Politics
Trinamool MLA Saokat Molla ignores CBI summons
Two-time Trinamool Congress legislator Saokat Molla on Friday ignored CBI’s notice for interrogation in connection with the coal smuggling cases in West Bengal.
Molla, the Trinamool Congress MLA from Canning (East) Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal, was asked to be present at CBI’s Nizam Palace office in Central Kolkata at 11 a.m on Friday.
However, at the last moment, his counsels sent an email communique to the CBI informing the latter about their client inability to appear for interrogation. Molla had also sought 15 days of time to appear for grilling.
Confirming the receipt of the email communique of Molla, a senior CBI official, who did not wish to be named, said that they have forwarded the communique to their higher officials at CBI Directorate in New Delhi immediately. “Now whether Molla would be given the time span of 15 days or not will be decided by our higher officials,” he said.
Many recall the similar incident how Trinamool Congress leader and party’s Birbhum district president Anubrata Mandal avoided CBI summons one after another pertaining to cattle and cola smuggling cases in the state.
After ignoring seven summons, Anubrata Mandal finally made a maiden appearance at the CBI office integration on May 19. However, after that he went back to Birbhum and started avoiding central agency summons again on medical grounds.
Incidentally, Mandal was also supposed to be present at the CBI’s Nizam Police office on Friday. However, as usual, he had communicated his inability to appear.
As reported by IANS on Thursday, although the coal-belt of Asansol in West Burdwan district of the state was base of the coal smuggling rackets, the investigating sleuths have recently identified several points where the smuggled coal were sent to different points in different pockets in the state.
It was also reported that Jeebantala area under Molla’s constituency, Canning (East) houses several brick kilns that require huge amounts of coal at cheaper rates to successfully run their shows. CBI sleuths have come to information many such brick kilns in Canning (East) which had been getting regular supply of smuggled coal.
Molla is a two-time Trinamool Congress MLA from Canning (East) Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal since 2016. Before the change of guards in West Bengal in 2011, Molla was an active member of erstwhile ruling party CPI(M) and was also considered as the right- hand man of erstwhile West Bengal land & land reforms minister, Abdur Rezzak Molla in the previous Left Front regime.
However, after 2011, Saokat Molla shifted to Trinamool Congress and became an MLA from Canning East for the first time in 2016. He was re-elected from the same constituency in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Congress Alleges Discrepancies In EVM Numbers In Mira Bhayandar
Questioning the sanctity of the election process and accuracy of election results which are to be declared on counting day scheduled on Saturday (23, November), the Congress party has alleged discrepancies in the number of votes polled at various booths in the Mira Bhayandar (145) assembly constituency.
In his letter to the returning officer, Congress leader-Anil Sawant who was the election representative of MVA candidate- Muzaffar Hussain pointed out mismatch of 386 additional votes between the data in form 17-C and figures generated by the electronic voting machines (EVM), even as clarity eludes actual figures at some of the other booths.
Seeking an official explanation from the returning officer, Sawant has also alleged that the mock drill votes were also included in the polling figures. According to the figures released by the returning officer, the constituency recorded a voter turnout of 51.75 percent as 2,64,534 out of the 5,10,862 voters exercised their franchise.
However, form 17C shows a count of 51.67 percent which translates into a difference of 0.08 percent (386 votes) on the higher side. Moreover, the complainant has also raised a serious question mark on the delay in publication of the figures of the postal ballots.
While form 17A is used to record the details of every voter who comes into a polling booth and casts his/her vote, form 17C is an account of all the votes recorded. Under Rule 49S(2) of the Conduct of Elections Rules-1961, a presiding officer is mandated to furnish a copy of the entries made in form 17C to the polling agents of the candidates at the close of polling.
7C is crucial as the voter turnout data in this form can be used to legally challenge an election result. The Congress party is expected to take an aggressive stand if the anomalies are not rectified before the counting process.
Maharashtra
Ex-NCB Officer Sameer Wankhede Moves Bombay HC Seeking CBI Probe Against NCP Leader Nawab Malik
Mumbai: IRS officer Sameer Wankhede has moved the Bombay High Court, seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or court-monitored probe into an FIR he filed in 2022 against former state minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Wankhede, an Additional Commissioner in the Directorate General of Taxpayer Services (DGTS) and a member of the Mahar Scheduled Caste, alleges that the police’s inaction in the matter has caused him and his family significant mental distress and humiliation.
On August 14, 2022, Wankhede filed an FIR with the Goregaon police station against Malik. Malik has neither been arrested in the case, nor has the chargesheet been filed in the case till date.
