Evening NEWS DIGEST
21 Jan.2017: 20 Rabius Sani 1438: Vol:8, No:94
Can govts in secular
democracy allot land to religious institutions? SC to address
New Delhi: Supreme Court has
decided to address whether a govt in a
secular democracy like ours could allot land free of cost to a community for
construction of a religious institution like temple, mosque or church.Dealing
with a petition which challenged Tamil Nadu govt's decision on Sept.24, 1986 to
allot 0.27 acres of land free of cost in Ullagaram village in Sadiapet taluk
near Chennai (then Madras) for construction of a mosque, a bench of Chief
Justice JS Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud said instead of dealing with the issue
piecemeal, it would be better to settle the larger issue.It directed the apex
court registry to list for March 20 all similar petitions pending in the SC.
"We will work it out for everyone. It will be a better idea to sort out
the issue once and for all. We cannot do it piecemeal," the bench said.
The petition by Federation of Chennai Suburban (South) Welfare Assocition had
challenged the govt order (GO) of
Sept.24,1986, by which the TN govt had accepted the recommendation of the land
administration commissioner and directed transfer of 0.27 acres to Muslim
Cultural Association of Madipakkam, Chennai, for construction of a mosque
without payment of any cost.TOI
Land for religous sites on
Supreme Court radar
Allot land on Re.1 lease to
Brahmin community to get Parshuram Bhawan constructed: Himachal Govt
Himachal CM Virbhadra Singh has directed all the deputy
commissioners of the state to allot land on one rupee lease to the Brahmin
community to get Parshuram Bhawan constructed at the district level provided
the land is identified by the members of the concerned community.He also
directed officers of big temples in the state to establish libraries so that
research scholars could be benefited whereas such libraries had already been
working in the Sanskrit colleges and academies. He was presiding over a meeting
of the Brahmin Board organized here at Dharamshala. He said that Sanskrit was
an ancient and rich language and was a high scoring subject. He assured the
members to consider their demand of introducing Sanskrit at senior secondary
level in the govt schools.Merinews.com/IANS
Shariat council can only
help in reconciliation: Madras HC
Chennai: Reiterating its
earlier stand that the Makka Masjid Shariat Council located at the mosque on
Anna Salai and other places can merely provide conciliation service to its
members, the first bench of the Madras High Court has made it clear that the
council cannot be allowed to function in a manner resembling a judicial forum.
It has no legal sanctity, the court said.“We are unable to agree with the
submission that the council merely provides conciliation service. If it is so,
it would not have troubled us. What is our concern is the manner in which it is
portrayed before the public, which does not give an impression as if it is only
a conciliation proceeding and an endeavour to resolve family disputes
amicably,” the bench of Chief Justice SK Kaul and Justice M Sundar said on
Thursday. The bench was dismissing a PIL by Abdur Rahman, who alleged that
hundreds of marriages are dissolved deceptively and property issues are settled
to the whims and fancies of religious leaders with the help of lawyers, in a
court like setup inside the premises of mosques, particularly in the Makka
Masjid in Chennai. newindianexpress
Shariat Council can’t
function like a judicial forum, says High Court: The Hindu
Jallikattu returns as TN
governor approves ordinance, CM to inaugurate sport
Chennai: After a three year long ban, Jallikattu will
finally be held across Tamil Nadu tomorrow. Governor Vidyasagar Rao has
approved an executive order or ordinance by the state govt which will allow the bull-taming sport to be
held in Tamil Nadu, CM O Panneerselvam
said this evening. The CM is now headed
to Alanganallur in Madurai to inaugurate Jallikattu celebrations tomorrow,
which were banned by the Supreme Court in 2014. Thousands of people, who have
been protesting at Chennai's Marina beach since Tuesday evening, had said they
will not disperse till the ban is officially lifted.All Tamil Nadu ministers
will inaugurate Jallikattu in their districts tomorrow at 11 am. ndtv
TN Governor promulgates
ordinance to conduct Jallikattu, CM to inaugurate sport
Jallikattu ordinance
cleared by Centre
Jallikattu protest a lesson
for Hindutva forces, Uniform Civil Code cannot be "imposed": Owaisi
AIMIM chief Asaduddin
Owaisi said the huge protests across Tamil Nadu against the Jallikattu ban are
a lesson for Hindutva forces.Owaisi today tweeted, “#Jallikattuprotest Lesson
for Hindutva forces,Uniform Civil Code cannot be "imposed"this nation
cannot have one Culture we celebrate all.”kashmirmonitor
Asaduddin Owaisi links
Uniform Civil Code to Jallikattu
Educated girl can’t cry
rape if ditched by boyfriend: HC
Mumbai: A promise to marry
cannot be considered an inducement in every rape case, the Bombay high court
has ruled while granting pre-arrest bail to a 21-year-old youth after his
former girlfriend lodged a case of rape following their break-up. Justice
Mridula Bhatkar held that an educated girl who has consented to have
pre-marital sex should take responsibility for her decision."In the event
of consent obtained by fraud, inducement is a necessary ingredient. There
should be some material on record to believe prima facie that the girl was
induced to such an extent that she was ready to have sexual intercourse.Promise
to marry cannot be said to be an inducement in these types of cases," said
Justice Bhatkar. The judge said that though society was changing, it carries
the baggage of morality. "Since generations, there is a moral taboo that
it is the responsibility of a woman to be a virgin at the time of marriage.
