Author: Shivali Varshney, Vidhyarthi Darpan

NATIONAL NEWS 

Aryan Khan to spend one more night behind bars; jail official says papers did not reach in time

Aryan Khan, son of superstar Shah Rukh Khan, will spend one more night in Mumbai’s Arthur Road prison as a senior jail official said his release papers did not reach them within the stipulated time. We won’t give special treatment for anyone. The law is the same for all. The deadline for receiving the bail papers was 5.30 pm. That has passed. He won’t be released today, the official told PTI. The assertion by the prison official came even as there were indications from Aryan Khan’s legal team that a slight postponement till 7 pm was possible. While granting Aryan Khan bail on Thursday in the drugs-on-cruise case, the Bombay High Court imposed 14 bail conditions on him, paving the way for his release from jail. In the five-page order, the High Court said that Aryan Khan and his two co-accused Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha, who were also granted bail, shall be released on a personal bond of ₹1 lakh each, with one or two sureties of the same amount. As per the conditions set by the High Court, the trio will have to surrender their passports before the special NDPS court and shall not leave India without taking permission from the special court and they will have to attend the NCB office each Friday to mark their presence. The HC had granted bail to Aryan Khan 25 days after he was arrested during a drug raid on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast.

‘Genie is out of the bottle,’ says Nawab Malik after family members of NCB official Wankhede meet BJP leader 

Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik on Friday took potshots over a meeting between family members of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede and BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, saying the genie is out of the bottle. Malik, who has levelled a slew of allegations against Wankhede in the context of the drugs-on-cruise case, accused the BJP of misusing central agencies to defame Maharashtra and the Hindi film industry based in Mumbai. Speaking to reporters, Malik said, The wife of Sameer Wankhede had written a letter to Chief Minister yesterday seeking his support by playing the Marathi card, but in the evening the whole family met BJP leader Kirit Somaiya. It means the genie is out of the bottle. I had already raised questions about BJP’s uneasiness when I was targeting an NCB official for his alleged involvement in fraud. Kranti Redkar, the wife of Wankhede, has written a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, seeking justice in the wake of the attack on her family and her personal life. Redkar, and Wankhede’s father and sister on Thursday afternoon met Somaiya, who later tweeted his photo with the family members and claimed they are disturbed because of slanderous attacks by Nawab Malik. The State Minister, who has dubbed the cruise drugs case as bogus, has accused Wankhede of forging documents to get a government job and lying about his religion, among other things. The IRS officer and his family have denied all allegations. Elaborating on his claims over the BJP’s alleged involvement in the episode surrounding the cruise drugs bust, the Maharashtra Minister said, Kiran Gosavi, who is a witness (of the NCB) in Aryan Khan’s arrest, has a partnership with a BJP leader in some firm. He is already facing allegations of extortion, corruption and kidnapping. Gosavi (arrested by Pune police in a fraud case) alone will expose many things about the BJP. I have more explosive information which I will reveal in the winter session of the State legislature. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also tried to woo the Hindi film industry appealing them to shift to his State. By shifting Bollywood there, is Yogi Aadityanath trying to set up UPHood there? It will not work, he said. The film industry here generates jobs for millions of people. You cannot harass them for not shifting to U.P., said the Minister.

Three farm laws will also be withdrawn soon, says Rahul after cops start removing barricades at protest site 

After the Delhi Police started removing barricades at the farmers’ protest site in Ghazipur, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the three anti-agriculture farm laws would also be withdrawn soon. Only artificial barricades have been removed so far, soon the three anti-agriculture laws will also be withdrawn. Hail Annadata Satyagraha, he said in a tweet in Hindi, using the hashtag ‘FarmersProtest’. The Delhi Police on Friday started removing the barricades and the concertina wires it had put in place at the anti-farm laws protest site at Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border. Multiple layers of iron and cement barricades, and at least five layers of concertina wires were put up last year, and further strengthened after the January 26 violence this year during the farmers’ protest against the three contentious farm laws. The removal of barricades comes after the October 21 Supreme Court direction that called for unblocking of roads which have remained out of bounds for commuters due to the protests at Delhi’s border points of Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur. While the protesting farmers have been claiming that the three laws enacted last year are against their interest, the Centre has been saying these legislations are pro-farmer. Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Priyanka Kashyap said Friday, The process of removing barricades on NH-9 has been started. The temporary barricading is being removed to ease out vehicular movement. However, National Highway 24 was already open for traffic. The opening of the road stretch would help thousands of commuters in Ghaziabad, Delhi, Noida as well as those travelling between the national capital and interiors of Uttar Pradesh to Meerut and beyond.

Farmers will continue protest at Ghazipur border, says Bharatiya Kisan Union 

Responding to the removal of barricades at the Ghazipur border by the Delhi Police on Friday, Bharatiya Kisan Union general secretary Yudhvir Singh said the protest would continue at the Ghazipur border with even more vigour. The farmers will continue to come to the border like before. Singh said the move did not seem to be an indication of the Government reaching out to farmers for a peaceful resolution of the protest against the contentious farm laws. My 40 years of experience in holding protests for farmers’ cause tells me that the Government wants to stretch it [the impasse] further rather than arriving at a decision. ‘Sarkar kheenchna chahti hai, faisla nahin chahti,’ said Singh. He said farmers never wanted to create problems for the general public. It was the Delhi Police that had put these barricades after the January 26 episode. It seems after the SC order, they have removed them.

Actor Puneeth Rajkumar dies of heart attack

Puneeth Rajkumar, 46, one of the marquee names of Kannada film industry and the youngest of the five children of matinee idol Dr. Rajkumar, passed away on October 29 after suffering cardiac arrest in the morning. Revenue Minister R. Ashok announced the demise of the actor at Vikram Hospital, Bengaluru. Puneeth Rajkumar is survived by his wife Ashwini Revanth and two daughters Drithi and Vanditha. Dr. Ranganath Naik of Vikram Hospital said, Puneeth Rajkumar complained of chest pain in the morning and was rushed to the private clinic of his family physician where an ECG test was done. It showed a heart attack and he was immediately rushed to Vikram Hospital. When he was brought to the hospital, there was no cardiac activity. We put him on a ventilator and tried to revive him, but all efforts failed. Ashok said the last rites of the actor will be performed on October 30, and the details will be finalised after discussions with the family. He appealed to the actor’s fans not to become emotional and maintain peace. His mortal remains will be kept for public viewing at Kanteerava Stadium. Puneeth Rajkumar, christened ‘Power Star’ by the film industry and lovingly called ‘Appu’, was associated with the silver screen since he was a toddler. He made his screen debut as a six-month-old baby in Premada Kanike (1976) starring Dr. Rajkumar. He went on to act as a child actor in 13 films, most of them with his father. He won the national award for best child actor for the film Bettada Hoovu in 1985, and two best child actor State film awards for Chalisuva Modagalu in 1982 and Eradu Nakshtragalu in 1983. He also sang several popular songs as a child artist. He took a break and debuted as a lead actor in Kannada films in 2002 with the film Appu, directed by Puri Jagannadh. Lead actors Rakshitha and Ramya also made their debut in this film. Puneeth played the role of a college student, and the film went on to become a massive hit. He has been the lead actor in 29 films since then, with his last release being Yuvarathnaa, which hit the screens in April earlier this year. Two of his films, James and Dvitva, were under production.

