Govt cannot be formed on conditions: BJP on J & K

March 18, 2016

New Delhi, Mar 18: Efforts to revive the BJP-PDP coalition in Jammu and Kashmir have hit a roadblock with BJP making it clear that government cannot be formed on the basis of conditions.

A day after Mehbooba Mufti met BJP chief Amit Shah here, her party sources also indicated that the back-channel talks between the two sides on formation of a new government have failed.

However, BJP General Secretary, Ram Madhav, party's pointsman in the state, went on record to say that the stalemate that existed earlier continued and that conditions cannot be the basis for government formation.

"There is no progress. As far as we are concerned there is no change in conditions that existed when Mufti Mohammed Sayeed sahab was the Chief Minister. The only change is that Mufti Saheb is no longer there and it was for PDP to appoint a new leader and carry on," he told reporters here.

Replying to questions on Mehbooba-Shah meeting, Madhav said "there is no change in our stand. We have told them that a new government should be formed on the basis on conditions that existed earlier."

PDP with 27 MLAs and BJP with 25 members had formed an alliance on March one last year with Sayeed as the Chief Minister. Both the sides had formed an "Agenda of Alliance" which sought to address internal and external dimension of the state.

Asked about the new demands put forward by the PDP Chief, Madhav said in clear terms that "whatever fresh has to done has to be done after government formation".

"The first thing is that no new demand is acceptable to us and the second thing is that if there are new demands then it can be taken up once a new government takes over.

"A state government always has a right to make demands to the Centre. A government cannot be formed on the basis of conditions," he said.

When asked if a new government will be formed, he said "I cannot say because the stalemate that existed earlier continues.

The PDP had toughened its stance after Sayeed's demise by seeking concrete plans for the state's development including handing over of power projects to the state and vacation of land by Army before the coalition could be resumed.

Governor's rule was imposed in the state on January 8 after Mehbooba decided against taking over the reins after her father's death.

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‘Pay the worker before his sweat dries’: Madras High Court cites Prophet Muhammad’s teaching while ordering settlement of dues

News Network

December 21,2025

Invoking the teachings of Prophet Muhammad—“pay the worker before his sweat dries”—the Madras High Court has directed a municipal corporation to settle long-pending legal dues owed to a former counsel. The court observed that this principle reflects basic fairness and applies equally to labour and service-related disputes.

Justice G. R. Swaminathan made the observation while hearing a petition filed by advocate P. Thirumalai, who claimed that the Madurai City Municipal Corporation failed to pay him legal fees amounting to ₹13.05 lakh. Earlier, the High Court had asked the corporation to consider his representation. However, a later order rejected a major portion of his claim, prompting the present petition.

The court allowed Thirumalai to approach the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) and submit a list of cases in which he had appeared. It also directed the corporation to settle the verified fee bills within two months, without interest. The court noted that the petitioner had waited nearly 18 years before challenging the non-payment and that the corporation could not be fully blamed, as the fee bills were not submitted properly.

‘A Matter of Embarrassment’

Justice Swaminathan described it as a “matter of embarrassment” that the State has nearly a dozen Additional Advocate Generals. He observed that appointing too many law officers often leads to unnecessary allocation of work and frequent adjournments, as government counsel claim that senior officers are engaged elsewhere.

He expressed hope that such practices would end at least in the Madurai Bench of the High Court and added that Additional Advocate Generals should “turn a new leaf” from 2026 onwards.

‘Scandalously High Amounts’

While stating that the court cannot examine the exact fees paid to senior counsel or law officers, Justice Swaminathan stressed that good governance requires public funds to be used prudently. He expressed concern over the “scandalously high amounts” paid by government and quasi-government bodies to a few favoured law officers.

In contrast, the court noted that Thirumalai’s total claim was “a pittance” considering the large number of cases he had handled.

Background

Thirumalai served as the standing counsel for the Madurai City Municipal Corporation for more than 14 years, from 1992 to 2006. During this period, he represented the corporation in about 818 cases before the Madurai District Courts.

As the former counsel was unable to hire a clerk to obtain certified copies of judgments in all 818 cases, the court directed the District Legal Services Authority to collect the certified copies within two months. The court further ordered the corporation to bear the cost incurred by the DLSA and deduct that amount from the final settlement payable to the petitioner.

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