Evening NEWS
DIGEST
20 Jan.2018:02 Jamadiul-1 1439:Vol:9, No:102
INDIA
After top judges' dissent, Chief Justice to
hear judge loya Case on Monday
New Delhi:
A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra will on Monday hear the case
about Judge BH Loya's death, one of the main triggers for last week's
unprecedented crisis in India's judiciary.Chief Justice's bench, which also
comprises Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, had yesterday fixed the
next date of hearing and ordered that the case be put up "before the
appropriate Bench as per the roster".According to court documents issued
on Saturday, it will continue to remain with the Chief Justice's bench.2
petitions that sought an independent probe into Judge Loya's death had earlier
been assigned to two judges including Justice Arun Mishra, the 10th most-senior
judge of the Supreme Court.But the 2 judges remitted the case back to the Chief
Justice on Tuesday in wake of an unseemly controversy after four senior judges
last week questioned what they called selective assignment of cases with far reaching
consequences. 4-Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan Lokur and Kurien
Joseph - had underscored that sensitive cases should be heard by senior judges.They
had confirmed that their complaints include the case of the death of a CBI
judge, BH Loya.Justice Arun Mishra, who was one of the two judges hearing the
Judge Loya case, had later broken down at a closed-door meeting of judges at
the Supreme Court, complaining that he was "unfairly" targeted and
questions raised about his "competence". He was, however, reassured
by Justice Chelameswar that he wasn't the target. Judge Loya, 48, died in
Nagpur in Dec. 2014 while he was hearing a case that accused BJP chief Amit
Shah of ordering a fake encounter in 2005. Weeks after the judge's death, Amit
Shah was discharged from the case with a new judge ruling that there was no
evidence to merit his trial.2 months ago, judge Loya's relatives said his death
was unnatural. His sister Anuradha Biyani also claimed that he was offered a
huge bribe to rule in favour of Amit Shah. A Maharashtra journalist BS Lone and
activist-petitioner Tehseen Poonawalla had filed a petition to seek an
independent inquiry. NDTV
CJI decides to hear PILs on CBI judge Loya’s
death
Sohrabuddin fake encounter case: Lawyers’ body
moves HC against CBI not challenging Amit Shah’s discharge
Mumbai:A city-based lawyers’ association today
filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court against CBI’s decision not to challenge a
lower court order discharging BJP president Amit Shah in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh
fake encounter case. The Bombay Lawyers Association, which filed the public
interest litigation, termed as “illegal, arbitrary and malafide” the CBI’s
decision not to challenge the Dec.30, 2014 order passed by a court here
discharging Shah.PIL urged the high court to issue a direction to CBI to file a
revision application challenging the sessions court’s order discharging
Shah.The petitioner’s lawyer Ahmad Abidi said the plea would be mentioned
before a division bench of justices SC Dharmadhikari and Bharti Dangre on
Jan.22. “CBI is a premier investigating agency. It has public duty to observe
the rule of law in its action but it has miserably failed,” the petition
said.It submitted that the trial court had similarly discharged two Rajasthan
Police sub-inspectors, Himanshu Singh and Shyam Singh Charan, and senior
Gujarat police officer N K Amin in the case.“The petitioner has learnt that the
CBI has challenged their discharge before the high court. This act of the CBI
in challenging discharge of the accused persons on selective basis is arbitrary
and unreasonable, rather malafide,” the petition said.It also claimed that the
Supreme Court, while transferring the trial in the case from Gujarat to Mumbai,
had ordered that it be concluded expeditiously. “The SC had said Administrative
Committee of the HC would assign the case to a court where the trial may be
concluded judiciously, in accordance with the law, and without any delay. “Administrative
Committee would also ensure that the trial should be conducted from beginning
to end by the same officer, the apex court had said in its order,” it said.In a
related development, another judge of the high court today issued notices to
CBI and the accused in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh case on 2 petitions filed by
journalists against the trial court’s ban on the reporting the
proceedings.Justice Revati Mohite-Dere will hear the petitions on Jan.23. Trial
court had issued the gag order after defence lawyers referred to “misreporting”
about the death of judge B H Loya who had dealt with the case earlier, and
raised security concerns.CBI today told the high court that its stand on the
issue was “neutral”.PTI
Gag order in Sohrabuddin trial: HC to hear scribes’
plea
2002 Gulberg Society massacre case defence
lawyer in panel for picking tribunal chiefs
Rajkot:Central Govt has appointed Abhay Bhardwaj, who was the
defence lawyer in 2002 Gulberg Society massacre case, as a member of the
search-cum-selection committee for selecting presiding officers of Central Govt
Industrial Tribunals (CGIT). The
appointment of Bhardwaj comes close on the heels of his appointment as a
part-time member of the Law Commission of India last year.A January 10
notification of Ministry of Labour and Employment stated that the Appointments
Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), which is headed by PM Narendra Modi and comprises senior ministers
of his cabinet, had approved the composition of search-cum-selection committee.