However, today, the young generation is exposed to different interactions with
each other and is well informed about sexual activities. Society is trying to be
liberated but carries baggage of different notions of morality wherein sex
before marriage is a matter of censure. Under such circumstances, a woman who
is in love with a boy forgets that to have sex is her option like her
counterpart's but refuses to take responsibility for her decision."TOI
Educated girl cannot claim
rape if boy walks out on 'marriage promise': Mumbai HC
Spl CBI court allows Ishrat’s
mother to join trial as party
Ahmedabad:A special CBI
court on Saturday allowed Shamima Kauser to join the Ishrat Jahan encounter
case as a party. Kauser is mother of Ishrat Jahan who had moved a plea before
the court recently in this regard. The special judge MK Pandya allowed the
vakalatnama moved by her advocate. Her lawyer has also sought copy of discharge
application moved by accused DGP PP Pandey who is the in-charge police chief of
Gujarat. Kauser sought permission to join the trial as a party since she is the
victim and a witness.Her lawyer senior counsel IH Syed sought copy of Pandey’s
discharge plea and other court papers related to the case.Pandey, along with
IPS officer GL Singhal, DSP NK Amin, retired IPS DG Vanzara, DSP Tarun Barot
and 2 other policemen were chargesheeted by CBI for conspiracy, murder and
kidnapping of 19-year-old Mumbai girl Ishrat, her friend Javed Sheikh alias
Pranesh Pillai and two alleged Pakistani nationals in 2004. indianexpress
Office-bearer of RSS
history wing set to join ICHR
New Delhi: Anand Shanker
Singh, an office-bearer of the RSS’s Akila Bharatheeya Itihasa Sankalana Yojana
(ABISY) and principal of Iswar Saran Degree College in Allahabad, is set to
become the new member-secretary of the Indian Council of Historical Research
(ICHR). The post has been vacant for one-and-half years — historian Gopinath
Ravindran, a UPA-II appointee, resigned halfway through his term in June 2015,
over differences with ICHR’s current head YS Rao on its decision to disband the
advisory committee of its journal comprising 21 historians, including Romila
Thapar and Irfan Habib. Singh, 51, was selected by a panel that included Rao.
His candidature has the approval from HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar and the
appointment will be announced soon.Singh is currently vice-president of the UP
chapter of ABISY called Itihaas Sankalan Samiti. He has been principal of Iswar
Saran Degree College, a constituent college of Allahabad University since 2005,
and specializes in Indian numismatics and palaeography and ancient Indian
socio-economic history.“I have worked on the inscriptions and coins found in
Mathura and Kaushambi,” he said.But he is not the only ABISY member to be
inducted into the ICHR under NDA-II govt. Council members Narayan Rao, Ishwar
Sharan Vishwakarma, Nikhilesh Guha and the ICHR boss himself are associated
with the RSS’s history wing. Indianexpress
Most Muslims lived in UP,
Bihar, W.Bengal, backwardness of states hurt community: RSS leader
RSS leaders Dattatreya
Hosabale and Manmohan Vaidya strongly defended their organisation from allegations
that it was pushing for a saffron agenda in education and blamed the Left for
distorting history.“People aren’t happy with education, which should be based
on national ethos. Our 5000 years of achievement is not taught. We think all
knowledge came from the British and teach disproved theories like the Aryan
Invasion,” Hosabale said at the Jaipur literature festival. They lauded the
Rajasthan govt for their work in
revising textbooks, which have come under fire for inaccuracies and peddling
gender and caste stereotypes. “Religious values cannot be kept out of the
classroom.”They attacked “Left liberals” for distorting education and history
and said the word “secular” was un-Indian and not favoured by BR Ambedkar. “It
was forcibly inserted in 1976 without demand, debate or discussion. The roots
of this word are western where secular state was created in opposition to
theocratic state. The Indian state has always been secular with no religious
discrimination,” Vaidya said speaking to a packed house.The question of the
upliftment of Muslims proved thorny. When asked to explain the poor
socio-economic condition of Muslims as explained in the Sachar committee
report, Hosabale said most Muslims lived in UP, Bihar and West Bengal, and the
backwardness of the states hurt the community.“We must also see if there is
something in the community that hinders development,” he said again to loud
applause. Minutes later, a man got up and blamed Muslims for wanting to remain
backward. “No one can help them,” he said to more cheers and hooting.But the
most fire was reserved for the Left, which was accused of painting the wrong
history. “They have blocked people in media and academia. Many have boycotted
JLF because we were coming. This is social and intellectual untouchability.”HT
We made a number of
demands, but PM did not respond to them at all says Muslim delegate, terms
meeting with Modi just as 'symbolic'
New Delhi:When Narendra
Modi reached out to the Muslim community on Thursday as he met a delegation comprising
both liberal, progressive and conservative members of the community, the PM divided opinion among the attendees. Independence
icon Maulana Abul Kalam Azad's grandson and noted educationist Firoz Bakht
Ahmed told Mail Today that Modi was on the right track."May be most
Muslims don't like PM Narendra Modi, but let's not forget many have begun to
like him too. Many Muslims are falling in line with what he thinks," said
Ahmed.Narrating what transpired, he said the meeting was extremely cordial with
PM meeting Muslim representatives in an informal way."PM Modi said he
considered Hindus and Muslims as his two children and he will deal with both of
them with equanimity and equality," he said. Delving into PM's vision, he
said Muslims need to come out of the mentality of ghettoisation. "He
reiterated his vision of seeing the Muslims with 'computer in one hand, and the
Quran in the other', but he also said that he was not going to go for the
uplift of the community by way of appeasement. He said he will do it under the
inspiration of his motto of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'," Ahmed said.He
also lauded the PM's efforts and pointed at the increase in the Haj quota, more
than many Muslim dominated countries. He also cited the financial assistance
given to the kite-makers of Gujarat. "The assistance was given to
kite-makers and most of them are Muslims. But the assistance was not given in
the name of Muslims," he added. Maulana Bilal Ahmed Bijrolvi, on the other
hand, described the meet as just a "symbolic" effort which "did
not go a long way in bridging the gulf between the Hindus and the
Muslims".Bijrolvi accepted that the PM tried to make the meeting informal
and tried to put his guests at ease, even narrating tales of a "Haji"
from his village who was extremely venerated by all and sundry, but then
dismissed it as only "symbolism"."We made a number of demands,
but the PM did not respond to them at all," he said. "We told the PM
that Muslims should be allowed to do 'namaz' at Muslim sites preserved by the
archaeological department. We told him Waqf land was being misused; reminded
him of what he had promised on bringing science and Quran together and also
about the minority status of AMU and preservation of other Muslim institutions.