Leander Paes joins Trinamool Congress 

Tennis veteran Leander Paes on Friday joined the Trinamool Congress in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Panaji. Banerjee, who is in the coastal state on a three-day visit, welcomed Paes into the party fold. Senior actor and activist Nafisa Ali, who contested the 2004 Lok Sabha elections from South Kolkata against Banerjee, also joined the party. The party tweeted saying We are extremely delighted to share that Shri Leander joined us today in the presence of our Hon’ble Chairperson Mamata Banerjee. Together, we shall ensure that every single person in this nation sees the Dawn of Democracy that we have been waiting for since 2014! Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee told her party workers in poll-bound Goa that the BJP calls her anti-Hindu although it has no authority to give a character certificate to her, and added that the initial letters in her party’s name — TMC — also stand for temple, mosque and church. The West Bengal chief minister, who arrived in Goa on Thursday evening as part of her three-day visit to the BJP-ruled state, also said her party wants to fight elections here not to divide votes but to make the coastal state strong and self-sufficient and asserted that the state will not be run from Delhi. She said her party doesn’t divide people on religious lines even if they are Hindus, Muslims or Christians. The TMC has announced its decision to contest all 40 Assembly seats in Goa in the upcoming polls and started inducting several local leaders into its fold. Banerjee’s tour is being seen as an attempt by her to gauge political mood in the state ahead of the Assembly polls slated in early 2022. During her maiden interaction with the TMC leaders in Goa, Banerjee accused the BJP of defacing her posters in the state and said people of India will deface the saffron party. When I come to Goa, they deface my posters. You will be defaced from India, she said. Banerjee said that if the TMC comes to power in Goa, it will not work with the agenda of revenge, but work for the state. Listing out various welfare schemes rolled out by her government in her home state, she said if the TMC can do it in West Bengal, the it can also do it the small state of Goa. I will be happy to do it. I am not going to be the chief minister of Goa, but I will see that there is policy, mechanism, and no corruption in the government, she said. Banerjee said the TMC is a national party and it can go anywhere.

Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments 

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 3,42,59,010 with the death toll at 4,57,766. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Friday allowed full-seating capacity in cinema halls, theatres and multiplexes, and also raised the number of people attending wedding functions and last rites from 100 to 200. An order, issued by the DDMA, listing various allowed and restricted activities in view of COVID-19 will come into effect from the intervening night of October 31 and November 1. The order stated that owners of cinema halls, theatres and multiplexes will be responsible for strict adherence to standard operating protocol (SOP) and official guidelines as well as Covid-appropriate behaviour at the premises. It also allowed all the authorised weekly markets in the city to reopen from November 1.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Solar Storm 2021: Strong geomagnetic storm to hit Earth on October 30.

A strong Geomagnetic storm is set to hit Earth on October 30, 2021, after the US Space Weather Prediction Center under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a watch out for a G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm. On October 28, 2021, the Sun blasted a significant solar flare and Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) from sunspot AR2887 wherein the Sun emitted X1 class solar fare. The CME erupted at a speed of 973 km/s and will take 2 days to cross the Sun-Earth divide and reach Earth’s atmosphere by October 30. The US Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) continuously observes the Sun. The Solar Dynamics Observatory of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) also captured a ‘significant solar flare’ blasting off from the Sun. The US space agency NASA also confirmed that the Sun emitted an X1-class flare on October 29, 2021. The US Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) confirmed that the X1-class solar flare currently erupted from a sunspot called AR2887 which is positioned in the centre of the Sun and facing the Earth, based on its location. The geomagnetic storm set to hit Earth on October 30 has been rated as G3 on the 5-step scale of ranking of solar events. The impact of a G3 solar storm is generally nominal, stated the SWPC. Though the harmful radiation from such a solar flare cannot pass through the atmosphere of Earth but could disrupt some high-frequency radio broadcasts and low-frequency navigation. It may affect GPS signals, satellites, and the electricity grid. The SWPC said that that the X1-class solar flare that erupted from the Sun on October 28 caused a temporary yet strong radio blackout across the sunlit side of the Earth-centered South America.

South Asia Suffers most loss of Human Capital due to Air Pollution-World Bank Report

As per the latest The Changing Wealth of Nations 2021: Managing Assets for the Future released by the World Bank, South Asia suffered the most loss in the world on human capital due to air pollution. The report was prepared by the World Bank, measuring wealth creation \& distribution in 146 countries covering a period of 20-years from 1995-2018. As per the World Bank, Human Capital is defined as Earning over a person’s lifetime. Parameters Measured – Economic Value of Renewable Natural Capital, Nonrenewable natural capital, human capital, produced capital, Net foreign assets. This is the 1st time that the report measured Blue natural capital (mangroves & ocean fisheries). Between 1995-2018, 50 % of wealth creation was made through Human capital. South Asia is the most severely affected country in the South Asian region due to air pollution, which also severely impacts human capital. Gender parity will increase human capital by 42 percentage points in South Asia, where men account for 80 % of wealth creation. Human Capital, the largest source of wealth generation, accounted for 64 % of Total Global Wealth Generation in 2018. There was an 8 % per capita decline in Forest wealth in 2018 compared to 1995 among the Low & Middle-income countries. With 8 % of Global population, only 1 % of the wealth creation was made from Low-income countries.

NATIONAL NEWS 

Bombay High Court grants bail to Aryan Khan, two others

The Bombay High Court, on Thursday, granted bail to Aryan Khan, the son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan who has been arrested in a drugs case. A single bench of Justice N.W. Sambre also granted bail to his co-accused Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha. All three pleas are allowed. I will pass detailed orders by tomorrow evening, Justice Sambre said. Aryan Khan’s advocates then sought permission to submit cash bail to which the court refused and said surety is to be given. I could have given the order also tomorrow. But I gave it today, Justice Sambre said. Justice N.W. Sambre began hearing the bail application on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Aryan Khan’s counsel Mukul Rohatgi, co-accused Arbaaz Merchant’s lawyer Amit Desai and advocate Ali Kaashif Khan Deshmukh who appeared for Munmun Dhamecha completed their arguments. Aryan Khan (23), Merchant and Dhamecha were arrested along with others on October 3 following a raid by the NCB on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast and alleged seizure of drugs. They approached the High Court last week after a special court for NDPS Act cases rejected their bail pleas.

Ex-CAG Vinod Rai apologises to Sanjay Nirupam over charges in 2G spectrum case 

Seven years after he alleged that Congress leader and former MP Sanjay Nirupam had pressured him in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation case, former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai has tendered an unconditional apology to Nirupam. In 2014, Rai, in the course of interviews to the media, named Nirupam as one of the MPs who reportedly pressured him to keep former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s name out of his report on the 2G spectrum allocation case. The interviews were broadcast and published at the time of the release of Rai’s 2014 book, ‘Not Just an Accountant: The Diary of the Nation’s Conscience Keeper’. In a video statement, Nirupam, commenting on Rai’s unconditional apology, remarked that it was a golden day. I had urged the former CAG to retract his wrong statements at the time but he refused to do so. I accordingly filed a defamation case against Rai in the Metropolitan Court in New Delhi’s Patiala house, he said. He dubbed Rai’s entire report on the coal block and 2G spectrum allocation cases as utterly fake. The court didn’t say this, but I would like to say that the report that he prepared in the case of the 2G spectrum allocation and the coal block allocation was nonsense… In case of the 2G report, after seven years of hearings, the judge said the CBI has not given any proof of the alleged scam. The report was fake. The coal block allocation report was also fake. Vinod Rai should apologise for these fake reports too, not to me but to the entire country, he explained. Nirupam also tweeted a copy of the notarised affidavit, saying Rai must apologise to the nation now for all his forged reports about 2G and coal block allocations done by the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government. In the affidavit (notarised on October 23), Rai observed that he made certain statements against Nirupam in September 2014 in media interviews aired on Times Now news channel, and published in media publications, including The Times of India and The Indian Express, subsequent to his book’s launch. I have realised that in answers to questions posed to me by the interviewers, I had inadvertently and wrongly mentioned the name of Shri Sanjay Nirupam as one of the MPs, who pressurised me to keep the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s name out of the CAG report on the 2G spectrum allocation during the meetings in the PAC (Public Accounts Committee) or the sidelines of the JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee) etc, Rai stated in the affidavit, adding that the statements televised and published were factually incorrect. I understand the pain and agony my statements have caused to Shri Sanjay Nirupam, his family, and his well-wishers and thus, would like to offer my unconditional apology for the hurt caused by my such statements to Shri Sanjay Nirupam, his family, friends and his well-wishers… I hope that Shri Sanjay Nirupam will consider and accept my aforesaid unconditional apology and close this issue, he said.