According to the notification, Justice (retired) L Narasimha Reddy, ex-chief
justice of Patna HC, is the chairman of the committee. Bhardwaj has been
appointed as one of the two expert members. The other expert member of the
5-member committee is Snehlata Srivastava, a retired IAS officer who had served
as secretary in the Dept of Justice of the Central Govt . Incumbent secretaries
of the Ministry of Labour and Employment and Legislative Dept are the other two
members. These tribunals also adjudicate matters related to grievances of
employees of public sector units and nationalised banks. In the recently
concluded Assembly elections, Bhardwaj was a proposer of Rupani’s candidature
when he filed his nomination from Rajkot (West). Bhardwaj is also an RSS
swayamsevak and was associated with the outfit’s student wing, ABVP, during his
student days. His younger brother, Nitin, is a BJP corporator in the Rajkot
Municipal Corporation.indianexpress
Delhi 20 MLAs disqualification: AAP lashes out
at PM Modi, calls CEC Joti ‘agent of BJP’
New Delhi: A day after the Election Commission
recommended to the President to disqualify 20 of AAP’s MLAs for holding offices
of profit, which has set the stage for their ouster from Assembly, AAP leader,
Sanjay Singh has lashed out at Modi Govt and election commission. As per a TV
report, Sanjay Singh said, “Modi Govt is violating various institutions of
democracy. 4 judges coming out in the open and addressing media is a proof of
it.”Singh laid out examples where the members holding office of profit who were
never disqualified. He said, “It has happened during Congress rule in Delhi, it
has happened in Bengal and Jharkhand as well. This proves that the EC is
working at the behest of BJP.” But the shocker came from him when he commented
on the working of the chief of the election commission, AK Joti. Sanjay Singh
said, “CEC AK Joti is working for his boss PM Modi. He has a bungalow in
Gujarat. Just 3 days before his retirement, he has shown his true face as an
agent of BJP. I demand Narendra Modi’s resignation.”Another AAP leader, Gopal
Rai jumped in quarrel. Rai said, “All intellectuals and political people are
shocked that under the pressure of the CEC Joti, who retires after 2 days, did
you decide to cancel the membership of the legislators?” Meanwhile, Sanjay Raut
from Shiv Sena said, “There is a question mark on the decision of Election
Commission. Questioning ECI is common when decisions like these come. Election
Commission is itself responsible for it.” financialexpress
Disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs: Bypolls, 2019
loom, but AAP worry today is crack in ranks
AAP accuses EC of ‘discrimination’ after it
recommends disqualification of its 20 MLAs
AAP MLAs disqualification: No due process,
panel decided without hearings, ex-CEC frowns
New Delhi: AAP wasn’t the only one raising
questions about the Election Commission’s adverse opinion in the office-of-profit
case on Friday. Former officials of the Commission, who spoke on the condition
of anonymity, said that the poll panel had decided the matter without holding
any hearing on the merits of the complaint against the 20 MLAs. A former Chief
Election Commissioner (CEC) pointed to the Commission’s order of June 23, 2017,
to support AAP’s argument.“That order clearly states that the EC will continue
hearing the office-of-profit case against the legislators even though the Delhi
HC had set aside their appointment as parliamentary secretaries. So what
happened after that?”EC did not hold a single hearing on the case after its
order of June 23, 2017. In fact, the order clearly states that “the Commission
will intimate the next date of hearing to all concerned parties in the present
proceedings in due course”.Nasim Zaidi, who was CEC in June 2017, did not wish
to say anything on Friday’s development when contacted him for a comment. Another
ex-official of the EC told this newspaper that complaints of office-of-profit
are decided only after the Commission is able to answer three questions:
Whether the legislator held any office; Whether the office was held under the Govt
and whether that office carried any
profit.“If you read the Commission’s order of June 23 (2017), it’s clear that
it had decided only on the first question. EC was of the opinion that the 20
AAP MLAs had held the office of Parliamentary Secretaries even though it was by
way of illegal appointment.“The order clearly states that this decision was
taken without any ‘prejudice to the merits of the case’. This means that the EC
should have held hearings on the merits of the case, which it didn’t,” the
ex-official said.“The EC’s opinion, it seems hasn’t been arrived after following
due process and, hence, may not hold up in the court of law,” he added. When
asked about the EC opinion, ex-CEC SY Quraishi said: “To me, it’s unclear
whether (the merits of the case) were heard or not because the Delhi HC is of
the view that the these people (AAP MLAs) did not even appear before the
Commission. This creates a confusing picture. Before we have all the facts and
the written order of the EC, any comment is premature but everybody seems to be
discussing it threadbare.”indianexpress
Mamata lends support to AAP, says a
