Month: September 2019

Germany Would like to See Early Lifting of Restrictions in Kashmir: Envoy

This easing of restrictions has to be “done in accordance with security issues”, German ambassador to India Walter Lindner said.

New Delhi: While acknowledging that the change in Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional status is an internal matter of India, Germany has said that it would like to see restrictions lifted and as well as a  continuation in bilateral contact between India and Pakistan.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, German ambassador to India Walter Lindner emphasised that Germany considers the developments an “internal matter”. But, he added, these steps also have “regional consequences”.

On August 5, the Indian government scrapped Section 370 of the constitution which gave the state of Jammu and Kashmir special status. It also broke the state down into two new union territories. Ahead of the move, India had detained hundreds of Kashmiri politicians and cut off the state from mobile and internet services.

Also read: UNGA: Imran Raises Spectre of Kashmir ‘Bloodbath’; India Hits Back With Questions

After the Indian parliament approved the constitutional changes on August 5, the German foreign ministry spokesperson had said on August 6 that Berlin hoped that “all further steps of the (Indian) government will comply with India’s constitution”. She had also called on New Delhi to “hold dialogue with the population concerned about its plans, its intentions”.

Nearly two months later, Lindner said that Germany would like to see “early lifting of restrictions”. However, he also added that this easing of restrictions has to be “done in accordance with security issues”.

Also read: Kashmir – They Call It Peace

“But there should be no violations of human rights and trespassing of provisions,” said Lindner, adding that the “world would be closely watching”.

He also indicated that India and Pakistan should hold talks. “Germany would like to see continuation of bilateral contacts,” he stated.

In his speech at United Nations General Assembly, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had also sought to make parallels between the situation in Kashmir and Hitler’s Nazi regime.

While Lindner refused to make a direct comment on Khan, he did note that “any such comparison is wrong”.

“Whoever talks of war is irresponsible,” he added.

Court Rejects Bail Pleas of Chinmayanand, Law Student

In a letter sent to the court through the jail superintendent, the law student said she wanted to appear in person and argue her own case – a plea the judge turned down.

Shahjahanpur: A district court here on Monday rejected the bail pleas of BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand and the law student who has accused him of rape.

The two were sent to 14-day-judicial custody after being arrested in cases that now run parallel.

The former Union minister was booked under section 376C, a charge short of rape, on the basis of a complaint filed by the 23-year-old woman who studied at a college run by his ashram.

Also read: Law Student Who Accused BJP Leader Chinmayanand of Rape Arrested

The woman herself was charged with extortion, following a complaint filed by Chinmayanand’s lawyer that she and three others were blackmailing the 72-year-old politician and demanding money from him.

“District judge Rambabu Sharma heard the bail application of Swami Chinmayanand, and also the bail plea of the girl in the extortion case. The court dismissed both the bail applications,” government counsel Anuj Kumar Singh told PTI.

Chinmayanand’s advocate Om Singh said, “Following the rejection of the bail plea, an appeal will be filed in the Allahabad high court.”

In a letter sent to the court through the jail superintendent, the law student woman said she wanted to appear in person and argue her own case.

Also read: Chinmayanand Case: 80 Congress Workers Held Before March to Support Law Student

The judge turned down this plea.

The law student’s advocate, Anoop Trivedi, claimed that the prosecution counsel, while arguing against the bail sought by Chinmayanand, told the court that the politician had used force against the woman while getting massaged by her.

Trivedi said if force was used, section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code should have been slapped against Chinmayanand.

Instead, he was booked under section 376C, which is usually applied when someone abuses his position to “induce or seduce” a woman under his charge to have sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape .

Core Sector Output Declines by 0.5% in August vs 4.7% Growth a Year Ago

Coal, crude oil, natural gas, cement and electricity recorded a negative growth of 8.6%, 5.4%, 3.9%, 4.9% and 2.9% respectively in August.

The eight core industries in August contracted to over three-and-half year low of 0.5%, due to decline in output of coal, crude oil, natural gas, cement, and electricity, according to a government data released on Monday.

