1. Supreme Court Verdict in Haren Pandya Murder Case Today
The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict on Friday, 5 July, on petitions challenging the acquittal of 12 accused in the March 2003 murder of former Gujarat Home Minister Haren Pandya.
A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Vineet Saran has reserved its order on an appeal filed by the CBI on 31 January this year against a Gujarat High Court order dated 29 August , 2011 which acquitted the accused and slammed the investigating agency for a “botched-up”probe.
The court will also deliver its judgment on a plea by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) seeking a fresh, court-monitored probe in the case citing “new pieces of information that have come to light…”
Pandya, who was a minister in the Narendra Modi government, was shot dead on 26 March , 2003 in Ahmedabad while he was out on a morning walk.
(Source: Indian Express)
2. Rajya Sabha Polls Today, BJP Set for Easy Victory
Elections to two Rajya Sabha seats from Gujarat on Friday, 5 July, promises to be an easy victory for the ruling BJP. The saffron party's candidates include External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Jugalji Thakor while the Congress's nominees are Chandrika Chudasama and Gaurav Pandya.
A meeting of BJP MLAs, in the Gujarat Assembly building on Thursday evening, also saw a mock poll, so as to acquaint MLAs — especially first-timers — with the process and commit no mistake in the crucial real poll.
NCP MLA Kandhal Jadeja has also thrown his weight behind the BJP and he was seen attending the BJP MLAs' meeting. Two BJP MLAs — Purshottam Solanki (Bhavnagar Rural) and Shambuji Thakor (Gandhinagar South) — have written to the Election Commission seeking 'helpers' so that they can vote in the elections. Both Solanki and Thakor will be present for the vote but have sought helpers to register their choice on the ballot paper.
(Source: DNA)
3. Gujarat High Court Seeks Reply Over GFSU's 'Centre of Excellence' Tag
The Gujarat High Court on Thursday, 4 July, sought a reply from the state home and education department, and Gujarat Forensic Sciences University (GFSU), after a public interest litigation questioning the 'Centre of Excellence' tag granted to the varsity by the state government came up for hearing.
The division bench of Acting Chief Justice AS Dave and Justice Biren Vaishnav issued notice to the government departments and GFSU, directing them to file their replies in the matter by 8 July.
The petitioner Sandip Munjyasara has claimed that the tag granted to the varsity was in contravention of norms and without following the set procedures as enshrined under the Procedure for Declaration of Centre of Excellence Rules, 2014.
Interestingly, once an institute is declared as a 'Centre of Excellence', it is exempted from approaching the Admission Committee for Professional Courses (ACPC), which carries out centralised admissions for professional courses.
(Source: DNA)
4. In This Pol, Yatris' Get Home-Cooked Bhog
If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one, said Mother Teresa. Following the same virtue, more than 200 residents of Gandhi Ni Pol, a housing cluster in Saraspur, cooked food for the yatris'.
The food was prepared without seeking any help from the cook or caterer. There are around 10 to 12 pols in Saraspur area, and it is believed to be Lord Jagannath's mossaad (maternal uncle's residence). Like every year, the locals here carried forward the tradition of serving food to the devotees of Lord Jagannath.
The residents of other pols called in cooks to prepare the food. But the residents of Gandhi Ni Pol started the preparation three days prior to the Rath Yatra. Every family participated in preparing the grand feast for the yatris participating in the procession.
(Source: DNA)
5. PM Modi Set to Launch 30 Projects on Statue of Unity Anniversary
A year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Statue of Unity, a grand event will mark the anniversary in October. Modi is expected to inaugurate or perform the ground-breaking ceremony of close to 30 peripheral projects associated with the world’s tallest statue.
Officials of various departments of the state administration are working relentlessly to complete the list. In fact, a circular in May even barred hundreds of government officials stationed in Kevadia colony from taking leave until October to avoid delays the ongoing projects.
Among the 30 projects are Shreshth Bharat Bhavan, Ekta Mall, a butterfly park, a nutrition Park, a mirror Maze, several State Bhavans, a safari Park, a tent city and a tribal museum.
(Source: Indian Express)
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