J&K government employee sacked for ‘celebrating Pakistan win’ 

A female government employee was terminated from her service in the Pir Panjal valley’s Rajouri in Jammu division on Thursday after her WhatsApp status allegedly celebrated Pakistan’s victory in T20 cricket. In an order issued by Dr. Brij Mohan, Principal of the Government Medical College, Rajouri, an operation theatre technician, Safiya Majeed, was terminated from service. The order read, A viral video seems to have posted her WhatsApp status showing celebration of defeat of the Indian Cricket Team against Pakistan in T-20 World Cup 2021, the activity which seems to be disloyalty towards nation. The order said no employee of the institution shall be allowed to be disloyal to the nation. She had proceeded on a casual leave for five days from October 21, 2021 and also failed to join her duties on the expiry of said leave. And whereas no prior notice is required to be given to such an employee for gross indiscipline in her duties, the order said. Street celebrations, including bursting of crackers, were reported in several parts of the Kashmir valley on October 24, when the Pakistan team defeated the Indian team in the T20 World Cup. Street celebrations, including bursting of crackers, were reported in several parts of the Kashmir valley on October 24, when the Pakistan team defeated the Indian team in the T20 World Cup. The J&K police have already lodged two FIRs against students who were seen cheering and celebrating Pakistan’s win at two medical colleges in Srinagar in videos that went viral on social media. However, no arrests have been made so far. Meanwhile, the J&K police have started an investigation into a threat letter circulated online by the United Liberation Front (ULF), the outfit allegedly behind the killing of non-local labourers in the valley this month. We have taken cognisance of the statement. An investigation is on, a senior police officer told. In a statement, the ULF alleged that the FIR against local students was lodged because of non-local employees and students. The ULF statement, being probed by the police, said, We warn these elements to apologise within 48 hours otherwise wrath will befall them. Those non-local employees and students who have lodged the complaint against the doctors and students in Soura, Kara Nagar and Batamaloo are warned of dire consequences.

Delhi Police file second charge sheet in murder case involving Olympian Sushil Kumar 

Delhi Police have filed a supplementary charge sheet against the remaining accused in the Chhatrasal Stadium murder case involving Olympic medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar. The first charge sheet, which was filed by the police on August 2, named 13 accused, including Sushil Kumar as the main accused. There are a total of 17 accused in the alleged murder case, according to the police. It is submitted by Investigating Officer of the case that supplementary charge sheet qua the remaining accused persons has been filed by him, Additional Sessions Judge Shivaji Anand noted in an order dated October 27. Kumar, along with others had allegedly assaulted former junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankar and his friends at the stadium in May over an alleged property dispute. Dhankar later succumbed to the injuries. In the first charge sheet, the police had said that the brawl at the stadium was the result of a conspiracy hatched by Sushil Kumar, who wanted to re-establish his supremacy among younger wrestlers. Kumar’s bail was rejected earlier this month. Delhi Police had filed an FIR against the accused of offences such as murder, attempt to murder, culpable homicide, criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, robbery, rioting, among others.

BJP attacks Congress over Internet shutdowns in Rajasthan 

The BJP on Thursday slammed the Congress government in Rajasthan for shutting down Internet service frequently in the State during important exams and accused it of washing its hands of law and order responsibility by resorting to the practice to prevent any leak of question papers. At a press conference, BJP spokesperson Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore also highlighted a tweet of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had slammed the Central government in 2019 for shutting down Internet service in Jammu and Kashmir, and accused him of double standards over the issue of freedom of expression. In Kashmir it was done to prevent terror incidents, he said, and wondered if the Rajasthan government believes that examinations are more dangerous. Rathore said Internet service was shut down in Rajasthan four times in the last one month for preventing leaks and cheating. In the last 10 years, Internet shutdowns have taken place in Uttar Pradesh 29 times, 17 times in Haryana, 13 times in West Bengal, 10 times in Gujarat and 11 times each in Bihar and Maharashtra. However, in Rajasthan it has happened 78 times, he noted. Internet shutdowns have caused a loss of ₹800 crore to Rajasthan as they hit trade and other services, Rathore claimed.

Sensex plunges 1,159 points; Nifty slumps below 17,900 

Equity benchmark Sensex plunged 1,159 points on Thursday following an across-the-board selloff as monthly derivatives expired amid a weak trend in global markets. The 30-share index tanked 1,158.63 points or 1.89% to close at 59,984.70. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty plummeted 353.70 points or 1.94% to 17,857.25. ITC was the top loser in the Sensex pack, tumbling over 5%, followed by ICICI Bank, Kotak Bank, Axis Bank, SBI and HDFC Bank. On the other hand, IndusInd Bank, L&T, UltraTech Cement and Asian Paints were among the gainers. Domestic equities witnessed heavy selloff with high volatility mainly led by sharp correction in heavyweight financials and IT, which wiped out around ₹4.5 lakh crore from investors wealth, said Binod Modi, Head, Strategy at Reliance Securities. All key sectoral indices fell sharply, with Nifty PSU Bank falling over 4%. In addition to weak global cues, unwinding of long positions especially in financials on F&O expiry, which had seen a sharp rally in recent period were the prime reasons for the sharp market correction, he added.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

North Korea Food Crisis: Leader Kim Jong Un urges its people to eat less till 2025

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has asked the people of his country to eat less food until 2025 in order to tackle the food crisis in North Korea. North Korea is witnessing a surge in food prices due to a lack of supply in relation to the demand of people in the country. The food crisis situation has worsened as the agricultural sector failed to fulfill its grain production plan, said Kim Jong. The COVID-19 pandemic, sanctions, last year typhoons have also added fuel to the food situation in North Korea. Kim Jong had mobilized the military to conduct relief work in areas hit by heavy rains. Calling the food crisis the worst-ever situation, Kim Jong in April 2021 had called ruling party officials to launch ‘Arduous March’ while linking the current economic and food crisis with the time period in the 1990s of famine and disaster in North Korea.

Validation phase of exercise Yudh Abhyas 2021 held in Alaska from October 25 to 28

The validation phase of exercise Yudh Abhyas 2021 was held in Alaska, the US in two parts from October 25 to 28, 2021. The pair of teams, one led by the US army and another led by the Indian army conducted their assault for two days each. Geronimo and Site Summit were selected as the two target sites for the final assault phase where troops from all four teams were sequentially inserted by CH-47 Chinooks and vehicles. The aim of the validation phase of exercise Yudh Abhyas 2021 was to validate the cold weather skills acquired over the past 10 days, practice the conduct of small team operations in extreme cold weather conditions, and train soldiers in the Arctic survival.

Mandaviya launches nationwide Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Immunisation Programme

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya on October 29, 2021, launched the nationwide expansion of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) under the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) as a part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’. It will be the first time in India that PCV will be available for universal use. The communication packages on Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) have been shared with all States and Union Territories for creating widespread mass awareness. Pneumonia is a leading cause of death among children under 5 years of age across India and globally. India accounts for 16 per cent of deaths of children due to pneumonia. The nationwide expansion of PCV is expected to reduce child mortality by approximately 60 per cent. The Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) is one of the largest public health programs that cover approximately 26.7 million newborns and 29 million pregnant women annually. Under UIP, immunization is provided free of cost against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases that include pneumococcal pneumonia, Japanese Encephalitis, Meningitis, Hepatitis B, Rotavirus diarrhea, Rubella, Measles, Polio, Tetanus, Pertussis, Diphtheria, states the Ministry.

