Satya Pal Malik Sworn In As 13th Governor of Jammu And Kashmir

Agencies
August 23, 2018

Srinagar, Aug 23: Satya Pal Malik was sworn in as the 13th governor of Jammu and Kashmir today, ending the five-decade-long practice of retired bureaucrats being appointed to the post.

Mr Malik was administered the oath of office by Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court Gita Mittal at the Raj Bhawan in Srinagar.

State Chief secretary BVR Subrahmanyam read the warrant of appointment issued by President Ram Nath Kovind before Mr Malik was administered the oath.

Former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were among over 400 guests present in the ceremony, which also saw the presence of legislators, senior leaders of BJP, PDP, National Conference, Congress and other political parties.

Senior officials of the civil administration, police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF) and the Army were also present at the ceremony.

Mr Malik, 72, has worked with almost all political hues of the country. He is the first politician to assume the position after Karan Singh, who held the office from 1965 to 1967.

Mr Malik, former governor of Bihar, had arrived in Srinagar yesterday.

Outgoing governor NN Vohra, who was at the helm of affairs in the state for the last 10 years, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a courtesy visit yesterday. He had also met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

Mr Vohra, however, could not attend the ceremony as he was not in Srinagar at the time.

Jammu and Kashmir is at present under governor's rule after the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew support from its alliance partner Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in June this year.

Mr Vohra, a 1959-batch Punjab cadre IAS officer, had remained the choice of the central government, irrespective of the party in power due to his knowledge, expertise and negotiation skills.

Just as he saw Jammu and Kashmir through its worst crises, including the Amarnath agitation in 2008, Mr Vohra also witnessed the rise and fall of militancy in Punjab. He had served as the home secretary of Punjab after Operation Blue Star in 1984.

Mr Malik, in contrast, is a career politician who started as a student leader in Meerut University and became an MLA of Charan Singh's Bhartiya Kranti Dal from Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh in 1974.

He had joined the Congress in 1984 and became a Rajya Sabha MP, but resigned three years later against the backdrop of the Bofors scam. He switched to the VP Singh-led Janta Dal in 1988 and became an MP from Aligarh in 1989.

In 2004, Mr Malik joined the BJP and unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha elections, losing to former prime minister Charan Singh's son Ajit Singh.

Before taking oath as Bihar governor on October 4, 2017, he was in-charge of BJP's Kisan Morcha.

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News Network
November 29,2024

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New DelhiI: The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Sambhal Shahi Jama Masjid committee to approach the Allahabad High Court and told the district court not to act until then upon a survey ordered on a claim of the mosque having built on a pre-existing temple.

A bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar directed Uttar Pradesh to maintain peace and harmony in the area, where four protesters were killed during the heavy stone pelting. The court also ordered the survey report of the advocate commissioner's report should be kept in sealed cover.

"We don't want anything to happen in the meanwhile...Let them (Shahi Jama Masjid committee) exercise appropriate remedies. We will keep this pending," the bench said.

Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, appearing for plaintiff Hari Shankar Jain and others submitted the next date of hearing has been fixed for January 8 before the civil judge (senior division).

Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for the petitioner committee, contended the order is capable of great public mischief. He said as of 10 such suits are pending across the country where the survey is sought to be conducted.

"We hope and trust the trial court will not take any proceedings...We have not expressed any opinion on merits," the bench said, fixing the matter for consideration in the week commencing on January 6.

In case any revision application is filed, it should be heard within three days before the High Court, the bench ordered.

At the outset, the bench said it had some reservations with the order passed by the Civil Judge (senior division) on November 19.

The court told the Uttar Pradesh government represented by Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj that the district administration has to remain neutral and maintain peace in the area.

The court directed the plaintiff not to file any papers.

It also ordered the advocate commissioner's report should be kept in a sealed cover.

The petitioner committee questioned the validity of the survey ordered within a short period, triggering violence in the area and leading to the death of four protestors.

The plea filed by the Committee of Management, Shahi Jama Masjid, Sambhal claimed "the hot haste" in which the survey was allowed and conducted all within a day and suddenly another survey was conducted after a couple of days with a notice of barely six hours that had given rise to widespread communal tensions and threatened the secular and democratic fabric of the nation.

The survey was ordered by a civil judge (senior division) on a suit filed by advocate Hari Shankar Jain and others.

According to the plaintiffs, Shahi Jama Masjid at Chandausi was built by Mughal emperor Babar in 1526 after demolishing the Shri Harihar temple.

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News Network
November 27,2024

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Chandrashekaranatha Swami (left) with chief minister

Bengaluru: Amidst the ongoing Waqf controversy in the state, a Vokkaliga seer has sparked controversy by suggesting the disenfranchisement of Muslims, claiming it would end vote bank politics in India.

The provocative remarks were made by Kumara Chandrashekaranatha Swami during a protest organized by the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, a farmers’ organization with links to the RSS. The protest focused on farmers' lands being marked as Waqf properties.

"Politicians are exploiting this issue for votes. Muslims should be deprived of voting rights. This step is necessary to eliminate vote bank politics and allow India to prosper," the seer stated. He is the head of the Vishwa Vokkaliga Mahasamsthana Mutt, which was founded with support from JD(S) leader and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda.

The seer also made misleading claims about Pakistan, stating, “In Pakistan, minorities don’t have the right to vote. If we implement the same in India, Muslims would be isolated, and peace would prevail.” However, minorities in Pakistan have voting rights. 

Chandrashekaranatha Swami continued his criticism of the Waqf Board, accusing it of unlawfully seizing properties. “It is unjust to take someone’s property. We must ensure that the Waqf Board is abolished,” he said. He further emphasized the need for farmers' land to remain protected, even at the cost of political fallout.

Minister Condemns Remarks

Minister for Social Welfare, H.C. Mahadevappa, swiftly condemned the seer’s comments, stating, “After years of struggle, Baba Saheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar established the principle of ‘one vote, one value.’ It is crucial for Dalits, backward communities, and minorities to understand its significance.”

He continued, "Those who spread hatred for political gain under the guise of religion must end their harmful rhetoric."

Earlier, Kumara Chandrashekaranatha Swami had stirred controversy by suggesting that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah step down to allow Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to assume the role of Chief Minister for the remainder of the term. The statement created a fresh political debate, raising questions about the power dynamics in Karnataka's ruling party.

The seer remarked, “Everyone has had the opportunity to hold the Chief Minister’s position, except D.K. Shivakumar. I request our experienced Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to vacate the post and bless Shivakumar with the opportunity.”

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News Network
November 19,2024

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