Did Gautham Gambhir use lookalike for campaigning to save himself from heat?

Agencies

May 11, 2019

New Delhi, May 11: The AAP took a dig at BJP's East Delhi candidate Gautam Gambhir on Friday, alleging that the cricketer-turned-politician had used a lookalike during a roadshow to save himself from scorching heat.

The BJP rubbished the charge, saying the AAP was trying to create a controversy over a "minor" thing.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the incident is an example of the "mahamilwat" between Congress and BJP.

Tweeting a picture of Gambhir sitting inside a car, Sisodia said, "Gambhir is sitting inside an AC car due to scorching heat, while his lookalike who is a Congress leader is campaigning on his behalf."

In a video, AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj asked what was cooking between the BJP and the Congress.

In the clip, Bhardwaj can be seen wearing a cap and dark sunglasses to show how the lookalike could fool the people from a distance.

BJP Loksabha Incharge for East Delhi Rajiv Babbar said it is very sad that a particular political party which has lost connect with the people of Delhi, tries to create controversy around Gambhir every other day.

"In this series of spreading misinformation they today said that a party worker campaigned in place of Gautam Gambhir which is absolutely false," he said.

Babbar said that for 10 to 15 minutes during the campaign, Gambhir felt giddy due to heat, and sat on the front seat of the campaign vehicle. Meanwhile, party workers atop the vehicle kept waving at people.

"Waving of hands by workers atop campaign vehicles is a normal practice. Had Gautam Gambhir not been inside the vehicle we could have considered it wrong but in present case when he was visible for all to see, the BJP feels its just one more controversy by opponents," he claimed.

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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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