Tag: CLAT

NATIONAL NEWS 

Modi declares August 14 as ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday declared that August 14 will be observed as ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’ to acknowledge the pain undergone by Indians due to the partition of India in 1947. Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, he tweeted, Partition’s pains can never be forgotten. Millions of our sisters and brothers were displaced and many lost their lives due to mindless hate and violence. In memory of the struggles and sacrifices of our people, 14th August will be observed as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day. He added that the day, remembered for India’s partition into two countries, India and Pakistan, would remind Indians of the need to remove the poison of social divisions. May the #PartitionHorrorsRemembranceDay keep reminding us of the need to remove the poison of social divisions, disharmony and further strengthen the spirit of oneness, social harmony and human empowerment, he tweeted. The Union Home Ministry on Saturday evening issued a notification declaring that August 14 will be observed as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day. In a notification, the Home Ministry said the people of India, while celebrating Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, will salute those sons and daughters of the country who had to sacrifice their lives during the partition of India. The Government of India has decided to declare 14th August as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day in remembrance of the people who lost their lives during the partition. Therefore, the Government of India declares 14th August as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day to remind the present and future generations of Indians of the pain and suffering faced by the people of India during the partition, the notification said. As soon as Modi made the announcement, BJP general secretary (organisation) tweeted that it was a laudable attempt to remember the tragedy sought to be whitewashed by proponents of Nehruvian legacy. While no details were shared on any memorial events to be held on the day, the announcement comes on the eve of India’s 75th Independence anniversary. A year-long series of events connected to the anniversary, ‘Amrit Mahotsav,’ has been lined up, including recording the national anthem by ordinary citizens and uploading them on the Rashtrapati Bhavan website.

Twitter unlocks accounts of Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders.

A day after Rahul Gandhi accused Twitter of interfering with India’s political process, Gandhi’s account has been restored, a Congress leader confirmed to The Hindu on Saturday. Gandhi’s account was temporarily suspended last week after he tweeted pictures of the family of a nine-year-old victim of alleged rape and murder in Delhi. Calling it a violation of the law, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights had complained to Twitter as well as the Delhi Police. Handles of all those leaders, who had shared the same picture as Gandhi, have also been unblocked. Gandhi is yet to tweet but Lok Sabha member Manickam Tagore tweeted about the unblocking of his account. On Friday, in a video statement, Gandhi had cautioned that taking sides in a political contest will have repercussions for Twitter. It’s obvious now that Twitter is actually not a neutral, objective platform. It is a biased platform. It’s something that listens to what the government of the day says, Gandhi had said. On Saturday, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who heads the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology, said locking an account was an extreme step. Locking an account is an extreme step that infringes the freedom of expression of users. The rules can be upheld without such action. This may be a worldwide policy but I urge @Twitter to revise it forthwith. Its often selective application makes it worse. A rethink is overdue, Tharoor said. In my conversations w/@Twitter I took strong exception to the policy of automatically locking accounts, whether @RahulGandhi’s or @rsprasad’s. If there is a violation of law, whether POSCO or copyright, it should suffice to withhold the offending tweet & issue notice to the user, he added. In the midst of being entangled in a high-profile political contest, Twitter has transferred its India head Manish Maheshwari. The company did not specify any reason for the change. It said Maheshwari will move to the U.S. as senior director (revenue strategy and operations) and focus on new markets in his new role. Twitter, in a statement, said, As part of the appeal process, Rahul Gandhi submitted a copy of the formal consent/authorisation letter to use the referenced image via our India Grievance Channel. We have followed the necessary due diligence process to review the appeal and have updated our enforcement action based on the consent provided by the people depicted in the image. The Tweet is now withheld in India and the account access has been restored. As explained in our Country Withheld Policy, it may be necessary to withhold access to certain content in accordance with valid legal provisions under the Indian law(s).

Parliament is temple of country’s democracy, says Kovind in Independence eve address to nation 

President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday said Parliament is the temple of the country’s democracy which provides the highest forum to discuss, debate and decide issues for the well-being of people, remarks that came against the backdrop of the recent ruckus and continuous disruptions that led to the abrupt adjournment of the two Houses. In a televised address to the nation on the eve of the 75th Independence Day, the President also referred to the second Covid-19 wave, and said the country is yet to come out of its devastating effects. He asserted this is the time for extra care and caution, and people should not let their guard down. President Kovind also sought to address the concerns raised by protesting farmers’ unions against the three contentious farm laws, saying the series of agricultural marketing reforms will empower our ‘annadata’ farmers and help them get better price for their produce.  President Kovind said when India won independence, many sceptics thought democracy would not survive in India. Little did they know that roots of democracy were nurtured in this soil in ancient times, and even in modern times India was ahead of many western nations in offering franchise to all adults, regardless of any distinctions. The founding fathers had reposed their faith in the wisdom of the people, and ‘we, the people of India’ have made India a strong democracy, he added. Incidentally, in ‘Freedom in The World 2021’, the Freedom House’s annual status report on the world’s democracies, India was downgraded this year, from ‘Free’ to ‘Partly Free’. India’s status declined from Free to Partly Free due to a multiyear pattern in which the Hindu nationalist government and its allies have presided over rising violence and discriminatory policies affecting the Muslim population and pursued a crackdown on expressions of dissent by the media, academics, civil society groups, and protesters, the report by the American democracy watchdog had noted. President Kovind in his address said, We have adopted the system of parliamentary democracy. Therefore, our Parliament is the temple of our democracy which provides us highest forum where we discuss, debate and decide issues for the well-being of our people.

Courts continue to differ in views on marital rape 

Four years after the Supreme Court referred to Justice J.S. Verma committee’s recommendation to make marital rape a crime, besides quoting from decisions of courts across the world that a rapist remains a rapist and marriage with the victim does not convert him into a non-rapist, Indian courts continue to take views on marital rape that are the polar opposite of each other. The recent response from courts to complaints of marital rape has been contradictory. When the Kerala High Court backed marital rape as a valid ground for divorce, a court in Maharashtra gave anticipatory bail to a man while concluding that forcible sex with his wife was not an illegal thing though she said it left her paralysed. In 2017, the top court, in Independent Thought versus Union of India, refused to delve into the question of marital rape while examining an exception to Section 375 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code which allows a man to force sex on his wife if she is above 15 years of age. However, in its judgment that declared sexual intercourse with a girl below 18 years of age is rape regardless of whether she is married or not, the Supreme Court highlighted that legislative immunity given to marital rape stemmed from the outdated notion that a wife is no more than a subservient chattel of her husband. Similarly, the Gujarat High Court has held that a law that does not give married and unmarried women equal protection creates conditions that lead to the marital rape. It allows the men and women to believe that wife rape is acceptable. Making wife rape illegal or an offence will remove the destructive attitudes that promote the marital rape, the High Court had suggested. However, legislative amnesty to marital rape continues to survive in the statute book despite a gamut of decisions by the Supreme Court upholding the bodily integrity and privacy of women. The report submitted by the Justice J.S. Verma Committee of Amendments to Criminal Law of January 2013 had recommended the removal of the marital rape immunity and underscored the fact that marital rape immunity had been withdrawn in most foreign jurisdictions. It had observed, A rape that actually occurs cannot legislatively be simply wished away.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Ashraf Ghani vows not to give up ‘achievements’ after Taliban seize Province near capital; India mulls options on Kabul embassy.

