QWrap: Impeachment Motion Against CJI Misra; Arsene Wenger to Quit
A quick look at the top stories for the day.
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Video Editor: Sandeep Suman
1. In a First, Opposition Parties Give Notice for Impeachment of CJI
In an unprecedented step, Congress and six other Opposition parties on Friday, 20 April, moved a notice for the impeachment of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, accusing him of five counts of "misbehaviour" and "misusing" authority.
The Opposition parties met Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and handed over a notice for the impeachment of the CJI with signatures of 64 MPs of the Upper House.
No chief justice has ever been impeached in India and any decision on the notice by the Opposition parties against the CJI is likely to be taken by the Vice-President following legal consultations.
Listing five allegations of "misbehaviour" against Misra, Congress leader Kapil Sibal, at a press conference, said the notice for impeachment of the CJI has been moved with a heavy heart.
Catch all the updates here.
2. Naroda Patiya: Kodnani Acquitted, Babu Bajrangi’s Sentence Upheld
Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister Maya Kodnani was acquitted, while former Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi’s life sentence till death was upheld by the Gujarat High Court in the Naroda Patiya riot case of 2002.
A division bench of Justices Harsha Devani and A S Supehiya, while acquitting Kodnani, said she should be given the benefit of doubt due to inconsistency in statements of witnesses.
The trial court had described Kodnani as the "kingpin" of the Naroda Patiya riots, one of the worst episodes of the post-Godhra communal violence.
As many as 97 Muslims were killed in the massacre that took place on 28 February 2002, in what was one of the worst incidents of the Gujarat riots.
Catch the live updates here.
3. Arsene Wenger to Leave Arsenal at the End of the Season
Arsene Wenger will leave Arsenal at the end of the season, the 68-year-old announced in a statement issued by the club on 20 April. The announcement by the Frenchman, who took over the reins of the club in October 1996, comes a month before his contract was to end.
His 22-year-long stint at Arsenal saw the team win three Premier League titles –including an entire season unbeaten – and had seven FA Cup triumphs. Wenger's greatest achievement was becoming only the second manager to go through an English season unbeaten when Arsenal won its third Premier League title in 2004, when the team became known as the “Invincibles”.
“This is one of the most difficult days we have ever had in all our years in sport”, said Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke.
Read the full story here.
4. Tale of Two Prasoons: Protests After Nirbhaya, Quiet After Kathua
In December 2012, as the gangrape of a 23-year-old paramedic student shook the conscience of this nation, CBFC Chief Prasoon Joshi was among the thousands of protesters who took to the streets. His poetry reverberated across television screens, striking chords far and wide.
Cut to April 2018, as protests peaked against the gangrape of an 8-year-old in Jammu and Kashmir, as rallies led by politicians waved the tricolour and defended her alleged rapists, the same Prasoon Joshi spoke not a single word. Neither poetry, nor prose. Late on Wednesday night, as his interview with Prime Minister Narendra Modi played across television screens worldwide, Joshi’s silence on Kathua and Unnao spoke louder than any of the ‘tough questions’ he fielded. This time, the poetry he recited was not in protest, it was in praise.
Dear Prasoon Joshi, what changed?
Watch the full video here.
5. RJs Want Shah Rukh to Dance in Front of Bengaluru’s Burning Lakes!
Before you think RJ Sriram has had a drink too many, here’s the clarification. The Quint asked some of Bengaluru’s top radio jockeys to dedicate songs to the city’s biggest election issues. Tujhe dekha toh yeh jaana, sanam was RJ Sriram’s way of telling us: “LOOK AT OUR LAKES! They’re frothing, foaming and on fire!”
Watch the full video here.
Video Producer: Hera Khan
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