constitutional body was being used for political vendetta
Kolkata:Reacting to Election Commission’s
recommendations to the President the disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs, West
Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said a
constitutional body was being used for “political vendetta”. She also described
the development as “unfortunate” and said it goes against the principles of
natural justice.Lending her support to AAP, she said in a tweet, “A
Constitutional body cannot be used for political vendetta. 20 AAP MLAs were not
even given a hearing by the Hon’ble Election Commission.Most unfortunate. This
goes against the principles of natural justice. At this hour we are strongly
with @arvindkejriwal and his team.”indianexpress
National Herald case: Hearing against Sonia,
Rahul adjourned till Match 17
New Delhi: A Delhi court has adjourned the
hearing in the National Herald case, involving former Congress chief Sonia
Gandhi, her son and party president Rahul Gandhi and others till March 17.The
court also ordered that documents submitted by the main petitioner and BJP’s
Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy be kept in a sealed cover till then. According
to reports, Swamy had produced before the court, Income Tax notices where Young
Indian, a firm in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi allegedly own a 38% stake each, has been declared a tax
offender.The court had began hearing the case earlier in the day.Apart from the
Gandhis, Congress party leaders Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey, and
Sam Pitroda and Young Indian – are facing trial in the case. Swamy had filed a
complaint about “cheating” in acquisition of AJL, which published the National
Herald newspaper, by Young Indian.# thestatesman
Ram Sene's Pramod Muthalik Claims Threat to
Life from RSS Leaders, Fears 'Togadia-Like' Fate
Bengaluru: Shri Ram Sene founder Pramod
Muthalik, who hit headlines after the 2009 attack on Mangalore pub revellers,
has said that he faces a threat to his life from former RSS colleagues — days
after VHP leader Pravin Togadia made similar explosive claims. Muthalik said,
“I know my enemies well. Congress, Communists, intellectuals etc are my
enemies. But they are known enemies. They work against me. I am worried about
my own people who can harm me. They are good at backstabbing. What happened to
Pravin Togadia might happen to me too.”Directly blaming RSS, the radical
Hindutva leader said, "The top leader of RSS in Karnataka, Mangesh Bhende,
does not like me. He has the backing of ex-CM Jagadish Shettar and Dharwad MP
Prahlad Joshi.They don't want me in north Karnataka.”“My own people are after
me. They don't like my popularity. I am worried,” Muthalik, a one-time Sangh
leader, said. “They don't like anyone getting name and fame. They have a
'slave' mindset. I have achieved so much with them and later without them.
Because of that, I was forced to leave the organisation.”Launching an all-out
attack against RSS, Muthalik said he had "wasted" 40 years of his life
for the RSS and was disillusioned now. “There are thousands like me. But they
can't do anything now. RSS leaders talk about Hindu unity. They don't like
their own people. How will they achieve unity then?"He, however,
reiterated that his faith in Hindutva was intact.Muthalik was a firebrand
leader of RSS and Bajrang Dal in Karnataka before he quit to form his own
radical outfit called Sri Rama Sene over a decade ago.Soon after formation,
members of his radical outfit attacked revellers at a pub in Mangalore. He
recently joined Shiv Sena as its Karnataka unit chief. He said the Sena would
be contesting in 50 seats in assembly elections this year and will “teach BJP a
lesson”.CNN-News18
Muthalik claims threat to life from RSS
leaders
Rajsamand killing: SC terms video of Muslim
man’s murder as ‘horrendous’
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has termed as
“horrendous” the video of a Muslim labourer from West Bengal being hacked and
burnt alive in Rajasthan’s Rajsamand district on Dec.6 last year. A bench
comprising CJI Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud was
inclined to issue notice on plea filed by Gulbahar Bibi, wife of 50-year-old
deceased Mohammed Bhatta Sheikh, seeking an impartial SIT probe into the
dastardly murder.“The video is horrendous,” the bench said, adding it was
willing to consider the plea and issue appropriate directions.The top court,
however, said the petition was poorly drafted and asked senior advocate Indira
Jaising, representing the wife of the slain labourer, to file a better plea and
fixed Jan.29 as the next date of hearing.Jaising said the video has already
been seen by millions of people and a direction be issued to the Centre and the
state Govt to ensure that it was not
circulated further and withdrawn from the internet.She also said the victims be
granted their fundamental right to access to justice, as “unruly crowd has been
attempting to stall the judicial process to favour the accused.”Jaising said
“unruly crowd” rush to the trial court during the proceedings in the case in
support of the accused, leading to denial of access to justice to the victims.