The Taliban seized a province just south of Afghanistan’s capital and launched a multi-pronged assault early Saturday on a major city in the north defended by powerful former warlords, Afghan officials said. The insurgents have captured much of northern, western and southern Afghanistan in a breakneck offensive less than three weeks before the United States is set to withdraw its last troops, raising fears of a full militant takeover or another Afghan civil war. The Taliban captured all of Logar and detained its provincial officials, Hoda Ahmadi, a lawmaker from the province, said Saturday. She said the Taliban have reached the Char Asyab district, just 11 km (7 miles) south of the capital, Kabul. The Taliban also attacked the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif from several directions, setting off heavy fighting on its outskirts, according to Munir Ahmad Farhad, a spokesman for the provincial governor. There was no immediate word on casualties. Taliban fighters pose on the back of a vehicle in the city of Herat, west of Kabul on August 14, 2021, after they took this province from Afghan government. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani delivered a televised speech on Saturday, his first public appearance since the recent Taliban gains, in which he vowed not to give up the achievements of the 20 years since the US toppled the Taliban following the 9/11 attacks. We have started consultations, inside the government with elders and political leaders, representatives of different levels of the community as well as our international allies, he said. Soon the results will be shared with you, he added, without elaborating further. The President had flown to Mazar-e-Sharif on Wednesday to rally the city’s defences, meeting with several militia commanders, including Abdul Rashid Dostum and Ata Mohammad Noor, who command thousands of fighters. They remain allied with the government, but during previous rounds of fighting in Afghanistan, warlords have been known to switch sides for their own survival. Ismail Khan, a powerful former warlord who had tried to defend Herat, was captured by the Taliban when the insurgents seized the western city after two weeks of heavy fighting. Residents of Mazar-e-Sharif expressed fears about the security breakdown. The withdrawal of foreign forces and the swift retreat of Afghanistan’s own troops – despite hundreds of billions of dollars in US aid over the years – has raised fears the Taliban could return to power or the country could be shattered by factional fighting, as it was after the Soviet withdrawal in 1989. Meanwhile, amidst moves by other countries to secure their diplomats based in Afghanistan, the Indian government has begun a series of consultations on whether to scale down operations at its Embassy in Kabul. The meetings on Saturday in New Delhi came amidst reports that the Taliban has taken territory around 50 km from Kabul. According to sources, security assessments had earlier been in favour of keeping the Indian Embassy in Kabul fully operational, after consulates in Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif were closed and Indian staff flown out.

U.S. troops reach Kabul to assist in evacuations. 

American troops have flown into Kabul to help evacuate Embassy personnel and other civilians in the Afghan capital, a U.S. official said on Saturday. The Pentagon said two battalions of Marines and one infantry battalion will arrive in Kabul by Sunday evening, involving about 3,000 troops. They have arrived, their arrival will continue till tomorrow, the U.S. official said on condition of anonymity. An infantry brigade combat team will also move out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Kuwait to act as a quick reaction force for security in Kabul if needed, the Pentagon has said. Britain and several other Western nations are also sending troops as resistance from Afghan government forces crumbles and fears grow that an assault on Kabul could be just days away. An Afghan government official confirmed on Friday that Kandahar, the economic hub of the South, was under Taliban control as U.S .led international forces complete their withdrawal. Kabul is not right now in an imminent threat environment, but clearly if you just look at what the Taliban has been doing, you can see that they are trying to isolate Kabul, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. Some embassies have begun to burn sensitive material ahead of evacuating, diplomats said.

NATIONAL NEWS 

Petrol to cost ₹3 cheaper a litre in Tamil Nadu

In a major announcement, Tamil Nadu’s DMK government on Friday announced a cut in the effective rate of tax on petrol by ₹3 a litre, effective midnight of August 13. Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan made the announcement while presenting the revised budget for 2021-22 on the floor of the Assembly here. The decision will result in a loss of revenue of ₹1,160 crore a year to the State exchequer. Tamil Nadu has 2.63 crore two-wheelers. This has become the most popular mode of transport for the working poor. They keenly feel the pinch of the rising cost of petrol. The Chief Minister [M.K. Stalin] keenly feels the pain of the working poor and the middle class, Rajan said in his maiden budget speech and hoped that the cut would provide a major relief to the toiling working-class people in the State. Contending that the Union government was solely responsible for the increase in the cost of the fuel, Rajan underlined, Nowhere is this dilution of the spirit of federalism more apparent than in the taxation of petrol and diesel at the pump. The overall Union levies on petrol were increased from ₹10.39 per litre in May 2014 to ₹32.90 per litre today. The State government also announced a waiver of loans to the tune of ₹2,756 crore due from self-help groups to the co-operative credit societies. The government will work out a suitable mechanism to infuse equity into the cooperative credit structure in stages to ensure that the lending capacity of the co-operatives is not affected, the Finance Minister said. As for an important scheme relating to the payment of ₹1,000 every month to women heads of households, Rajan said, To ensure that the payment of basic entitlement income is targeted to the genuinely poor, the government in consultation with experts is formulating guidelines on the objective criteria by which the eligible households will be identified for this scheme. In another announcement to implement a commitment made in its election manifesto, the DMK government enhanced the period of maternity leave from nine months to 12 months for women government employees with less than two surviving children with effect from July 1, 2021. The lumpsum grant from the Family Security Fund paid to the family of a government employee who dies while in service will be enhanced from ₹3 lakh to ₹5 lakh, the Minister announced. With the Minister’s announcement that the enhanced Dearness Allowance (DA) to government servants and to pensioners will be paid with an effect from April 1, 2022, the government indicated that the DA for them would not be revised this year. Unlike in many other States, government servants in Tamil Nadu have been paid salaries in full and without any delay throughout the entire Covid-19 pandemic period. In many departments, government servants have served selflessly, often putting their own life to risk in this period. I am sure that government servants will appreciate the difficulty that the government will face in enhancing Dearness Allowance at this stage, Rajan, who is also Minister for Human Resources Management, said.

Twitter interfering in India’s political process, says Rahul Gandhi 

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Twitter of interfering in India’s political process and described the social media platform as a biased one. In his first video statement on Twitter blocking his account, Gandhi said Twitter only listened to the government. Last week, Twitter blocked his account after he posted the picture of the parents of a 9-year-old girl who was allegedly raped and murdered in Delhi. By shutting down my Twitter they are interfering in our political process. A company is making its business to define our politics. And as a politician I don’t like that, Gandhi said in a two-minute video. It was not just an attack on him but the democratic structure of the country as it was denying the right to an opinion for his 19-20 million followers. Our democracy is under attack. We are not allowed to speak in Parliament. The media is controlled. And I thought there was a ray of light where we could put what we thought on Twitter. But obviously, that’s not the case, he stated. It’s obvious now that Twitter is actually not a neutral, objective platform. It’s a biased platform. It’s something that listens to what the government of the day says. As Indians, we have to ask the question: are we going to allow companies just because they are beholden to the Government of India to define our politics for us? he observed. Gandhi cautioned that taking sides in a political contest will have repercussions for Twitter and could be a dangerous thing for investors. Since its action against Gandhi last week, Twitter India has blocked thousands of handles associated with the Congress, including the official party handle and over two dozen senior leaders. In its defence, Twitter said they acted against Gandhi a after receiving a complaint from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), which has pointed out that posting the picture of the parents of a victim is a violation of Indian law. However, the Congress pointed to Twitter’s double standards as a similar picture of parents had been shared by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) on August 2. When The Hindu checked the timeline of the NCSC, the offending photograph from August 2 was removed but the account was functional and the last tweet from the verified handle was sent out at August 11:50 a.m. on August 13.

Political battles should not be fought on the ‘Table of the House’, says Venkaiah Naidu 

The political battles should not be fought on the table of the House, Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu said in an informal interaction on Friday, two days after the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021 was passed in Rajya Sabha amid fierce protests from the Opposition, who also had a tussle with a strong contingent of marshals deployed in the chamber. On August 10 when Rajya Sabha took up a discussion on the agricultural problems and solutions, some opposition members, demanding a discussion on the Pegasus cyber-attack and a repeal of the farm laws, had clambered onto the reporter’s table which is placed right in front of the Chair. On August 11 again, when the government, despite demands from a united opposition to send the Insurance Bill to a select committee, pushed to pass the legislation, similar scenes were repeated. To prevent opposition members from climbing on to the table, 42 marshals were deployed. As The Hindu has reported, the Bill was passed amid clashes between opposition members and marshals. Legislatures are meant for debate and discussion and outside political battles should not be fought on the Table of the House, Naidu said. He also commented that it is the government’s prerogative to decide which bill is sent to a Parliamentary Committee. Whenever differences persist on such matters in the House, the House collectively takes a decision and the Chair cannot force it one way or the other, he added. Naidu said the Opposition and Treasury benches in the House are like his two eyes and are equal for him. One cannot have proper vision if one eye is not functioning properly. For me both government and opposition are like my two eyes, he said. Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha secretariat has prepared a detailed chargesheet of the August 11 events indicting the Opposition. The Opposition, on the other hand, had complained about the scale of deployment of security officers inside the chamber, comparing it to a war-like situation. The internal report states that additional security officials were rushed in to prevent MPs from causing any damage to the Chair and the Table of the House. When the opposition MPs, the report said, failed to breach the cordon of security officials (Marshals) and their efforts to cause potential damage to the Chair/Table of the House went in vain, they started manhandling security officials (marshal).

Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments 

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 3,21,50,112 with the death toll at 4,30,579. Bharat Biotech’s BBV154 intranasal vaccine has become the first of its kind to receive the regulatory approval for Phase 2/3 trials, according to a release issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology on Friday. This is the first of its kind Covid-19 jab to undergo human clinical trials in India. BBV154 is an intranasal replication-deficient chimpanzee adenovirus SARS-CoV-2 vectored vaccine. The Company has in-licensed technology from Washington University in St Louis, USA, said the release. The development of the vaccine was supported by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and its PSU, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), the release stated. As per information released by the Ministry Phase 1 Clinical trial has been completed in age groups ranging ≥18 to ≤60 years.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Taliban close in on Kabul, embassies prepare for evacuations.

The Taliban seized more major cities on August 13 as they raced to take full control of Afghanistan and inched closer to Kabul, with the U.S. and Britain deploying thousands of troops to evacuate their citizens from the capital. The evacuation orders came as the Taliban took control of Kandahar the nation’s second-biggest city — in the insurgency’s heartland, leaving only Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif, Jalalabad and pockets of other territories in government hands. The Taliban also captured the capital of Logar Province, just 50 km from Kabul, with a local lawmaker saying the insurgents were in complete control of Pul-e-Alam city. Earlier on Friday, officials and residents in Kandahar said government forces had withdrawn masse to a military facility outside the southern city. Kandahar is completely conquered. The Mujahideen reached Martyrs’ Square, a Taliban spokesman tweeted, referring to a city landmark. Hours later, the Taliban said they had also taken control of Lashkar Gah, the capital of neighbouring Helmand Province. A security source confirmed the fall of the city, saying that the Afghan military and government officials had evacuated Lashkar Gah after striking a local ceasefire deal with the militants. The government has now effectively lost most of the country following an eight-day blitz into urban centres by the Taliban that has also stunned Kabul’s American backers. Meanwhile, Washington and London announced plans late on August 12 to pull out their Embassy staff and citizens from the capital. We are further reducing our civilian footprint in Kabul in light of the evolving security situation, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters, while noting the embassy would remain open. This is not abandonment. This is not an evacuation. This is not the wholesale withdrawal. The Pentagon said 3,000 U.S. troops would be deployed to Kabul within the next 24 to 48 hours, underscoring they would not be used to launch attacks against the Taliban. The insurgents have taken over more than a dozen provincial capitals in the past week and encircled the biggest city in the north, the traditional anti-Taliban bastion of Mazar-i-Sharif, which is now one of the few holdouts remaining. As the rout unravelled, three days of meetings between key international players on Afghanistan ended in Qatar without significant progress on August 13. In a joint statement, the international community, including the United States, Pakistan, the European Union, and China, said they would not recognise any government in Afghanistan imposed through the use of military force.

No need for further WHO virus origins probe: China. 

China on Friday rejected the World Health Organization’s calls for a renewed probe into the origins of COVID-19, saying it supported scientific over political efforts to find out how the virus started. Pressure is once more mounting on Beijing to consider a fresh probe into the origins of a pandemic which has killed over four million people and paralysed economies worldwide since it first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. A delayed and heavily politicised visit by a WHO team of international experts went to Wuhan in January 2021 to produce a first phase report, which was written in conjunction with their Chinese counterparts. It failed to conclude how the virus began. On Thursday the WHO urged China to share raw data from the earliest COVID-19 cases to revive its probe into the origins of the disease. China hit back, repeating its position that the initial investigation was enough and that calls for further data were motivated by politics instead of scientific inquiry. We oppose political tracing and abandoning the joint report issued after the WHO expert team’s Wuhan visit in January, Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu told reporters. We support scientific tracing. That report said the virus jumping from bats to humans via an intermediate animal was the most probable scenario, while a leak from Wuhan’s virology labs was extremely unlikely.

NATIONAL NEWS

Opposition takes out protest march against government over alleged manhandling of MPs

Leaders of several opposition parties on Thursday took out a protest march in Delhi against the government on several issues, including Pegasus and the alleged manhandling of their MPs in the Rajya Sabha, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi saying the voice of people was crushed in the House, PTI reported. Top leaders of several opposition parties met in the chamber of the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and then walked in protest from Parliament House to Vijay Chowk. Those who attended the meeting included Gandhi,  Sharad Pawar, Kharge, Sanjay Raut, Manoj Jha and other opposition leaders. The protest comes a day after the passage of bills in Rajya Sabha amid charges of manhandling of opposition leaders.The protesting MPs carried placards and banners against the government that read ‘Stop murder of democracy’ and ‘We demand repeal of anti-farmers laws’. The Parliament session is over. Frankly, as far as 60% of the country is concerned, there was no Parliament session as the voice of 70% of the people was crushed, humiliated, Gandhi told reporters. On Wednesday, Rajya Sabha MPs were physically beaten, he charged. He said the Ppposition was not allowed to speak inside Parliament and this is nothing short of murder of democracy. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi had termed as totally false the Opposition’s allegations that marshals manhandled their MPs and said one can check facts from the CCTV footage.

Twitter blocks Congress’s official handles, several leaders’ accounts 

A virtual war erupted between Twitter India and the Congress on Thursday after the social media platform blocked the party’s official handle and the accounts of several senior leaders. Twitter also blocked the party’s Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra handles, besides that of the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee and the Daman & Diu Congress Committee. The move comes just days after Twitter blocked former Congress president Rahul Gandhi for posting a photograph of the parents of a nine-year-old girl who was allegedly raped and murdered in Delhi. In defiance, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra changed her display picture to Gandhi’s, while others like Youth Congress chief B.V. Srinivas changed both his display picture as well the name of his handle to Rahul Gandhi. By late Wednesday evening, prominent leaders whose handles had been suspended by Twitter for violating its policy included Randeep Surjewala, K.C. Venugopal, Ajay Maken, Sushmita Dev, Bhanwar Jitendra Singh and Lok Sabha member Manickam Tagore among others. All these leaders’ as well as the Congress’s handle had shared the same photograph in solidarity with Gandhi. Breaking his silence on the Twitter episode, Gandhi said on Instagram, If fighting for justice for murder and rape victim is a crime, then I am guilty. They can lock us out on a platform but they can’t lock our voice for the sake of the people. Party leaders claimed that not just prominent leaders but thousands of handles associated with the Congress have been blocked by Twitter. Last week, Twitter removed Gandhi’s tweet along with the photo, as sharing of photos of a victim or her relatives is barred under the Indian Law. However, the Congress targeted Twitter for adopting double standards, since functionaries of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) had shared similar photos with the parents of the victims but no action was taken against them. Vadra said on Twitter, Is Twitter following its own policy for the suspension of Congress leaders’ accounts or the Modi government’s? Why hadn’t it locked the account of SC commission that had tweeted similar photos before any of our leaders did? By locking Congress leaders’ accounts en masse, Twitter is blatantly colluding with the stifling of democracy by the BJP government in India. When The Hindu checked the timeline of the NCSC, the offending photograph from August 2 was removed for violation of Twitter’s policy. The account was, however, functional as the handle tweeted about a public hearing by a member at 3:19 p.m. on August 12. Replying to a query on the development, a Twitter spokesperson said the ‘Twitter Rules’ were enforced judiciously and impartially for everyone on its service.

GSLV-F10 fails to launch earth observation satellite into intended orbit 

A technical anomaly preventing the ignition of the GSLV-F10 rocket’s cryogenic upper stage spelt disappointment for Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Thursday morning, as the national space agency could not accomplish the mission to launch earth observation satellite EOS-03 into the intended orbit. Though the lift-off at the scheduled time of 5.43 a.m. from the second launch pad in the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, some 100 km from here, was successful, the anomaly was realised only after a few minutes. The performance of the first and second stages was normal. However, cryogenic upper stage ignition did not happen due to a technical anomaly. The mission couldn’t be accomplished as intended, the ISRO said in a statement. It did not elaborate any further. EOS-03, intended to be positioned in the geostationary transfer orbit initially, was supposed to reach the final geostationary orbit. It was expected to provide near real-time imaging of a large area of interest at frequent intervals, which could be used for quick monitoring of natural disasters, episodic events, and any short-term events. The mission life of the satellite was 10 years. Soon after the 51.70 metre-tall GSLV-F10’s went up, a live telecast on Doordarshan showed scientists in the Mission Control Centre (MCC) eagerly waiting and hoping for its smooth and successful functioning. The launch resembled a routine affair until the rocket’s second stage, some five minutes after the lift-off. A sense of suspicion and uncertainty descended upon the MCC as the graph on the screens showed a slight deviation of the rocket’s path. A few minutes later, some ISRO officials were seen discussing with ISRO chairman K. Sivan. After a few rounds of discussions, the Range Operations Director announced: Performance anomaly [was] observed in the cryogenic stage. [The] mission could not be accomplished fully. Union Minister Jitendra Singh said the mission can be rescheduled again.