NATIONAL NEWS 

Pegasus case: No absolute power for state to snoop into ‘sacred private space’ of individuals, says Supreme Court

Stressing that the power of the state to snoop, in the name of national security, into the sacred private space of individuals could not be absolute, the Supreme Court on Wednesday appointed an expert technical committee overseen by a former Supreme Court judge, Justice R.V. Raveendran, to examine allegations that the Centre used Israeli software, Pegasus, to spy on citizens. A three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana explained that it decided to refuse the Centre’s offer to appoint an expert committee to investigate the allegations because such a course of action would violate the settled judicial principle against bias, i.e., that ‘justice must not only be done, but also be seen to be done’. Justice Raveendran would be assisted by Alok Joshi, former IPS officer (1976 batch) and Sundeep Oberoi, Chairman, Sub Committee in (International Organisation of Standardisation/International Electro-Technical Commission/Joint Technical Committee). The three members of the technical committee are Naveen Kumar Chaudhary, Professor (Cyber Security and Digital Forensics) and Dean, National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat; Prabaharan P., Professor (School of Engineering), Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri, Kerala; and Ashwin Anil Gumaste, Institute Chair Associate Professor (Computer Science and Engineering), Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Maharashtra. As per cyber experts, snooping is a commonly deployed tool in the corporate world. The court said it was extremely difficult to shortlist the members. Many had politely declined while others cited personal reasons. The Bench said it had formed the committee with the best intentions to ensure absolute transparency and efficiency. The court said it consciously avoided political thickets but could not cower when allegations involved a grave threat to the privacy and free speech of the entire citizenry and raised the possibility of involvement of the Government, or even a foreign power, behind the surveillance. The court said the petitions filed before it, including ones by veteran journalists N. Ram and Sashi Kumar, Editors Guild of India, and victims of alleged snooping, had raised Orwellian concerns about an all-pervasive technology like Pegasus.

Pegasus is one of the reasons why we see a ‘muted Opposition’: Rahul Gandhi 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on October 27 termed as a big step the Supreme Court appointing a three-member panel of cyber experts to probe the alleged use of Israeli spyware Pegasus for surveillance of certain people, and expressed confidence that truth would come out. Asserting that alleged snooping using Pegasus is an attempt to crush Indian democracy, Gandhi said it is a big step that the Supreme Court has said that they are going to look into this matter. I am confident that we will get the truth out of this. Pegasus spyware was ordered either by Prime Minister or the Home Minister, Gandhi said. If the PM has done this, we would like to know why is the PM doing an illegal act, he asked, adding that Using of Pegasus is illegal in India. Prime Minister is not above the Law. We were asking three basic questions — who authorised Pegasus, which agency, which person authorised Pegasus as we all know Pegasus cannot be bought by a private individual, it has to be bought by a government; second question was who was it used against; final thing was, did any other country have access to information of our people, the former Congress chief said. If the data of Election Commission or Opposition leaders’ data is going to PM, it is a criminal act. If you are using it to tackle terrorism, then it is a different thing. But using data for PM’s personal use is a totally criminal thing, Gandhi said. Governments have been dropped, for example, in Karnataka, using Pegasus, he noted. The government was attacking national security. If the data of our Election Commission, Opposition leaders or Chief Ministers are held outside India, they are attacking national security, Gandhi noted. Gandhi said it is not a political matter but an existential matter. And this is one of the reasons why you see a muted Opposition, he added.

Supreme Court refuses bail to gangster Abu Salem in 1995 Pradeep Jain murder case 

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to grant bail to extradited gangster Abu Salem, who is serving life imprisonment in the 1995 murder case of Mumbai-based builder Pradeep Jain. A bench of Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli said, This is an application filed on behalf of the applicant/appellant seeking bail during the pendency of the appeal. Having heard counsel for the parties and carefully perusing the averments made in the application, we are not inclined to grant bail to the applicant/appellant. The bench, however, taking into consideration the facts and circumstances of the case, directed the Registry to list his appeals against the February 25, 2015 verdict of the special TADA court, for final disposal in the third week of November 2021. On February 25, 2015, the special TADA court had awarded Salem life imprisonment for murdering the builder, along with his driver Mehndi Hassan. Another accused in the case Virendra Jhamb’s sentence was set off against the period of detention undergone by him in prison during the various stages of investigation in the case.

Aryan Khan bail hearing: Arguments to continue on October 28

The Bombay High Court will continue hearing the bail plea of Aryan Khan, the son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan who has been arrested in a drugs case, on Thursday when the NCB will present its arguments. Justice N.W. Sambre began hearing the bail application on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Aryan Khan’s counsel Mukul Rohatgi, co-accused Arbaaz Merchant’s lawyer Amit Desai and advocate Ali Kaashif Khan Deshmukh, who appeared for Munmun Dhamecha, completed their arguments. After the hearing which went on for over two hours, Justice Sambre said he would hear Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, who is representing the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), on Thursday. Tomorrow we will try to finish it, the judge said. Aryan Khan (23), Merchant and Dhamecha were arrested along with others on October 3 following a raid by the NCB on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast and alleged seizure of drugs. They approached the HC last week after a special court for NDPS Act cases rejected their bail pleas.

Plenty of Congressmen are coming in, says Amarinder Singh on new party 

Claiming that several Congress members were in touch with him, former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday said he would launch his new party as soon as the Election Commission cleared the name and the symbol. Our lawyers are working on it and they are in touch with the Election Commission. As soon as the Election Commission clears the name and symbol, I’ll share it. Many people from the Congress party are in touch with me and they will come out in the open when the time comes. I promise you one thing: that we will contest all 117 Assembly seats. Whether we fight in alliance or whether we fight on our own, time will tell, he told reporters. Plenty of Congressmen are coming in. We are waiting for the opportune moment. But I will not take their names. Already, my supporters are being harassed, said Capt. Amarinder. Asked how many MLAs were in touch with him, he quipped: If Rahul Gandhi needs to have back-to-back meetings with Punjab Congress MLAs, what does it mean? He rejected the Congress’s claims that a majority of the MLAs opposed his continuation in office and said, Once they [party leadership] made up their mind to replace me, all these excuses are being made. Pointing out that the so-called 18-point agenda of the Congress for his government was nothing but part of the Punjab 2017 manifesto, he said the ‘Kharge committee’ was clearly told that 92% of all the poll promises had been fulfilled. Taking on his detractors, particularly State party president Navjot Sidhu and State Home Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa, Capt. Amarinder accused them of indulging in petty politics. We will fight and defeat Sidhu from wherever he contests the upcoming Assembly polls, he said, adding that since the former had taken over the Punjab Congress reins, there had been a 25% drop in the party’s popularity, as per his survey. Slamming the Punjab government over its repeated denial of any serious security concerns, Capt. Amarinder said there was something very wrong and dangerous happening at the borders, which the state could ill-afford to ignore.

Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments 

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 3,42,28,784 with the death toll at 4,56,365. The Government of India has applied for loans from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to procure as many as 667 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. The Manila-based ADB, in which the U.S. and Japan are the biggest shareholders, and the Beijing-based AIIB, where China and India are the biggest shareholders, are in the process of considering the loans. The ADB is expected to lend $1.5 billion and the AIIB around $500 million for the vaccine purchase by the Government of India, which has been made under the ADB’s Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility (APVAX) initiative. Launched in December 2020, APVAX offers rapid and equitable support to its developing member countries as they procure and deliver effective and safe COVID-19 vaccines. The 667 million doses will, however, have to be vaccines qualified by the World Health Organization (WHO). Covishield is among those vaccines, but Covaxin is still awaiting the green light with a final assessment scheduled for November 3.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

India criticises China for its new land border law 

India on October 27 hit out at China for its unilateral decision to bring about a new land border law and said it is a matter of concern as the legislation can have implications on the existing bilateral pacts on border management and on the overall boundary question. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India expects that China will avoid undertaking action under the pretext of the law that could unilaterally alter the situation in the India-China border areas. He said such a unilateral move will have no bearing on the arrangements that both sides have already reached earlier — be it on the boundary question or for maintaining peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Last week, China’s national legislature adopted the new law on the protection and exploitation of the land border areas, which could have bearing on Beijing’s border dispute with India. China’s unilateral decision to bring about a legislation which can have implication on our existing bilateral arrangements on border management as well as on the boundary question is of concern to us, Bagchi said. Such unilateral move will have no bearing on the arrangements that both sides have already reached earlier, whether it is on the boundary question or for maintaining peace and tranquillity along the LAC in India-China border areas, he said. Xinhua news agency reported last week that the law, which becomes operational from January 1 next year, stipulates that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the People’s Republic of China are sacred and inviolable.

