Excelsior Correspondent
KATRA, Feb 15: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday questioned arbitrary dismissal of Government employees for their alleged terror links by the Lt Governor saying that the law says that “every accused person is innocent until proven guilty” in the court.
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“If there is a proof against them (dismissed employees) and they have been given an opportunity to clear the allegations but failed… if such steps are taken without hearing them, the law says that every person accused of any crime is considered innocent until proven guilty,” Omar Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of convocation function of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), here today.
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He was reacting to a question on the latest dismissal of the Government employees accused of terror links by the Lt Governor and said everyone is getting an opportunity to speak in the court.
“There should be a court hearing and if they fail to prove their innocence, take whatever action they want,” the Chief Minister said.
On Bhagwant Mann’s remarks over the Centre choosing Amritsar as the landing site for Indian deportees from the United States, Abdullah said he is the Chief Minister of Punjab and obviously, he will be concerned for his state, especially when it is not only the people of Punjab who are being deported from America.
“There are other states and compared to Punjab, they have more number (of deported persons). Despite this, the American planes are landing in Punjab and so if he had any apprehensions or complaints, it is justified,” Abdullah said.
He also expressed his displeasure over the tabling of the Waqf bill and said “this law is against Muslims of the country and there is no other reason for such a law”.
Asked about his maiden budget, he said it is better to wait. “The (Assembly) session will start on March 3 and the budget will be presented on March 7,” he said.
Earlier, while addressing the SMVDU convocation, Omar Abdullah asked the students to never compromise on values and principles. He said success is not just achieving milestones, it is also how you cope up with the challenges while staying true to your principles and uplift others.
“In the evolving world of technology and Artificial Intelligence, your degree is not just a piece of paper, it is the key which makes you different,” he said.
Omar opined that failure is not opposite of success, but part of success. “Every great person you admire, has faced challenges and failures before achieving success,” he added and suggested students to never stop learning.
“The moment you stop learning, you stop growing,” he said and appealed the students to stay humble, curious and embrace change with open mind.
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