When the Covid-19 pandemic started wreaking havoc, Chandigarh Administrator and Punjab Governor Vijayender Pal Singh Badnore once said we are in a war and started to have ‘war room meetings’. From 20 March 2020 till 17 August 2021, there have been 70 war room meetings that changed not only the destiny of Chandigarh but Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal as well. It has been five years for him to handle the Punjab and Chandigarh and call it a play of destiny that he proved out to be the most weather-beaten Governor and Administrator who has seen farmers’ protests, political agitation, and the most challenging Covid-19 pandemic, all on his plate to handle. 22nd August 2021— his tenure as Administrator and Punjab Governor is getting over.

There is a reason why Chandigarh people, be it Doctors, Bureaucrats, or common citizens name him the most weather-beaten administrator. His background of Rajasthan plays a major role in the time of Covid-19. His attitude helped Chandigarh sail through the turmoil of the pandemic.

The second wave of the pandemic has been the most challenging for Chandigarh because people from the whole region come to due to PGIMER for treatment.

The 8th May of 2021 could be marked as the most challenging day for the administrator himself. It is when PGIMER and Chandigarh Administration stood at loggerheads against each other for Oxygen supply. Chandigarh Administration blamed PGIMER for using beyond the limit of 20 MT per day Oxygen quota from Anesthetic Gases Pvt Ltd. And PGIMER, for the first time in its history, blamed Chandigarh Administration for hampering its Oxygen supply. On the other hand, Chandigarh Administration was wishing to ration the Oxygen supply because of meeting the peaking demand of 40 MT per day quota of Oxygen in the city.

PGIMER was of the view that it has already crossed its limit of 20 MT per day Oxygen quota as people from Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal, Delhi were coming here for treatment. Doctors’ hands were full with patients who were gasping for breath. Then at night, Badnore around 10:52 PM, through his Twitter handle ensured his people of Chandigarh and PGIMER that there would be ‘no oxygen shortage’ in PGIMER and any city hospital.

This decision made every Chandigarhian have a sigh of relief. His decisions of managing Oxygen and creating Oxygen plants in city hospitals are even applauded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 18 May 2021, along with this Badnore got appreciation from WHO regarding the Chandigarh Administration initiatives in containing Covid- creation on ‘micro containment zones’ on July 29, 2020.

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has granted bail to an accused in connection with an FIR lodged under charges of rape and assault registered by a woman foreign national after noting that there was a business dispute between the applicant and her, which had been negotiated.

The bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri in an order passed on August 18 said, “I have gone through the complainant’s statement recorded under Section 164 Cr.P.C. and at this stage, it would be sufficed to say that the effect of inconsistencies and improvements, would be seen at the time of trial.” From a reading of the complaint, it is apparent that complainant is a professionally mature businesswoman who has traveled extensively during the period from 2016 to 2019 not only in India but also abroad. She has started to have regularly gone to her native country many times. The complainant also continued to have commercial transactions with the applicant, Court noted.

“Also, neither in her E-mail dated July 21, 2019, addressed to the applicant nor in her letter dated October 18, 2019, addressed to the Police Officials, she mentioned any of the incidents. It was rather stated that there was a business dispute between the applicant and her, which had been negotiated. It was stated that amounts were to be paid by October 31, 2019, failing which an FIR would be filed, Court also noted.

Counsel for the applicant submitted that the complainant is a foreign national aged about 45 years. The present FIR was lodged on November 7, 2019, wherein, the complainant had leveled accusations not only against the present applicant but also against his brother and father.

The applicant along with his family members have been falsely implicated as the dispute is totally between him and the complainant is totally commercial in nature based on inter is business transactions between them, lawyers submitted.

To ensure better coordination between the ruling party and the state government, and to further expedite the implementation of the various government programmes and reform initiatives, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and PPCC president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday agreed to set up a 10-member ‘Strategic Policy Group’.

To be headed by the Chief Minister, the Group will have Local Government Minister Brahm Mohindra, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and Social Security Minister Aruna Chaudhary as members, along with Sidhu, the four party working presidents – Kuljit Singh Nagra, Sukhwinder Singh Danny, Sangat Singh Gilzian and Pawan Goel, besides General Secretary Pargat Singh.

The decision was taken Friday morning when Sidhu, along with Nagra and Pargat, called on the Chief Minister to discuss Punjab related issues and steps to strengthen party-government coordination.

The Group will hold weekly meetings, in consultation with other ministers, experts etc as may be required. It will discuss and review the progress of the various state government initiatives already under implementation, and will also suggest measures to expedite the same.

In another decision, Captain Amarinder has also assigned his cabinet colleagues the task of being available in Punjab Congress Bhawan every day, by rotation, for meetings with MLAs and other party functionaries to discuss issues relating to their constituencies/areas and address any grievances.

One minister each will be available at the Congress Bhawan from coming Monday for three hours (11 a.m. to 2 p.m), and in any case the minister deputed for a particular day is unable to make it for some reason, he/she shall arrange for a substitute in consultation with any other minister. The arrangement will be in place five days in a week, from Monday to Friday, said the Chief Minister, adding that this will help in better coordination between his government and party functionaries in the run-up to the 2022 Assembly elections.

The Mumbai Police has registered 19 FIRs against BJP leaders and workers for alleged violations of COVID-19 norms during the party’s ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’ of union minister Narayan Rane held in different parts of Mumbai.