 

Google Doodle celebrates 161st birth anniversary of Father of Judo Kano Jigoro 

Google Doodle on October 28 is celebrating Japan’s ‘Father of Judo’ Professor Kano Jigoro on his 161st birthday with a doodle. Google has paid tribute to Kano Jigoro with a Google Doodle for not only inventing martial art but using it as a sport to bring together people on the grounds of justice, safety, courtesy, and modesty. The Google Doodle of Kano Jigoro has been created by Los Angeles-based illustrator Cynthia Cheng. The Google Doodle is honoring Kano Jigoro on his 161st birthday on October 28 is showing multiple animated slides to show the life of Jigoro and his work where he is shown to be teaching his students the values in life while they master the martial art. Born on October 28, 1860, in Mikage, Kano Jigoro at the age of 11 moved to Tokyo with his father to start working on his strength. Though Jigoro was known as a child prodigy in school but often faced adversity. Therefore, initially, he expressed interest to study the martial art of Jujutsu and eventually found a Jujutsu master and former samurai Fukuda Hachinosuke who taught him the Jujutsu art while Jigoro was studying at Tokyo University.

 

NATIONAL NEWS 

Nawab Malik claims Sameer Wankhede illegally tapping phones

Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik  on Tuesday accused NCB official Sameer Wankhede of illegal phone tapping and announced that he will hand over a letter on the official’s ‘misdeeds’ to the agency head. Sameer Wankhede through two persons in Mumbai and Thane is illegally intercepting the mobile phones of some people, said Malik. Malik also claimed that Wankhede had sought the call detail record (CDR) of his family member from the police. Wankhede in his affidavit submitted to a Mumbai court on Monday claimed he was under a lurking threat of arrest as it does not suit some vested interests for conducting an honest and impartial investigation. The official had also claimed that he was being personally targeted by a well-known political figure (Malik), and the only reason he can fathom is that the NCB had arrested this person’s son-in-law Sameer Khan. Malik said he is forwarding a letter written by someone in NCB about the various illegal activities of Wankhede to the agency’s DG S.N. Pradhan. The NCP minister said the NCB should investigate the 26 allegations in the letter claiming an ‘extortion racket’ being run within the anti-drugs agency. As a responsible citizen I will be forwarding this letter to DG Narcotics requesting him to include this letter in the investigation being conducted on Sameer Wankhede, the minister tweeted. Malik on Monday claimed that Sameer Wankhede is a Muslim by birth and his real name is ‘Sameer Dawood Wankhede’. The minister had released what he claimed was the birth certificate of Sameer Wankhede and alleged that the latter had forged documents. However, the NCB official’s father later said his name is Dnyandev and not Dawood, as claimed by Malik. On Tuesday, speaking to reporters, Malik said, I have all the authentic documents to prove that Sameer Wankhede was born into a Muslim family, but he forged his identity and sought a job under the Scheduled Caste category. As per the law, Dalits who are converted to Islam do not get the quota privilege, thus Sameer Wankhede has denied the job opportunity to a genuine person from the Schedule Caste. A legal probe into the matter will be initiated soon, the minister said. On Sameer Wankhede’s father saying his name is not Dawood, Malik said it is true that the NCB official’s father Dnyandev Wankhede was born into a Dalit family in Washim district (earlier Akola) and he later joined state Excise department. But he married a Muslim woman here in Mumbai by converting himself to Islam and accepted the name Dawood. He has two children. However, Dnyandev Wankhede had an afterthought and he used his father’s certificate to obtain all the documents in the name of Dnyandev Wankhede so that his children would benefit, the minister claimed.

No recovery and no consumption from Aryan Khan, says advocate to HC 

While arguing for his bail, Aryan Khan’s lawyer told the Bombay High Court on Tuesday that there was no recovery, no consumption (of drugs) and no medical test (for drugs) from him. Former Attorney General of India, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi appeared on behalf of Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan, before a single bench of Justice Nitin Sambre. He stated, Six grams of charas was recovered from Arbaaz Merchant’s shoes and Khan is not concerned with it. There is no conscious possession. There has been no recovery from him and no medical examination has been conducted to show any consumption. Since there is no recovery, I am wrongly arrested. Referring to the Whatsapp chats relied upon by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) against Khan, Rohatgi contended the chats are of 2018 and have nothing to do with this saga. Opposing Khan’s bail, NCB filed its reply that said, Khan is an influential person and is likely to tamper with evidence or flee justice if released on bail. During the investigation, some international linkages of Khan have been unearthed which prima facie indicate illicit drug procurement. He was in touch with persons abroad who were part of an international drug network. Material collected during investigation primarily revealed that Khan had played a role with respect to illicit procurement and distribution of contraband. Khan procured contraband from his friend Arbaaz Merchant. Khan and Merchant had been in close collaboration with each other, which is sufficient to attract offences under Section 29 of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act which deals with conspiracy. The role of one accused cannot be dissected from another. The investigation reveals that all persons form part of a larger chain and their involvement in conspiracy to commit illegal acts cannot be ruled out. There was sufficient material in the form of whatsapp chats, pictures, etc to show that Khan was an active part of the illicit drug chain with other co-accused. In view of the above, the quantum of recovery (of drugs) from one individual becomes inconsequential and none of them can be considered in isolation for grant of bail, the central agency stated. Meanwhile, an advocate approached the bench and complained about hearing Khan’s case on priority while there are many others who languish in jails. Senior advocate Amit Desai representing Merchant will argue on October 27.

Lakhimpur Kheri: Of 5,000 people at crime scene, did you get only 23 eyewitnesses, Supreme Court asks U.P. 

The Supreme Court on Tuesday was surprised to find that the Uttar Pradesh Police could only find 23 eyewitnesses to the alleged incident of a Union Minister’s convoy mowing down farmers at a public place in Lakhimpur Kheri where 4,000 to 5,000 people had gathered for a rally to protest the agricultural laws on October 3. There were hundreds at the farmers’ rally and only 23 people are witnesses? Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana, leading a three-judge Bench, asked the Uttar Pradesh Government. Senior advocate Harish Salve, for Uttar Pradesh, said the first ring of people close to the scene of the incident and those who saw the cars and the people inside these vehicles were among the 23. The Uttar Pradesh Government has filed a second status report on the investigation which said there were 23 eyewitnesses out of a total 68 witnesses. The statements of 30 of them have already been taken before the Magistrate. Salve said there were also videos on digital media about the incident. There are overlapping videos. We will receive the exact frames of these videos, which would be certified and sent to us… All that process is going on. Many of the witnesses are formal… No need to take their statements under Section 164 Cr.PC [witness statement before a Magistrate], Salve submitted. Justice Surya Kant, on the Bench, asked the State Government, Is it not your case too there were 4,000 to 5,000 people in that place. They were locals… But even after the incident, they have hesitated to come forward… Is access to these people or their identification going to be a major problem? Out of 4,000 and 5,000 people at the place of incident, some would be fence-sitters. They would not be serious witnesses. You need to find people who can stand up and say what they saw… Justice Kant told the State Government. Chief Justice Ramana, without spelling out the court’s apprehension, indicated that the influence wielded by the accused may spook the witnesses.

Review of Covaxin shot underway, says WHO 

A World Health Organization (WHO) technical advisory group was reviewing data on Covaxin shot against COVID-19 on Tuesday with a decision on its emergency use listing likely soon, a spokesperson said.If all is in place and all goes well and if the committee is satisfied, we would expect a recommendation within the next 24 hours or so, Margaret Harris told journalists at a U.N. press briefing. Millions of Indians have taken the shot produced by Bharat Biotech but many have been unable to travel pending the WHO approval.

Speculation over Amarinder’s next move, may launch party on October 27 

Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh may launch his new political party in Chandigarh on Wednesday, according to speculation triggered by the announcement of a press conference. Captain Amarinder Singh had last week said he would soon launch his own party, and that he was hopeful of a seat arrangement with the BJP provided the ongoing farmers’ stir against farm laws was resolved in their interest. The development comes just months ahead of the Punjab assembly elections. Captain Amarinder Singh, who faced an unceremonious exit from the state government last month, had also said that he was looking at alliances with like-minded parties such as breakaway Akali groups. The two-time Chief Minister had added that he would not rest till he secures the future of my people and my State. Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Tuesday, however, said if Amarinder Singh floated a new political outfit, he would be making a big mistake. Captain Amarinder Singh’s face in Punjab will be scarred, Randhawa said, and added that the Congress gave respect to Captain Amarinder Singh and he enjoyed several posts in the party. Randhawa has been attacking Captain Amarinder Singh over his friendship with Pakistani journalist Aroosa Alam. He even went to the extent of saying that a probe would be carried out to ascertain if Alam has links with Pakistan’s spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Punjab Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu’s wife, Navjot Kaur Sidhu, too attacked Captain Amarinder Singh over the issue of his new political party. Captain Amarinder Singh never came out of his farmhouse in the last four and a half years, and now, he suddenly talks about floating a party, she alleged.