Muslim man in Kanpur thrashed, asked to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’, as minor daughter begs for mercy 

A Muslim man was assaulted in the public and allegedly asked to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ even as his minor daughter tried to save him, said police here on Thursday, PTI reported. A one-minute video of the incident surfaced on social media on Wednesday. The 45-year-old man is seen being assaulted by some men, who ask him to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’. The victim’s daughter is seen trying to save her father, crying and asking the attackers not to beat him. Later, some policemen took the man to their Jeep. The footage also shows the man being hit while in police custody. Deputy Police Commissioner (South) Raveena Tyagi said the matter came to the fore at the Kacchi Basti locality near the Ram Gopal crossing in the Barra area of Kanpur on Wednesday. On the complaint of the victim, we have lodged an FIR and legal action is under way, she said. Police, however, did not mention the name of the organisation involved in the act. The victim, an e-rickshaw driver, said that around 3 pm, some people started abusing and assaulting him. They threatened to kill his family. He said he was saved by police. The man is a relative of a Muslim family, which is involved in a dispute with their Hindu neighbours in the Kanpur locality. Police statement said that in July, the two families had filed cases against each other at the local police station.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Kabul offers Taliban a power-sharing arrangement to end violence

The Taliban seized the strategic Afghan city of Ghazni on Thursday, just 150 kilometres (95 miles) from Kabul, their most important gain in a lightning offensive that has seen them overrun 10 provincial capitals in a week. The interior ministry confirmed the fall of the city, which lies along the major Kabul-Kandahar highway and serves as a gateway between the capital and militant strongholds in the south. The enemy took control, spokesman Mirwais Stanikzai said in a message to media, adding later the city’s governor had been arrested by Afghan security forces. Pro-Taliban Twitter feeds showed a video of him being escorted out of Ghazni by Taliban fighters and sent on his way in a convoy, prompting speculation in the capital that the government was angered with how the provincial administration capitulated. As security forces retreated across the country, Kabul handed a proposal to Taliban negotiators in Qatar offering a power-sharing deal in return for an end to fighting, according to a member of the government’s team in Doha who asked not to be named. A second negotiator, Ghulam Farooq Majroh, said the Taliban had been given an offer about a government of peace without providing more specifics. Authorities in Kabul have now effectively lost most of northern and western Afghanistan and are left holding a scattered archipelago of contested cities also dangerously at risk of falling to the Taliban. The conflict has escalated dramatically since May, when US-led forces began the final stage of a troop withdrawal due to end later this month following a 20-year occupation. The loss of Ghazni will likely pile more pressure on the country’s already overstretched air force, needed to bolster Afghanistan’s dispersed security forces who have increasingly been cut off from reinforcements by road. Pro-Taliban social media accounts also boasted of the vast spoils of war their fighters had recovered in recent days, posting photos of armoured vehicles, heavy weapons, and even a drone seized by the insurgents at abandoned Afghan military bases. In less than a week, the insurgents have taken 10 provincial capitals and encircled the biggest city in the north, the traditional anti-Taliban bastion of Mazar-i-Sharif. Fighting was also raging in Kandahar and Lashkar Gar pro-Taliban heartlands in the south as well as Herat in the west. An official in Lashkar Gah said Taliban fighters were inching closer to government positions after a massive car bomb badly damaged the city’s police headquarters Wednesday evening. The blast forced local police to retreat to the governor’s office, while around 40 of their colleagues and one senior commander surrendered to the Taliban. And in Kandahar, the Taliban said they had overrun the heavily fortified jail, saying hundreds of prisoners were released and taken to safety. The Taliban frequently target prisons to release incarcerated fighters and replenish their ranks. The loss of the prison is a further ominous sign for the country’s second city, which has been besieged for weeks by the Taliban. Kandahar was once the stronghold of the Taliban — whose forces coalesced in the eponymously named province in the early 1990s — and its capture would serve as both a tactical and psychological victory for the militants. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced by the fighting that has enveloped the country. In recent days, Kabul has been swamped by the displaced, who have begun camping out in parks and other public spaces, sparking a fresh humanitarian crisis in the already overtaxed capital. In Washington, defence officials appeared to be grappling with the spiralling situation but insisted that Afghan security forces were still holding their ground.

 

China governance blueprint signals continuing crackdown. 

A new  blueprint issued by China to promote rule of law has called for more legal and institutional efforts to tighten what it called unjust micro-economic activities, signalling the ongoing crackdown on a number of sectors is likely to continue. The document was issued jointly on Wednesday by the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee and the State Council, or Cabinet, of the Government, and called for building a rule of government during the current five-year plan period (2021-25). It called for strengthening the Party’s leadership for the building of a government based on the rule of law. The new blueprint suggests the recent regulatory crackdown aimed at tightening control over some industries is likely to continue. Late last year, regulators launched investigations into alleged monopolistic practices of top tech companies, including Alibaba and Tencent, and took the unprecedented step of stopping at the last minute what was set to be a record-breaking IPO for Alipay, the financial payments arm of Alibaba. This year, crackdowns have followed targeting ridesharing app Didi Chuxing and the entire private education sector. The moves have wiped out close to $1 trillion in value for leading Chinese tech and education companies, according to estimates. Identifying promoting the rule of law for government as the main task in advancing law-based governance in all areas, the document highlighted the guiding philosophies, principles, and overall goals of this cause for the next five years, the official Xinhua news agency reported, adding the document urges improving government functions in various fields, including economic adjustment, market supervision, social management, public service, and environmental protection. It called for more legal and institutional efforts to curb unjust interventions in micro-economic activities, as well as concrete efforts to prevent the administrative power from eliminating or stifling competition.’ The document also called for strengthened enforcement of anti-monopoly and anti-unfair competition laws and highlighted as key areas national security, biosecurity, infectious diseases prevention and control, and digital economy.

NATIONAL NEWS 

Ten dead, several buried under debris after major landslide in Himachal’s Kinnaur

Ten people were killed, 13 rescued and several others feared buried under debris after a landslide trapped a bus and other vehicles in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district, PTI quoted officials as saying. Ten bodies have been recovered so far, while 13 injured have been pulled out of the rubble, Deputy Commissioner, Kinnaur, Abid Hussain Sadiq said. He said the rescue operation is underway to locate several other persons trapped under the debris. Earlier, a police officer in Bhawanagar said around 25 to 30 were trapped under the rubble. The landslide and shooting of stones occurred at Chaura village on national highway number five in Nigulsari of Nichar tehsil in Kinnaur district at around noon, State Disaster Management Director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said.

Union Health Minister Mandaviya counters Sisodia, shares communication sent to Delhi govt on oxygen shortage deaths 

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on August 11 questioned the Delhi government’s claim of not having received any letter from the Centre inquiring about deaths due to oxygen shortage during the second Covid-19 wave and tweeted the communication sent by his Ministry on July 26 in this regard. Sharing a snapshot of the mail sent to the Delhi government on Twitter and addressing Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Mandaviya said it is not too late and he can send the data by August 13 so that the Health Ministry can reply to Parliament on the issue. Here is the copy of the mail sent by my ministry to the Delhi government on 26th July. It’s not too late yet! By August 13 you can send the data so that we can answer the question in Parliament. After reviewing with your officers, please send the necessary data as soon as possible, Mandaviya tweeted. Sisodia had on August 10 alleged that the city government had not received any letter from the Centre inquiring about deaths due to oxygen shortage during the second Covid-19 wave. The Delhi Minister, however, said they have decided to share all the details with the Central government. I read in newspaper reports that the Centre is saying that it has asked State governments to share the number of oxygen-related deaths. The Delhi government has not received any letter on oxygen-related deaths. When you [Centre] have not written any letter, how can you say that States are not informing you? We had formed an inquiry committee but you did not allow it [probe] to happen through the Delhi L-G, he had said. The Central government at a press briefing on August 10 said only one State has till now reported suspected deaths due to oxygen shortage during the second wave of Covid-19 after the Centre sought the data from them on such fatalities following the raising of the issue in Parliament. When the question was raised in Parliament, States were specifically asked this question and as per reports received, only one State mentioned suspected deaths and no State has so far said that there were deaths because of oxygen shortage, Joint Secretary in the Union Health Ministry Lav Agarwal had said while replying to a query. Last month, opposition parties had hit out at the government for informing the Parliament that no deaths due to oxygen shortage have been specifically reported by States and Union Territories during the second Covid-19 wave. The Centre recently had sought from States and Union Territories data on deaths in connection with oxygen shortage during the second of Covid-19 earlier this year and the information was to be collated and presented in Parliament before the Monsoon session ends, official sources had said. According to the sources, 13 States and UTs, including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab have responded to the query by August 10. They said only Punjab has reported four suspected deaths due to oxygen shortage.

