Congress attacks government's move to appoint Justice P Sathasivam as Kerala Governor

September 2, 2014

Kochi, Sept 2: Slamming the move to appoint Justice P Sathasivam as Kerala Governor, Congress on Tuesday wondered whether there was anything in the former CJI's "persona, functioning or decisions" that "pleased" Prime Minister Narendra Modi or BJP President Amit Shah.

Noting that Sathasivam was the first former Chief Justice set to be appointed as Governor, Congress wanted to know from the government whether it was moving to a system where "we expect judiciary to be committed to government for political patronage post retirement".

The question comes in the view of the fact that there were several former Chief Justices of India in the country, including two who retired in the last one and half years but the government selected the latest to retire, Party spokesperson Anand Sharma

He said that the move to appoint Sathasivam as Governor of Kerala raises many questions and makes the post of CJI smaller.

"Two people have gone beyond the post of CJI but that was to be Vice Presidents. And if you see the warrant of precedence, then Vice President comes after President and then the Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India. But Governor is below. Why was he made?

"This raises a question if he has done some work, for which they are pleased. Prime Minister Modi is pleased, Amit Shah is pleased and that is why he is being honoured," Sharma told reporters during a briefing at the AICC headquarters.

He was replying to a question about the government's move to appoint the former CJI as a governor.

"Because an exception is being made, and the question is about why, is there anything in his persona, functioning or his decisions, which has really attracted very warmly, very positively, the acceptance of Prime Minister and BJP President. It is but natural that these questions would be asked".

Stressing that he is not casting any aspersions, Sharma said, "I am sure there is something which has gladdened the hearts of Prime Minister and BJP leadership".

The former Union Minister said BJP, particularly, Arun Jaitley, then Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and now Leader of Rajya Sabha, is on record saying that retired judges of the Supreme Court, let alone Chief Justice, should not be given any office or position.

"So BJP should clarify whether they have made a departure from what was their stated position? If so, why? And why only an exception here," he questioned. Sharma said that Chief Justices of India and Judges of the High Court should not be open to political patronage.

"It again sends a wrong signal and raises doubt. The independence of the judiciary is sacrosanct and nothing should be done...it is not the question of office of Governor but it is the office of the former CJI and when they are so many our our respected former CJs, living their life with dignity, why the most recent retired judge is chosen? That raises a question," he said.

"Are we no moving to a system where we expect judiciary to be committed to the government for political patronage post retirement," he said.

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Rajdhani Express Derails, 7 elephants killed after collision in Assam

News Network

December 20,2025

At least seven elephants were killed and one calf injured after a herd collided with the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam's Hojai on Saturday morning, leading to disruption of rail services.

The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express struck a herd of elephants, resulting in the derailment of the locomotive and five coaches. No passenger casualties or injuries were reported, officials said.

The New Delhi-bound train met with the accident around 2.17 am, PTI reported. The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express connects Mizoram's Sairang (near Aizawl) to Anand Vihar Terminal (Delhi).

Railway has issued helpline numbers at the Guwahati Railway Station:-

•   0361-2731621
•   0361-2731622
•   0361-2731623

The accident site is located about 126 km from Guwahati. Following the incident, accident relief trains and railway officials rushed to the spot to initiate rescue operations.

Train Services Disrupted

Sources said that due to the derailment and elephant body parts scattered on the tracks, train services to Upper Assam and other parts of the Northeast were affected.

Passengers from the affected coaches were temporarily accommodated in vacant berths available in other coaches of the train. Once the train reaches Guwahati, additional coaches will be attached to accommodate all passengers, after which the train will resume its onward journey.

The incident occurred at a location that is not a designated elephant corridor. The loco pilot, upon spotting the herd on the tracks, applied emergency brakes. Despite this, the elephants dashed into the train, leading to the collision and derailment.

Last month, an elephant was killed after being hit by a train in Dhupguri in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district. The incident took place on November 30.

The adult elephant was killed on the spot, and a calf was discovered lying injured beside the tracks.

Over 70 Elephants Killed In Train Collisions Over Last 5 Years

At least 79 elephants have died in train collisions across the country in the last five years, the Environment Ministry had informed Parliament in August.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh had said the figure is based on reports from state governments and Union Territory administrations for the period 2020-21 to 2024-25.

He said that the ministry does not maintain consolidated data on the deaths of other wild animals on railway tracks, including in designated elephant corridors.

Singh confirmed that three elephants, including a mother and her calf, were killed on July 18 this year after being hit by a speeding express train on the Kharagpur-Tatanagar section in West Bengal's Paschim Midnapore district. The incident took place near Banstala between Jhargram and Banstala stations.

The minister said several measures have been taken jointly by the Environment Ministry and the Railways to prevent such accidents.

These include imposing speed restrictions in elephant habitats, pilot projects such as seismic sensor-based detection of elephants near tracks and construction of underpasses, ramps and fencing at vulnerable points.

The Wildlife Institute of India, in consultation with the ministry and other stakeholders, has also issued guidelines titled 'Eco-friendly Measures to Mitigate Impacts of Linear Infrastructure' to help agencies design railways and other projects in ways that reduce human-animal conflicts.

Singh added that capacity-building workshops were conducted for railway officials at the Wildlife Institute of India in 2023 and 2024 to raise awareness on elephant conservation and protection.

A detailed report titled 'Suggested Measures to Mitigate Elephant & Other Wildlife Train Collisions on Vulnerable Railway Stretches in India' had also been prepared after surveys across 127 railway stretches covering 3,452 km.

Of these, 77 stretches spanning 1,965 km in 14 states were prioritised for mitigation, with site-specific interventions suggested.

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