But, PM gave a long speech without ever addressing any of this."Bijrolvi
gave Mail Today a letter that he submitted to the PM and which listed his
demands. "If you allow minority status for AMU, you will be giving a
chance to Muslims to thank you."He also demanded that the instant divorce
practice of triple talaq be left alone as an institution."I also demand
that the BJP leaders who are in a habit to give vitriolic speeches be
punished," the cleric said.india today
Attacked over issuing
Muslims visas, Sushma tweets religion not relevant for her
New Delhi:External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj took to Twitter on Friday to assert that all Indians were ‘her
people.’ The reaction came after a Twitter user alleged she was biased towards
issuing ‘Muslim Visa’. The allegations levied against her were directed towards
PM Modi asking him to look into the matter. Far from ignoring the tweet, the
foreign minister countered the allegation. Sushma said that matters of caste
and religion were not relevant to her since India was her country and all
Indians were her people. “India is my country. Indians are my people. The
caste, state, language or religion is not relevant for me,” she tweeted. indianexpress
Constitution’s architect
was against use of quota in perpetuity: Ambedkar’s grandson asks RSS leader
New Delhi;Prakash Ambedkar,
grandson of BR Ambedkar, on Saturday strongly objected to RSS leader Manmohan
Vaidya’s claim that the Constitution’s architect was not for continuance of
quota in perpetuity and challenged him to state where the dalit icon made such
a comment. Prakash, who leads Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh, hit out at Vaidya’s
remarks favouring review of reservation policy, alleging RSS has been
anti-reservation right from the beginning and urged people belonging to
reserved categories to decide on their association with Sangh and BJP in this
context.Prakash, however, did not make any direct reference to forthcoming
assembly elections in five states as he made this appeal to community
people.“On behalf of the party we condemn the statement of Manmohan Vaidya that
reservation should be put to an end. We challenge Mr. Vaidya to state the
source where Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar made the statement,” he told PTI.“RSS right
from the beginning is against the reservation. All people belonging to reserved
category have to decide on this background they would like to continue their
association with RSS and BJP,” he added.PTI
BSP, Congress target BJP over RSS leader's
call for quota review
Lucknow:A senior RSS
leader’s call for reviewing reservation policy gave political fodder to the
BJP’s opponents on Saturday, potentially threatening to hurt the saffron
party’s prospects in UP where caste equations play a major role in the election
results.Assembly elections in UP, crucial for the BJP’s hopes of gaining
majority in Rajya Sabha, will be held over seven phases starting Feb.11. A
similar comment by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat ahead of the 2015 assembly polls in
Bihar is believed to have boomeranged on the BJP, resulting in a resounding
victory for a Nitish Kumar-led grand alliance of JD(U)-RJD-Congress.BSP leader
Mayawati, who projects herself as a champion of the Dalits, on Saturday asked
the “suppressed community to teach the BJP a lesson in the assembly elections”,
indicating the issue will dominate the party’s campaign.“If (the) BJP comes to
power in UP, it will withdraw reservation,” Mayawati said a press conference
adding that “Dalit, OBC, ST will reject the saffron brigade.”HT
Controversy as RSS says no
community should have reservations for too long
Muslim reservation is
unconstitutional: BJP
Kothagudem: BJP State
president K. Laxman on Friday lashed out at TRS govt over its proposal to
provide 12% reservations to Muslim minorities, alleging that move was
“unconstitutional” and amounted to “religion-based reservations.” Laxman was
speaking at the inaugural session of the two-day BJP State executive committee
meeting, which commenced in the temple town of Bhadrachalam on Friday.Taking a
dig at the Telangana govt for its
“Muslim quota” proposal, the BJP leader alleged that the TRS regime was
pursuing vote-bank politics for selfish political gains. “Proposal is
unconstitutional,” he said, adding that the BJP would explore legal options
against it. thehindu
Congress moves EC over
‘campaigning’ by RSS
Congress on Friday drew
Election Commission’s attention to media reports about the RSS allegedly doing
“full swing” political activities in poll-bound UP.“It has been reported that
RSS has deployed their volunteers in 403 assembly constituencies in UP led by
one convener and 2 deputy conveners in each constituency,” Congress legal
secretary KC Mittal wrote in his letter to the CEC Nasim Zaidi. Mittal also
alleged RSS and its affiliated organisations have taken over campaign charge
for BJP candidates in the state.“The fact is RSS and their affiliated
organisations have been doing full swing political activities without being
registered as a political party with the Commission,” Mittal said.HT
Congress rejects Akhilesh's
offer of 99 seats, alliance with Samajwadi Party in trouble
New Delhi: Samajwadi
Party-Congress alliance which was promising to alter the political equations
for Assembly polls in UP is in trouble. Hectic negotiations for the last few
days hit a wall on Friday when both sides, off the record, called the other's
demand for more seats unreasonable. Amidst building tension, CM Akhilesh Yadav
started talks with Congress leaders through back channels to iron out the
differences since Saturday morning.At the heart of the trouble were two key
issues - how many seats will each get and which seat will go to which party.By
evening the talks were stalled once again. Akhilesh Yadav, who started
bargaining from not more than 85 seats in the morning made the final offer by
late afternoon. He has now put them all in the Congress's court by agreeing to
give 99 of the 403 seats to the Congress. But the Congress wants nothing less
than 110.The two parties had sent out all the right signals till Monday last.