Communal slogans at Jantar Mantar: Delhi court grants bail to former BJP spokesperson Ashwini Upadhyay 

A Delhi court on Wednesday granted bail to former BJP spokesperson Ashwini Upadhyay, arrested in connection with the communal slogans allegedly raised during a protest at the Jantar Mantar here. Metropolitan Magistrate Udbhav Kumar Jain granted relief to Upadhyay, who is an advocate, on a bond of ₹50,000. The accused was sent to judicial custody yesterday by a court here, considering that his bail application was pending. A video showing anti-Muslim slogans being raised during a protest at Jantar Mantar here was widely circulated on social media, following which Delhi Police registered a case in connection with the matter on Monday. Hundreds of people had attended the protest organised by ‘Bharat Jodo Aandolan’ at Jantar Mantar on Sunday. Shipra Srivastava, media in-charge of Bharat Jodo Aandolan, had said the protest was held under the leadership of Upadhyay. However, she denied any links to those who raised anti-Muslim slogans. Upadhyay too denied any involvement in the anti-Muslim slogan-shouting incident. The video shows a group of people shouting inflammatory slogans and threatening Muslims during the protest at Jantar Mantar.

Removed offending tweet by Rahul Gandhi and locked his account, Twitter tells Delhi High Court

Microblogging site Twitter today on Wednesday, Augut 11, 2021, informed the Delhi High Court that it has removed an offending tweet posted by Congres leader Rahul Gandhi sharing a picture of himself with the parents of a nine-year-old alleged rape and murder victim in the capital. Twitter further said the account of Gandhi has also been locked as his August 5 tweet was in breach of its policy. Following Twitter’s submission, a bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh posted the hearing on the petition seeking initiation of legal action against Gandhi for September 27. During the brief hearing, the bench got miffed at the advocate, appearing for the petitioner Makarand Suresh Mhadlekar, who disputed the submission made by Twitter’s counsel before the court. The counsel for respondent number 4 (Twitter) says they have removed (the tweet) even without order from the court. There is no reason to disbelieve it. If this is your attitude, we are not issuing notice. We will see on next date, the bench remarked. Senior advocate Sajan Poovayya, representing Twitter, said, We have locked that account and the tweet is no longer available. It violates our policy as well. This is the status as on date. In his petition, Mhadlekar, who claims to be a social activist, claimed that Gandhi posted a photo of himself with the victim’s family members on Twitter on August 5. This, the plea said, was in violation of Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 and Section 23(2) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) 2012, both of which mandate that the identity of a child victim of a crime shall not be disclosed. A violation of section 74 of the JJ Act is punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months or fine of ₹2 lakh or both. A violation of section 23(2) of the POCSO Act is punishable with imprisonment for a period of minimum six months and maximum one year.

Parliament passes bill for privatisation of state-run general insurance companies 

A bill to allow privatisation of state-run general insurance companies received parliamentary assent on Wednesday after the Rajya Sabha passed it with a voice vote amid vociferous protest and tearing of papers by opposition parties, PTI reported. The General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021, was passed by a voice vote in the din in a matter of minutes, with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman not replying to brief points raised by MPs. Opposition parties from the TMC and the DMK to the Left parties opposed the bill and wanted it to be referred to a select committee but the motion was rejected by a voice vote, leading to slogan-shouting by opposition members who stormed into the Well, tore papers and moved dangerously close to the presiding officer’s chair. Rajya Sabha personnel were deployed around the presiding officer and the house table to prevent a repeat of Tuesday’s ugly scenes when some MPs had climbed on the table. The General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021, was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 2.

Supreme Court wants vacancies in consumer dispute bodies filled up in 8 weeks 

The Supreme Court on Wednesday gave the Centre and the States eight weeks to fill up the vacancies in the consumer disputes redressal commissions. Is there some ‘muhurrat’ required for taking steps? States are defeating the purpose for which the consumer protection laws have been made… they have been made for the benefit of people, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, heading a Bench, also comprising Justice Hrishikesh Roy, said. The Bench asked the Centre to conduct a comprehensive legislative impact study on the Consumer Protection Act of 2019. We want to know the impact of this legislation on litigation, Justice Kaul said. The court gave the government four weeks to complete the study. When the government complained about the paucity of time, Justice Kaul said, You make legislations instantly. You rush through so many things, you can rush through this too. The court asked if the governments, both at the Centre and in the States, had deliberately kept the vacancies pending to dissuade people from filing complaints. You don’t want complaints to be processed, for citizens to get justice? There is no manpower, there is no infrastructure. People get fed up. You say ‘we will get this thing done’ or ‘we will get that thing done’, and then nothing happens. You seem to have only vacancies and not appointments, Justice Kaul slammed the governments. The legislative intent behind the Consumer Protection Act was to empower ordinary citizens, he noted. However, the ground reality is different. There is little attempt made to translate the legislative intent to administrative infrastructure, facilities, staff, Members in order for the functioning of the consumer disputes commissions, the Bench stated. The Centre had dilly-dallied over the appointments of Members in the National Commission.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Biden to host democracy summit in Dec.

In line with his campaign message on foreign policy, U.S. President Joe Biden will host a ‘Summit for Democracy’, virtually, on December 9-10, around three themes: defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights. The summit will gather together heads of state, civil society, philanthropy, and the private sector, the White House announced on Wednesday. A second summit, this time in-person, will follow about a year later, the White House said. In his first six months in office, the President has reinvigorated democracy at home, vaccinating 70% of population, passing the American Rescue plan, and advancing bipartisan legislation to invest in our infrastructure and competitiveness, it said. The Summit is seen as one way to counter growing Chinese influence. In his March 2021 ‘Interim National Security Strategic Guidance’ to agencies and departments, Mr Biden had written: I believe we are in the midst of an historic and fundamental debate about the future direction of our world. There are those who argue that, given all the challenges we face, autocracy is the best way forward. And there are those who understand that democracy is essential to meeting all the challenges of our changing world. Wednesday’s announcement suggested that there would be country-wise commitments made at the first summit.  Following a year of consultation, coordination, and action, President Biden will then invite world leaders to gather once more to showcase progress made against their commitments .,  it said.

Senate passes massive infrastructure Bill.

U.S. President Joe Biden hailed the Senate passage on Tuesday of a historic $1.2 trillion infrastructure package,celebrating a major bipartisan win on a plan he vowed would transform America. By funding work on roads, bridges and ports, as well as clean water and high-speed internet, Mr. Biden said the Bill – which still needs House approval – would create thousands of highpaying jobs for people without college degrees. This historic investment infrastructure is what I believe you, the American people, want, he said in a White House address. This Bill shows that we can work together, he added. Some seven weeks after the Democratic leader stood with senators from both parties hailing a preliminary agreement, the bill received rare bipartisan support in Washington’s highly-polarized political atmosphere. Needing just a simple majority, it passed by 69 votes to 30 with backing from a third of Republican Senators. The measure now faces a make-or-break vote in the House of Representatives in coming weeks, where its future is less certain as division shave sprung up in the Democratic majority. Democratic Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer credited Mr. Biden for winning approval of the first major infrastructure package in over a decade on a bipartisan basis after just seven months in office. It’s been a long and winding road, but we have persisted, Mr. Schumer said. The ambitious plan provides for $550 billion in new federal spending on transport infrastructure, but also for public transit, broadband internet, and clean water, as well as electric charging stations and other measures to fight climate change. The total price tag relies on other public funds that have already been appropriated. In a deeply divided Washington, the Bill’s final approval would mark a resounding victory for Mr. Biden, a former senator who touts his ability to reach across the aisle. In a sign of the continued influence wielded by former president Donald Trump, three Republican senators who participated in the negotiations announced they would not support the plan after Mr. Trump threatened reprisals for helping to hand Mr. Biden a political win.