The Muslim labourer, hailing from West Bengal, was allegedly hacked and burnt
alive on Dec.6 last year and the murder was recorded on camera by the minor
nephew of accused Shambhulal Regar. The accused is now in judicial custody.PTI
Another Muslim from Bengal found dead in
Rajasthan. Cops rule out murder, family thinks otherwise
After the brutal murder of Mohammad Afrazul
last year, yet another migrant Bengali Muslim worker has been found dead in
mysterious circumstances in Rajasthan.Saker Ali (30) originally from Chanchal
in Malda, was found dead at his home in Narikhana in Jaipur’s Shastri Nagar
area on Wednesday. While initially it was being said that killers tried to set
Saker Ali on fire and murdered him with a sharp weapon, Rajasthan police later
said that it wasn't a case of murder. The victim's family as well as the West
Bengal police are both claiming that Saker Ali had been murdered. “When his roommate came back home on
Wednesday, he found Ali’s body on the floor. He had blood stains on his face
and nose and there were some burn injuries as well,” said Saker Ali’s father
Mohammad Ghyasuddin.Responding to the Rajasthan police's claim that Saker Ali
died due to acid burns, his father said, "The post-mortem report sent by
Rajasthan police said there were burn injuries. It didn't mention acid burns.
We think he has been murdered". Victim’s family have demanded an inquiry
and plan to meet West Bengal CM soon.Even
the West Bengal police says that according to the information available to it,
it is a case of murder. "We have learnt that Saker Ali was murdered. We
are in touch with the Rajasthan police to identify who is behind this murder
and what was the motive,” said Sukumar Misra, inspector in-charge of Chanchal
police station.Saker Ali had been staying in Jaipur for the past four years
with his roommate, who also hails from Chanchal. After the body was recovered, the police took
some locals including the owner of the house and his son for interrogation. catchnews
Malda labourer dies mysteriously in Rajasthan:
Family members allege murder, want CBI probe
Muzaffarnagar riots case: Balyan, Malik appear
before court after NBWs were issued
Muzaffarnagar: Ex-Union minister Sanjiv Balyan
and BJP MLA Umesh Malik appeared in the court today after non bailable warrants
were issued against them for not appearing in connection with a Muzaffarnagar
riots case.Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Madhu Gupta directed the two to
appear in court on Jan.29 for framing of charges against the accused in the
case.BJP MP Balyan and Malik also furnished bonds of Rs 30,000 each.It is
alleged that the accused persons had participated in a 'mahapanchayat' and
incited violence through their speeches in the last week of August 2013.More
than 60 people were killed and over 40,000 displaced during communal riots in
Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas in 2013.PTI
2013 Sonai Dalit youths murder: Nashik court awards death sentence to
6
More than 5 years after the gory murders of 3
Dalit youths in Ahmednagar’s Sonai village shook the State, the Sessions court
in Nashik on Saturday pronounced the death sentence on the 6 persons convicted
of the crime.Earlier this week, the court convicted six of the seven men
accused in the gory murders that occurred in Sonai village in Ahmednagar where
three Dalit youths, Sachin Gharu (24), Sandeep Thanvar (25) and Rahul Kandare
(20), were brutally murdered and their mutilated body parts scattered in a
septic tank and a dried-up well.6 accused of the crime include Ramesh Darandale
(43), Prakash Darandale (38), Ragunath Darandale alias ‘Popat’ (52), Ganesh
alias Praveen Darandale (23), Sandeep Kurhe (37) and Ashok Phalke (44). Ramesh,
Prakash and Popat are brothers, while Sandeep Kurhe is a relative of the
Darandales. “It was the opinion of the court that caste prejudices ought to
checked like one curbs the spread of a malignant disease. Persons who
arrogantly flaunt the ‘superiority’ of their caste by keeping up an unfair
status quo through means of violence and other means of spreading hatred should
not be allowed to roam scot-free,” said Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, speaking outside the courtroom
after the verdict.thehindu
War Like Situation Along LoC: Schools Closed,
Hospitals on High Alert; At least 12 civilians killed
Srinagar: J&K Govt has put health institutions along the border
areas of the state on high alert after the armies of India and Pakistan
resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling at each other’s posts and civilian
areas, resulting in over dozen casualties, including 2 minors, since last week.