But when the two camps sat down for seat sharing talks trouble erupted. Senior
Samajwadi Party leaders today indicated that Akhilesh who has already announced
210 candidates - some even on seats held by Congress legislators - may announce
few more if talks fail as time is running out and nominations for the first
phase are ending on Jan.24. CM is not waiting for the alliance to be through in
more ways. Tomorrow, Akhilesh will be releasing his party's manifesto in
Lucknow. ndtv
SP-Congress alliance in
trouble, tussle over minority-dominated seats
SP banks on Muslim-Yadav
formula:TOI
Lucknow: Focussing on its
tested Muslim-Yadav (MY) formula, Samajwadi Party has given tickets to 56
Muslims and 26 Yadavs in the first list of 208 candidates announced on
Friday.The list released by party's national president Akhilesh Yadav has most
of the 38 names, including Shivpal Yadav from Jaswantnagar in Etawah,
recommended by SP patriarch Mulayam Singh. Akhilesh's focus on Muslim
candidates gains significance since Mulayam had said recently that there was a
perception that UP CM was not pro-Muslim.TOI
Mulayam's aide Ambika
Chaudhary joins BSP, slams Akhilesh
Lucknow: In a setback to
Samajwadi Party, Mulayam Singh Yadav's aide Ambika Chaudhary today joined the
BSP, saying he was saddened by the way the SP patriarch was treated by his son
and CM Akhilesh Yadav. Chaudhary, who
joined the BSP in the presence of party chief Mayawati, has been promised a
party ticket from his traditional Phephna seat in Ballia which he had lost in
the 2012 UP Assembly elections. He later became a member of the Legislative
Council. PTI
UP elections: SP leader
Ambika Chaudhary joins BSP, Mayawati says ready for Shivpal too
UP: Clerics say no to
political parties
Lucknow:Unhappy with the
alleged misuse of their influence, religious places and educational institutions
for political gain during elections, Muslim clerics have decided to distance
themselves from political parties this poll season.Darul Uloom of Deoband was
the first to make public its intention to avoid party leaders ahead of the
upcoming state polls. Maulana Arif Ul Haq, Imam of the prestigious ‘Phoos ki
Masjid’ in Baruat, met Imams of 262 mosques in the tehsil under the
jurisdiction of the masjid on Sunday. The religious heads decided in the
meeting to keep political leaders at bay during the 2017 UP elections. The Imam
said, “Religion and politics should not be mixed. Politicians mislead people in
the name of Imams and exploit religious leaders for their political gain during
polls.” Mukti Zulfikar, state president of All India Imam Association, while
supporting the decision of Muslim clerics said, “It is true that party leaders
many times use innocent religious persons for their political benefit and
unfortunately religious heads end up earning a bad name in the process.”HT
UP elections: Politicians
tour Islamic seminaries and dargahs in hope of Muslim votes: HT
Mumbai: Muslim League
leader joins Shiv Sena
Mumbai: In a major blow to
the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), its city unit vice-president Sajid
Soopariwala has quit the party and joined Shiv Sena. Accompanied by Haji Arafat
Shaikh, who heads Shiv Sena's minority wing Maharashtra Shiv Vahtuk Sena,
Soopariwala met party president Uddhav Thackeray at Matoshree a couple of days
ago and formally joined the party."I was with IUML for over two years, but
didn't see it moving anywhere. I want to do something for the community and by
joining the Shiv Sena, I will be a bridge between the community and the party
which controls not just BMC, but also shares power in the state and at the
Centre," said Soopariwala, a Memon from an affluent family.timesofindia
ED summons Zakir Naik,
tells him to appear by Jan 30
Mumbai: The Enforcement
Directorate (ED) has summoned Dr. Zakir Naik, asking him to appear for
questioning by the end of this month. The summon is the first official
communication by an investigative agency addressed directly to Naik and asking
him to appear in person. The summons was issued earlier this week under the
provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act.The move comes after the union
govt , in November, issued orders banning Naik and his organisation IRF, of all
activities. After the ban, NIA sealed the IRF offices and also seized documents
and other evidence. Naik and IRF were banned under provisions of UAPA.
Subsequently, ED registered a criminal case against Naik and IRF in Dec.The
summons states that Naik should appear before the agency by the end of January
to record his statement. ASIAN AGE
ED summons Zakir under
Money Laundering Act
Scrutinization of Geelani’s
bank accounts a ploy:Hurriyat
Srinagar;Hurriyat
Conference(G)has termed the “scrutinization” of bank accounts of its chairman
Syed Ali Geelani by the National Investigation Agency as a “ploy to dampen his
sprits, harass him and deter him from raising the voice of the suppressed and
the subjugated nation.” Commenting on news reports about Geelani’s bank
accounts being “scrutinized” by NIA, a spokesman of the Hurriyat said:“This is
a part of negative campaign. Nothing is concealed and his (Geelani’s)
activities are open,transparent and unambiguous.” greaterkashmir
NIA used against resistance
leadership: Hurriyat (G)
J&K:Separate homeland
demand for Pandits gets right wing backing
Jammu:Several right wing
organisations from various states today backed the demand for creation of Union
Territory in Kashmir valley for displaced Kashmiri Pandits for their
rehabilitation and breaking the state into four parts. At a convention here to
mark 27th anniversary of exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley due to
militancy, all delegates endorsed the demand of Panun Kashmir organisation for
creation of UT in Kashmir valley to the North and East of River Jhelum along
with rehabilitation of all Kashmiri Hindus living all over India, Pramod
Muthalik, founder of Sri Ram Sena, told reporters here.Muthalik, who had shot
to limelight after an attack on a pub in Mangalore a few years back, addressed
a joint press conference along with Tapan Ghosh, a firebrand nationalist
ideologue from West Bengal, Charu Dutt Pingale, a social and cultural activist
from Maharashtra, Ramesh Shinde, founder of Hindu Jagruti Samiti, Murli Sharma
of Odisha-based Bharat Raksha Manch, Radha Krishen of Shiv Sena and
Agnishekher, convener of Panun Kashmir.PTI
Mob attack in Kathua
creates a sense of insecurity among Muslims of Jammu
Jammu: A week after RSS
activists attacked tribal Muslim families living in the Hari Chak village of
