SC stay on Andhra HC order against CM Jagan, lawyers
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the Andhra Pradesh high court order castigating the wisdom of the state government, the chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy and that of the lawyers representing the government. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde, Justice A.S. Bopanna and Justice V. Ramasubramanian stayed the December 30, 2020, state high court order in an appeal by the Andhra Pradesh government.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the Andhra Pradesh high court order castigating the wisdom of the state government, the chief minister Jaganmohan Reddy and that of the lawyers representing the government.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Sharad A. Bobde, Justice A.S. Bopanna and Justice V. Ramasubramanian stayed the December 30, 2020, state high court order in an appeal by the Andhra Pradesh government.
Senior lawyer Sajan Poovayya assisted by advocate Mahfooz Ahsan Nazaki appeared for tye Andhra Pradesh government.
The high court by its December 30, 2020, order had questioned the wisdom of the government, the chief minister and advocates representing the state on different counts, including the conduct of some lawyers representing the government.
The critical observations by the HC had come on an application by the state government seeking the recusal of a judge on the grounds that the said judge had prejudged the issue without hearing the state government.
The Jaganmohan Reddy government was aggrieved with an observation in the course if an earlier hearing where the court had questioned the decision of the state government to auction certain properties wondering whether the state had become bankrupt.
“How could the government auction the properties of the state, had the government become bankrupt to auction government properties, we will declare there is a breakdown of constitutional machinery in the state and hand over the administration to the Central government.”
The assertion that this statement was made by one of the members of the bench has been disputed.
The petition by the Andhra Pradesh government has said that a perusal of the contents of the “unprecedented” order, which is completely unrelated to the issue raised in the matter, would show that the high court has not stopped merely at castigating the government/its functionaries and the advocates appearing for the government but even goes on to cast aspersions on the top court collegiums on the mere ipse dixit (an assertion without proof ) of the judge.
The return of V.K. Sasikala to active politics in Tamil Nadu carries portends to the polity there. Staging a grand roadshow on her release from jail, Ms Sasikala could well be the pretender to the AIADMK throne. She has already set the cat among pigeons both inside and outside AIADMK. Should the AIADMK under the present leadership do well in the Assembly elections despite Ms Sasikala, Tamil Nadu could find its future politics no more driven by dynasts. But a poor show by it could mark the beginnings of a slave dynasty led by her. R. Narayanan
Mumbai
Seoul, Feb. 10: North Korea has stolen more than $300 million worth of cryptocurrencies through cyberattacks in recent months to support its banned nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, a confidential UN report said.
Compiled by a panel of experts monitoring sanctions on Pyongyang, the report said the country’s “total theft of virtual assets from 2019 to November 2020 is valued at approximately $316.4 million”, citing a UN member state.
Financial institutions and exchanges were hacked to generate revenue for Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development, said the report, which was seen by AFP.
The North is known to operate an army of thousands of well-trained hackers who have attacked firms, institutions and researchers in South Korea and elsewhere.
It has also been accused of exploiting its cyber capabilities for financial gain.
The North is under multiple sets of international sanctions over its banned nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, which have made rapid progress under leader Kim Jong Un.
A summit between Kim and then-US president Donald Trump in Hanoi in February 2019 broke down over sanctions relief and what Pyongyang would be willing to give up in return. —