Rahul Dravid formally applies for head coach’s post 

Celebrated former captain Rahul Dravid is all but certain to be the Indian cricket team’s next head coach after he formally applied for the high-profile position on Tuesday. With Dravid, the current head of National Cricket Academy applying, the job for the Cricket Advisory Committee becomes easier as there aren’t any big names in the fray who can match the batting great’s stature. Also, it is reliably learnt that he is the first and only choice of BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah. Yes, Rahul has formally applied today as it’s the last day of the deadline. His team at the NCA, bowling coach Paras (Mhambrey) and fielding coach Abhay (Sharma) have already applied. His application was just a formality, a senior BCCI official told PTI on Tuesday. Dravid had recently met the BCCI brass in Dubai on the sidelines of the IPL final between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings where Ganguly and Shah spoke to him about taking up the position once Ravi Shastri steps down at the end of India’s campaign in the ICC T20 World Cup. Under Dravid, a new era in Indian cricket will start with the home series against New Zealand where he will take charge with a new T20 captain, which in all likelihood, will be Rohit Sharma. Former India batting great VVS Laxman could again be back in the fray to head the National Cricket Academy in case the post falls vacant in the coming days. It is learnt from sources that Laxman might not continue as the mentor of IPL side Sunrisers Hyderbad and in case he is selected, he would also have to leave his media commitments, including commentary and writing columns. The national coach and the NCA head are expected to work in close coordination, keeping the interests of Indian cricket in mind. It is understood that Dravid and Laxman, who have had a close bond since the time they played for South Zone and subsequently for India for close to a decase-and-a-half, would be the perfect choice. The other aspect that needs to be chalked out is the fact that Laxman is a resident of Hyderabad, where he has a young family with children just in their teens and also old parents. Laxman, it is learnt, was reluctant to take up the NCA Director of Cricket offer but BCCI would once again be approaching him.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Google Doodle honours Otto Wichterle, contact lens inventor on his 108th birthday.

Google with a doodle celebrated Otto Wichterle’s 108th birth anniversary on October 27, 2021. Otto Wichterle, a Czech Chemist, is the man who invented the soft contact lenses. Google’s plan of celebrating Wichterle’s birth anniversary through a creative doodle aims at enlightening netizens about the groundbreaking work of the scientist. Modern soft contact lens, the gift by Wichterle to the world, are used approximately by 140 million people all over the world for their eyesight needs. Google doodle on Otto Wichterle features an animated figurine of the Czech chemist holding a lens on his finger, while the light is reflected to form the Google logo in the background, as the representative of the eyesight. Wishing Wichterle on his 108th birth anniversary, Google said, Happy Birthday, Otto Wichterle- thanks for helping the world see eye to eye! Otto Wichterle was the inventor of contact lenses. However, his innovations also laid the foundation for state-of-the-art medical technologies, such as smart biomaterials that are used to restore human connective tissues and the bio-recognizable polymers that have inspired a new standard for drug administration.

 

Climate Change: UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2021. 

The 12th edition of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Emissions Gap Report 2021 titled ‘The Heat is On’ was released on October 26, 2021, in an annual series that gives an overview of the difference between where the greenhouse gas emissions are predicted to be in 2030 and where they should be to avert the worst impacts of climate change. The report comes during a fraught year such as 2021 that has been witnessing extreme weather events around the world including droughts, floods, wildfires, heatwaves, and hurricanes. Five days ahead of COP26, the Emissions Gap Report 2021 shows that climate action is still inadequate. The report clearly states that the world needs to cut greenhouse emissions by half in the next 8 years to reach the 1.5 degrees Celsius target. This means removing an additional 28 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent from annual emissions. As world leaders prepare for COP26, this report is another thundering wake-up call. Less than one week before COP26 in Glasgow, we are still on track for climate catastrophe, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The emissions gap is the result of a leadership gap, Guterres added. The Executive Director of UNEP Inger Andersen also noted that in order to have a chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by half, we have 8 years in which we must make the plans and policies, implement them and ultimately meet the carbon emissions reduction targets.

NATIONAL NEWS 

Court junks NCB’s application in Aryan Khan case

A special court on Monday junked a plea of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) urging it to not take cognizance of an affidavit filed by an alleged witness during the drug raid carried out on a cruise on October 1, after which actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan was arrested. The court said, No blanket orders can be passed and disposed of the application filed by Sameer Wankhede, Zonal Director of NCB before the special court assigned under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act against the affidavit filed by Prabhakar Sail. Prabhakar Sail, an independent witness in the cruise drugs case, has claimed that ₹25 crore was demanded by an NCB official and other persons, including absconding witness K.P. Gosavi, to let off Aryan Khan in the case. The NCB sought directions that no action or cognizance be taken on Sail’s notarised affidavit. Wankhede said that the only justification seems to be the arrest of the leader’s (Cabinet Minister Nawab Malik’s) son–in-law in an NDPS case and his subsequent release on bail. On October 24, Sail, in statement to the media, alleged that ₹25 crore was demanded by an NCB official, including absconding witness K.P. Gosavi, to let Khan go in the case. He told the media that he overheard Gosavi telling one Sam D’Souza over the phone, after Khan was brought to the NCB office following the October 2 raid, about a demand of ₹25 crore and to settle at ₹18 crore as they have to give ₹ 8 crore to Wankhede. Salil had said he would soon release evidence to support his claim. On October 24, Wankhede wrote to Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale, seeking protection from likely legal action being planned against him by unknown persons to falsely frame him concerning an alleged vigilance-related issue.

Plea against Ramdev by doctors’ association can’t be thrown out: Delhi HC

The Delhi High Court Monday said that prima facie, a suit filed by several doctors’ associations against Yoga guru Ramdev for allegedly spreading misinformation against allopathy amid the COVID-19 pandemic deserves consideration and cannot be thrown out at the first stage. Justice C. Hari Shankar said at the present stage, he only needs to see if allegations in the complaint make out a case to be entertained. The allegations may be right or maybe wrong. He may say he did not say any such thing… It needs to be looked into, said the judge. Prime facie, it appears that the present suit can’t be thrown out at the threshold without granting leave to institute the suit, said the High Court, which had earlier sought Ramdev’s stand on the institution of the proceeding. Delhi High Court listed the matter on October 27 to enable the counsel for Ramdev to make his submissions. Three Resident Doctors’ Associations of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences at Rishikesh, Patna and Bhubaneshwar as well as Association of Resident Doctors, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh; Union of Resident Doctors of Punjab (URDP); Resident Doctors’ Association, Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College, Meerut, and Telangana Junior Doctors’ Association, Hyderabad had moved the High Court earlier this year. They alleged that Ramdev was misleading and misrepresenting to the public at large that allopathy was responsible for the deaths of several people infected by COVID-19, and insinuating that allopathic doctors were causing the deaths of the patients. Senior counsel Akhil Sibal, representing the associations, said that amid a pandemic, the Yog Gugu made unsubstantiated claims on Coronil being a cure for COVID-19, contrary to the licence granted to the drug for merely being an Immuno-booster. The senior counsel claimed that Ramdev’s statements were not bonafide opinions but were made for marketing and commercial use. This is a person with no degree. He is dispensing medical opinion in a regulated field, endangering life amid a pandemic. People are gullible. He is a repeat offender. He claimed Yoga can cure AIDS and cancer. You can’t just say things and dupe people. The commercial speech comes with some responsibility, he said. Everyone has a right to commercial gain. Profit is not really a ground. You have to make out a case for public nuisance. Making a profit is not a public nuisance, the court observed during the hearing.

