Bhola Singh's Court Remarks Draws Widespread Criticism

Patna: Aug. 20, 2008

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday washed his hands off the Bhola Singh controversy in which he lashed out at the Patna High Court admonishing it 'to remain in its limit', by suggesting his ministers to avoid making off-the-cuff remarks and mind their words that could be interpreted in a wrong way.

Defending the comments of Patna High Court that earlier remarked that the situation in Patna was 'hellish' during each monsoon, the Chief Minister said there was much truth in the court's observation and could not be defended in any manner.

"These are the facts. Conditions in Patna during the rainy season are nothing short of nightmarish and despite our attempts to improve the situation, there is still a lot of work to be done," Kumar said adding the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Urban Development Minister's outburst against the Patna High Court was his personal opinion and the government had nothing to do with it.

Meanwhile, the Bar Council of India president Suraj Narayan Prasad Sinha, on Wednesday, lashed out at Bhola Singh dubbing his comments 'insulting and confrontational'.

Demanding his removal from the Bihar Cabinet, Sinha said the minister had maligned the dignity of the entire judiciary by issuing threats to the Court.

"Not only Singh has insulted the judiciary, he has shown utter lack of knowledge regarding the number of cases pending in the court. First he needs to get his numbers right before making baseless accusations against the most revered branch of the democracy," Sinha said.

Meanwhile, activists of National Students Union of India (NSUI) in Patna on Wednesday burnt the effigy of Bhola Singh demanding apology and his removal from the state government.