Tag: BBC

BBC profits not commensurate with operations in India: Tax officials

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New Delhi: The income and profits shown by various BBC group entities are “not commensurate” with the scale of their operations in India and tax has not been paid on certain remittances by its foreign entities, the income tax authorities said Friday, a day after they ended a three-day-long survey operation against the British media organisation.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) issued a statement without identifying the company but said the survey was conducted at the business premises of group entities of a prominent international media company which is engaged in the business of development of content in English, Hindi and various other Indian languages, advertisement sales and market support services, etc.
Officials said the statement pertains to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
The I-T department had launched the survey exercise on February 14 at BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai and it ended after about 60 hours on Thursday night.
The CBDT is the administrative authority for the tax department.
The statement alleged various tax-linked irregularities against the London-headquartered company and accused it of using “dilatory tactics” during the course of the survey.
“The survey revealed that despite substantial consumption of content in various Indian languages (apart from English), the income/profits shown by various group entities (of BBC) is not commensurate with the scale of operations in India.”
“…the department gathered several evidences pertaining to the operation of the organisation which indicate that tax has not been paid on certain remittances which have not been disclosed as income in India by the foreign entities of the group,” the CBDT said.

The BBC, after tax teams left their premises on Thursday, said they will “continue to cooperate with the authorities and hope matters are resolved as soon as possible.”
According to the CBDT statement, the tax authorities found that the services of “seconded employees” were utilised by the BBC for which reimbursement has been made by the Indian entity to the foreign entity concerned.
“Such remittance was also liable to be subject to withholding tax which has not been done. Further, the survey has also thrown up several discrepancies and inconsistencies with regard to Transfer Pricing documentation.”
“Such discrepancies relate to level of relevant Function, Asset and Risk (FAR) analysis, incorrect use of comparables which are applicable to determine the correct Arms Length Price (ALP) and inadequate revenue apportionment, among others,” the statement added.
According to I-T rules, transfer pricing “generally refers to prices of transactions between associated enterprises which may take place under conditions differing from those taking place between independent enterprises. It refers to the value attached to transfers of goods, services and technology between related entities”.
It also refers to the value attached to transfers between un-related parties which are controlled by a common entity.
It said the survey has led to unearthing of “crucial evidences” by way of statement of employees, digital evidences and documents which will be further examined in due course.
It is pertinent to state that the authorities recorded statements of only those employees whose role was crucial including those connected to, primarily, finance, content development and other production related functions, the CBDT said.
It accused the media organisation of using “dilatory tactics” during the surprise operation.
“Even though the department exercised due care to record statements of only key personnel, it was observed that dilatory tactics were employed including in the context of producing documents/ agreements sought. Despite such stance of the group, the survey operation was conducted in a manner so as to facilitate continued regular media/channel activity,” the statement said.
The survey prompted Opposition parties to denounce the I-T department action as they termed it “political vendetta”.
The BJP had accused the BBC of “venomous reporting” while the Opposition had questioned the timing of the action that came weeks after the broadcaster aired a two-part documentary, “India: The Modi Question”, on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the 2002 Gujarat riots.
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#BBC #profits #commensurate #operations #India #Tax #officials
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 17, 2023
UK MP Blackman slams BBC documentary on PM Modi as ‘propaganda’