Tehsil Mahreen in Kathua district, an uneasy calm prevails in the Jammu
division, where most districts are Hindu-majority districts.The trouble started
on Monday, Jan.9, after tribal Muslims living in Hari Chak village were accused
of slaughtering cow. Hearing this, a mob of more than 500 persons led by RSS
activists entered the village with sticks and country-made rifles and fired on
the people which led to five injuries including a minor girl.The incident has
already caused a furore in the state with opposition cornering PDP-BJP
coalition govt in the state legislative
assembly and separatist leader expressing their apprehensions by issuing statements
and organising protests against the attack after Friday prayers across valley
as way to express solidarity with Muslims living in Jammu division.TCN
Cannot prescribe solution
or act as mediator on J&K:UK
London:UK can neither
“prescribe” a solution to the Kashmir issue nor act as a mediator, the British govt
has said, asserting that it is for India
and Pakistan to find a lasting solution to the problem. “India and Pakistan are
both long-standing and important friends of the United Kingdom and we have
significant links to both countries through Indian and Pakistani diaspora
communities,”Alok Sharma, UK’s Foreign Office minister in charge of Asia, said
during a debate on Kashmir in the Parliament.“…The long-standing position of
the British govt is that it can neither
prescribe a solution to the situation in Kashmir nor act as a mediator. It is
for the govt s of India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution, taking of
course into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people,” he said, stating
Britain’s position on the issue.PTI
5743 Rohingyas staying
illegally in JK: Govt
Jammu:Over 5,700 Rohingyas
(Burmese Nationals) are illegally staying in J&K , CM Mehbooba Mufti on Friday informed the
Legislative Assembly in a written reply.
“5743 Rohingyas are staying in the state. They have entered the state on
their own and are staying at various places in the districts of Jammu and
Samba,” Mehbooba who is also holding charge of Home Minister of JK stated. greaterkashmir
Pak asks India to suspend
work on hydro projects in J&K
Islamabad: Pakistan’s 2 parliamentary
committees in rare joint resolution asked India to immediately suspend work on
two hydropower projects in J&K and agree on the constitution of an
arbitration court to resolve the water dispute.National Assembly’s Committee on
Foreign Affairs and Water and Power held a joint sitting in Islamabad yesterday
to discuss water issues with India.A joint resolution unanimously adopted in
the meeting asked India to halt the construction work, Dawn reported. The
resolution also called upon the World Bank to constitute a court of arbitration
to adjudicate on issues raised by Pakistan against India’s ongoing construction
of Kishanganga and Ratle hydro projects.PTI
China acquires strategic
40% stake in Pak stocks
Pak hands over soldier who inadvertently
crossed LoC
New Delhi: An army soldier
who had inadvertently crossed the Line of Control in September last year has
been handed over to India by Pakistan at Wagah Border today. Sepoy Chandu
Babulal Chauhan was being released on "humanitarian grounds",
Pakistan said in a statement. The news of the 22-year-old soldier from
Maharashtra being in Pakistani captivity had come just hours after India
announced that in surgical strikes, troops had attacked seven terror launch
pads or staging areas across the LoC in PoK. NDTV
Eatables high in fat, salt,
sugar set to get ‘junk food’ label soon
New Delhi: A packet of
popular branded potato chips might soon have a “junk food” label on it as the
country’s food regulator wants to make a clear distinction between healthy and
unhealthy foods.Foods Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) move
reflects a growing concern over junk food — a grey area in India as the country
doesn’t have clear-cut guidelines on food and beverages considered
unhealthy.“We are trying to define junk food based on proportion of salt, sugar
and fat content… The calculations are based on the Indian diet chart and recommended
diet as well as international standards,” said Pawan Kumar Agarwal, CEO of
FSSAI.The regulator is preparing guidelines to put caps on fat, salt and sugar
content in packaged food. The manufacturers will have to put the junk food
label on packets of any product that contains more than the prescribed limit of
these ingredients. These suggestions were made by a panel that the regulator
had formed to prepare guidelines for a healthy diet for Indians, including a
definition on junk food. hindustantimes
Food regulator may soon label
chips, samosas as junk food
SC to give final hearing on
pleas of Teesta, others on Feb21
New Delhi: Supreme Court
would next month take up pleas filed by social activist Teesta Setalvad and her
2 controversial NGOs, challenging the freezing of their accounts by the
Ahmedabad Police, for final disposal. A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and R
Banumathi said it would commence the final hearing on the pleas on Feb.21. economictimes
Bihar forms world’s largest
human chain against alcoholism and liquor:PTI
Patna:Bihar today claimed
to have formed the world’s largest human chain with CM Nitish Kumar, political leaders, cutting
across party lines, and citizens held each other’s hand to reaffirm commitment
towards liquor ban. 45-minute-long human chain started at 12:15 PM at the
historic Gandhi Maidan when CM Nitish
Kumar floated colourful balloons, and ended at 1 PM.The CM joined hands with RJD supremo Lalu Prasad on
the one side and state Legislative Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary on
the other to begin the chain of people to express unity in support of
prohibition.Legislative Council Chairman Awdesh Narayan Singh, Deputy CM Tejaswi Yadav, state Congress President and
minister Ashok Choudhary, NCP General Secretary and MP Tariq Anwar and a host
of ministers and legislators held each other’s hand at the begining of the
chain which branched to different directions to stretch across Bihar.The human
chain is estimated to cover a distance of 11,292 km involving two crore
citizens. Bihar human chain is tipped to be the world’s largest so far.A
student of Notre Dame Ayesha Sayeed, whose school stood in line near Kurji More
here, said it’s a historic moment as we are becoming part of a great social
revolution.Burqa-clad women stood in queue in Gandhi maidan display
participation of people from all faiths.
