NEWS

New Delhi: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra has strongly denied the government's accusation that the judiciary was stepping into the realm of policy making. 

He said while there is no desire to encroach upon the policy domain, the judiciary will not hesitate if it finds the government has failed to protect fundamental rights of its citizens.

Speaking on the occasion of the National Law Day, the CJI reminded the executive that the country should be known for the quality of its governance and this can be achieved not by an economic or political ideology but by upholding the fundamental principles enshrined in the Constitution. The CJI's strong remarks came just after the speech of minister of State for law and justice P P Chaudhary who had said that ''judicial activism is a necessary outcome of judicial independence, but quite apart from this, (there) is another species of judicial activism where the judiciary is also stepping into areas which are strictly speaking in the realm of policy".

New Delhi: West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra has said after Mumbai, the country's next major financial hub will be Kolkata within a few years.

"27 banks are taking land in Bengal to create a financial hub including State Bank of India which is constructing the largest training centre on 11 acres adjacent to the hub," the minister said.

"This is an indication, that they see Bengal as a financial hub. Not only that, HSBCback office is in Kolkata today. Obviously we are moving towards competing with Mumbai. Some day because of our core competency of human capital, we will overtake Mumbai," he said.

New Delhi: Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi has alleged that for the BJP, corruption has become "a way of functioning".

"In the BJP, corruption has become a way of functioning," Singhvi said.

"Instead of (his promise of) 'na khaunga, na khane dunga', (won't indulge in corruption and won't allow others to indulge in corruption)...the prime minister and his BJP colleagues have become chief collaborators in corruption," he said.

"Bribery, horse-trading, crony capitalism have become common words. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ease of doing business means ease of doing business for the family and friends of BJP," the Congress spokesperson said.

New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi alleged on Saturday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi single-handedly finalised the Rafale fighter jets deal without following the due procedure.

"When Modi ji went to France, he changed Rafale contract, without consulting anyone. Instead of giving contract to company which knows how to build an aircraft, he gave it to his industrialist friend who knows nothing about it. Defence Minister was in Goa then," Gandhi said while addressing a public gathering here, ahead of Gujarat assembly polls in December.