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New Delhi: Terming the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a ‘propaganda video’ and a ‘disgraceful piece of shoddy journalism,’ British MP Bob Blackman has said that it should never have been released and that it didn’t look at the ‘all-important fact’ that India’s Supreme Court investigated the claims against Narendra Modi in connection with the 2002 riots and found that there is not a shred of evidence to support them.
In an interview with ANI, Blackman also talked about the issue “around the review of the British Broadcasting Coropration’s (BBC) tax affairs” in the context of Income Tax department’s survey at its offices in India and said, “this is nothing new and has been going on for quite sometime”.
He said there have been discussions between the Income tax authorities in India and the BBC and the broadcaster has to follow the relevant rules and regulations.
Blackman is a member of ruling Conservative and MP for Harrow East, said that as Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2002, Narendra Modi had done his best to try and appeal for calm during the riots.
Blackman accused the BBC documentary of casting aspersions and said it is extremely regrettable because it would seem as if there was some sort of agenda of BBC to disrupt UK-India relations. “I think that’s a great shame.”
Noting that the British government regards India as a strong friend, a strong ally and the two countries were negotiating a trade deal, he said anything that disrupts the process is extremely regrettable.
The British MP said the Indian government has done a remarkable job under PM Modi of transforming the country’s economy and it is on track to become the leading economy in the world.
Blackman said the BBC video on PM Modi was “full of innuendos” and it was produced by an external organisation and overseen by the British broadcaster.

“The so-called documentary which is more of a propaganda video, if you like in a two-part series… (was) disgraceful piece of shoddy journalism with an attack on Narendra Modi, both in his time as Chief Minister of Gujarat and then his time as Prime Minister….(was) completely full of innuendos,” the British MP said.
“It should never have been broadcast by the BBC because the BBC has a worldwide reputation. People think, oh my goodness, this must be true. But, it was produced by an external organisation, overseen by the BBC….it (documentary) is far from the truth… it actually did not look in detail into the causes for the Gujarat riots 20 years ago and it certainly didn’t look at the all important fact that the Supreme Court thoroughly investigated all the claims against Narendra Modi and found that not a shred of evidence to support them,” he added.
Bob Blackman has been the Conservative Member of Parliament for Harrow East since 2010. He was Greater London Assembly member for Brent and Harrow for four years, after ousting the Labour Leader on the GLA in June 2004.
According to his website, Blackman was also a Councillor for the Preston Ward in Brent for 24 years, serving as leader of the Brent Conservatives from 1990 to 2010, before stepping down in order to stand as the Conservative candidate for Harrow East.
The UK MP said that as Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2002, Narendra Modi had looked to additional police resources, not only within Gujarat but beyond and eventually had called in the army to help quell the riots.
“They showed a film of him making appeals for calm and encouraging people to not to riot…. (they) put a whole series of different montages together with different people… I don’t know people involved but it was clear they had an axe to grind against Narendra Modi,” Blackman said.
The central government had last month issued directions for blocking YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the controversial BBC documentary ‘India: The Modi Question’.
The Ministry of External Affairs had termed it a “propaganda piece”, saying it reflected a “colonial mindset”.
Referring to the tax survey, Blackman said BBC has to ensure “they are caught with the rules and regulations”.
“Obviously, this is a survey where the income tax authorities have looked to gather the evidence to establish if the BBC is doing anything wrong, I would say quite openly, this is the BBC’s job and operating within India, is to make sure they are caught with the rules and regulations, and I am sure it will be cleared up very quickly, but you know that’s upto the tax authorities so… (for) BBC to make sure they are caught up with the rules that operate here,” he said.
The British ruling party MP said that some sections were seeing the action as an attack on the media which according to the MP was not an accurate assessment.
“It’s a review, it is a survey….the moment there haven’t been suggestions of charges or anything like that…let the authorities operate, let the BBC act as they have done in an open and transparent way, providing access to all the records and all the information and let the tax authorities come to their conclusion. I trust that we clear up very quickly because it is for the benefit of the tax authorities and for the BBC.”
Income Tax-related surveys at BBC’s India offices started on Tuesday.
Sources had said that the Income Tax department conducted a survey at BBC’s offices in Delhi and Mumbai in view of its “deliberate non-compliance” with the “Transfer Pricing Rules and its vast diversion of profits.” The survey concluded on Thursday.
Asked if the BBC documentary could in some way be reflective of the view of the British government, Blackman dismissed any such suggestion and said the BBC is not an arm of the British government.
He said the British government regards India as a strong friend and a strong ally.
“Let’s be very clear, the BBC is not an arm of the British government. In fact, the BBC is frequently critical of the British government and, actually to be fair, critical of all the British government that has been that’s their job, their job is to ask questions, to look for evidence. But the key here is you can ask questions but when there is evidence to the contrary and it’s quite clearly not the case, then you shouldn’t be casting aspersions. I think that is the difference here, which I think it is extremely regrettable because it would seem as if there was some sort of agenda of the BBC to disrupt UK-India relations,” said Bob Blackman to ANI.
Blackman said he had asked the British government of its policy and was told that BBC is an independent organisation they must do whatever they choose to do but it is not the policy of the British government.
“The British government regards India as a strong friend and a strong ally. We signed an agreement a year ago, now an agreement on security, defence and other matters and that demonstrates the goodwill between our countries. We are two countries with a shared past and tremendous future ahead of us and we are at the moment negotiating what could be an incredible free trade deal which would benefit India and the United Kingdom. So, anything that disrupts that is extremely regrettable, particularly when it’s with our foundation,” added Blackman.
He expressed hope that the documentary episode will not impact relations between India and UK.
Answering a query, he said one thing he agreed with in “the propaganda video” is the final comments which said that Narendra Modi and the BJP government will probably be re-elected next time and the time after.
“So they deserve it because the Indian government have done a remarkable job under the Narendra Modi of transforming the economy in India, leading India to become the fifth biggest economy now in the world, on track to become the leading economy in the world, by the way it is going and the most populous country in the world. We also have to celebrate that India is the biggest democracy in the world where the government can be replaced if that’s what the people decide,” said Blackman.
“From that perspective, it’s very important that we build the friendship, we build the relationship between the two countries and we do so because obviously India has the G20 role this year.”
Blackman, who has been an MP since May 2010, said, India will be welcoming the leaders of the world this year and “it’s important that we cement our good relations”.
“If we don’t, that would be detrimental to India and also to the United Kingdom,” he said
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#Blackman #slams #BBC #documentary #Modi #propaganda
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 17, 2023
‘Will continue to report without fear or favour’: BBC says after IT ‘survey’