Constitute separate ShiaWakf
Board:Telangana HC to govt
Hyderabad: Hyderabad High
Court has directed the Telangana govt to constitute a separate Wakf Board for
Shia Muslims.A deadline of 6 weeks has been given to finalise the decision. Justice
AV Sesha Sai gave this direction while dealing with a petition filed by Moulana
Waheduddin Hyder a representative of Anjuman-E-Alavi Shia Imamia Ithna Ashari
(Akhbari). Akhbari filed a petition, for not constituting a separate Waqf Board
for Shia Sect though sections 13(2) and 13(2-A) of the Waqf Act, 1995 mandate
it to do so. siasat
'Zaira Wasim Perfectly Shut
Up A BJP Leader Who Took A Dig At Women In Burqas
Before she could even
recover from the controversy that erupted when she met J&K CM Mehbooba
Mufti, Zaira Wasim, girl who played the younger version of Geeta Phogtat in
Dangal, has found herself embroiled in another.This time, it was BJP's Sports
Minister Vijay Goel. He sent out an atrocious tweet, which we aren't sure was
to empathise with her or just be vicious towards Muslims in general.In the
image, Goel is seen looking at an artwork that shows a helpless woman in a
cage. Behind her is a picture of a woman in a burqa.The painting depicts burqa
as a symbol of Islamic oppression. How Goel though that could be equated to
Zaira's journey (who he seemingly doesn't know too well) is something that only
he knows but the child star didn't take too well to the tweet, obviously. huffingtonpost
I am Zaira: Dear Vijay Goel
and bigots, wearing a hijab isn't oppression and acting in a movie isn't
un-Islamic
Separatist Asiya Andrabi’s son comes to Zaira’s
defence
Saudi deports Syed Zaker
Raheem, wanted for plan to kill BJP leaders
Saudi Arabia:Saudi Arabia
has deported a man wanted in connection with a conspiracy to target leaders of
BJP and other Hindu right wing outfits. Syed Zaker Raheem, who comes from
Saidabad in Hyderabad and was living in Riyadh for many years, was arrested by
Saudi authorities in May 2016 on the request of Indian authorities. After
completing formalities, he was deported to Delhi Thursday and taken to
Hyderabad Friday where Telangana police arrested him. Raheem is brother-in-law
of wanted Farhatuallah Ghori, who is learnt to be holed up in Pakistan. Ghori
is an absconding accused in an NIA case in connection with LeT’s recruitment of
several youth in Karnataka and Telangana in 2010-11 to execute terror attacks
and assassinate right-wing leaders. NIA had arrested several youngsters in the
case. 13 of them were convicted by a court last September after they pleaded
guilty to the charges. indian express
MP: Slain suspected SIMI
man’s mother produces footage before court
Jabalpur: Mother of a slain
suspected SIMI member - who was killed in an encounter after Bhopal jail break
- produced footages revealing conversations between the Bhopal police forces
chasing the under-trials. Mehmooda, 61, mother of slain Maharashtra-born Khalid
Ahmed, who was among the 8 slain men, had approached Jabalpur bench of high
court seeking to file a case of murder and criminal conspiracy against Madhya
Pradesh Home Minister and DGP besides the Bhopal jail officials for the alleged
encounter. She had also asked for registration of a separate FIR to probe
circumstances that led to murder of the jail guard. Advocate Naeem Khan
submitted footages in a CD before the court on her behalf. Next hearing has
been posted for Feb.13. Before moving this PIL, Mehmooda had also submitted a
complaint to Solapur (Maharashtra) police seeking action against Home Minister
Bhupendra Singh and others alleging that her son was murdered. Khalid was among
the SIMI members, who were killed after they escaped from the Bhopal Central
jail in a daring pre-dawn jail-break. Sholapur police did not register any case
though it had sent a copy to Bhopal police.TOI
Nursery admissions: HC
stays govt’s notification, private minority unaided schools to accept
neighbourhood criteria
New Delhi:Delhi High Court
today stayed the operation of AAP govt ’s circular asking private unaided
minority schools to accept admission forms based only on the neighbourhood or
distance criteria, saying they are free to devise their own procedures and
should be treated differently.The bench, which has rapped the AAP govt for issuing such notification “at the eleventh
hour putting everyone in a chaos like situation”, said the govt in future should make an endeavour to frame
such policy at least 6 months in advance, if not earlier.“Prima facie the Delhi
govt notification dated Jan.7, 2017 is contrary to the constitutional mandate. This
court is of the view that fundamental right of minority schools cannot be
interfered with and their right to admit students cannot be taken away..PTI
Delhi HC stays govt circular on private minority schools
Hamid Ansari calls for
fearless journalism
New Delhi: Vice President
Hamid Ansari on Friday said the media must stand up to fear, seek information
and speak out.“It must not hesitate to tell the powers their errors in
commission and omission. It is a fundamental function of the media and a basic
requirement for the functioning of a healthy democracy,” Ansari said after
giving away the C.H. Mohammed Koya National Journalism Awards 2016.IANS
AP, Telangana take lead in
setting up ‘Gurukuls’ for Muslims
New Delhi:Govt has approved 16 residential schools for Muslim
students, which will be modelled on the traditional ‘Gurukuls’; and the
southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are taking a lead in this.The
newest Indian state of Telangana is taking proactive measures to avail benefit
of the Centre’s scheme. The scheme is estimated to cost about Rs. 262 crore.Scheme
is part of the Centre’s plan to modernise the education for Muslims in the
country.