Meanwhile both India and Pakistan went through the usual motions of summoning
each others envoys in their respective capitals and registering protests
against ceasefire violations by the ‘other’ side. Sources said that the
situation had never been worse, and modicum of restraint had virtually been
discarded. Tensions are on the rise along LoC and International Border in
Rajouri, Poonch, Samba, Jammu and Uri areas of J&K with 6 civilian
casualties and at least eight forces personnel on either side of the divide
getting killed due to heightened tensions. Authorities have shut schools
located within a radius of five km radius from the border to prevent untoward
incidents."All Health Institutions (in areas along IB and LoC) have been
put on high alert. Orthopaedicians, Surgeons, Anesthetists have been directed
to remain available 24×7. So far 21 persons have been injured and four persons
died including a BSF personnel who attained martyrdom. Four additional doctors
have been deputed from GMC-Jammu and 21 Ambulances have been kept in Border
Health Centres to meet any emergency,”J&K's health minister Bali Bhagat
said.A civil society grouping comprising academicians, writers, journalist,
doctors and business leaders yesterday evening issued a statement, squarely
blaming the Army chief Bipin Rawat for fresh escalation along the border areas.
General Rawat last week said the Indian Army will not hesitate in “calling the
nuclear bluff” of Pakistan if it were asked to carry out strikes across the
border.“The recent reckless statement made by the Indian Army Chief where,
inter alia, he said, “We will call the (nuclear) bluff of Pakistan. If we will
have to really confront the Pakistanis, and a task is given to us, we are not
going to say we cannot cross the border because they have nuclear weapons. We
will have to call their nuclear bluff,”statement says.“We have seen in the past
that these irresponsible statements lead to the immediate escalation of
violence at the LOC and accusations and counter-accusations. The same happened
this time as well.”Civil society underlined that any escalation between the two
countries takes a toll primarily on the people of J&K which is “witness to and victim of Indo-Pak
wars and unabated militarized violence for last many decades. Because of their
experiences of suffering, the people of J&K are very conscious that these irresponsible
statements can escalate into a full-blown war between the two nuclear powers
and lead to terrible brutalization, primarily of the people of J&K ,” they
said.thecitizen
Family of arrested Kashmiri photojournalist
accuses NIA of fabricating charges
New Delhi: On Jan.8, NIA filed a charge sheet
in NIA Special Court at the Patiala House Courts Complex,against 12 persons
including Kashmiri photojournalist, Kamran Yusuf alleging them to conspire to
wage war against the country by carrying out “terrorist” and “secessionist”
activities in J&K. 12,794-page charge sheet has been filed under sections
120B, 121, 121A and 124A of IPC and sections 13, 16, 17, 18, 20, 38, 39 and 40 of
UAPA.NIA in its charge sheet has alleged that Kamran Yusuf was a stone pelter
and worked under the overall guidance and instructions from Pakistan to form
strategies and action-plans to launch violent protests and communicate the same
to the masses in the form of ‘protest calendars’ released through newspapers,
social media and religious leaders, creating an atmosphere of terror and fear
in the State of J&K, a charge denied by the family.“If he was a stone
pelter then why isn’t there a single police case registered against him in the
local police station. From protest to funerals to army functions, he used to
cover all and now all of a sudden he becomes a stone pelter,” Irshad Ahmed,
maternal uncle of Kamran said. “He is innocent and being framed. The charges
leveled are false and fabricated. Even the Ministers who we have visited
regarding this case say that he is innocent,” said Irshad.NIA charges come
after the media circles in the valley were abuzz with a breakthrough and
subsequent release of Kamran after Kashmir Editor Guild took up the case with
state and central authorities.“He lost his father and used to work hard to
support his mother. She was expecting that he will be released soon but NIA
charge sheet has shocked her,” he added.Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
in a statement following the NIA charge sheet has asked Indian authorities to
stop abusing their power and asked for immediate release of the
photojournalist.“Indian authorities must stop abusing their power and using
heavy-handed tactics to go after a photojournalist who was merely doing his
job,” said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Steven Butler, in Washington, D.C.