The eight core sector industries – coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertiliser, steel, cement and electricity – had expanded by 4.7% in August last year.

The previous low was recorded at (-) 1.3 in November 2015.

Coal, crude oil, natural gas, cement, and electricity recorded a negative growth of 8.6%, 5.4%, 3.9%, 4.9% and 2.9%, respectively, in August, according to the data of the commerce and industry ministry.

However, fertiliser and steel production grew by 2.9%, and 5%, respectively, during the month under review.

Also read: Latest GDP Growth Figures Raise Questions About State of Indian Economy

Growth rate in the production of refinery products dipped by 2.6% in August this year as against 5.1% in the same month last year.

During April-August, growth in the eight core industries grew by 2.4% from 5.7% in the year-ago period.

Commenting on the data, rating firm Icra Ltd said: “The performance of the core sectors in August 2019 was disappointingly weak, with a broad-based deterioration in six of the eight constituents and as many as five sectors recording a year-on-year contraction in that month”.

The contraction in the core sector growth in August 2019 confirms the view that the modest pickup in the IIP growth in July did not signal the start of an industrial recovery, it added in a statement.

Haryana: CM, Ministers, Three International Sportspersons Make It to BJP’s First List

Wrestlers Yogeshwar Dutt and Babita Phogat, and former Indian hockey captain Sandeep Singh have made it to the first list of 78 candidates. Polls for the 90-member assembly are due to be held on October 21.

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party today fielded three national level sportspersons – wrestlers Yogeshwar Dutt and Babita Phogat, and former Indian hockey captain Sandeep Singh – as its candidates in the Haryana assembly elections. The party also announced the candidature of chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, many senior ministers and leaders as it released a first list of 78 candidates.

While a number of new faces have made it to the list, the saffron party, which formed its first government in the state in 2014, has repeated 38 MLAs and dropped seven. Polls for the 90-member assembly are due to be held on October 21.

Also read: Ex-BSF Jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav Joins JJP, Says Will Contest Against Khattar

The decision on the candidates was taken by the Central Election Committee of the BJP which met in New Delhi on Sunday. The meeting was chaired by party president Amit Shah and was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and other members of the panel.

Prior to the final decision, Shah and working president J.P. Nadda, held meetings with several leaders of Haryana.

The party has decided to give Khattar, who represents Karnal, another shot from the constituency. But the star attraction on the list remained the three sportspersons, all of whom recently joined the party.

Freestyle wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, who won bronze at the 2012 Olympics and a gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, will be BJP’s candidate from Baroda. He had joined the party only three days ago along with hockey player Sandeep Singh.

Also read: Interview: ‘Haryana BJP Govt Not Honest, Only Manner of Corruption Has Changed’

Singh has been chosen by BJP to contest from Pehowa. One of the best known drag-flickers in the game, Singh used to be the captain of the Indian hockey team and was most recently a judge on MTV Roadies.

Babita Phogat, who joined the BJP only in August this year, and was a bronze medal winner at World Wrestling Championships in 2012 and gold medal winner in 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games, will be the party’s face from Dadri.

By fielding the three sportspersons who had no previous experience in politics, BJP has shown that it is willing to experiment with new well-known faces as they have often yielded it rich dividends. In the Lok Sabha elections too, its candidate from East Delhi – cricketer Gautam Gambhir – had managed to trounce popular Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi Marlena.

Also read: Watch | Bhupinder Hooda on Haryana Under BJP: From Highest Investment to Unemployment

Like Khattar, BJP has also decided to repeat several of its other senior leaders from their constituencies. State unit president Subhash Barala will once again get to contest from Tohana, while ministers Captain Abhimanyu and and Om Prakash Dhankar have been fielded from Narnod and Badli respectively.

The party, which had earlier decided not to give tickets to the family members of sitting MPs or ministers, has also given a ticket to Prem Lata, wife of former Union minister Birender Singh, from Uchana Kalan. She had won the seat in 2014.