Police hike reward for
information on Najeeb
After failing to achieve any breakthrough in
tracing missing JNU Najeeb Ahmed, the police on Friday hiked the reward to ₹10
lakh for anyone sharing information that might help them to find him. Police had
initially announced a reward of ₹50,000, which was later increased to ₹1 lakh,
then again doubled to ₹2 lakh. In November, the amount was hiked to ₹5lakh.the
hindu
JNU Teachers on strike to
lose out one day’s salary
JNU Teachers’
Association observed a strike against ‘administrative threats to colleagues’
and to press for the ‘democratic functioning of institutions within JNU’, among
other things on Jan.17. However, Pramod Kumar, the Registrar of the university,
has written to all faculty members asking them to convey in writing about their
participation in a strike called by JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) within 10
days.FE
Clinical trial of Unani medicine
for diabetes soon:AMU don
Ludhiana: Teenager chops up
9-year-old’s body, eats flesh, drinks blood; arrested
Ludhiana:The police on
Friday arrested a 16-year-old boy for murdering a nine-year-old and then eating
his flesh. The accused, identified as Vikesh Kumar confessed he killed the boy
Deepu to eat his flesh, told the police.As per police, the initial plan of the
accused was to demand a ransom, but foreseeing failure of his plan, he ended up
murdering the victim. After murdering the victim, he ate flesh from his thigh
and drank his blood.Police also informed that he told he had removed the
victim’s heart from his body and thrown it on the premises of his school here,
with the intention of bringing ill-reputation to it.He confessed he never liked
going to school and thus, he thought of doing so that the school gets
closed.The heart was recovered by the police from the school compound.As per
cops, the accused had some psychiatric problem due to which he used to eat raw
meat.ANI
16-yr-old kills 9-yr-old,
chops body into 6 parts, eats flesh, drinks blood:TOI
DEMONETISATION
Demonetisation: RBI says
doesn’t know exact number of scrapped notes
More than 72 days after
demonetisation, RBI has said it still does not know the “exact number” of
junked currency notes that were in circulation and it is still “reconciling”
the number of notes that were deposited back. In a written submission to
Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the central bank said: “The exact
number of Specified Bank Notes (SBNs) withdrawn from circulation is being
worked out.”PTI
Demonetisation,pol.decision
not economic:Sanjay Baru
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/demonetisation-a-political-decision-not-economic-sanjay-baru/
Jaipur:Halfway into its
tenure, the BJP govt has “nothing but
demonetisation” to highlight, which was essentially a political decision aimed
at casting Narendra Modi as an anti-corruption crusader, author commentator
Sanjaya Baru today said. Baru, who was the media advisor to former PM Manmohan
Singh was speaking at a session at the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival here.
“The decision of demonetisation was a political decision not an economic one
through which the PM Modi established himself as a powerful anti-corruption
crusader.PTI
WORLD
Turkey moves closer to
expanding Erdogan powers
Ankara: Turkish parliament
early Saturday approved a draft bill that would dramatically expand the powers
of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, meaning the country will vote on changing
the constitution later this year.The govt insists the proposals to create an executive
presidency will ensure simpler and more effective administration but critics
say it will give Erdogan more power that is unchecked. Parliament approved 18-article
constitution in a final vote with 339 "yes" votes. 142 MPs voted
against the bill.Each article was put to a vote in the 550-seat parliament,
where ruling AKP enjoys a comfortable majority. At least 330 votes -- a 3-fifths
majority -- were needed to adopt the constitutional change. Immediately after
the bill was approved, PM Binali Yildirim said the "last word" would
be had by the people in a referendum, expected to be held in April.AFP
Turkish MPs approve bill to
create executive presidency
Brotherhood’s Akef moved to
private hospital due to health deterioration
Informed sources have
revealed that ex-Muslim Brotherhood General Guide Mohammed Mahdi Akef has been
moved from Qasr El-Eyni Internal Medicine Hospital, in central Cairo, to a
private hospital.The move has apparently been made after an appeal from his
family about the deterioration of his health. Akef was diagnosed with cancerous
tumours in his bile duct, reported Cairo News Portal.On 26 Dec., Muslim
Brotherhood revealed that its former leader’s condition is terminal and
demanded that he be released. The Egyptian authorities have only responded to
the movement’s request now.Akef is being detained on charges of involvement in
the summer 2013 “Guidance Office incident”, after clashes between Brotherhood
supporters and opponents. middleeastmonitor
Trump has fired all foreign
US ambassadors with nobody to replace them
Shortly after Donald Trump
was sworn into office as the 45th President of the US, all foreign ambassadors
were fired and with no concrete replacement ambassadors lined up. Trump had
demanded that every ambassador in countries all over the world, who had been
appointed by ex-President Barack Obama, were told to leave their offices by
midday on 20 January and with no grace period.His transition team had said on
23 Dec.there would be “no exceptions” for ambassadors requesting to extend
their postings past Inauguration day, in contrast with other Presidents, even
for ambassadors with young children.It is common policy, however, that
politically appointed ambassadors resign at start of a new administration. It
is less common to have no replacements in line. As many as 80 ambassadors for
countries, agencies and issues - such as the ambassador for global women's
issues - have been discarded at once. The move now threatens leaving many
countries without Senate-confirmed envoys for months and cutting off a direct
line to the President, and some in countries which have sensitive relations to
the US. independent
In open letter to US
Congressmen, 90 civil advocacy groups oppose anti-Muslim rhetoric
About 90 national
religious, secularist, civil advocacy and civil rights organizations have
urged the members of Congress to
"support core principles of the First Amendment and religious freedom in
our country by denouncing anti-Muslim rhetoric and policy proposals."In an
open letter sent on Jan.17, the organizations said as anti-Muslim rhetoric
became more prevalent during the presidential campaign, the rate of crimes
against Muslims also increased. "Establishing anti-Muslim policies, such