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After a three-day investigation that entailed searching through files and copying data from certain digital devices, the income tax inspectors departed the BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai on Thursday night.
The UK national broadcaster confirmed the news on Twitter and stated that they will keep working with the authorities.
“The income tax authorities have left our offices in Delhi and Mumbai. We will continue to cooperate with the authorities and hope matters are resolved as soon as possible.
We are supporting staff – some of whom have faced lengthy questioning or been required to stay overnight – and their welfare is our priority. Our output is back to normal and we remain committed to serving our audiences in India and beyond.
The BBC is a trusted, independent media organisation and we stand by our colleagues and journalists who will continue to report without fear or favour,” a statment by the BBC read.
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#continue #report #fear #favour #BBC #survey
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 17, 2023
Income Tax surveys at BBC offices end after over 58 hours

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New Delhi: The Income Tax department’s marathon “surveys” at BBC’s offices ended on Thursday, after clocking over 58 hours in total, as officials prepared an inventory of financial data from select staffers and collected digital and paper data.
The operation that began at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) offices in Delhi and Mumbai around 11:30 am on Tuesday has ended in Mumbai and will be wound up at Delhi by tonight, sources said late on Thursday.
Tax authorities have made an inventory of the available stock, recorded the statement of some staffers and have impounded some documents as part of the survey action that continued for three days clocking about 57-58 hours, officials told PTI.
The survey was carried out to investigate issues related to international taxation and transfer pricing of BBC subsidiary companies, they had said.
The I-T teams, it is understood, sought answers on financial transactions, the company structure and other details about the news company, and copied data from electronic gadgets as part of their task of collecting the evidence.
Opposition parties have denounced the I-T department action against the London-headquartered public broadcaster, terming it “political vendetta”.
On Tuesday, the ruling BJP had accused the BBC of “venomous reporting” while the Opposition had questioned the timing of the action that came weeks after the broadcaster aired a two-part documentary “India: The Modi Question” on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the 2002 Gujarat riots.
While there has been no official statement from the Income Tax department on the action, the BBC has said it was cooperating with the authorities.