Lakhimpur Kheri: Farmers protest on Tuesday to demand sacking of MoS Home Ajay Mishra

Farmers protesting against the central farm laws will hold a countrywide protest on Tuesday to demand the sacking of Union Minister Ajay Mishra ‘Teni’, whose son is an accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in which eight people, including farmers, were killed. The call for the protest has been made by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), a farmer unions’ collective leading the anti-farm laws stir since November 2020 at Delhi’s borders, the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), which is part of the movement, said. Demonstrations would be held at administrative headquarters in every district of the country. A memorandum will be submitted to the government with a demand that the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra be removed from his post, BKU media in-charge Dharmendra Malik told PTI. The pan-India protest will be supported by all farmer groups associated with the movement against the contentious farm laws. Through the memorandum, we will also appeal once again that these laws be rolled back, Malik said. He said local issues faced by farmers at regional levels and district levels will also be highlighted during the protests on Tuesday. Four farmers were killed in Tikonia area of Lakhimpur Kheri district, the native place of the Union Minister, in Uttar Pradesh on October 3 after they were allegedly mowed down by an SUV. Later, the crowd lynched four other people, including BJP workers. Over a dozen people, including the Minister’s son Ashish Mishra, have been arrested so far by a special investigation team (SIT) which is probing the case.

Central Vista: SC asks Govt. to file affidavit on proposed change in land use

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Government to explain in an affidavit the necessity of a proposed change in land use from bus terminal and neighbourhood park to house the new official residences of the Vice-President and the Prime Minister as part of the ambitious Central Vista redevelopment plan. A Bench of Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and C.T. Ravikumar asked the government, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, to file a short affidavit with its response on the necessity for the modification in the plan. The hearing was based on a petition filed by Rajiv Suri, represented by advocate Shikhil Suri, who said his plea was restricted to the proposed modification of land use in plot number one. The petition has questioned the validity of a notification issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on October 28, 2020, notifying the change in land use by proposing modification to Zonal Development Plan of Zone ‘D’ for plot number one in the Central Vista area of Lutyens Delhi. Recreational area is proposed to be modified to residential area… It has not demonstrated any public interest in the proposed change in land use here, Suri contended. Mehta confirmed orally to the court that the official residences of the Vice-President and the Prime Minister were stipulated for this plot. So, the public recreational area is not available now? Is the recreational area going to be transposed to some other area, Justice Khanwilkar asked the top law officer. Mehta said the play area could be shifted to some other area. But he cited security reasons too. The Parliament, etc, is coming up nearby… It may not be possible to have a recreational area there, the Solicitor General submitted. Mehta said the government would file its affidavit shortly. He convinced the Bench to list the case for urgent hearing again on Friday (October 29). Suri argued that the proposed modification violates right to life itself. The change in land use will deprive residents of Delhi and citizens of India a vast chunk of highly-treasured open and green space in the Central Vista. Right to life includes the right to enjoyment of a wholesome life, Suri argued. In January, the Supreme Court, in a majority verdict, had given the government the go-ahead to the multi-crore Central Vista redevelopment project. The verdict had focussed on the building of a new Parliament three times bigger than the existing 93-year-old heritage building and was concerned with the modification in the use of 86.1 acres of land home to India’s power corridor.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Sudan’s military takes power in coup, arrests Prime Minister Hamdok

Sudan’s military seized power Monday, dissolving the transitional government hours after troops arrested the acting Prime Minister and other officials. Thousands of people flooded into the streets to protest the coup that threatens the country’s shaky progress toward democracy. The takeover comes more than two years after protesters forced the ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir and just weeks before the military was expected to hand the leadership of the council that runs the country over to civilians. After the early morning arrests of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other officials, thousands poured into the streets of the capital, Khartoum, and its twin city of Omdurman. Footage shared online appeared to show protesters blocking streets and setting fire to tires as security forces used tear gas to disperse them. As plumes of smoke filled the air, protesters could be heard chanting, The people are stronger, stronger and Retreat is not an option! Videos on social media showed large crowds crossing bridges over the Nile to the center of the capital. At least 12 protesters were wounded in demonstrations, according to the Sudanese Doctors Committee, which did not give details. In the afternoon, the head of the military, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, announced on national TV that he was dissolving the government and the Sovereign Council, a joint military and civilian body created four months after al-Bashir’s ouster to run the country. Gen. Burhan said quarrels among political factions prompted the military to intervene. Tensions have been rising for weeks between civilian and military leaders over Sudan’s course and the pace of the transition to democracy. The general declared a state of emergency and said the military will appoint a technocratic government to lead the country to elections, set for July 2023. But he made clear the military will remain in charge. The Armed Forces will continue completing the democratic transition until the handover of the country’s leadership to a civilian, elected government, he said. He added that the country’s constitution would be rewritten and a legislative body would be formed with the participation of young men and women who made this revolution. The Information Ministry, still loyal to the dissolved government, called his speech an announcement of a seizure of power by military coup.

Zimbabwe’s Tsitsi Dangarembga wins German Peace Prize 2021

Zimbabwean novelist and filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga on October 24, 2021, was awarded the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade 2021 for her artistic work as well as her political commitment. 62-year-old Dangarembga has been fighting against corruption and freedom for years. She is a ‘widely audible voice of Africa in contemporary literature’, the jury noted. In her acceptance speech, she called for a fundamental shift to overcome racial hierarchy and the violence in Zimbabwe. Dangarembga was chosen by the German Publishers and Booksellers Association for the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade 2021, which has been awarded since 1950. The prize included 25,000 euros ($29,100). With this prestigious German Award, Dangarembga became the first Black woman from Zimbabwe who has won the Peace Prize winner. Tsitsi Dangarembga is a Zimbabwean novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Born in 1959 in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), she has also been contributing actively towards promoting freedom and women’s rights, and political change in Zimbabwe. While being introduced at the award ceremony by Auma Obama, who is a sociologist, activist, and half-sister of former US President Barack Obama, said Dangarembga has worked against all odds for the ‘voiceless and freedom of expression’ in Zimbabwe. In 1988, her debut novel Nervous Conditions was the first to be published in English by a Black woman from Zimbabwe. The book was named as one of the top 100 books in 2018 by BBC. In 2020, her novel This Mournable Body was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. In 1993, she wrote the story for the film Neria which become one of the most popular films in Zimbabwe.

NATIONAL NEWS 

Cruise drugs case: Witness alleges NCB official demanded ₹25 crore from Shah Rukh Khan to release his son; agency denies claim

An independent witness in the cruise drugs seizure case on Sunday claimed that an official of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and some other persons demanded ₹25 crore from Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan to release his son Aryan Khan in the case. Prabhakar Sail, a witness in the case, told mediapersons that NCB officials also asked him to sign nine to ten blank papers. However, an NCB official denied the allegations, terming them as completely false and malicious. NCB’s zonal director Sameer Wankhede earlier this month led the agency’s ‘drug bust’ on a cruise ship following which Aryan Khan was arrested on October 3. He is currently lodged in the Arthur Road jail here. Recently, the Pune police issued a lookout circular against K.P. Gosavi, another independent witness of the NCB in the cruise drugs case who used to offer people jobs abroad, in a 2018 cheating case. On Sunday, Sail alleged that an official of the NCB, Gosavi and another person, named Sam D’Souza, had demanded ₹25 crore from Shah Rukh Khan to release his son. Sail, who is the personal bodyguard of Gosavi and accompanied him on the night of the raid, said after Aryan Khan was brought to the NCB office, Gosavi met D’Souza. Sail claimed he heard Gosavi telling D’Souza over phone about a demand of ₹25 crore and to settle at ₹18 crore as they have to give eight crore rupees to Sameer Wankhede. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Minister and NCP spokesman Nawab Malik, who has repeatedly termed the cruise drugs bust case as fake, said Sail’s claims were very serious and demanded a probe into it by a Special Investigation Team (SIT). Talking to reporters in Beed, Malik reiterated his allegation that Wankhede was involved in extortion and terrorising the Mumbai film industry, and said he will meet the Chief Minister and Home Minister on Monday in Mumbai seeking a SIT probe into Sail’s claims. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in a tweet said, Witness in Aryan Khan case made to sign on blank paper by NCB is shocking. Also, there are reports that there was demand of huge money. CM UddhavThackeray said that these cases are made to defame Maharashtra. This seems to be coming true. Police should take suo moto cognizance. Maharashtra Congress spokesman Atul Londhe said Sail’s allegation substantiated the party’s charge that central agencies were being unleashed against the opposition parties. He demanded that the Supreme Court take appropriate action against the misuse of agencies politically.