Compensation Given, But No Culpability Fixed in Delhi Sewer Death Cases: Rights Group

A “blinkered approach” to urban planning and entrenched caste discrimination has ensured that the practice of manual scavenging continues even in the national capital, the People’s Union for Democratic Rights has said.

New Delhi: The People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) has released a study on manual scavenging deaths that have taken place in Delhi over the last two years. The activists have found that while the narrative of compensation is encouraged, even by the state, there is little to no focus on fixing criminal culpability – which could go a long way in ensuring that those hiring manual scavengers to clean sewers or septic tanks are more careful and abide by the law.

This lack of responsibility aids the state too – because in the end, it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that the urban sanitation system does not have to rely on manual cleaning and is better planned. In fact, the line of culpability can often be drawn directly to state institutions like the Delhi Jal Board, but because contractors are hired to do the “dirty work”, the government can say that it was not involved.

The PUDR report says:

“The greatest impunity however is enjoyed by state institutions themselves that have the responsibility of ensuring proper urban planning including setting up and maintaining sewerage and waste management systems for the country’s capital city, and ensuring regulation of minimum occupational safety and dignity for those workers who deal with waste.

…Given that state and municipal bodies are guilty of not establishing, maintaining sewerage systems, septic tanks etc. in vast areas and ensuring protection and security of these workers, compelling them to work manually and without protection, should they not be also indicted for criminal negligence resulting in death?”

While sanitation workers’ movements, such as the Safai Karamchari Andolan, have been at the forefront of the fight to end manual scavenging, even taking multiple cases to court, legal interventions have failed to address the caste-based stigma that is at the heart of manual scavenging, PUDR has argued. In addition, even though a 2014 Supreme Court judgment made strong statements and asked governments to ensure that Rs 10 lakh compensation is given for all sewer deaths, it has not resulted in the end of manual scavenging.

Also read: Centre Doesn’t Know How Many People Have Died Cleaning Sewers or Received Compensation

But why are people forced to go into sewers in the first place? Urban planning – and the design of the city’s sewage system – has a lot to do with that. Delhi produces about 3,800 million litres per day of sewage, the PUDR report says, and has the ability to treat 2,700 mld of that – though it actually treats only about 1,543 mld. The city’s water supply network is also vastly inadequate to meet the needs of its 19-million population.

“Even in the projected Sewerage Master Plan for 2031, there is clear acceptance that some sewers that exist can be (at present and in the future) cleaned only manually and spacing of manholes in these are made accordingly. These are distinguished from those sewers which can be cleaned with ‘mechanical devices’,” PUDR notes.

While that has been accepted, there is nothing in the plan on how to do away with this practice, or how to ensure that the occupational hazards of manual scavenging are mitigated.

“This peculiarly blinkered and compartmentalised approach of the state in urban planning – in which the design of the capital city’s sewerage plan can be made without factoring in its maintenance, or the workers who die while doing this work, or the laws made to protect their interests, is largely responsible for these incidents.”

Also read: ‘They Were Hired for Housekeeping and Then Forced to Enter the Sewer’

A blind thrust towards mechanisation is also not the answer, PUDR argues. If the same people, of the same Dalit castes, are still made to do all work that deals with human waste and faecal sludge, it will do nothing to reduce social stigma and increase mobility.

“The problems with this model [of giving machines to survivors of sewer accidents] are that by making manual scavengers owners of the machines the policy ends up reinforcing caste, and caste based work by linking them to it more firmly. The NCSK’s demand to give these machines only to Valmikis in Delhi has a similar effect. Moreover by passing on the responsibility of implementing this policy to the Dalit Chamber of Commerce, the state is further reinforcing the debilitating link between Dalits, caste-based labour and the template of attitudes towards sanitation work that caste brings, and abrogating its own responsibility towards ensuring the rights and safety of sanitation workers.”

