The Chhattisgarh

Tag: Chhattisgarh News

  • Candy Crush is my favorite; Bhupesh Baghel speaks on claims of playing games in Congress meeting

    Bhupesh Baghel has responded to the claims of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh was playing ‘Candy Crush’ game on mobile during the Congress meeting. The Chief Minister has admitted that he was playing Candy Crush. Describing it as his favorite game, he also said that this is a picture taken before the meeting. He said that BJP has also been objecting to his running bumblebee and playing gilli danda.

    After the claims made by BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya on social media, Baghel wrote on Twitter, ‘Earlier the BJP had objection that why do I ride a cart, why do I ride a Bumblebee, why do I play Gilli Danda, the state Why are Olympics being held in Chhattisgarh? Got this photo before a meeting yesterday in which I’m playing Candy Crush. Now BJP has objection on that. In fact, they have objection to my existence. But it is the people of Chhattisgarh who decide who will stay and who will not. I will also ride the cart and play gilli danda. Candy Crush is also my favorite. I have passed the level decently, that will also continue. Rest of Chhattisgarh knows whom to bless.

    Amit Malviya, while sharing the picture on ‘X’ on Tuesday, claimed that Bhupesh Baghel was playing a game on his mobile during the Congress meeting called for the selection of candidates. Malvinay wrote, ‘Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is also relaxed, he knows that no matter how much he fights, the government will not come. Perhaps that is why instead of paying attention to the meeting related to Congress candidate selection, he thought it appropriate to play CANDY CRUSH.

    In Chhattisgarh, Congress is hoping to get power once again on the basis of the performance of Bhupesh Baghel government, while BJP is once again trying its best to form the government here. Congress’ Chhattisgarh in-charge Kumari Selja said on Tuesday that the party’s Central Election Committee will meet on October 12 to select the candidates, in which the final decision will be taken. BJP has released two lists in Chhattisgarh and announced candidates for 85 out of 90 seats. Voting will be held in two phases in Chhattisgarh on 7 and 17 November.

  • What are the biggest election issues in Chhattisgarh? Understand here in 10 points

    Today the Election Commission has announced the election dates of five states including Chhattisgarh. Shortly after the Election Commission’s announcement, Bharatiya Janata Party has also released the second list of its candidates in Chhattisgarh. Now both the parties have geared up to enter the electoral battle. On one hand, Congress is hoping to retain its power in the state by relying on the welfare schemes of the Bhupesh Baghel government. At the same time, Bharatiya Janata Party is trying to corner the government on the alleged corruption of the state government, religious conversion and unfulfilled election promises. Let us know what are the 10 big election issues in Chhattisgarh elections, which will decide who will become the CM of the state.

    Corruption

    The Congress government is facing criticism over alleged scams in coal mining, liquor business, District Mineral Foundation (DMF), cow dung procurement scheme and Public Service Commission. Along with this, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating money laundering cases related to alleged coal levy racket, liquor scam, use of DMF funds and an illegal online betting app in the state. Top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda, cornered the Bhupesh Baghel government over these issues in their rallies and accused the Chief Minister of turning Chhattisgarh into an ATM for the Congress. Responding to the attack, Baghel accused the BJP-led central government of misusing central investigative agencies to malign his government’s image.

    Schemes for farmers

    Three major pro-farmer schemes have helped the Congress strengthen its position in rural and semi-urban areas. Under the Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana, the government has given input subsidy of Rs 21,912 crore to about 23 lakh farmers growing Kharif paddy. A total of Rs 580 crore has been paid to cattle herders, Gauthan committees and women self-help groups under the Godhan Nyay Yojana (cow dung purchase scheme) in the state. Rajiv Gandhi Rural Landless Agricultural Laborer Krishi Nyay Yojana provides annual financial assistance to landless agricultural laborer families in rural areas. According to official data, assistance worth Rs 7,000 crore is being provided to approximately 3.55 lakh beneficiaries. The Baghel government has also announced that it will purchase 20 quintals of paddy during the current Kharif season compared to 15 quintals earlier. The positive impact of these schemes can pose a big challenge for BJP.