NATIONAL NEWS 

Lok Sabha passes bill that restores states’ power to make their own OBC lists

Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed a constitutional amendment bill to restore the powers of the states to make their own OBC lists, with 385 members voting in its favour and no member opposing it, PTI reported. Moving the bill for consideration and passage, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar described ‘The Constitution (127th Amendment) Bill, 2021’ as a historic legislation as 671 castes in the country would benefit from it. Kumar said the bill will restore the states’ rights to prepare their own lists of OBCs so that various communities can be given social and economic justice. The minister said the bill should be considered as the 105th Constitution Amendment bill after being renumbered. The 102nd Constitution Amendment Act of 2018 inserted articles 338B, which deals with the structure, duties and powers of the National Commission for Backward Classes, and 342A that deals with the powers of the president to notify a particular caste as an SEBC (Socially and Economically Backward Class) and the power of Parliament to change the list. Article 366 (26C) defines SEBCs. The Supreme Court has dismissed the Centre’s plea seeking a review of its May 5 majority verdict that held that the 102nd Constitution amendment took away the states’ power to notify SEBCs for the grant of quota in jobs and admissions. If this Constitution bill is not brought, 671 OBCs would not have got reservation. All of them will be benefited now, he said. Initiating the debate, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury extended his party’s wholehearted support to the bill but criticised the government for the 2018 amendment, saying had the government inserted the suggestion proposed by the Opposition, today’s situation would not have arisen. You tweaked the Constitution by bringing the 102nd Constitution Amendment Bill in 2018, which gave people opportunity to go to the court and finally the Supreme Court removed the states’ power, he said. Chowdhury also slammed the government for allegedly running away from debate on the issue of ‘snooping’ through the Pegasus spyware, saying that country after country. Including Hungary, the US and Israel have ordered probe into the controversial issue. The Constitutional amendment Bill requires a special majority for passage the two Houses of Parliament . There should be a majority of the total membership of the House present and the bill should be passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of that House present and voting. Some amendments moved by opposition members were rejected by the House.

Pegasus case: Place faith in SC and don’t engage in parallel proceedings and debates, says CJI 

Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana on Tuesday said petitioners in the Pegasus snooping case should place their faith in the Supreme Court and not engage in parallel proceedings and debates on social media platforms and other outlets while their case is sub judice. The Chief Justice, heading a three-judge Bench, said if they had anything to say, they should put it down in affidavits and file them in the court, where it would be debated. There should be some discipline. If they want to say something on Twitter or Facebook, it is up to them… But we expect them, having come here [to the Supreme Court], to put their faith in the court, Chief Justice Ramana observed. He stressed that questions from the Bench during court hearings should not be misconstrued. We ask questions to all of you. They may sometimes cause inconvenience to you. You may not like it, but that is the process of the court. Counsel should be responsible. If they want anything, they should bring it to the court, Chief Justice Ramana addressed lawyers, including senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who has been leading the petitioner side, while mentioning the multiple hats donned by the latter as former Union Minister and parliamentarian. Sibal, who represents senior journalists N. Ram and Sashi Kumar, agreed with the Chief Justice. He said his client, Ram, was trolled on social media after the last hearing. Sibal said trolls had latched onto an oral reference from the Bench. The court had, in the previous hearing, mentioned whether Ram’s petition had wrongly ascribed to a California court a statement that Pegasus targeted Indian journalists. But a careful reading of Ram’s petition had found no such allusions regarding the California court. In fact, Ram’s petition merely mentioned that the U.S. court was dealing with a suit filed by WhatsApp against NSO Group for targeting the mobile phones of around 1,400 users with malware. It was blown out of proportion. The man was trolled, Sibal said. Chief Justice Ramana said he had made it clear that he himself was not sure whether he had read it in Ram’s petition or in some other plea. Meanwhile, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the government, sought more time to go through the multiple petitions. He asked for a short adjournment, probably till Friday. However, the CJI said he had a personal inconvenience on Friday and was not sitting. The Bench listed the case for hearing on Monday. Senior advocate C.U. Singh asked the court to issue formal notice to the government. I will take a call on Monday, Chief Justice Ramana assured. The court has, in the last hearing, said that truth has to come out in the Pegasus snooping case. The court had said that allegations of the government using Israel-based technology to spy on civilians, journalists, Ministers, parliamentarians, activists were no doubt serious provided the news reports were true.

SC fines political parties for not sharing criminal antecedents of candidates in Bihar polls

Maintaining that persons with criminal antecedents and involved in criminalisation of politics cannot be permitted to be lawmakers, the Supreme Court Tuesday held nine political parties, including the ruling BJP and Janata Dal (United) guilty of its contempt in 2020 Bihar assembly polls for disobeying an order requiring them to publish antecedents of candidates within 48 hours of selection or not less than two weeks before filing of nominations, PTI reported. While imposing varying fines on political parties, the top court lamented the apathy of the legislative wing of the government in not taking steps to decriminalise the political system. The nation continues to wait, and is losing patience. Cleansing the polluted stream of politics is obviously not one of the immediate pressing concerns of the legislative branch of government, a bench headed by Justice R F Nariman said. The bench, also comprising justice B R Gavai, imposed a fine of ₹5 lakh each on two political parties, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Nationalist Congress Party, saying that they have not at all complied with the directions issued by this court. It also imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh each on Janata Dal (United), the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Lok Janshakti Party, Indian National Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and the Communist Party of India, and asked them to deposit the money within eight weeks with the poll panel. The Rashtriya Lok Samta Party was spared the fine. The poll panel had said that 469 candidates having criminal antecedents were fielded by ten political parties in the recently held Bihar assembly polls. The bench held that the selection of candidates having criminal antecedents on the ground of mere ‘winnability’ is the violation of the apex court’s direction of February 13, 2020. The Election Commission, to whom the fine will be deposited, is directed to carry out an extensive awareness campaign to make every voter aware about his right to know and the availability of information regarding criminal antecedents of all contesting candidates, the top court directed.

Criminal cases against MPs, MLAs can be withdrawn only after HC consent: SC 

The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned the Central government’s commitment towards the speedy trial and prosecution of criminal politicians and directed that a criminal case against an MP or MLA could be withdrawn only after getting the consent of the High Court concerned. A three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana mulled over forming a special bench to monitor the progress of investigation and trial of criminal cases involving politicians. The court agreed to several suggestions given by amicus curiae Vijay Hansaria and advocate Sneha Kalita in a report, including a freeze on the transfer of judicial officers trying criminal cases involving lawmakers. The amicus curiae’s report had suggested a minimum tenure of two years for these trial judges. The court accepted Hansaria and Kalita’s recommendation to adopt videoconferencing facilities to examine witnesses and for the release of funds to establish and improve virtual court facilities. It voiced doubts about the government’s resolve to bring criminal politicians to justice. The Bench pointed to how Central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate have (ED) filed a sketchy affidavit about its cases against sitting and former MPs and MLAs. We are committed. There is no reluctance on our part, maybe just a lack of coordination. The government is committed to ensuring speedy investigation and prosecution of elected representatives involved in criminal cases, Mehta assured the court. The Bench gave the Centre a last opportunity to submit detailed reports on the cases registered by the CBI, ED and other central agencies against MPs and MLAs. Despite strict monitoring and directions, the number of pending cases have increased over a period of time. As per the status report filed by High Courts in December 2018, a total number of 4,122 cases were pending, which increased to 4,222 as per the reports filed in March 2020, and further increased to 4,859 as per reports filed in September 2020, the amicus curiae report highlighted the extent of criminalisation of politics. In September last, the apex court asked the Chief Justices of the High Courts to head special benches and immediately hear long-pending criminal cases against sitting and former legislators. Criminal trials have been held up, some for decades, because powerful MPs and MLAs had approached the High Courts and got an interim stay. Some date back nearly 40 years. Most are stuck at the stage of framing of criminal charges. These cases range from corruption to money laundering.