Given all of this the rights group has put forth five demands:

“1. That the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 and the Supreme Court’s judgment of 2014 in the case of Safai Karamchari Andolan and Others vs Union of India and Others should be duly implemented and applied in all cases of sewer/septic tank deaths.

2. That criminal accountability of employers guilty of sending/compelling workers to clean sewers/septic tanks etc., leading to their death or illness, should be established. Trials in all the cases covered in the report and other incidents should be speeded up and justice delivered.

3. That the state should take primary and direct responsibility for sewerage, and waste management systems and ensure that provisions are made for the proper (safe and dignified) working conditions for all sanitation workers. Contractual employment and public-private partnership models (that cannot be regulated or made accountable) should not be used for essential infrastructure like sanitation.

4. That the target driven approach to measuring the success of the sanitation policy – e.g., simply counting the number of toilets constructed, or sewer lines laid – should be substituted by a focus on ensuring proper maintenance of sanitation systems e.g., provision of water supply, machines and proper safety gear and working conditions for sanitation workers etc.

5. That the right to sanitation should not be sought to be provided at the cost of the basic fundamental rights of sanitation workers – it is utterly urgent to factor in the repeated deaths of sewer/septic tank workers into the design of present and future sanitation policies and campaigns of ‘cleaning’ India. The underlying caste based attitude to sanitation work and workers should be identified and strong action taken against it.”

#Grit is an initiative of The Wire dedicated to the coverage of manual scavenging and sanitation and their linkages with caste, gender, policy and apathy. 

Number of Days of Kashmir Lockdown: 58. Number of Affidavits Filed By Centre in SC: 0

No explanation or affidavits have been filed by the government on the Kashmir decision and the current situation, in what legal experts call a travesty of the habeas corpus.

Even as the lockdown and communication blockade imposed in Jammu and Kashmir enters its 58th day, the Centre is yet to file its counter-affidavits in the bunch of petitions filed in the Supreme Court questioning its actions.

It is beyond dispute that these measures – which were termed a ‘collective punishment on people’ by the United Nations Human rights body – have impacted the civil liberties of the people of J&K. Such restrictions will pass the constitutional muster only if they satisfy the test of reasonableness, which will include the tests of legality, necessity and proportionality.

Therefore, when the invasion on peoples’ civil liberties is questioned in a constitutional court, it is incumbent on the government to explain the statutory basis of its measures, and how they are justifiable on Constitutional grounds. The government has to show that the measures were absolutely necessary and were taken invoking statutorily available powers. Additionally, the government should also demonstrate the proportionality of the measures showing why lesser degree of infringements on rights will not meet the government’s stated objectives.

Unfortunately, even after several weeks, no such explanation is forthcoming from the government.

Also read: SC Refers Batch of Pleas to Constitution Bench, Hearing From Tuesday

Anuradha Bhasin’s petition challenging the media curbs and snapping of communication channels was filed on August 10, within five days of the Centre’s measures. The petition has been listed six times, including today’s posting.

Except for a statement filed by the secretary to the government of J&K’s Department of Information and Public Relations, which does not qualify as an affidavit, there has not been any response from the government to this petition. This 12-page report of the fact situation in J&K tries to justify the measures with a bland statement that “if these steps had not been taken, there would have been an extremely volatile situation in the valley”.

An affidavit is a statement on oath, which swears by the truthfulness and correctness of it, and hence stands on higher pedestal of credibility. False statements in affidavits can expose the deponent to perjury proceedings. This statement by the secretary, therefore, does not have much weightage for the purpose of determining the constitutionality of the government measures.

Barbed wire is seen laid on a deserted road during restrictions in Srinagar, August 5, 2019. Photo: Reuters/Danish Ismail

Commenting on the reluctance shown by the government to file an affidavit in these matters so far, constitutional law scholar and advocate Gautam Bhatia said:

“The Supreme Court has often said that we live in a culture of justification, where the acts of State must be explained and justified to citizens, and especially to those whose lives they impact. This is particularly important where rights have been infringed, because it is necessary for the government’s justification to be tested by a court of law. By failing to put its reasons on record, the government is stymying constitutional accountability. The court should not indulge it any further”.