    Chhattisgarhiism

    Chief Minister Baghel promoted Chhattisgarhianism i.e. regionalism in the last five years and continuously requested to be proud of regional pride. Congress claimed that the people of Chhattisgarh were completely marginalized during the 15-year BJP rule. Baghel promoted regional festivals, sports, art and culture. He directed that a statue of Chhattisgarh Mahtari (a maternal image representing Chhattisgarh) be installed in every district. The official residence of the Chief Minister hosts festivals like Teeja-Pora and Govardhan Puja. The state government also organized the National Tribal Dance Festival. Constructed Devgudi and Ghotul (traditional community centres) in tribal areas of the state and established Adivasi Parab Samman Nidhi.

    Tension between Christian and non-Christian tribals, religious conversion

    In the last two years, many incidents of clashes over religious conversion have come to light in tribal dominated areas, especially in Bastar division. Violent clashes between tribals who converted to Christianity and local tribals were reported from the Narayanpur-Kondagaon border area in December 2022. The BJP accused the government of protecting those involved in conversion. However, Congress denied this allegation.

    sectarian violence

    Following incidents of communal violence in Kabirdham district in October 2021 and Bemetara district in April this year, the BJP accused the government of being biased towards a particular community. Congress accused BJP of playing communal politics in the absence of real issues. According to political experts, these incidents can polarize voters in Central Chhattisgarh.

    prohibition of alcohol

    The BJP has targeted the Baghel government for not fulfilling the key election promise of liquor ban made by the Congress. It is believed that this promise helped Congress get women’s votes in 2018.

    Regularization of services of contract employees

    This was another major promise made by Congress in the 2018 elections which has not been fulfilled yet. In the last two years, around 1.50 lakh contractual daily wage earners and outsourced workers have protested over this issue. BJP has promised to include the demand of contractual employees in its election manifesto.

    OBC issue

    Other Backward Classes (OBC), which constitute about 52 per cent of the state’s population, are demanding 27 per cent quota. The three major OBC communities, Sahu, Kurmi and Yadav, had largely supported the Congress in the 2018 elections. The issue became a matter of concern for the ruling party Congress when the Chhattisgarh High Court last year struck down the BJP government’s 2012 order increasing the overall quota in the state to 58 per cent. In the 2012 order, the quota for Scheduled Castes was reduced by four percent to 12 percent, while the quota for Scheduled Tribes was increased from 20 percent to 32 percent. Reservation for OBCs was kept unchanged at 14 percent.

    The Congress government challenged the High Court’s decision in the Supreme Court. Later, a bill related to reservation was passed in the state assembly under which 32 percent quota was given to tribal community, 27 percent to OBC, 13 percent to Scheduled Caste and four percent to Economically Weaker Section (EWS). With this, there is a provision to give overall 76 percent reservation in the state. Both the bills are awaiting the approval of the Governor. In May, the Supreme Court had directed the government to implement 58 percent reservation.

    infrastructure

    The BJP has alleged that infrastructure development in the state has stopped in the last five years and the condition of roads has deteriorated.

    central schemes

    The BJP has accused the Baghel government of failing to implement the Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and not implementing the Jal Jeevan Mission properly.

  • Congress will be tested in the tribal areas of Chhattisgarh; What equations are being formed?

    The Election Commission on Monday announced the voting dates in Chhattisgarh and sounded the election trumpet. Voting will be held in two phases for a total of 90 assembly seats in Chhattisgarh. Voting will take place in the state on November 7 and 17, while counting of votes along with other states will take place on December 3. The Congress had won 71 seats in the 90-member assembly in the 2018 assembly elections in Chhattisgarh after 15 years of BJP rule. Since then, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has tried to strengthen the position of Congress by promoting regional identity. Know in this report what electoral equations are being created in the state…

    fight hard to win

    Chhattisgarh assembly elections are going to be very important for Congress as it will boost its secular political image. Electoral success in the state will also be very important for the Congress from the point of view of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. This will give it great strength in the INDIA alliance. At present Congress has 71 MLAs. BJP has 13 MLAs, JCC (Janata Congress Chhattisgarh) has 3 and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has two MLAs. Vaishali Nagar seat of Durg district is vacant due to the death of the MLA two months ago.

