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Blindly accepting government’s arguments affects SC’s reputation: CPI-M
New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Finding fault with the Supreme Court ruling on the Rafale deal, the CPI-M has said that “accepting notes in sealed covers, acceptance of government’s arguments at face value, puts the court’s reputation at risk”.
This is why the Supreme Court judgement by a three-member bench on the Rafale jet deal with France has become controversial “even before the ink on the judgement has dried”, an editorial in the CPI-M journal “People’s Democracy” has said.
It said the scope of judicial review was whether the defence procedures laid down were violated in the Rafale deal and whether the people have a right to know the price of defence deals.
“On both counts, the court has effectively said that it is not their task to do such a review, and accepted it as government’s prerogative to keep the price of Rafale aircraft secret,” the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said.
“The subsequent developments – regarding what was in the sealed cover, in particular the statement in the judgement regarding the price having been examined by the CAG, its report submitted to the PAC and a redacted version placed in Parliament – have provoked justifiable criticism,” it said.
The editorial said: “The controversy over what was submitted in sealed cover and ‘misunderstood’ by the court raises another issue. What else was in the sealed cover? And how much of it has led to the court making up its mind not to interfere?
“If the sealed cover was only about price, how is it that statements regarding CAG, were made in the sealed cover and not in the note submitted to the court and shared with the petitioners? If it had nothing to do with the actual price, why was this part of the argument in a secret note?”
It said the substantive issues before the court were: the Modi government violated procedure by cancelling the open tender to procure 126 Rafale aircraft, and instead got only 36 aircraft through an inter government procurement route; and the Modi-Hollande announcement was made without following the procedure required for an Inter-Government Agreement for procuring defence equipment.
The editorial flayed the choice of a newly formed Indian private defence company as the offset partner, which it called an act of crony capitalism, at the cost of the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).
“In the government, a violation of procedures that benefits either a company or a person, and causes a loss to the exchequer, constitutes corruption,” it said.
“This is what the 2G scam under the UPA was all about; and the same goes for the coal-gate scam. That is why it was important for the Supreme Court to examine the procedural violations by the Modi government in the case of the Rafale deal, while examining how the price of the Rafale aircraft was arrived at.
“The court judgement seems to have accepted the government’s contentions at face value, even copy-pasting large parts of government’s submissions in its judgement. Hence the disappointment with the judgement.”
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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