“Kamran Yousuf has already unjustly spent four months in jail and should be
released immediately.”On 4 Sept.2017, Kamran Yusuf was asked to report at the
local police station in Pulwama district from where he was taken to Srinagar,
where NIA formally arrested him the following day.Yousuf, a resident of Tahab
village, located 5 km from Pulwama town in South Kashmir, used to work for
various local media organizations and covered protests, encounters between
militants and security forces and funerals of militants who died in the
encounters along with covering official functions organised by politicians,
bureaucrats, army and police.In Aug.2017, Yusuf was named among 9 emerging
photographers in J&K by With
Kashmir, a digital media company.twocircles
Delhi minister slams centre for Abolishing haj
subsidy
Lucknow: Criticising the Modi Govt for abolishing Haj subsidy, Delhi Social Welfare
minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said that the policies of the Centre were
responsible for backwardness of Muslims in the country. “The act of the Centre
to end Haj subsidy is a wrong decision and reflective of a biased attitude
against the Muslims,” he said while addressing media persons in Lucknow on
Friday.Delhi minister said that the Constitution gave equal rights to all
religions in the country. “The govt spends lavishly on Kumbh Mela, Kailash
Mansarovar Yatra and even in Kanwar Yatra and Chhat puja, but by ending Haj
subsidy it proved its bias towards Muslims,” he said.Gautam, who was in the
state capital to attend a co-ordination meeting of nine states on Minority
welfare called by the Centre said that Centre should reconsider its decision taken
on the Haj subsidy. Commenting on backwardness of Muslims, the Delhi minister
said that the loan provided by National Minorities Development & Finance
Corporation (NMDFC) had stringent norms and as a result needy people do not get
it.“The present norms says that a family whose yearly income is below Rs 65,000
in rural area and Rs 1.20 lakh in urban areas would get loan which is
unethical. The limit should be increased as most families do not meet this
norm,” he said. When his attention was drawn towards statements of Muslim
clerics welcoming the Centre’s decision, AAP leader blamed the media for
confusing Muslim leaders. “Muslim leaders are confused and the media played a
big role in making the issue look small,” he said. Gautam also blamed the Centre
as well as the UP Govt for misusing
funds for publicity for yesterday’s meet. “Entire Lucknow was covered with
hoardings for yesterday’s meet which was an unnecessary expenditure for such a
small meeting,” he stated.He also demanded that ‘No Detention’ policy in
education system should be abolished immediately for the sake of uplift of
Muslims in the education sector.“There is around 80 % drop out of Muslims after class eight only due
to ‘No Exam’ policy and the students get no education at all till eighth
standard leading to dropout. Several states have demanded to abolish ‘No
Detention’ policy, but the Centre was not at all interested,” he
said.dailypioneer
Maharashtra: Govt’s decision to scrap Haj
subsidy flayed
Chandrapur: State council member of
Jamat-e-Islami Hind, Dr Salim Khan has strongly objected the union Govt 's
decision to scrap Haj subsidy. He termed it as politically motivated decision
and injustice against the Muslim community, during his visit to Chandrapur to
address a public rally.Had the Govt taken a policy decision to cancel all kind of
state allocation for religious events, then there would have been no objection.