    What do the statistics say?

    In the year 2018, Congress made an unprecedented comeback in the state and won 67 out of total 90 seats. In the subsequent by-elections, there was an unprecedented increase in the number of Congress MLAs. After the victory in 2018, Congress made Bhupesh Baghel the CM of the state. He became the first OBC (Other Backward Class) Chief Minister of the state, where the community constitutes more than 40 per cent of the total population.

    Bhupesh strengthened Congress’s position

    Anti-incumbency wave and dissatisfaction of BJP workers towards the leadership are said to be the main reasons for Congress’s victory five years ago. At present, all the seats in tribal dominated Surguja and Bastar regions are with the ruling Congress. At the same time, election analysts say that during the last five years, Baghel has strengthened Chhattisgarhism by promoting regional festivals, sports and art and culture of the state. This has strengthened the position of Congress.

    attempt to draw attention to corruption

    On the other hand, BJP has tried to draw people’s attention towards corruption. Making this an issue, BJP is continuously attacking the Congress government. BJP has attacked the Congress government citing the raids of the Enforcement Directorate. BJP has tried to corner the Bhupesh Baghel government by mentioning Mahadev App scam, coal and liquor scam. However, election analysts say that Congress appears to be electorally weaker in the northern and southern regions, especially the tribal areas of the state, as compared to the 2018 elections.

    Big exam in tribal areas

    On this issue, a Congress leader, on the condition of anonymity, said – Compared to the seats we got in the 2018 elections, Congress is likely to lose seats in all four regions (Surguja, Bilaspur, Bastar and Durg). . The first reason is that a large number of first-time MLAs have not performed well. As a result, there is an anti-incumbency wave in these areas.

    Sahu community can disintegrate

    The Congress leader said- Some castes who voted for Congress in 2018 are inclined towards BJP (this time). Sahu community is included in these castes. In the year 2018, about 12 percent voters of Sahu community had voted for Congress with the hope that its leader Tamradhwaj Sahu would be made the Chief Minister. Since it is now clear that if Congress wins, Baghel will be made the Chief Minister, Sahu has moved towards BJP.

    Election results of many seats will be affected

    A deficiency is clearly visible in the BJP camp also. BJP has failed to attack Congress aggressively in the last five years. It is only in recent months that the BJP has managed to present corruption as an issue, but questions still remain over how effective the anti-corruption campaign will be in the assembly elections. At the local level, the district units of the BJP have failed to counter the Congress’s attacks against the Centre. This may also affect the election results of many seats.

    BJP also faces a big challenge

    However, this time in the elections BJP has expressed confidence only in its local units. A BJP official said- The party has expressed hope from the RSS and its members to work for the party on the ground. If we look at the figures of 2018, Congress had secured 68 seats and 42.8 percent votes, which was 10% more than BJP. According to election observers, BJP is facing a tough challenge to bridge this huge gap and cross the majority mark of 46 seats.

  • BJP’s eyes on the voters of Sahu community in Chhattisgarh, how much power is there in the second list?

    The BJP on Monday released its second list of 64 candidates for the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections. Three sitting MPs and two former IAS officers have been included in this list. More than 20 new faces are also included in the list. Nine women candidates have also been given a chance in the list. Ministers included in the cabinet of the previous Raman Singh government have also been given a chance in this list. These include Brijmohan Aggarwal, Rajesh Munat, Mahesh Gagda, Amar Aggarwal, Kedar Kashyap, Ajay Chandrakar, Punnu Lal Mohle, Bhaiya Lal Rajwade and Prem Prakash Pandey.

    Of the 64 seats for which BJP has announced candidates, 19 seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) and nine for Scheduled Caste (SC). BJP state unit president and Bilaspur MP Arun Sao has been fielded from Lormi seat, Surguja MP Renuka Singh from Bharatpur-Sonhat (ST reserved) and Raigarh MP Gomti Sai has been fielded from Pathalgaon (ST). Former chief minister Raman Singh will contest from the traditional Rajnandgaon seat, while leader of opposition in the state assembly Narayan Prasad Chandel has been given the ticket again from his Zanjeer-Champa seat.