India calls for evacuation of nationals from Mazar-e-Sharif as Taliban forces close in 

The government of India has given an urgent call for evacuation of all Indian nationals from the Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif. The social media handle of the Indian Consulate in the city has urged the nationals stationed in or around the city to contact officials for boarding an emergency flight later on Tuesday. The declaration has come in the backdrop of Taliban forces rushing to the periphery of the city after their latest conquest of Kunduz. A special flight is leaving from Mazar-e-Sharif to New Delhi. Any Indian nationals in and around Mazar-e-Sharif are requested to leave for India in the special flight scheduled to depart late today evening. Indian citizens desiring to leave by the special flight should immediately convey their full name, passport number, date of expiry by whatsapp at the following numbers : 0785891303 and 0785891301, said the Twitter handle of the consulate in Mazar. The development came two days after the fall of the city of Kunduz to Taliban. Taliban fighters have declared that they are now coming to capture Mazar-e-Sharif, which is the fourth largest city of Afghanistan with more than half a million people. The pre-eminent political figure of the city and its biggest warlord Atta Mohammed Noor has declared that he will fight the Taliban till the last drop of his blood. The declarations on both sides indicate a major military clash is expected to take place if Taliban attack the government forces in or around Mazar-e-Sharif. It is expected that the government of President Ashraf Ghani will put up a tough fight to save the city from falling to Taliban. The Indian announcement reflects the deteriorating law and order in Afghanistan where safety of foreign nationals has become difficult to ensure. The U.S. and the U.K. have already called upon their nationals to leave Afghanistan at the earliest after the Taliban made remarkable progress in capturing new areas increasing pressure on Kabul.

Modi asks Pralhad Joshi to make list of BJP MPs absent during statutory voting in Rajya Sabha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took BJP MPs to task over the absence of some of them in the Rajya Sabha on Monday when the Tribunals Reforms (Rationalisation and Conditions of Service) Bill, 2021 was being passed. He made his remarks during the last parliamentary party meeting of the BJP in this monsoon session of Parliament, and asked Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi to make a list of absent MPs, according to sources. The censure was due to the fact that the Opposition had moved a statutory resolution asking that the Bill be sent to a Select Committee first. While the resolution was defeated and the Bill was passed by voice vote, attendance was thin among the treasury benches, with at least 20 MPs missing, according to government sources. According to those present at the meeting, Modi said he had been left with no other way than this public censure after the absence was brought to his attention as he had raised this issue earlier as well. He also asked party MPs to spread awareness about the government’s initiatives in eradication of malnutrition, creating awareness about the Ayushman Bharat scheme for health insurance, and to promote sports of all kinds and not just cricket, in their constituencies.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

‘There should be no surprises in Indo-SriLanka relations’

India and Sri Lanka should maintain open and regular communication across multiple channels and ensure there are no surprises to either side, according to Milinda Moragoda, shortly to assume duties as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in New Delhi. Mr. Moragoda, who recently submitted a ‘road map’ to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, outlining proposals for strengthening Indo-Lanka ties, said that while the relationship is evidently asymmetric, the focus must be on elevating bilateral ties from the current transactional phaseto one that is more strategic. It has to evolve into a special relationship, that should be our aim, said the High Commissioner-designate, who has been awarded a ‘Cabinet rank’ by the Sri Lankan government, effectively enabling him to report directly to President Rajapaksa. The road map itself came amid considerable strain in relations. In a surprise move earlier this year, Sri Lanka unilaterally dropped a 2019 plan to jointly develop the East Container Terminal at the Colombo Port with India and Japan. Citing domestic opposition to foreign investment in strategic national asset, the Rajapaksa administration reneged on the trilateral agreement signed by the predecessor government, instead offering the West Container Terminal to the Adani Group in India. Further, Mr. Moragoda’s strategy paper lays out plans to enhance investment prospects, religious and cultural ties, but makes no mention of expediting a political solution to Sri Lanka’s national question that has remained a cornerstone of India’s engagement. Observing that President Rajapaksa is leading a diverse coalition, Mr. Moragoda said a political solution or post-war reconciliation must be home-grown. A political solution is not all about laws and the Constitution, he said. Mr. Moragoda, 57, is a businessman and a former politician who has held key ministries in past governments. He was earlier aligned to former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and was a prominent arbiter in the government’s peace talks with the LTTE, brokered by Norway in the early 2000s. He is also the founder of the Colombo-based think tank, Pathfinder Foundation. Mr. Moragoda has advocated the abolition of provincial councils, arguing that the structure has proved superfluous, expensive, divisive, and is fraught with inefficiency. That is my personal view, Mr. Moragoda said, of the provincial structure envisioned in Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987. I believe we should look at a model where we devolve more power to the local governments instead, while keeping a Senate at the Centre, where all ethnic groups are fairly represented, he said. Sri Lanka’s nine provincial councils have remained defunct for at least two years, pending elections. Asked about frequent calls to repeal the provincial council system, from Sinhala nationalists including those in government, Mr. Moragoda said: As of now, the provincial council system is very much part of our Constitution, and there is no threat. However, elections to the councils will have to wait until we have a consensus on a new electoral system in Parliament.

 

‘Hong Kong set to adopt China’s anti-sanctions law’

China’s anti-sanctions law will be implemented in some form in Hong Kong, the city’s leader confirmed on Tuesday, a move that will add fresh regulatory pressure on international companies in the finance hub. Beijing’s rubber-stamp legislature passed the law in June in response to Western penalties that were imposed following crackdowns in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. Its powers include denying visas, deportation, or seizing assets of those who formulate or comply with sanctions against Chinese businesses or officials. Foreign companies can be sued in Chinese courts for applying sanctions and the law can also be wielded against family members. On Tuesday, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam confirmed Beijing had consulted her on adding the law to the city’s mini-Constitution, known as the Basic Law. The purpose of the Anti Sanctions Law is to defend our country’s sovereignty, security and development Carrie Lam interests, she told reporters. But she said Beijing could also impose the measures directly like it did with a national security law last year that snuffed out dissent. Some foreign forces, foreign governments and western media will definitely stir up this issue, hoping to weaken our status as a financial centre or the outside world’s confidence in Hong Kong, she said. International companies face being punished by each side if they adhere to either sanctions regime. A bank that refuses to implement U.S. sanctions, for example, could find itself cut off from access to the dollar. But those that adhere could find themselves in hot water with Beijing.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Global warming likely to blow past Paris limit, says UN report

Earth’s climate is getting so hot that temperatures in about a decade will probably blow past a level of warming that world leaders have sought to prevent, according to a report released August 9 that the United Nations calls a code red for humanity. It’s just guaranteed that it’s going to get worse, said report co-author Linda Mearns, a senior climate scientist at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research. I don’t see any area that is safe. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. But scientists also eased back a bit on the likelihood of the absolute worst climate catastrophes. The authoritative Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, which calls climate change clearly human-caused and unequivocal, makes more precise and warmer forecasts for the 21st century than it did the last time it was issued in 2013. Each of the five scenarios for the future, based on how much carbon emissions are cut, passes the more stringent of two thresholds set in the 2015 Paris climate agreement. World leaders agreed then to try to limit warming to 1.5° C since the late 19th century because problems mount quickly after that. The limit is only a few tenths of a degree hotter than now because the world has already warmed nearly 1.1° C in the past century and a half. Under each scenario, the report said, the world will cross the 1.5° C warming mark in the 2030s, earlier than some past predictions. Warming has ramped up in recent years, data shows. In three scenarios, the world will also likely exceed 2° C over pre-industrial times — the other, less stringent Paris goal — with far worse heat waves, droughts and flood-inducing downpours unless deep reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions occur in the coming decades, the report said. This report tells us that recent changes in the climate are widespread, rapid and intensifying, unprecedented in thousands of years, said IPCC Vice Chair Ko Barrett, senior climate adviser for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The changes we experience will increase with further warming. The 3,000-plus-page report from 234 scientists said warming is already accelerating sea level rise, shrinking ice and worsening extremes such as heat waves, droughts, floods and storms. Tropical cyclones are getting stronger and wetter, while Arctic sea ice is dwindling in the summer and permafrost is thawing. All of these trends will get worse, the report said. For example, the kind of heat wave that used to happen only once every 50 years now happens once a decade, and if the world warms another degree Celsius, it will happen twice every seven years, the report said. As the planet warms, places will get hit more not just by extreme weather but by multiple climate disasters that occur simultaneously, the report said. That’s like what’s now happening in the Western U.S., where heat waves, drought and wildfires compound the damage, Mearns said. Some harm from climate change — dwindling ice sheets, rising sea levels and changes in the oceans as they lose oxygen and become more acidic — are irreversible for centuries to millennia, the report ssaid

Australia signals democracies’ trade swing from China to India.