Former NCB zonal officer, who shot to fame after arresting actor Shah Rukh Khan son, Aryan Khan, in the 2021 Cordelia Cruise drug bust case, had also arrested Malik’s son-in-law Sameer Khan.
Wankhede has alleged that after Sameer Khan’s arrest, Malik launched a sustained campaign to defame and humiliate him and his family on social media and television, targeting their caste and questioning the authenticity of Wankhede’s caste certificate.
The officer had earlier filed a complaint with the Scheduled Caste Commission in October 2021, seeking action against Malik.
Despite a restraining order issued by the High Court in a separate defamation suit prohibiting Malik from making defamatory remarks, Wankhede claims Malik continued to violate the order, including questioning the validity of his caste certificate as recently as on October 27, 2024.
A caste scrutiny committee has since upheld the authenticity of Wankhede’s certificate in a detailed 91-page report.
Malik Influenced State Police To Delay Probe: Sameer Wankhede
Wankhede alleges that Malik has influenced the state police to delay the investigation. He points out that critical provisions under the SC/ST Act have yet to be added to the FIR despite multiple reminders to the Goregaon police. “Respondent No. 2 (Malik), with his muscle power, influence and money power is controlling the state police machinery and continues to commit further offence, this can be overtly witnessed as how the Accused (Malik) is openly giving interviews to various media platforms and us wandering freely and yet no arrest is affected despite being no protective order,” the petition, filed through advocate Sana Khan, read.
Wankhede seeks the court’s direction to transfer the investigation to an independent agency or the CBI, ensure the addition of necessary provisions under the SC/ST Act, and order the submission of a detailed report on the investigation’s progress.
Wankhede has also highlighted a similar FIR filed by his cousin, Sanjay Wankhede, which has faced the same lack of action. He contends Malik’s actions are politically motivated, aimed at influencing voters before elections.
The petition is likely to come up for hearing on November 28.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Mumbai Sees Marginal Rise In Voter Turnout, Suburbs Lead At 56.39%, City At 52.65%
The voter turnout figures released on Thursday by the BMC indicated a low turnout in the city during the November 20 assembly election. In Mumbai city district, voter participation stood at 52.65%, while the suburban district saw a slightly higher turnout of 56.39%; both figures are marginally higher than 2019.
In Mumbai city, which covers 10 constituencies, there are a total of 25,43,610 registered voters. Of these, 13,39,299 cast their ballots. The male voter turnout was 52%, with 7,10,174 out of 13,65,904 male voters participating. Female voters turnout was lower at 53%, with 6,29,049 women out of 11,77,462 voting. Additionally, 76 voters from the “other” category cast their ballots out of 244 eligible voters.
The lowest voter turnout in Mumbai city was recorded in Colaba, with just 44.44%. Other areas with low turnout included Mumbadevi (48.76%), Dharavi (50.03%), Malabar Hill (52.53%), and Byculla (53.02%). In contrast, Mahim saw the highest voter participation at 59.01%, followed by Wadala (57.67%), Shivadi (55.52%), Sion Koliwada (53.56%), and Worli (53.53%).
In Mumbai suburban, which encompasses 26 constituencies, the voter turnout reached 56.39%. There are 76,86,098 registered voters in this district, with 43,34,513 casting their votes. Among male voters, 57% participated 23,58,589 out of 41,01,457, while 57% of female voters also voted 20,33,654 out of 35,83,803. Additionally, 270 people from the ‘other’ category voted out of 838 eligible individuals.
The lowest voter turnout in the suburban district was seen in constituencies such as Vandre West (51.36%), Versova (51.44%), Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar (52.14%), Kalina (52.68%), and Chandivali (52.97%). On the other hand, the highest turnout was recorded in constituencies like Bhandup West (62.88%), Borivali (62.32%), Mulund (61.42%), Ghatkopar West (59.99%), and Ghatkopar East (59.58%).
Several constituencies in Mumbai witnessed a significant rise in voter participation compared to the 2019 assembly elections. In Andheri West, the voting percentage jumped from 43.52% in 2019 to 53.67% in 2024; a rise of over 10%. Versova’s turnout rose from 42.38% in 2019 to 51.44% this year, while Mulund saw an increase from 53.81% to 61.42%. Vandre West’s turnout also grew substantially from 44% to 51.36%, with a similar trend in Goregaon (from 46.44% in 2019 to 55.61% this year) and Shivadi’s 49.33% in 2019 to 55% in 2024.
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