    It is known that the first list of 21 candidates announced by BJP on August 17 included 16 new faces, five former MLAs and five women. Currently, five seats (Bemetara, Khallari, Belatara, Ambikapur and Pandariya) are left for which candidates are yet to be announced. BJP’s eyes are on the votes of Sahu community in the state. This is the reason why BJP has given ticket to one Sahu against Minister Ravindra Choubey on Saja seat.

    A BJP leader said- BJP has tried to give a statewide message by giving ticket to Ishwar Sahu, father of deceased Bhuvaneshwar Sahu, who was killed in a communal clash in Biranpur a few months ago. The Sahu community has the highest number (about 12 percent) in the plains of Chhattisgarh. People of Sahu community were once traditional voters of BJP but in the 2018 elections they shifted towards Congress. This is the reason why BJP is once again wooing the Sahu community.

    On the other hand, BJP has given tickets to two leaders of Dilip Singh Judeo family from Chadrapur and Kota seats. The Judeo family has influence in the party. This is the reason why the party has given tickets to both Prabal Pratap Singh Judev, the youngest son of late Dilip Singh Judev and daughter-in-law Sanyogita Judev, from Kota and Chandrapur seats respectively. This will be Prabal Pratap’s first election while Sanyogita will be contesting for the second time. Sanyogita had lost to Ramkumar Yadav in 2018.

    BJP has also given tickets to two former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers including OP Choudhary, Neelkanth Tekam. The first impression after the list was released was that Raman Singh had played an important role in finalizing the candidates. However, after the announcement of this list, party cadres have started expressing dissatisfaction. A BJP leader said – The party has given tickets to the same old faces who had contributed to the party’s defeat in the 2018 elections.

    During the last four years, Congress has tried to create a feeling of Chhattisgarhism among the people to counter the BJP. If analysts are to be believed, it seems that BJP does not have an answer to this strategy of Congress. Political commentator Harsh Dubey says that it was expected that BJP would address Chhattisgarhism through better ticket distribution, but this did not happen.

    At the same time, Congress supporters are confident after the second list of BJP, because they believe that Congress has established a strong story of insider versus outsider. Since BJP candidates are mostly old, Congress needs to reinvigorate its 2018 campaign with more aggression and effectiveness. Another BJP leader hoping for a ticket claimed that BJP workers are not happy with the list. It was because of these upper caste ministers that we lost the 2018 elections. BJP has given him a chance once again.

  • VIDEO: CM Bhupesh Baghel’s unique style in Congress’s Bharosa Yatra, rally held on Bullet

    The political temperature is high regarding the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh. Both the ruling Congress and BJP parties are continuously organizing rallies and programs. BJP’s Parivartan Mahasankalp rally concluded on October 1. The very next day, on October 2, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, Congress took out Bharosa Yatra in all the assembly constituencies of the state. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel took out Patan Yatra in Durg district. During this, CM Bhupesh Baghel was seen firing bullets with party workers.

    CM Bhupesh Baghel, who reached Patan in Durg on Monday morning, took out a bike rally with party workers. Bhupesh Baghel himself was firing the bullet in the rally. After the visit he interacted with the public and party workers. Regarding Congress’s Bharosa Yatra, he said that after the formation of the Congress government in the state, many schemes have been launched. Work is being done in the interest of the people. People were exploited during the BJP rule from 2003 to 2018. He said, “The purpose of Bharosa Yatra is to inform people about the schemes of the state government.”

    Earlier, Congress had organized many programs in the state under the name ‘Bharosa Yatra’. High-command leaders of the party had participated in these programs. At the same time, as a counter to these programs of Congress, BJP is taking out Parivartan Mahasankalp Yatra. The two Parivartan Yatras taken out from Southern and Northern Chhattisgarh were concluded by Prime Minister Modi on October 1. During this, PM Modi launched a fierce political attack on Congress. Congress had announced the yatra after the conclusion of BJP’s yatra. On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, Congress took out Bharosa Yatra in all 90 seats of the state.