A BBC staffer in Delhi said they were broadcasting their news like usual and the company has informed them that it is cooperating with the authorities.
The Supreme Court last week dismissed a plea seeking the imposition of a complete ban on the BBC in India in the wake of the controversial documentary, terming the petition “entirely misconceived” and “absolutely meritless”.
Another set of petitions challenging the government’s decision to block the documentary’s access on social media platforms will be heard in April.
On January 21, the government had issued directions to block multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the documentary.
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#Income #Tax #surveys #BBC #offices #hours
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 16, 2023
Income Tax survey at BBC offices clocks over 55 hours

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New Delhi: The Income Tax department’s marathon survey at BBC’s offices continued for the third straight day on Thursday as officials prepared an inventory of financial data from select staffers and made copies of electronic and paper data of the news organisation. The operation that began at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) offices in Delhi and Mumbai around 11:30 am on Tuesday has clocked more than 55 hours, sources said. It was not clear if the survey has ended. Tax authorities have made an inventory of the available stock, recorded the statement of some staffers and have impounded some documents as part of the survey action, officials told PTI.
The survey is being carried out to investigate issues related to international taxation and transfer pricing of BBC subsidiary companies, they had said.
The I-T teams are seeking answers on financial transactions, the company structure and other details about the news company and are copying data from electronic gadgets as part of their task of collecting the evidence, tax officials had said.
Opposition parties have denounced the I-T department action against the London-headquartered public broadcaster, terming it “political vendetta”.
On Tuesday, the ruling BJP had accused the BBC of “venomous reporting” while the Opposition had questioned the timing of the action that came weeks after the broadcaster aired a two-part documentary “India: The Modi Question” on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the 2002 Gujarat riots.
While there has been no official statement from the Income Tax department on the action, the BBC has said it was cooperating with the authorities.
A BBC staffer in Delhi said they were broadcasting their news like usual.
The Supreme Court last week dismissed a plea seeking the imposition of a complete ban on the BBC in India in the wake of the controversial documentary, terming the petition “entirely misconceived” and “absolutely meritless”.

Another set of petitions challenging the government’s decision to block the documentary’s access on social media platforms will be heard in April. On January 21, the government had issued directions to block multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the documentary.
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#Income #Tax #survey #BBC #offices #clocks #hours
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 16, 2023
Income Tax department to release BBC Documentary of Tax evasion

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After carrying out a ‘survey’ at the premises of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) offices in Delhi and Mumbai for the second day in a row today, the the income tax department on Thursday announced a BBC Documentary on its tax evasion.
“Manipulation of prices for unauthorised benefits including tax advantages are serious crimes and the BBC India is found to be a repeat offender, and this deserves a documentary” told Income Tax department to The Fauxy.
PM Narendra Modi will launch the BBC Documentary on Namo TV and Doordarshan. The documentary will also be shown on theatres and all the BJP ruled states are likely to make the documentary tax free.
Reportedly, BBC has reached UK court to ban airing of the documentary on BBC tax evasion, calling it fake, misleading and a vendetta.
Upset with the BBC for not being able to spread Modi documentary to the masses and polarise the situation ahead of general election, BJP has supported the raid. “They had just one job” said a BJP leader.
Sources suggest that Donald Trump has offered to mediate between BJP and BBC. Details awaited.
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#Income #Tax #department #release #BBC #Documentary #Tax #evasion

[ Disclaimer: With inputs from The Fauxy, an entertainment portal. The content is purely for entertainment purpose and readers are advised not to confuse the articles as genuine and true, these Articles are Fictitious meant only for entertainment purposes. ]

February 16, 2023
SC being used as ‘tool’ by anti-India forces: RSS-affiliated weekly on BBC docu row