Seven FIRs were registered on Thursday at Vile Parle, Kherwadi, Mahim, Shivaji Park, Dadar, Chembur and Govandi police stations in Mumbai. The remaining were registered at Azad Maidan, Gamdevi, Agripada, Sion, Kalachowky and airport police stations on Friday, police said. The accused are organisers and activists of the Yatra on whom 149 Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) notices were served.

Union Minister Narayan Rane, who had on Thursday participated in the rally along with former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other BJP leaders lashed out at the Maharashtra government for being biased in their judgement and for their failure in tackling with the pandemic situation.

“I don’t care about the FIRs, we are also seeing that many rallies have been conducted during the pandemic. But no action was taken on them. The government has failed in their management of Covid-19 situation,” Rane said.

Rane further added that the Maharashtra government was making money from medicines and he did not care about any objection from such people.

The Union minister is continuing his Jan Ashirvad Yatra, which he began yesterday and covered Mumbai city. Today he is visiting the suburbs on Mumbai.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 10 had announced that the newly-inducted cabinet ministers would go for the Jan Ashirwad Yatra from August 16 and the remaining Union Cabinet Ministers would do it on August 19. The yatra sought to inform people about the achievements of BJP-led central government in internal, external, economic, social and health spheres.

Advocate Anindya Sundar Das on Friday filed a caveat application in Supreme Court in connection with the Calcutta High Court order directing a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into all rape and murder cases in connection with violence following the Assembly election in West Bengal.

Anindya Sundar Das in his application said that if the Mamata government moved the Supreme Court against the order of Calcutta High Court, then the court should not pass the order without hearing her side. Anindya Sundar Das is one of the petitioners in the Kolkata high court in this matter.

On 19 August the Calcutta High Court had ordered a probe by the CBI in all the alleged rape and murder cases that had taken place in West Bengal after the state assembly elections.

The High Court also ordered to set up Special Investigation Team (SIT) for investigation and senior officers from West Bengal cadre will be a part of the team. The SIT will work under the supervision of a retired judge of the court. That report must also be submitted within six weeks. Even as the CBI has been given the task of investigation, the court will keep an eye on the whole matter. The High Court also said that financial compensation would be given to the victims. In that case, the money has to be paid directly to the bank accounts to avoid corruption and controversy.

The state government has consistently claimed there has been no political violence in the state after the TMC came to power for the third time in the state. Trinamool Congress state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said he was not happy with the verdict. He tweeted, “The High Court order cannot be openly opposed. They gave instructions. The government and the top leadership of the party will look into the matter and respond. Possible legal aspects will be considered. We think the report of the central human rights commission is purely politically motivated. However, I am not commenting on the comments of the High Court now.”

On 15 July, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) team probing the alleged post-poll violence in West Bengal had submitted its final report to Calcutta High Court. The BJP leadership is naturally happy with the court’s verdict. The BJP has been complaining from the beginning in this case that the police do not want to take up complaints. In most cases, the BJP has alleged that TMC activists have attacked BJP workers.

State BJP president Dilip Ghosh said, “We have been saying from the beginning that there is violence. The court’s ruling has proved that the NHRC’s report was not biased. This time, the oppressed will get justice.”

Senior BJP leaders including former minister Anil Joshi, former MLA Sukhjit Kaur Sahi and others on Friday joined SAD here, after quitting their parent party in support of farmers and their cause. The leaders were welcomed into the SAD by its President Sukhbir Singh Badal and the senior party leadership at a function held at party head office.

Terming the induction of the senior BJP leaders into the SAD fold as a historic event, the SAD President said the joining of former minister Anil Joshi and other senior BJP leaders into the SAD had sent a clear message to those trying to create insecurity amongst urbanites that SAD was committed to its vision of peace and communal harmony.

“I will forfeit my life but won’t let peace and communal harmony of Punjab be destroyed at any cost,” Badal said. He also led the party in passing a resolution dedicating the historic day to the Kisani Sangharsh as well as supreme sacrifice made by Sant Harchand Singh Longowal for the cause of communal harmony.

Asserting that Anil Joshi was a courageous leader who had always done his utmost for his constituency as well as the holy city of Amritsar, Sukhbir Badal announced that Joshi had been appointed Senior Vice President of the party and would be fielded from the Amritsar North constituency as the joint SAD-BSP alliance candidate.

He also announced that former Sujanpur municipal committee President Raj Kumar Gupta had been appointed Vice President of the party and would be fielded as the joint SAD-BSP alliance candidate from Sujanpur.

Other leaders who were inducted into the SAD today and given key posts include former Dasuya legislator Sukhjit Kaur Shahi, BJP State working committee member Kamal Chaitly and former Ludhiana deputy Mayor R D Sharma as Vice Presidents.

Former BJP youth wing state President Mohit Gupta has been appointed General Secretary while former Fatehgarh Churian president Surinder Chhindi and TV Panelist Harjit Bhullar, former councilor Mintu Sharma, Amritsar councilor Aman Aery, Working Committee member Sumit Shastri and Bathinda district cashier Vikram Lucky appointed Joint Secretaries.

Speaking on the occasion, Anil Joshi said the SAD-BJP alliance had been stitched by former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and was done to remove the frictions in society after a period of terrorism. He said the alliance had sent out a message of peace and had resulted in tranquility and prosperity in Punjab.