New Delhi, Feb 14 ,2020: Welcoming the Supreme Court’s decision of requiring all political parties to publish details of criminal cases against candidates in parliamentary and Assembly elections, RJD leader Manoj Jha has said that politicians speaking the language of hate must also be held equally responsible.
“I cent percent agree with the Supreme Court. Several steps are required to be taken for making politics transparent. Those who speak the language of hatred are equally culprits,” Jha told ANI on Thursday.
“But it must be taken into account that cases are slammed against people just because of ‘dharna’. People are tagged as urban Naxal and put behind bars. Those who eulogise Godse and insult Gandhi are equally responsible,” he said.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court had directed all political parties to upload on their websites the details of criminals cases against their candidates within 48 hours in Parliamentary and Assembly elections, along with the reasons for the selection of those with criminal antecedents.
The top court also directed parties to publish credentials, achievements and criminal antecedents of candidates on social media platforms.
The court gave the order on a contempt petition filed by BJP leader and lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay which had claimed that the directions given by the apex court in its September 2018 verdict on the disclosure of criminal antecedents by the poll candidates were not being followed.
The court further said that the parties will be liable for contempt if they failed to comply with the order. It asked the Election Commission to file a contempt petition in the top court if the political parties did not comply with the directives.
Feb 9,20202: Aviation regulator DGCA has said that foreigners who went to China on or after January 15 will not be allowed to enter India. In a circular to airlines, DGCA said, foreigners who have been to China on or after January 15 are not allowed to enter India from any air, land or seaport, including Indo-Nepal, Indo-Bhutan, Indo-Bangladesh or Indo-Myanmar land borders. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation reiterated that all visas issued to Chinese nationals before February 5 have been suspended. The aviation regulator, however,
clarified, these visa restrictions will not apply to aircrew, who may be Chinese nationals or other foreign nationalities coming from China.
Among Indian airlines, Air India and IndiGo have suspended all of their flights between the two countries.
On February 1 and 2, Air India conducted two special flights to the Chinese city of Wuhan evacuating 647 Indians and seven Maldivians.
Till date, three Indians have tested positive for novel coronavirus in Kerala.