This is a blatant LIE I don't know which madrassa is preng this or what brainwashed news anchor is preaching this but he was cleared of any wrongdoing in any criminal wrongdoing by the highest court in India- the Supreme Court. This might not mean much to a Pakistani but Indians one and all respect the rule of law, the findings of the Supreme Court and respect the Prime Minister of India regards of political affiliation.
LET ME BUST YOUR LIE, WIDE WIDE OPEN!
New York court issues summons against PM Narendra Modi
NEW YORK/NEW DELHI:
Ahead of his arrival in the US, a New York court has issued summons against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his alleged role in 2002 communal riots in Gujarat when he was the state's chief minister.
The summons against Modi were issued on Thursday by the US Federal Court for the Southern District of New York on a civil lawsuit filed by the New York-based American Justice Center (AJC), a nonprofit human rights organisation, along with two survivors of the post-Godhra violence. The court said that Modi has to respond to the summons within 21 days after it is served on him.
The Prime Minister is due to leave for home on September 30 from Washington after he concludes his five-day US visit. The lawsuit against Modi has been filed under the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) and the Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA).
Seeking compensatory and punitive damages, the 28-page complaint charges Modi with committing crimes against humanity, extra-judicial killings, torture and inflicting mental and physical trauma on the victims, mostly from the Muslim community.
Reacting to the lawsuit, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Friday the government will examine the US court summons.
"We will examine it. I don't know it. I am only hearing it from you," Prasad told reporters in New Delhi.
When asked about the case, US assistant secretary of state for south and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal said on a conference call on Friday that the US government is aware of it.
"We are aware through press reports about the lawsuit in the federal district court of New York. We can't comment specifically on the case, but as a general legal policy, we would like to point out that sitting heads of government enjoy immunity from legal actions and cannot be personally delivered summons," said Biswal. "Sitting heads of state also enjoy immunity from legal summons and actions while they are attending the United Nations general assembly meetings in New York," she added.
MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said in response to the lawsuit against Modi: "This case is a frivolous and malicious attempt to distract attention from the visit of the Prime Minister to the United States General Assembly and a bilateral summit with the President of the United States." He added, "appropriate steps are being taken to address the matter."
How serious is the Prime Minister Narendra Modi summons?
Just who is American Justice Center? Whom all have they targeted before?
Very little is known about the American Justice Center. The lawyer representing the groups in this case, Gurpatwant Singh Pannum, told Global India Newswire that AJC is a newly-launched human rights organisation. The New York-based group was founded by, among others, Dr John Bradley, a civil rights leader. Pannum is also associated with Sikhs for Justice, which has filed lawsuits against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
What does the summons mean?
The summons is not valid until it is served to Modi, the chances of which are very remote. However, it does take some shine off a very tightly choreographed visit. It is unlikely Modi will cancel any of his public engagements.
Will it be served? Will this resurface every time Modi visits US?
Pannum says, under New York law, the summons doesn't have to be hand-delivered to Modi; if somebody throws it at its feet and says, "Here's your summons," it is valid. Yes, the group is likely to pursue the case every time Modi visits the US.
What now?
It is very unlikely the summons will be served, even though the plaintiff's lawyer says there are multiple "process servers" to deliver the summons. In a similar case against Manmohan Singh, the Department of Justice told a court in Washington, DC, that the prime minister had immunity, as a head of state. Since it wasn't totally a surprising move, it is very likely that both governments have discussed this scenario ahead of the visit.
Do we have another diplomatic crisis on cards?
Very unlikely. After the poor handling of the Khobragade incident, the US side is likely to do everything to prevent a diplomatic crisis, that too one involving the prime minister, not a "junior diplomat."
