Thursday turned out to be a day of reprieve for many luminaries as well as political `convicts' who were being tried in various apex courts across the country for one or the other reasons. While on the one hand, the Supreme Court brought relief for the `sacked' AIIMS director P Venugopal by striking down the law that enabled his premature retirement, on the other hand, the High Courts of the states concerned gave relief to eminent painter M F Hussain and political `convicts' like RJD leader Sahabuddin and M K Azhagiri, son of Tamil Nadu chief minister, M Karunanidhi who were being tried for various criminal charges against them.
Venugopal reinstated as AIIMS director
Agencies
New Delhi, May 8:
The Central Government on Thursday received a major setback with the Supreme Court striking down the law that enabled premature retirement of noted cardiologist P Venugopal as the Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after a raging row with Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss.
A bench of Justices Tarun Chatterjee and H S Bedi upheld the appeal filed by Venugopal challenging the law as being discriminatory and purposely brought in to superannuate him.
Venugopal had contended that the amendment was brought with the sole purpose of removing him from his office due to his differences with Ramadoss.
The amendment relating to the AIIMS Act fixed the upper age of retirement of Director at 65 years leading to Venugopal's retirement.
Senior counsel and former Law Minister Arun Jaitely had contended on behalf of Venugopal that the Act was illegal as the High Court had in March last year upheld his continuation in the post and the matter was pending in the apex court. But the Centre in the meantime brought the amendment in Parliament, he said.
Meanwhile, Venugopal today reassumed office as Director of AIIMS following the Supreme Court striking down a law that forced him to step down from the post five months ago. The 66-year-old Venugopal, who had been appointed to the post on July 3, 2003, for a five-year-term came to his office in the AIIMS barely hours after the Supreme Court verdict came out and reassumed charge.
HC grants relief to Hussain
Agencies
New Delhi, May 8:
In a reprieve for M F Husain, the Delhi High Court on Thursday quashed criminal proceedings against the artist for allegedly hurting public sentiments by painting obscene pictures of Hindu goddesses. "The matter (allegation) is baseless," Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said, while granting relief to the 91-year-old painter. It is a matter of having different perspectives and cannot be the basis for initiating criminal proceedings, Justice Kaul said. The court quashed the proceedings initiated against Husain on the basis of complaints filed at three different places.
Earlier, it had stayed the proceedings on these complaints. Husain is living in self-exile in Dubai after a series of protests against the controversial paintings. The cases filed in different states were earlier clubbed on the direction of the Supreme Court and were being heard by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at Patiala House Courts in New Delhi.
Karuna's son acquitted in murder case
Agencies
Chittor, May 8:
M K Azhagiri, son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, was acquitted along with 12 others on Thursday, by a sessions court here in a case relating to the murder of a former DMK minister for want of reliable evidence. Sessions Judge P Durga Prasad in a brief verdict observed that there was no reliable evidence to connect the accused with the murder of former minister T Kiruttinan. The judge said the detailed judgment would be pronounced on Friday.
Azhagiri, along with the other accused, was present in the court when the judgment was delivered amidst tight security. A large contingent of DMK workers, who were present in the court, raised slogans in support of Azhagiri and Karunanidhi.
The case was shifted from Madurai to Chittoor last year following a Supreme Court directive in response to a petition by two of the relatives of Kiruttinan, saying they would not get a fair trial.
Azhagiri and 12 of his associates were accused of murdering Kiruttinan on May 20, 2003 following a factional feud. Azhagiri was arrested two days later and lodged in Tiruchi central prison. He was later released on bail.
Bail to Shahabuddin in false affidavit
Agencies
Patna, May 8:
RJD MP from Siwan Mohammed Shahabuddin, facing life imprisonment in a murder case, was on Thursday granted bail by the Patna High Court in another case in which he was charged with filing false affidavit with respect to his criminal antecedents for contesting Lok Sabha elections in 2004. Justice Navin Sinha allowed his prayer for bail after hearing his counsel and the standing counsel for the state.
In the instant case, Shahabuddin has been charged with filing a false affidavit before the returning officer for contesting the Lok Sabha poll from Siwan in 2004. The then District Magistrate C K Anil had ordered registration of the case against Shahabuddin after an inquiry confirmed that the affidavit of the RJD MP was "false" as he was involved in more than the number of cases detailed by him in it. Shahabuddin is lodged in judicial custody in Siwan jail at present for the past over three-and-a-half years. He has already been convicted in four cases, including one relating to kidnapping-cum-suspected killing of a CPI-ML (Liberation) activist Munna Choudhary in which he is facing life-term.
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