The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed all state governments to carry out euthanasia on rabid, incurably ill or demonstrably dangerous stray dogs.
The bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria rejected the pleas of dog lovers and animal rights activists. It said, "this court cannot remain oblivious to the harsh and deeply disturbing ground realities emerging from various parts of the country, where young children have been mauled, elderly persons have been attacked, ordinary citizens have been left vulnerable in public spaces, and even international travellers have fallen victim to such incidents (of dog bites)".
The apex court said that anybody facing issues with the implementation of the previous SC verdict can approach the High Courts for relief.
Normally, I do not comment on Supreme Court judgments, and only those who have a case can speak. But if a judgment is given against voiceless animals, then one has to raise their voice.
Today's court order is not practical; it is inhuman.
Last night I saw three stray dogs lying on the pavement outside the Delhi airport terminal on my return from Hyderabad. It was a hot, sultry night, and the three animals were lying peacefully outside the exit gate, only because of the cold blast of air that was coming out whenever the gates opened. Hundreds of travellers were moving around, and the dogs did not harm anybody.
What is the point in removing all such stray dogs from public places? Who will decide whether a stray dog is dangerous and should be administered the death injection?
I, therefore, feel that the court order will open up the gates of atrocities on voiceless stray dogs. Animal activist Menaka Gandhi's suggestion is right. If the State wants to lower the number of stray dogs, there should be a massive sterilisation and vaccination drive for such homeless animals.
I would rather like the apex court to direct all state governments to start this on a war footing.
NEET: Cosmetic surgeries won't help
CBI investigators have found that most of the people nabbed in Maharashtra in connection with the NEET paper leak case had connections with Shivraj Motegaonkar, the owner of RCC coaching classes.
Motegaonkar had a strong network. He used to leak NEET question papers with impunity, students studying in his coaching classes were selected by the dozens, and his turnover had crossed Rs 100 crore.
He had connections with retired Chemistry lecturer P V Kulkarni, the paper setter, and Botany lecturer Manisha Mandhare, who used to translate Biology papers.
Motegaonkar used to brag that he had "God-given powers" and he knew which questions would come in the NEET test. On May 3, when the NEET exam took place, most of the questions Motegaonkar had taught to his students were the same that came in the question paper.
RCC coaching centre teachers said that Motegaonkar had direct connections with God.
In Delhi, the Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has inducted four top officials from his ministry in NTA to plug loopholes. But cosmetic surgeries won't help. It requires a major surgery.
The NEET paper leak case revealed several things:
Dishonesty and cheating on the part of teachers, lust for money of some coaching centre owners, incompetence of NTA, unnecessary punishment for innocent students,
pain due to the waste of time and money for parents.
The revelations that are taking place on a daily basis clearly show that question leaks were taking place openly, and the offenders were not afraid. Those who were assigned the task of watching became looters themselves.
The system has become rotten. It is now time to eradicate the disease from its roots.
Adani: All cases dropped
The US Department of Justice has dropped all three cases against industrialist Gautam Adani and his companies for lack of adequate evidence.
After this, Adani Group's market value rose to more than Rs 17 lakh crore, a jump of Rs 1.2 lakh crore in the last two days.
How did this miracle happen?
The first case was related to misleading American investors by the Adani Group. USD 17.5 crore was collected from American investors, but they were not given full info about the projects. The The
Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil case in the New York court.
Since civil cases are mostly settled out of court, the Adani Group made a USD 1.8 crore deal with the SEC, and the matter was settled. The important part of the deal was that the Adani Group did not admit the charges to be true, but ended the case with an out-of-court settlement.
Since the Department of Justice (DOJ) had filed a criminal complaint on the basis of this civil case, it was not possible for them to proceed further. DOJ told the court to dismiss it with prejudice, thus shutting the doors on any possibility of reopening the case in future.
Some in the American media reported that the Adani Group had hired Donald Trump's lawyer. I do not find anything wrong with this.
Every defendant has the right to hire the best lawyer. In India, top lawyers like Mukul Rohatgi, Kapil Sibal, and Abhishek Manu Singhvi fight cases for all clients. Some said Adani has promised to invest USD 10 billion in the US.
In another out-of-court settlement, Adani Group had to pay USD 1.8 crore. This is nothing new in the US legal system.
The third case against Adani Group related to the purchase of LPG from Iran despite US sanctions. OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) of the US Treasury Department had complained that the Adani Group had purchased LPG from a Dubai businessman, who had told the group that the LPG originated from Oman and Iraq, but in reality, it was Iranian LPG that was being sold. The
Adani Group had arranged payment for LPG from American financial institutions, and this was viewed as a violation of US sanctions against Iran.
Gautam Adani took the middle path. His group told US investigators that it had no knowledge that the LPG being bought had originated from Iran. The group settled the matter by paying USD 27.5 crore to OFAC.
As of now, there is no case pending against Gautam Adani and his group in the US. Legal experts say the doors are now open for the Adani Group to resume business in the US.
One must understand the losses that accrued to the Adani Group because of these three cases.
Nineteen months ago, Adani Group's valuation was Rs 19 lakh crore, and when the cases in the US were slapped, shares nosedived, and the value slumped to Rs 7.5 lakh crore. After all the cases were withdrawn, the valuation jumped in one go to Rs 12 lakh crore.
It was a difficult time for a business group when it faced such losses in market valuation, apart from the loss of esteem. When market cap declines, investors move away, and it becomes difficult for the group to get bank loans.
Gautam Adani did not lose his cool. He did not allow his projects or companies to be closed down. In the last five years, he studiously raised the capex to Rs 5 lakh crore and expanded the market value of his business to Rs 17 lakh crore.
As far as Gautam Adani's personal contribution is concerned, one example will suffice. The Adani Group constitutes 25 per cent of all investments made by India's private sector this year. This is a noteworthy point.
Let me also point out that Gautam Adani faced a Rs 88,000 crore loss personally when cases were filed against him in the US. Should he have sat in silence and watched the 'tamasha' unfold?
In today's age, it is nothing short of a miracle to fight legal cases and get them dropped in the US.
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