On September 16, the Court had directed the Centre and the state of J&K, to file their ‘respective affidavits’ to the petitions. But today, the Court did not venture to ask the government about its affidavit, before referring the matters to the constitution bench. Even the reports about an earthquake hitting the region earlier this week did not stir the Court to probe the government about the need for continuing the communication blockade.

In the constitutional challenge to the Presidents Orders issued on August 5 and 6 under Article 370 and to the J&K Reorganisation Act, the Centre is yet to come up with its affidavit. The petitions were admitted and referred to constitution bench, a month ago, on August 28.

Also read: The Vacuum of Mainstream Politics in Kashmir

The constitution bench is set to commence the hearing from tomorrow in these matters. Suhrith Parthasarathy, advocate of Madras high court and commentator on constitutional matters, expressed apprehension about the hearing being delayed due to the failure of the government to file its response. Pointing out the contrast between the response of the Supreme Court of India and that of the UK Supreme Court to contemporary constitutional issues, he said:

“It would be disappointing if the hearing is delayed on this ground. We’ve just seen the swiftness with which the UK Supreme Court has delivered a ruling on a hugely important issue (legality of prorogation of UK Parliament by prime minister Boris Johnson). If the government believes its decision on Article 370 is justified then it should be able to justify it on the basis of an expeditiously filed response.

It’s even more shocking that there has been no response filed to the various habeas corpus petitions. In the process, the very essence of habeas corpus has been lost.”

In the habeas petition filed by CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury for release of former J&K MLA M.Y. Tarigami, there has been no response by the Centre.

On September 16, the Court adjourned the hearing of the case by saying “the writ petition is kept open for a decision on the validity of the alleged detention of the petitioner claimed to be without any authority of law with effect from 05.08.2019”.

Today, the matter was referred to constitution bench, and the reasons of the detention, stated to have been in force since August 5, are yet to be disclosed.

This article originally appeared on LiveLaw and has been republished with permission.

Bhopal’s Sex-and-Blackmail Racket Has Dealt Kamal Nath a Strong Political Hand

After the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre cases were reopened, the Madhya Pradesh CM now has something to go after his political opponents with.

Bhopal: Every capital city in the country inevitably has a ring of power brokers, middlemen, molls and sleaze. Bhopal is currently witnessing the unravelling of a racket run by a group of five women who appear to have trapped at least 11 IAS officers, about half a dozen IPS officers, several Indian Forest Service officers and a still-unfolding number of politicians, mostly from the BJP, which ruled the state for the past 15 years. The racket appears to be singeing Chhattisgarh too, where at least two IAS officers, half a dozen IFS officers and two erstwhile ministers seem to have been enticed into the ring.

The details of the racket that continued for more than ten years are unimportant for the most part, except that it is now directly visible that it impacted the decision-making of top bureaucrats of the state, especially in the NGO sector. The alleged kingpins are a couple  – Swapnil Jain and his wife Shweta – who had in turn roped in several other women.

The modus operandi was simple: become members of the Arera Club meant mostly for bureaucrats and hang out at the Jehan Numa Palace hotel, also frequented by the same set. They would then befriend the bureaucrats, lure them into availing the “services” on offer, record the ‘proceedings’ and then make the all-important call.

For the most part, the bureaucrats appear to have complied heartily and continued use of the services. The Jains have several NGOs registered in the women and child, forest, urban development departments and they demanded that funds be given to them. Along the way, they had managed to trap some smaller fish also, like Harbhajan Singh, the superintending engineer of the Indore Municipal Corporation.

As trade grew, so did demands

As the trade grew, the couple also found that the collectors they had entrapped had now become principal secretaries and additional chief secretaries. So their demands grew in proportion. The IAS officers now found it difficult to comply. Postings, transfers, handouts and contracts were being demanded with more authority now.

