New posters issue death threats against ‘JNU traitors’ Kanhaiya, Umar

March 12, 2016

New Delhi, Mar 12: A fresh poster issuing death threats to JNU student leaders Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, who are facing charge of sedition, reportedly appeared in New Delhi on Friday, days after a similar poster announced a reward of Rs 11 lakh on Kumar which landed a man in jail.

An image of the poster was circulated on WhatsApp and shared on social media with a caption claiming that a copy of it was spotted this morning at Jantar Mantar.

However, a police team searched the area and said no such poster was spotted.

The poster said “to shoot the traitors of JNU is a Rashtradharm (national duty). I shall shoot Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and Kanhaiya.”

The poster has the name of one Balbir Singh Bharatiya who claimed to be a social worker and has been a part of the Anna Hazare-led movement against corruption. The poster also contained a phone number and a passport-size photograph of a man.

The poster condemned Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for their support to the JNU students.

“I shall shoot all who celebrated the anniversary of Afzal Guru’s hanging... The country faces more threat from traitors than terrorists... Such traitors should face life imprisonment,” the poster read.

When asked, deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi), Jatin Narwal said, “We have initiated an inquiry into the matter.”

When the poster could not be found near Jantar Mantar, policemen dialled the phone number mentioned on it, a police official said.

The person who picked up the call, claimed that he runs a shop at Yamuna Bazar area and that he had visited Jantar Mantar on Friday.

However, he did not specifically respond to questions about whether he had pasted the poster. This man is likely to be questioned soon, the official added.

On March 7, Delhi Police arrested Adarsh Sharma, who claimed to be the president of Purvanchal Sena, which had put up posters announcing a reward of Rs 11 lakh for anyone who “shoots” JNU Students’ Union president Kumar.

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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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