    Senior leaders of both the parties are visiting Chhattisgarh regarding the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh. Today, within just 2 days, Prime Minister Modi is reaching Chhattisgarh again. The Prime Minister has reached Jagdalpur in the state and will lay the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 26 thousand crores here.

  • 52 percent reduction in leftist extremism in Chhattisgarh, 589 villages liberated

    Leftist extremism in Chhattisgarh has declined by 52 percent in the last five years. This information has been given by Chhattisgarh government. During this period, 589 villages have been freed from leftist extremism in the last five years. This statement of Chhattisgarh government comes a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jagdalpur, the headquarters of Bastar district, one of the seven districts of Naxal-affected Bastar division.

    A release issued by the Chhattisgarh government said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, the state government is working with the idea of ​​’Garhbo Nava Chhattisgarh’ (creating a new Chhattisgarh) and is working on a three-pronged strategy of trust, security and development. Moving forward together. It said that the basic policing of the state has been successful in winning the trust of the public. It has been said that as a result of the zero tolerance policy of the state government, incidents of crime have been curbed.

    In the release issued by the Baghel government, it has been said that there has been a 52 percent decline in the incidents of Naxalite violence from 2018 to 2022. According to this, 314 schools which were closed for one and a half decade due to Naxalite violence have been reopened on the initiative of the CM. Additionally, 589 villages and more than 5.74 lakh people have been freed from the clutches of Naxalite violence during this period, the statement said.

    Crime against women also decreased

    A release issued by the Baghel government said that there has been a 40 percent decline in crimes against women in the state since 2019 compared to such incidents between 2015 and 2018. In a statement issued by the government, it has been said that to prevent crimes against women, separate women police stations have been established in four districts of the state, while special women cells are working in 455 police stations and posts.

    In a release issued by the Chhattisgarh government, it has been said that the state government has implemented Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act-2022 to ban gambling including online. It claims that Chhattisgarh is the only state which is returning money to people defrauded by fake chit fund companies.

  • When PM Modi made the statement a weapon, Singhdev also retaliated; you said a big thing

    In Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, Prime Minister Modi fiercely attacked Congress. The Prime Minister made the statement of Deputy Chief Minister of the state TS Singh Deo during a program on September 14 as his political weapon. In Bilaspur on Saturday, PM Modi said that there is no shortage of money for development works in the state, this is not what the Deputy Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh says. Seeing his statement becoming a weapon, TS Singh Deo has hit back. TS Singh Deo said there is a difference between government programs and platforms used for political discourse. The Prime Minister should understand this, he is the top representative of the country. Government programs have different protocols and it is not right to base those statements on political rallies.

    It is noteworthy that Singh Deo, considered Baghel’s rival in the state Congress, had shared the stage with the Prime Minister on September 14. Here development works in the state were inaugurated. During the program, Singh Dev had said that the central government has not been biased towards Chhattisgarh. Support and money has been received for development works.

    Modi claimed that after Singh Deo spoke the truth, a ‘storm’ was created in the Congress and party leaders started targeting Singh Deo. He said “When the Congress was in power at the Center (as part of the United Progressive Alliance), which has now become an ‘arrogant’ coalition, it gave an average of only ₹300 crore per year for railway works, but the Modi government ₹6,000 crore has been given in a year for the expansion of the railway network.

    Responding to the Prime Minister’s comment, Singh Deo said, “There are two different platforms in which we express our views in different ways. There is a stage of a government program, in which all the public representatives follow different etiquettes. Then there is the political stage in which arrows are fired. The common platform of the Central and State Governments has a distinct dignity. We talk a lot on the political platform too, but that issue does not come to the fore.

    Addressing a large crowd at the ‘Parivartan Mahasankalp Rally’ on the occasion of the conclusion of two outreach campaigns, the Prime Minister said the BJP is completely dedicated to the development of Chhattisgarh, whether it is in power at the Center or in the state. The PM said, “Today I have come to guarantee you that Modi will leave no stone unturned in making your every dream come true. This is Modi’s guarantee that your dreams are Modi’s resolve. No matter how hard I try from Delhi, development will not stop you. But the Congress government here keeps trying to hinder it.”

