 crore to Pathak via Mishra for clearance of payment for Digitex Technologic India Pvt Ltd, which was engaged in pre- and post-examination work at Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Agra where Pathak was officiating vice-chancellor from January to September this year.

    Mishra, whose firm is also involved in the same work, was arrested on Sunday.

    Denis also alleged that the vice-chancellor demanded a 15 per cent commission, threatened him and stopped his firm from getting contracts in any universities using his contacts.

    LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government has opposed the plea filed by the vice-chancellor of Kanpur’s Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University in the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court challenging the FIR lodged against him on charges of corruption and extortion.

    After hearing the arguments of the parties at length, a bench of Justices Rajesh Singh Chauhan and V K Singh reserved its order till Thursday.

    Vice-Chancellor Professor Vinay Pathak pleaded that he cannot be arrested without prosecution sanction in a corruption case.

    It was submitted on behalf of the state government and the complainant that since the FIR prima facie disclosed commission of serious offences, it cannot be quashed and Pathak cannot be granted relief from arrest.

    Pathak had on Tuesday moved the high court challenging the FIR lodged against him.

    On Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) registered the FIR against Pathak and Ajay Mishra, the owner of XLICT company, on charges of corruption and extortion and began its probe.

    The FIR was registered at Indira Nagar police station based on an October 29 complaint by one David Mario Denis under IPC sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 386 (extortion), 504 (intentional insult) and 506 (criminal intimidation) and Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

    Denis alleged that he had paid about Rs 1.31 crore to Pathak via Mishra for clearance of payment for Digitex Technologic India Pvt Ltd, which was engaged in pre- and post-examination work at Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Agra where Pathak was officiating vice-chancellor from January to September this year.

    Mishra, whose firm is also involved in the same work, was arrested on Sunday.

    Denis also alleged that the vice-chancellor demanded a 15 per cent commission, threatened him and stopped his firm from getting contracts in any universities using his contacts.