But, while union and state Govt s continue to spend large sums on other
pilgrimage and festivals, Haj subsidy has been deliberately cancelled for
political gains, he alleged.Dr Khan slammed the Govt for stepping aside from its development agenda
and charged it of working on its own hidden agenda. Guests, Shiv Sena deputy
district chief Kishor Jorgewar and social worker Farhat Baig too urged people
to pledge fopeace and progress and strive towards replacing the atmosphere of
fear with an ambience of love and brotherhood.TOI
Owaisi calls Padmaavat ‘rubbish’, wants
Muslims to learn from Rajputs’ solidarity against film’s release
New Delhi:Describing the controversy-hit
period drama ‘Padmaavat’ as “bakwas” (rubbish), AIMIM head Asaduddin Owaisi has
called on Muslims to take a leaf out of Rajputs’ books who are standing firmly
against the film’s release. “The film is ‘bakwas’ and bad…Muslim community has
to learn from Rajputs, who are united in not letting the film release,” the
Hyderabad Lok Sabha member had said while addressing a public meeting in
Warangal district.Owaisi also urged Muslims not to waste their time watching
the Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed film. “Don’t go. God has not created you to
watch a 2-hour film,”he said. “Mr Modi has formed a 12-member committee for
that film; take out what you can…(but) nobody was consulted when law (to end
triple talaq) was being made against us.”indianexpress
Out of 1189 complaints received by Minority
Commission last year, 907 made by Muslims
New Delhi: According to the data made
available by the National Commission of Minorities, the highest number of
complaints in 2017 came from the Muslim Community.The Commission has received
1189 complaints between April and December 2017, and disposed of 1050 of them,
data made available by the panel has revealed, reported PTI. According to the
data, 907 complaints were received from Muslims — the largest minority
community in the country.The tiniest share of the complaints received were from
Parsis. The smallest minority community filed 3 complaints. Christians, Sikhs,
Jains and Buddhists made 74, 65, 37 and 13 complaints, respectively.90
grievances came from those belonging to communities other than the six notified
minorities.A total of 707 complaints were related to law and
order.freepresskashmir
MP: Congress wins 20 of 24 seats in Raghogarh
Municipal elections, BJP gets 4 wards
Congress on Friday won 20 of the 24 wards in
Raghogarh Municipal Council elections in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna District. BJP
could only win four wards. The voting is still underway and Congress candidate
Aarti Sharma is said to be ahead of her BJP rival Mayadevi Agarwal with 4,500
votes. The Congress has been out of power in the state since 2003 and according
to political experts, the party’s big win in the civic body elections would
give a moral boost to the Congress which is planning to take on BJP in the
assembly polls later this year.5 districts — Dhar, Barwani, Khandwa, Guna, and
Anuppur held Municipal Council elections on Jan.17 this year. The voting was
held from 7 am to 5 pm and elaborate security arrangements were made for the
peaceful elections. According to Election Commission, a total voter turnout of
66% was recorded in the state. BJP has won 6 president posts, while Congress
has managed to bag 2 posts in the civic body elections held across MP.newsx
Rockets recovered from open well are from Tipu
era: Experts
A large number of unfired rockets, found in an
open well at a farmhouse in Nagara village, Hosanagar taluk near here, have now
been confirmed by experts to belong to the Tipu Sultan era.R. Shejeshwara,
Assistant Director of the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage,
confirmed to The Hindu that 102 unused rockets were found in varying sizes in
April 2017, during the de-silting of an open well on land belonging to Nagaraja
Rao, a farmer from Nagara village. The farmer had handed over these objects to
the department for study.The distinctive feature of the rockets is that they
are filled with black powder (a mixture of sulphur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate)
and encased in iron. They are seven to 10 inches long and 1 to 3 inches in
diameter.“Rockets were corroded owing to continuous exposure to water,” he
said.These objects were studied by a group of history experts, headed by H.M.
Siddanagoudar, a retired officer of the department, and they concluded that
these items were unused war rockets belonging to the 18th century. As Nagara
was an important administrative centre of the Mysore state, and Tipu had
established a mint and an armoury here, they concluded that the rockets
belonged to the Tipu Sultan period. Shejeshwara said that after the fourth
Anglo-Mysore War, there was the chance that Tipu’s army, stationed in Nagara,
could have dumped the rockets in the well to prevent them from getting into the
hands of the East India Company.thehindu
Trafficking ring that sold Andhra women to
Arab sheikhs in Gulf nations busted: HT
Rachakonda police in Telangana have busted a
trafficking ring involving travel agents who allegedly sold women from coastal
districts of Andhra Pradesh to Arab sheikhs in Gulf countries as sex slaves
after promising the women jobs there.U Trimurthulu alias Murthy (32), M Tathaji
alias Nani (26), P Dasu (30), G Rama Rao (40) and S Murali (37), all natives of
East Godavari and West Godavari districts, were arrested by a special
operations team (SOT) of Malkajgiri police station on Friday, for running the
ring on behalf of six Indian travel agents in Dubai.The police have constituted
special teams to arrest the Dubai agents, including their kingpin Pothula Srinu