  • 6 year old girl taken home and raped in Raipur, minor neighbor caught

    A shameful incident has come to light from Raipur, Chhattisgarh. Here a 14 year old minor boy raped a 6 year old girl. The minor accused is a resident of the victim’s neighbourhood. The parents came to know about the matter when the girl came home and complained of pain and bleeding. The accused minor boy has been arrested in this case. After being caught, he has been sent to a juvenile home. District Additional Superintendent of Police Lakhan Patle said that this action was taken on Wednesday on the complaint of the girl’s family in Dharsiwa police station area.

    took home and raped
    According to the information received from the police, the accused took the girl home with himself, raped the girl there. In this case, Additional Superintendent of Police Patle said that the family told the police that the accused boy took the girl to his home and allegedly raped her.

    this is how the case opened
    When the girl reached home after the accused boy raped her, she complained of pain and bleeding. After the complaint, the victim’s mother took the girl to a nearby hospital. After being taken to the hospital, the victim’s parents lodged a complaint with the police. After the police got information about the case, the girl was referred to Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Hospital. His condition remains normal there. A complaint has been lodged with the police in this matter. The accused has also been arrested.

    In this matter, the police officer said that a case has been registered in this regard under sections of the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act. He said that the police took the accused boy into custody and he was sent to a juvenile home.

  • Chhattisgarh government withdrew petition from Supreme Court in money laundering case, challenged ED’s action

    The Chhattisgarh government on Wednesday withdrew its petition from the Supreme Court challenging the Enforcement Directorate’s action against state government officials in a money laundering case on jurisdictional grounds. The money laundering case registered in 2022 pertains to an FIR lodged on a complaint by the Income Tax Department over allegations of illegal duty collection on coal in Chhattisgarh and attempts to influence public servants through corrupt means.

    The ED has claimed that a major scam took place in coal transportation in Chhattisgarh between 2019 and 2021, under which a nexus of politicians, officials and others were allegedly charging illegal fees. The Chhattisgarh government, in its petition, claimed that the ED had initiated investigation against the state government officials by filing an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in Raipur on September 29, 2022, based on the FIR lodged in Bengaluru.

    Chhattisgarh’s standing counsel Sumir Sodhi on Wednesday told a bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice SVN Bhatti that he has been directed to withdraw the petition. The bench allowed the state government to withdraw the petition and recorded Sodhi’s plea. The petition requested the court to declare the ED’s action illegal, ultra vires and unconstitutional.

    Apart from seeking quashing of the ECIR, the Chhattisgarh government also urged the top court to declare all subsequent actions taken by the ED in connection with the investigation as arbitrary and unconstitutional as they have interfered with the functions of the state police. . The Chhattisgarh government alleged that the ED investigation resulted in indiscriminate surveys and raids in various departments and offices of the state government and arrests of state officials.

  • Big relief to former MP Darda and his son in coal scam, High Court suspends sentence

    The Delhi High Court on Tuesday suspended the four-year sentence of former Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda, his son Devendra Darda and businessman Manoj Kumar Jaiswal in a case related to irregularities in coal block allocation in Chhattisgarh. The bench of Justice Swarn Kanta Sharma has accepted for hearing the appeals filed against the punishment of the convicts. The sentence has been suspended pending appeals challenging his conviction and prison sentence in the case.

    The High Court has directed him not to leave the country without the prior permission of the court concerned and not to make any inducement, threat or promise, directly or indirectly, to any person familiar with the facts of the case. The High Court has said that it is directed that the sentence imposed on the appellant shall remain suspended during the pendency of the present appeal. In lieu of this, orders have been given to release the culprits on the basis of a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and a bond of the same amount.

    The Delhi High Court had on July 28 issued a notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seeking its response on the appeal by the three persons challenging their conviction and sentence and granted them interim bail till September 26 in the case. Darda, father-son and Jaiswal were taken into custody on July 26, soon after the special court passed the sentencing order, and were released on interim bail two days later.