To shock the system into submission, a video of an additional chief secretary with one of the women in the ring was made viral on social media. The government did not name the officer but transferred him out of the mantralaya into the labour department for “conduct unbecoming of an officer”. It appears a decision was subsequently taken at some level to bring down the ring as  its demands could no longer be met and almost everyone seemed susceptible.

Also Read: Ratul Puri Arrest: Kar-Nataka Begins in Madhya Pradesh

The grapevine in Bhopal believes that chief secretary S.R. Mohanty took matters into his hands and instructed the DGP to form a crack team to trap the couple and their accomplices and recover every bit of material they may have accumulated. The SIT, initially under I.G. Sriniwas and now under an ADG level officer Sanjeev Shami, after shadowing the Jains for some time found that Harbhajan Singh was one of the victims. Singh was persuaded to lodge a complaint of blackmail, which led to the arrest of the entire set.

From here, the story takes the usual interesting political turn. Shami has submitted the names of the entrapped officers and politicians to chief minister Kamal Nath. The identity of the trapped officers is not being revealed, while the names of some BJP leaders are being speculated over in the press and rumour mills.

This has given Kamal Nath much-needed clout as several senior BJP leaders are believed to have been happy customers. Kamal Nath – under a cloud after the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre cases against him were reopened and his nephew Ratul Puri was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) – now has something to go after his opponents with.

Congress leader and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath. Photo: Reuters

The BJP, on its part, has vociferously been demanding a CBI enquiry for all the usual reasons: that it should be probed by an “unbiased” agency and that the government and its departments have been slinging mud at the BJP.

A senior Congress leader wants the names of the entrapped officers to be revealed immediately. “They are not victims. They have looted the system for their own pleasure,” the leader says. He points out that the Narendra Modi government has taken drastic measures against several IRS officers recently for allegations of corruption and misdemeanour. “If the BJP wants the case to be handed over to the CBI, it should be done while the SIT can continue its drill,” says Laxman Singh, a Congress MLA.

Since it’s established that this group had been blackmailing the officers and ministers and objectionable material has been recovered, it is now very simple to register cases against all the officers concerned. It can be done simply by investigating where they were posted during the past ten years and how many contracts and funds were given to the Jain NGOs.

There is a direct connect and undeniable evidence through a paper trail and call records. These officers can then be recommended for termination of services to the department of personnel and training (DoPT). But will chief secretary Mohanty do this? Harbhajan Singh, the engineer, has been suspended following his complaint against the Jains. But the additional chief secretary who starred in the viral video has simply been transferred without even a show cause notice. Sadly this is how the system works.

Trump Defiant as US House Impeachment Inquiry Intensifies

Democrats have accused Trump of pressuring a vulnerable US ally to get dirt on a political rival for personal political gain.

Washington: The House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump over his request that a foreign power investigate a domestic political rival is set to intensify this week with testimony due from witnesses concerning allegations made by a whistle blower within the US intelligence community.

The whistle blower’s complaint cited a July 25 telephone call in which Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate Joe Biden, one of the leading Democratic candidates seeking to challenge him in 2020, and his son Hunter, who sat on the board of a Ukrainian gas company.

Democrats have accused Trump of pressuring a vulnerable US ally to get dirt on a political rival for personal political gain. Trump‘s July 25 phone call came after he froze nearly $400 million in aid intended to help Ukraine deal with an insurgency by Russian-backed separatists in the eastern part of the country. The aid was later provided.

The House Intelligence Committee is leading the impeachment inquiry. The inquiry in the Democratic-led House could lead to approval of articles of impeachment against the Republican president and a subsequent trial in the Republican-led Senate on whether to remove Trump from office.

Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said on Sunday he expects the whistle blower to appear before the panel very soon.

Also read: A Friendly Reminder: Impeaching Donald Trump Will Not Remove Him From Office

While Congress is on a two-week recess, members of the committee will return to the US Capitol this week to carry out an investigation that is likely to produce new subpoenas for documents and other material.

