'Hindu' ex-Chief Justice Sinha makes news in Bangladesh :: Toxic smog engulfs Delhi

'Hindu' ex-Chief Justice Sinha makes news in Bangladesh yet again

New Delhi: 

A former chief justice of Bangladesh, Surendra Kumar Sinha, popularly known as S.K. Sinha, has hit headlines in Bangladesh after he was sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment. 

blogger : 2017

A Dhaka court has ordered to served seven years for money laundering and remaining four 

of the 11 years for breach of trust.

Of course Sinha is not in Bangladesh and was tried in absentia after the state-run 

Anti-Corruption Commission framed charges against him in 2018. 

The 70-year-old Sinha and 10 others were charged with laundering money equivalent 

to US$475,000 via-a-vis illicit nexus officials of Farmers Bank, a private bank.

Bangladesh Law Minister, Anisul Haque, has said that the verdict against Sinha proves “no one is above law.”

Now, there is another version to the story.

Sinha had left Bangladesh in 2017 and is reportedly now residing in the United States.

Interestingly, Justice Sinha was considered close to Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League.

He was chief justice of the Supreme Court from Jan. 17, 2015, to Nov. 11, 2017.

Of course, he has been the only member of the religious minority, Hindu, and an ethnic minority,  Manipuri, 

to serve as chief justice since Bangladesh was carved out of Pakistan in 1971.

In 2018, Sinha had penned a book 'A Broken Dream: Rule of Law, Human Rights and Democracy'.

In the book, he had claimed that the powerful military intelligence agency DGFI had threatened him to 

resign from his post and 'forced' him to leave the country in 2017. 

He also alleged that the security agencies often intimidate judges to deliver judgments in favor of the 

government. 

In 2018, Law Minister Anisul Huq had said that Justice Sinha had published the book out of

frustration. "He was at the center of a group that wanted to stage a judicial coup to destabilize the

government," the Law Minister had claimed.

But religious minorities groups and leaders have flayed the latest judgement sentencing Sinha to

11 year jail.

Monindra Kumar Nath, joint secretary of the Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Parishad, has

been quoted as saying: "....there is no doubt that this verdict against him resulted from

his anti-government stance".

The Manipuri Hindus reside in Sylhet, Moulvibazar and Habiganj regions.  

The ruling Awami League is generally known in Bangladesh for being minority-friendly.

Recently, there was violence against Hindus during Durga Puja in the country, embarrassing

the Sheikh Hasina regime. 

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New Delhi:

Just into the second week of November, Delhiites are faced with their usual and annual challenge: the air quality index, popularly called AQI.

There is a thick haze of toxic smog.  

A special panel of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) has already advised people to limit 'outdoor activities' and said the use of vehicles should be “reduced" by at least 30 per cent. 

Officials say the air quality index in Delhi has hit this season’s highest figure of 471 on Friday, Nov 12, onthe scale of 500 and hence the government and the business establishments and private citizens have been cautioned about the same.

The AQI has reached the upper end of the ‘severe’ category, going by the Central Pollution Control Board.

In fact, this reading is worse than what was seen on November 5,  when an AQI of 462 was recordedin 2020.

Notably, all concerned states and implementing agencies must be in complete readiness for implementation of measures under the ‘emergency’ category.

'Emergency measures' as the norms go include stopping construction activities and possibly introducing the odd-even scheme for private vehicles.

There can be restrictions on entry of trucks into Delhi as well. 

Sources say Over AQI was 411 on Nov 11, Thursday but an estimated 4,000 farm fireshave accounted for nearly 35 percent of Delhi's pollution on Friday.

The concentration of poisonous PM2.5 particulate matter averaged 329 micrograms per cubic meter of air. The government prescribes a "safe" PM2.5 reading at 60 micrograms per cubic meter of air.

There is also a drop in temperature and wind speed. 

Recently there was yet another concern that a vast stretch of the city's 'famous' Yamuna river was snapped, covered with white toxic foam caused by pollutants discharged from industries.

Needless to add, the 1,376-km Yamuna river provides more than half of New Delhi’s water and hence there is a serious health hazard. 

It is also among the most polluted rivers. 

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has recently suggested that a meeting should be convene soonof all Environment Ministers of States neighbouring the national capital to discuss the issue of pollution and stubble burning in surrounding farmlands. 

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