First Zika virus case reported in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur 

A Zika virus case has been reported in Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, a health official said on Sunday. He said a warrant officer in the Indian Air Force (IAF) was diagnosed with the infection on Saturday, the first in Kanpur. Chief Medical Officer Nepal Singh said that the IAF officer was suffering from fever for the past several days and was admitted to the Air Force Hospital in the district. Following mysterious symptoms in the case, the blood sample was collected and sent to Pune for proper examination which confirmed that the patient was Zika virus positive, he said, adding the report was received on Saturday. Twenty-two more samples of persons who came in contact with the patient and those who have the same symptoms have also been sent for examination, Singh said. Health and civic bodies’ officials have been put on alert to deal with the situation. Besides, several teams have also been tasked to check the spread of the virus in the district, officials said.

Phone calls, daily walks in jail’s green area stopped, says Navlakha’s partner 

Activist and journalist Gautam Navlakha, who was arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case in 2020, has recently been shifted to a high-security section of the Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai and not allowed to call his family and lawyers, said his partner, Sahba Husain, in a statement on Sunday. Husain said Navlakha, who is nearly 70 years old, was shifted to the Anda Circle from the barracks on October 12. Additionally, his telephone calls to me and his lawyers, his lifeline to the outside world, have been discontinued on the pretext that physical mulaquats [meetings] have resumed in jail. I, his partner, Sahba Husain, am over 70, and I live in Delhi. Travelling to Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai frequently to meet him for the allotted 10 minutes is difficult and Gautam’s only contact with me is through the two calls he was allowed every week to me that enabled me to send him articles of need, including medicines, books etc, she said. She said with the phone calls now discontinued, he would be able to make contact only via letters that take at least two weeks to reach. She said not allowing under-trial prisoners to call their lawyers was the height of unfairness. Gautam’s fragile health and well-being will be further jeopardised by this withdrawal of the phone call facility to his family and lawyers. Already, in the Anda Circle, he is deprived of daily walks in the jail’s non-concreted greener areas and fresh air, and his health has deteriorated further, making specialised medical care an absolute necessity, if he is to live to fight this unjust and false case foisted on him, she said. She quoted Navlakha as saying he spends 16 hours a day inside his cell and the remaining eight hours in a cemented corridor surrounded by high walls. Citing the recent death of another accused, Father Stan Swamy, while in custody, she said: These are prisoners of conscience, who have had to face indignities and humiliation for the smallest needs, and wage court battles for basic dignities in prison…Gautam has faced his unjustified incarceration with courage and spirit. How much longer is he going to be persecuted for his views, and to what extent will the authorities go to break his spirit?

Congress versus Congress plays out in social media in Punjab 

The turmoil in the Punjab Congress was playing out on social media on Sunday with Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Navjot Singh Sidhu asserting that he wouldn’t let the political discourse to deviate from real issues and Lok Sabha member Manish Tewari describing the situation in his party as ‘anarchy’. Sidhu’s tweets, viewed in the backdrop of the ongoing fight between Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh over the latter’s friendship with a Pakistani national Aroosa Alam, isn’t just an attempt to tone down personal attacks but bring back the discourse on the leadership question. Punjab must come back to its real issues that concern every Punjabi and our future generations. How will we counter the financial emergency that stares upon us? I will stick to the real issues and not let them take a backseat! The choice is clear between irreparable damage and the last chance for damage control. Who will bring back State’s resources to the State’s coffers, instead of them going to private pockets? Who will lead the initiative for resurrection of our great State to prosperity!! asked Sidhu. These tweets reflect the nervousness and doubts in Sidhu’s mind about who would be the party’s chief ministerial choice if it manages to retain power. Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was chosen as a compromise after the faction-ridden leaders couldn’t agree on a name to replace Capt. Amarinder (retd.). But soon the party made a virtue out of necessity as Channi was the first Scheduled Caste (SC) Chief Minister in a State where the SCs make up over 30% of the population. At the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on October 16, former party chief Rahul Gandhi claimed that empowering Dalit leadership is an article of faith for the party. In less than 24 hours, Sidhu made his letter to party president Sonia Gandhi public. The four-page letter, dated October 15, was ostensibly to seek an audience with her to explain his Punjab Model but the underlying message of his importance was clear. He wrote, Under your esteemed leadership, the Congress party won a 2/3rd majority in the 2017 Assembly elections, campaigning upon a pro-people agenda to give democratic and economic powers of the people back to the people. I personally campaigned in 55 Assembly constituencies, among which we won 53, arguing for a Punjab Model of Development, according to which the rightful resources of the State should come back to the State, instead of going to private pockets. He said his development model was Punjab’s last chance for resurrection and redemption. Far from ‘resurrection’, Tewari, known to be close to Capt. Amarinder (retd.), questioned Sidhu’s elevation.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

New China border law gives stamp of approval for PLA’s LAC actions 

China’s legislature has adopted a new border law, to take effect on January 1, that calls on the state and military to safeguard territory and combat any acts that undermine China’s territorial claims. The law was first proposed in March this year, a year into tensions that erupted along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India after the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) mobilised two divisions in forward areas and carried out multiple transgressions. China has unresolved border disputes with India and Bhutan. The new law, observers said, would formalise some of China’s recent actions in disputed territories with both India and Bhutan, including the PLA’s massing of troops in forward areas along the India border, multiple transgressions across the LAC, and the construction of new frontier villages along the border with Bhutan. The legislature, which is largely ceremonial in China and controlled by the ruling Communist Party, on Saturday voted to adopt a new law on the protection and exploitation of the country’s land border areas, the official Xinhua news agency said. The law stipulates that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the People’s Republic of China are sacred and inviolable, the text said, adding that the state shall take measures to safeguard territorial integrity and land boundaries and guard against and combat any act that undermines territorial sovereignty and land boundaries. Article 22 of the law says the PLA shall carry out border duties including organising drills and resolutely prevent, stop and combat invasion, encroachment, provocation and other acts. The passing of the law coincides with stepped up Chinese activity along the land borders, which have mirrored actions in disputed waters in the East and South China Sea. The law will give a stamp of approval for the military’s recent actions in disputed areas.

2,700-year-old wine press, carvings discovered in Iraq

Archaeologists in Iraq announced on October 24, 2021, that they have discovered a large-scale wine factory from the rule of the Assyrian Kings 2,700 years ago. They also reveal their discovery of stunning monumental rock-carved royal reliefs. Iraq was the birthplace of some of the world’s earliest cities. As well as Assyrians, it was home once to Sumerians and Babylonians, and to among humankind’s first examples of writing. Some of the most famous carvings that have survived from the Assyrian Period are the mythical winged bulls, with examples of the monumental reliefs seen in the Iraq museum in Baghdad, as well as the British Museum in London and the Louvre in Paris.  The joint team of the archaeologists from the Department of Antiquities in Dohuk and colleagues from Italy said that the stone bas-reliefs, showing kings praying to the gods, were cut into the walls of a nearly 9 kilometer long (5.5 mile) irrigation canal at Faida in Northern Iraq. The carvings, 12-panels measuring five meters (16 feet) wide and two meters tall, show kings, gods, and sacred animals. They date from the reigns of Sargon II (721-705 BC) and his son Sennacherib. Italian archaeologist Daniele Morandi Bonacossi said that there are other places with rock reliefs in Iraq, particularly in Kurdistan, but none are so huge and monumental as this one. He informed that the scenes represent the Assyrian King praying in front of Assyrian gods. Bonacossi also noted that the seven key gods are all seen, including Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, who is depicted on top of a lion.