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court is allegedly being used as a “tool” by anti-India forces, RSS-linked weekly Panchjanya has said while criticising the apex court for issuing notice to the Centre over pleas challenging its order to block social media links to the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
After efforts to “save” terrorists in the name of human rights, creating “hurdles” in India’s growth in the name of environment, now it is being tried that forces against the country should have the right to do propaganda against it in India itself, an editorial in the latest edition of the magazine said.
Citing the apex court notice to the Centre on the BBC documentary, the editorial alleged, the “Supreme Court was created for safeguarding the interests of our country but it is being used as a tool by the opponents of India in their efforts to clear their way.”
The Supreme Court runs on taxpayers’ money and works according to Indian law for the sake of the country, it noted.
Dubbing the BBC documentary as a “propaganda” to defame India, the editorial said it is “false” and “based on fiction”.
The editorial also stated that all anti-national forces take advantage of the provisions of “our democracy, our generosity, and our civilisational standards,” against us.
The Supreme Court has last week dismissed a plea seeking the imposition of a complete ban on the BBC in India in the wake of the controversial documentary, terming the petition “entirely misconceived” and “absolutely meritless”.
Another set of petitions challenging the government’s decision to block the documentary will be heard in April next.

On January 21, the government issued directions to block multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the documentary.
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#tool #antiIndia #forces #RSSaffiliated #weekly #BBC #docu #row
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 16, 2023
CPI(ML) Liberation decries IT raids on BBC premises

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Patna: Liberation secretary general Dipankar Bhattacharya alleged that the Narendra Modi government’s “fear of truth” of the 2002 Gujarat riots was behind the ban on the BBC’s documentary and the surveys at its offices by the Income Tax department.
The Left leader made the remark on Wednesday while addressing a party rally organised on the theme ‘Loktantra Bachao Desh Bachao’ (save democracy, save the country) at the historic Gandhi Maidan here.
“Modi ji, his government and the BJP-RSS seem to be miffed at raking up of the communal carnage that took place 20 years ago. This led to the proscription of the documentary and, more recently, the IT raids. They have a fear of truth being known to the young generation who are not aware of what had happened in Gujarat back then.
“But, they should remember that children, to date, are taught about what happened in Hitler’s Germany so that people learn from the mistakes of the past. The Gujarat riots must not be forgotten till those who were guilty are thrown out of power,” said the CPI(ML) Liberation leader.
Later, talking to reporters, he also said that the treatment meted out to the internationally renowned broadcaster would “have an adverse impact on the image of the country at a time when the spotlight is on us because of the G20 presidency”.
At the rally, a political resolution was also passed by the party which now supports from outside the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ government headed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
The party said that since the BJP has ruled the state for long, its “fascist culture of governance” has deeply infested the system.
It suggested remedial measures like an immediate action to stop the “bulldozing of houses of Dalits without notice”, restoration of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee Act and release from jail of those arrested for violating prohibition as well as those booked under anti-terror laws for taking part in political movements.

Bhattacharya told reporters that the party will be holding a special convention on Saturday to strengthen “opposition unity” where dignitaries like the Bihar CM and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav have also been invited.
Replying to a query, he said, “Not having a face must not be construed as a weakness of the opposition. The BJP’s centralised form of leadership is dictatorial and must not be emulated.”.
At the rally, the Left leader defended the decision of his 12 MLAs strong party to refrain from joining the government.
“We did not win a single seat in the 2010 assembly polls. Ten years later, we fought 19 and won 12. Even our allies began saying that had we been given a few more seats to contest, we might have improved the tally of Mahagathbandhan and its then leader Tejashwi Yadav would have formed his own government,” he observed.
“But, we must remember that our party’s strength lies in the fact that we are able to rally around the people irrespective of electoral fortunes which tend to swing one way or the other. We cannot become like the BJP for whom winning elections is an end in itself,” he said.
He also lambasted the Modi government for “refusing to order an investigation” into the charges against Adani Group and alleged “they tend to think of themselves as emperors who expect the people to be silent in exchange for a few kilos of ration every month”.
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#CPIML #Liberation #decries #raids #BBC #premises
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 16, 2023
I-T ‘survey’ at BBC office: Mamata says Centre more autocratic than Hitler, Ceausescu