as forcing Muslims to register on a national scale, goes directly against the
American principles of freedom of religious belief and of expression."The
open letter was sent to mark the Religious Freedom Day 2017.Milli Gazette
Kremlin: Putin ready to
meet with Trump
Russian President
Vladimir Putin is ready to meet US President Donald Trump but preparations for
the possible meeting may take months, not weeks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry
Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS news agency. Middleeastmonitor
US President Trump
sworn-in, vows to obliterate radical Islamic terrorism
Trump admin makes defeating
Islamic terrorism top foreign policy goal
Asian media decry
isolationist US President Donald Trump, fear economic and diplomatic
turmoil:Reuters
World jittery about Donald
Trump’s ‘America first’ inaugural speech:AP
Bernie Sanders Should Have
Been America’s 45th President. Democrats Elevated Trump and Cheated Bernie
Pentagon: US airstrikes
kill 100 Al-Qaeda fighters in Syria
A US airstrike on
Thursday targeting an alleged Al-Qaeda training camp in Syria’s Idlib province
killed more than 100 militants, the Pentagon said in a statement yesterday.The
strike took place just a day before the end of Barack Obama’s presidency and
the beginning of Donald Trump’s, and a day after more than 80 Daesh militants
were killed in other US airstrikes in Libya.“The removal of this training camp
disrupts training operations and discourages hardline Islamist and Syrian
opposition groups from joining or cooperating with Al-Qaeda on the
battlefield,” Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said in the statement.US
has never bombed Iranian proxies, such as Shia jihadists from the Lebanese
Hezbollah or units from the Iraqi Hezbollah, despite both being listed as
terrorist organisations by Washington.Middleeastmonitor
Deadly bomb blast hits
Syria's Rakban refugee camp
A bomb blast struck the
Rakban camp for displaced people in Syria near the border with Jordan on
Saturday, causing injuries and deaths, said the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights, a Britain-based war monitor.The camp is home to displaced civilians and
to rebel groups that fight both President Bashar al-Assad and ISIL armed group
and was targeted by bombings last year.Jordan's official Petra news agency,
citing a military source, confirmed that an explosion went off inside the camp.
Syrian local media said the blast was caused by a car-bomb and caused deaths
and injuries.There was no claim of responsibility for the bombing. Home to more
than 85,000 displaced, the Rakban camp was also targeted by a bomb blast last
month.On Saturday, the Russian defence ministry said six Russian warplanes
carried out air strikes on ISIL targets in the Deir ez Zor provice, according to
Russian media outlet RIA. The ministry added that the planes flew from Russian
territory and returned after the strikes, RIA said.The attacks comes as the
Syrian government and rebel groups prepare for upcoming peace talks in
Kazakhstan. aljazeera
Opposition meet Russian
delegates ahead of Astana talks
Ankara:Syrian opposition
and Russian delegations mediating peace talks due next week in Kazakh capital
of Astana met Friday in Ankara.The meeting was held in coordination with the
Turkish co-guarantor of the cease-fire in Syria, the Syrian opposition's
military delegation said in a statement.According to the statement, the two
delegations discussed the structure, the goal, and agenda of the Astana
talks."The meeting also covered how they would lead to a political
solution in Syria in accordance with the UN security council terms of
reference, the Geneva communique and resolution 2254," read the statement.
Anadolu agency
Turkey’s Deputy PM rejects
comments on Assad
Davos, Switzerland:Turkish
Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek on Friday rejected a "distorted"
news report carrying his remarks on Bashar al-Assad.Speaking to Anadolu Agency,
Simsek said his comments quoted by Russian Sputnik news agency at the World
Economic Forum in Davos did not reflect the truth and his remarks were
"distorted”.Earlier, Sputnik quoted Simsek saying, "Turkey can no
longer insist on an agreement without Assad."Anadolu agency
Mosul Op: 6,500 Iraq
soldiers killed in 3 months
Mosul: Iraqi Kurdish
Regional Govt 's peshmerga forces make preparations as they take positions as
they attack Daesh targets to capture Imam Reza Village and the other
surrounding villages from Daesh terrorists during the operation to retake
Iraq's Mosul from Daesh terrorists, in Mosul, Iraq on October 20, 2016. A much
anticipated Mosul offensive to liberate the city from Daesh began midnight of
16th of October. Middleeastmonitor
Losing in Iraq, IS seeks to
shore up Syria presence:Reuters
2,250 militants
‘neutralised’ in Turkish-backed operation
in Syria
More than 2,250 militants
have been killed, wounded or captured in northern Syria in a Turkish-backed
operation launched late August, the Turkish military said in a statement today.
Operation Euphrates Shield has resulted in 1,940 Daesh fighters and 315 PKK/PYD
terrorists being “neutralised”, the Turkish General Staff said in a weekly
briefing note on the 150-day campaign to eliminate the terror threat along
Turkey’s southern border. middleeastmonitor
IS destroys parts of 2nd-century Roman
amphitheatre in Syria’s Palmyra
Denmark will deploy special
forces to Syria to fight against Daesh
Deadly blast rocks market
in Pakistan's northwest
A bomb blast ripped through
a vegetable market in Pakistan's northwestern region in a predominantly Shia
area, killing at least 22 people and wounding about 90 others. The explosion
occurred Saturday morning at the Eidgah Market in Parachinar city, the capital
of Kurram Agency, where a large number of people had gathered to buy fresh
produce.Ashiq Hussain, who was lightly wounded, was being treated in Parachinar
hospital. He said he was among the people purchasing fruit and vegetables
loaded on a van when the explosion took place.Local official Kurram Ikramullah
told Al Jazeera as many as 87 people had been wounded, some in critical
condition. aljazeera
Suicide bombers blow
themselves up in Saudi Arabia
Two suicide bombers have
blown themselves up in a confrontation with security forces in Saudi Arabia's
second city of Jeddah, local media reported.Sabq, a news website affiliated
with the kingdom's Interior Ministry, reported on Saturday that security
officers surrounded a house in Jeddah and exchanged fire with two men, who then
detonated explosives that images showed completely destroyed the home.There was
no immediate comment from the Saudi interior ministry. aljazeera
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 7:55 PM)
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