Delhi Confidential: Heated Exchange

The Election Commi­ssion’s routine briefing for its observers in the election-bound states on Wednesday became heated, when CEC Gyanesh Kumar asked one of them how many polling stations were there in the Assembly constituency assigned to him. The officer, Anurag Yadav, who was assigned Cooch Behar Dakshin in West Bengal is learnt to have not known the number to the displeasure of the CEC. The officer is learnt to have objected to the way he was spoken to. Soon after, an EC official said the observer had been “immediately recalled” by the Commission.

Tricky Call

As the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a draft Bill to amend the Women Reservation Act, the Cong­ress Working Committee is meeting on Friday to chalk out a strategy regarding the legislation and Parliam­ent’s special 3-day sitting from April 16 where it is expected to be passed. Sources said the situation is tricky for the party as the impression shouldn’t go it is against the reservation for women. But it also can’t let government take credit for it amidst elections. How to tread the tightrope walk will be discussed at Friday’s meet, it is learnt.

Advertisement

Quote Unquote

Arguing before a nine-judge Supreme Court bench on Wednesday, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said there should not be blanket reliance on judgments of foreign courts. Elaborating on what dissenting judgments are, he then said “dissent is call for the brooding spirit of the future generation”. Justice Joymalya Bagchi was qui­ck to remind him he was quoting former US Supreme Court chief justice Charles Evans Hughes who had said “dissent is a call to the brooding spirit of the law”. Mehta agreed and said he, however, didn’t cite any foreign judgment in his arguments.