The committee is scheduled to hold a closed-door hearing on Friday with the intelligence community’s inspector general, Michael Atkinson, who concluded that the whistle blower complaint was of urgent concern and appeared credible.

House investigators are set to take the first witness testimony from two people mentioned in the whistle blower’s complaint.

On Wednesday, three House committees – Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight – are due to get a deposition from former US ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, who Trump labelled “bad news” during his call with Zelenskiy.

On Thursday, the committees are set to get a deposition from Trump‘s former special representative for Ukraine, Kurt Volker, who resigned last week after the whistle blower complaint named him as one of two U.S. diplomats who followed up with Ukrainian officials a day after Trump‘s call to Zelenskiy.


The whistle blower has not been publicly identified. Trump, in a series of Twitter posts on Sunday evening, said he wanted to “meet” the whistle blower, who he called “my accuser,” as well as “the person who illegally gave this information” to the whistle blower.

“Was this person SPYING on the US President? Big Consequences!” Trump wrote.

Some House Democrats said articles of impeachment against Trump could move to the House floor as soon as next month.

“In my mind, it’s several weeks,” House Judiciary Committee member David Cicilline told reporters last week. “He has already admitted that he contacted a foreign leader and discussed with him ginning up a fake story about one of his political opponents.”

Last Friday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee issued a subpoena to the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for documents related to the Ukraine scandal. House Democrats also have sought material from the White House and Justice Department.

Schiff said any effort by Trump to stonewall the probe could be used to impeach him for obstructing Congress.

Trump has withstood repeated scandals since taking office in 2016. House Democrats considered, but never moved ahead with, pursuing articles of impeachment over Trump‘s actions relating to Russian interference in the 2016 US election aimed at boosting his candidacy.

The United States has been giving military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.

(Reuters)

Watch | Floods Cause Havoc in Bihar

More than 30 people have reportedly died due to the rains in Bihar.

Incessant rains have brought Patna to its knees.

According to the state disaster management department, six casualties have been reported from Gaya district where five persons were buried alive in a wall collapse while another person was drowned in a river which was in spate because of incessant rains.

In addition, police in the adjoining district of Jehanabad confirmed the death of a three-year-old girl who was crushed to death when the wall of an old house, adjacent to a street where she was playing, caved in.

SC Refuses to Entertain Plea to Produce Abdullah, Asks Vaiko to Challenge Detention

Vaiko’s counsel told the apex court that there were conflicting claims about Abdullah’s status.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to further entertain Rajya Sabha MP Vaiko’s plea seeking former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah’s production before it and said the MDMK leader could challenge the NC leader’s detention order under the Public Safety Act.

“He (Abdullah) is under detention under the Public Safety Act,” a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi told Vaiko’s counsel. The MDMK leader’s counsel questioned the conduct of the Jammu and Kashmir administration and claimed that a few minutes before the scheduled hearing in the apex court on September 16, Abdullah was detained under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act.

The bench, also comprising Justices S.A. Bobde and S.A. Nazeer, said the petitioner could challenge the detention order against Abdullah under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act before the appropriate authority.

The court had, on September 16, directed the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir administration to respond to Vaiko’s plea.

Also read: By Detaining Farooq, the Centre Signals its Contempt for Kashmiri Representation

Abdullah, 81, a three-time former chief minister of the state and a five-time parliamentarian, has been detained under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act.

Vaiko’s counsel had told the apex court that there were conflicting claims about Abdullah’s status and he was illegally detained by the authorities, which was an attack on his fundamental rights under the Constitution.

He had pressed for the original prayer for producing the National Conference (NC) leader before the court.

In his plea, Vaiko, who said he had been a close friend of Abdullah for the last four decades, had contended that the constitutional rights conferred on the NC leader were being denied on account of his “illegal detention without any authority of law”.

The Centre had, on August 5, revoked Article 370 of the Constitution that gave a special status to Jammu and Kashmir and proposed that the state be bifurcated into the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.