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Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Central government over the Income Tax ‘survey’ at the office of BBC in Mumbai and Delhi, terming the Centre as more autocratic than Adolf Hitler or Nicolae Ceausescu.
After Minister of State for Finance Chandrima Bhattacharya presented the state Budget for 2023-24, the Chief Minister addressed the Assembly during which she referred to the Income Tax ‘survey’ at the BBC offices.
“The present autocracy is more dangerous than that of Hitler or Ceausescu. BBC has always given correct and updated information. So, why is such an action taking place against them? BBC has broadcast something that has gone against the current Union government. So, this action has been taken out of vendetta. Suppressing the freedom of press is extremely unfortunate. I am always for freedom of press. Only the judiciary can save this country now,” the Chief Minister said.
However, the leader of opposition in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, criticised the Chief Minister for making a speech on the floor of the House after the presentation of the state Budget.
“As per convention, after the Finance Minister presents the Budget, no one else speaks on that day. She (Banerjee) has flouted this convention,” Adhikari said.
CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said that while the Chief Minister is claiming that only the judiciary can save the country, in West Bengal her own party is trying to silent the voice of the judiciary.
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#survey #BBC #office #Mamata #Centre #autocratic #Hitler #Ceausescu
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 15, 2023
BJP leaders praise BBC when it suits them: Owaisi on IT raids

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Hyderabad: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday attacked the central government over the I-T department’s survey operation at BBC offices, saying when it suited the BJP during the Emergency period (1975-77) their leaders used to praise the foreign broadcaster.
He stressed that the freedom of press was very important for a functional democracy, while concurring with the statement issued by the Editors Guild of India, condemning the raids.
The AIMIM chief expressed hope that BBC will not be pressurised and will continue to tell the truth.
“When it suited the BJP during Emergency period, their leaders used to praise the BBC. I am sure that the BBC will continue to tell the truth to the people. The timing is absolutely wrong and that is why the Editors Guild issued a right statement condemning the raids,” the Hyderabad MP told reporters here reacting to queries on the I-T survey against BBC India.
The Income Tax department survey against BBC India continued for the second day today with sleuths understood to be making copies of electronic and paper-based financial data of the organisation.
The tax department had launched surveys on Tuesday at the Delhi and Mumbai offices of the media house along with at least two linked premises as part of a probe into alleged tax evasion against the British broadcaster in India.
The action comes weeks after the broadcaster aired a two-part documentary, “India: The Modi Question”.
Reacting to another query on Centre’s decision to appoint retired Supreme Court judge S Abdul Nazeer, who was part of the 2019 Ayodhya verdict, as Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Owaisi said there is no constitutional bar on appointing anyone to the honourable post of Governor, but wondered why the retired judge accepted the post.

“Now if some doubts arise in the minds of common people that the biggest litigant in this country is the government. Now, after your retirement, you are given a post by the same government, who is the biggest litigant and you were presiding over that litigation… so, some doubts might arise in the mind of a common man. I don’t know whether those doubts are genuine or not,” he said.
“So, these doubts should not have arisen and this will lead to so many questions in future. I don’t know why the honourable retired judge has accepted this post because as a judge he was allotted a house and every facility. It is for the BJP to answer this question.”
Justice (retired) Nazeer was part of the five-judge Constitution bench which had in November 2019 cleared the way for the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) and directed the Centre to allot a five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for a mosque in a different location.
Owaisi also welcomed the top court’s appointment of its former judge Justice L Nageswara Rao to oversee the upcoming elections of the office bearers of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA).
“It is a good thing. HCA elections should be held at the earliest. If elections are held genuinely, meritorious young cricketers of Hyderabad who are performing well will get opportunities,” he added.
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#BJP #leaders #praise #BBC #suits #Owaisi #raids
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 15, 2023