Australian special envoy and former Prime Minister Tony Abbott said a free trade agreement between his nation and India would signal the democratic world’s tilt away from China. Mr. Abbott visited New Delhi last week as Australia’s special trade envoy for India as the Australian government gives priority to sealing a bilateral trade deal. In an opinion piece likely to anger Beijing that that was published in The Australian newspaper on Monday, Mr. Abbott said the answer to almost every question about China is India. With the world’s other emerging superpower becoming more belligerent almost by the day, it’s in everyone’s interests that India take its rightful place among the nations as quickly as possible, Mr. Abbott wrote. Because trade deals are about politics as much as economics, a swift deal between India and Australia would be an important sign of the democratic world’s tilt away from China, as well as boosting the long-term prosperity of both our countries, Mr. Abbott added. Mr. Abbott was Prime Minister when China and Australia finalised a bilateral free trade deal which took effect in 2015. He also hosted a state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping a year earlier. Relations have since soured over issues, including Australia banning Chinese telecom giant Huawei from major communications infrastructure projects, outlawing covert foreign interference in Australian politics and calling for an independent investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Abbott accused Beijing of capricious boycotts of Australian exports including coal, barley, wine and seafood that demonstrated Chinese use of trade as a strategic weapon.

 

NATIONAL NEWS 

Jharkhand judge death: Supreme Court not happy with CBI’s ‘sealed cover’ report

The Supreme Court on Monday said there was no word in the CBI’s sealed cover report about the motive behind the murder of Jharkhand district judge Uttam Anand, whose death saw Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana voice his concern over the mounting attacks on judges and total disregard shown by Central agencies and State police forces to these criminal acts which threaten judiciary’s independence. Special Investigating Team (SIT) investigates the accident spot of Additional District Judge Uttam Anand’s alleged murder case, in Dhanbad. You have filed a report in a sealed cover. It says ‘we went there’, ‘we went here’, etc. But your people have not indicated the motive… We wanted something concrete, the CJI said, expressing the court’s dissatisfaction to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI. Mehta said two people have been arrested in the case. They are under interrogation cannot reveal anything now, he submitted. The top court directed the CBI to file a weekly status report on the investigation with the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court. The Chief Justice of the High Court will monitor every week, the CJI said. The gravity of the matter, that is, the murder of a sitting judge, required the CBI to report to the Chief Justice of the High Court, he stated. The previous hearing had seen the CJI lash out at Central agencies such as the CBI, the Intelligence Bureau and State police forces for ignoring complaints from judges about abusive messages and threats even as attacks on the judiciary are on the rise. The court, which has taken suo motu cognisance of the rising number of attacks on judicial officers and even High Court judges, has suggested the formation of a special force to protect judges, especially trial court judges who decide criminal cases involving high-profile accused.

 

Amid Opposition protests, Lok Sabha passes three bills in quick time without any discussion

The government on Monday pushed through six bills, three of which were passed, in Lok Sabha despite the unrelenting Opposition protests over the Pegasus snooping row and other issues, prompting the Congress to hit out at the treasury members for violating constitutional and democratic norms. However, Lok Sabha also witnessed some rare moments of opposition members withdrawing their protests, which have been continuing since the beginning of the Monsoon Session, and returning to their seats when the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2021 to restore the states’ right to identify Other Backward Classes (OBCs) was introduced. Members of the Congress, DMK and the BSP, among others, supported the bill even as they slammed the government over the manner in which it has pushed forth its legislative agenda amid disruptions and ruckus. The House should be in order during the passage of a constitutional amendment bill as it requires mandatory division of votes, and no party will like to be seen opposing a bill that seeks to protect the interests of the OBCs. However, all other bills were introduced and passed amid noisy protests from opposition members. The bills that were passed amid the din were –The Limited Liability Partnership (Amendment) Bill 2021, The Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2021, and The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill 2021. The RSP’s NK Premachandran said the three bills were passed in 10 minutes and likened it to cooking dosas. Lok Sabha proceedings were repeatedly disrupted following uproar by the Opposition, but amid the protests, the government also introduced two other bills — The National Commission for Homoeopathy (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (Amendment) Bill, 2021. Congress leaders Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Manish Tewari alleged that democratic and constitutional norms were being violated with the government pushing ahead with its legislative agenda when the House was not in order. Some of their comments were later expunged by the Chair.

 

Ministry of Defence says no transaction with Pegasus spyware maker NSO

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) informed Parliament on Monday that it did not have any transaction with NSO Group Technologies, the Israeli company that developed the Pegasus spyware, in the first pointed reference to the company from the government since the controversy broke. The government response so far had shied away from mentioning the company. Ministry of Defence has not had any transaction with NSO Group Technologies, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha to a question from CPI(M)’s V. Sivadasan. However, the response is specific to the MoD and does not exclude other Ministries or agencies that may have engaged with the firm. Pegasus was used to snoop on civilians, journalists, Ministers, parliamentarians and activists across the world, including India, according to the reports by a consortium of 17 international media organisations based on an investigation conducted by Paris-based media non-profit organisation Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International into a leaked list of over 50,000 phone numbers that are believed to be been targeted through Pegasus or of interest for potential snooping. In India, more than 300 mobile numbers, including that of two serving Ministers, three Opposition leaders, one sitting judge, journalists and activists among others were targeted by Pegasus, reports stated. The Supreme Court is currently hearing petition on the matter filed by senior journalists and the Editors Guild of India among others. Last week, the court observed that allegations of the government using Pegasus to snoop on citizens, if true, were no doubt serious and observed that the truth has to come out. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet had termed the revelations extremely alarming and called on governments to immediately cease their own use of surveillance technologies in ways that violate human rights.

 

Withdraw P-G medical education regulations bill, says IMA

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has demanded that the National Medical Commission (NMC) withdraw the draft post-graduate medical education regulations 2021 bill, which notes that there shall be common counselling for admission in all medical educational institutions to all Post-graduate Broad-Specialty courses (Diploma/MD/MS) on the basis of the merit list of the National Exit Test. Calling the move anti-student and anti-patient care’, it said on Monday the NMC should withdraw the move and initiate dialogue with the stakeholders to understand the ground reality and do course correction to ensure uniform standards of education. The Association has also demanded that the existing system of admission and selection criteria must continue for the P-G seats, because the State medical colleges are staffed and managed by the budget of the State governments and when not even 50% seats are earmarked for the respective States, the maintenance and running of the institution will lose its charm and priority. As of date, the broad specialty post-graduation course admission is through PG NEET and 50% admission is done by the all-India quota and the rest 50% seats were admitted by the State governments as per the social justice norms with NEET PG marks by the Directorate of Medical Education of the respective State. But now the draft regulation says there shall be common counselling for admission in all medical educational institutions to all post-graduate broad-specialty courses (Diploma/MD/MS) on the basis of merit list of the National Exit Test and to all post-graduate super-specialty courses (DM/MCh) on the basis of the merit list of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test. India being a federal state, leaving the role of States in medical education will be disastrous. The Association demands the existing system of admission and selection criteria must continue for the PG seats, because the State medical colleges are staffed and managed by the budget of the State governments and when not even 50% of seats are earmarked for the respective State, the maintenance and running of the institution will lose its charm and priority, said the release. Also, this notification says when a student writes his exam, the marks he scores will be valid for three years and he can re-write the exam only after three years. This is a great injustice to the students. As it has proposed to conduct the NEXT exams in 2023, the NMC should come out with the pattern and type of examination after having wider democratic consultation with the students’ body, faculty, States and the largest professional body IMA. The release said the Association in principle welcomes the district residency. However, making it for a three-month period will result in overcrowding and impact the works in the medical college departments. The Association has demanded that the NMC should withdraw this anti-federal, anti-student and anti-democratic, draft bill and try to initiate dialogue with the stakeholders to understand the ground reality.

 

Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 3,19,74,856 with the death toll at 4,28,481. Foreign nationals residing in India have been allowed to register on the CoWin portal to take Covid-19 vaccines. The Health Ministry on Monday said foreign nationals can use their passport as an identity document to register. A significant number of foreign nationals are living in India, especially in large metropolitan areas. In these areas, the potential of spread of Covid-19 is high due to higher population density. To counter any possibility of such occurrence, it is important to vaccinate all eligible persons, the Ministry said in a release. It added that the initiative will ensure the safety of foreign nationals residing in India and also bring down the possibility of further transmission from unvaccinated persons. It will also ensure overall safety from further transmission of Covid-19 virus, said the Ministry.