Babu alias Dubai Sinu.“The ring was busted following an investigation into the
complaint lodged by a woman victim with the Ghatkesar police on the city outskirts,”
Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh Bhagawat said.According to the police,
Dubai Sinu and his associates, who have been working as travel agents in Dubai,
Muscat and other Gulf countries for the last 10 years, have been luring married
women from coastal Andhra districts through their local agents to the Gulf
countries promising them jobs as domestic servants, cooks, caretakers, baby
sitters, etc. They offered women salary up to Rs30,000 per month.“Several
innocent women, who got carried away by attractive offers, left their families
to Dubai, Muscat etc. After reaching there, Sinu and others handed over them to
local manpower agencies. These agencies sold them to Arab sheikhs, who
exploited them sexually and used them as sex slaves. The hapless women had no
chance to return to India, as they realised that they were brought to the Gulf
countries on tourist/visit visas and not job visas. Moreover, their passports
and other documents were seized by the local manpower agencies. The agents thus
made lakhs of rupees by selling innocent women to Arab sheikhs,” police
commissioner said. Hindustantimes
UP cops refuse to help dying teens in
Saharanpur to 'avoid bloodstains' in police van
2 teenagers who met with an accident in UP's
Saharanpur on Thursday night were left to die by the roadside, as state police
personnel refused to take the injured to a hospital because they wanted to
avoid bloodstains in their car, said media reports.According to TOI, 2
15-year-old boys succumbed to their wounds after police personnel from 'UP Dial
100', state's emergency management system, refused to take them to a hospital. The
report added that the victims, identified as Arpit Khurana and Sunny, were
lying motionless on the road, their motorcycle nearby, until another vehicle
from the local police station reached the spot. However, it was too late by
then and the 2 boys were declared dead on arrival at hospital.3 policemen who
were present at the spot and were duty-bound to help teens were suspended on
Friday, said HT report. firstpost
WORLD
Russia supplies military essentials to
Pakistan,says Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Morgulov: DNA India
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov has
created a stir by confirming that his country was supplying military equipment
to Pakistan and also accusing US-led NATO forces for helping the dreaded ISIS
fighters to set up base in Northern Afghanistan. He was joined by ex-Afghanistan
President Hamid Karzai, who said US has to explain the rise of ISIS and
extremism, calling it a result of its relationship with Pakistan. Both
participated in a discussion along with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
Gen VK Singh at Raisina Dialogue, a geo-political conference here organised
jointly by Ministry of External Affairs and a think-tank Observer Research
Foundation (ORF). It is believed that Pakistan Army Aviation Corps (PAAC) had recently
received four Russian-made Mi-35M attack helicopters. 2 years ago, Russia had
lifted an embargo on supplying weapons and military hardware to Pakistan. Morgulov
said his Govt has video evidence
gathered from the ground that ISIS were being transported in helicopters to
North Afghanistan. "We want to ask NATO and also to the Kabul Govt who provides those helicopters. It is Kabul
that controls Afghan airspace," he sai Russian minister and Karzai
emphasised that the problem now is the support terrorists were getting from the
western world in terms of weapons and funding. Russian minister also rejected
any military solution to Afghan issue, describing Donald Trump's recent
pronouncement an old policy which was also pursued by his predecessor Barack
Obama. He said there was no escape for Kabul Govt, but to talk to the military
opposition (Taliban) in order to bring reconciliation and peace in the region.
He said Russia is trying to involve all in the talks, all the neighbours, stake
holders and even the US. But he regretted that the US has not shown willingness
to participate in this process.The Russian minister's statement has come at a
time, when President Donald Trump on Thursday accused his country in unusually
harsh terms of helping North Korea to evade UN sanctions The US policy maker at
the White House and former American diplomat Zalmay Mamozy Khalilzad here also
assailed the Russian approach, saying they were stepping in to prove President
Trump's latest South Asia policy a failure. "While we are trying to
isolate Pakistan for its bad behaviour and India is supporting us, the Russian
behaviour to putting spokes in the policy," he told DNA.He asked Russians
not to engage in old Soviet style intrigues by smelling an opportunity to step
in and end potential isolation of Pakistan. He asked India to use its good
offices with the old friend Russia to make them understand the situation.
Khalilzad also described Russian minister's allegation of Americans helping
ISIS an insult and a propaganda. Karzai also said that it was important to
engage with Taliban because "they are from our own villages and homes.
They are not foreign. If they are not involved, the peace talks would not
succeed. There won't be sustainable peace." He said while Afghanistan was
being accused of cultivating and making money of poppy crops, the fact is that
the whole money is being pumped through banks in the west while the farmers and
Govt in Afghanistan remain poor.He said poppy cultivation was more in areas
controlled by NATO forces. Both of them disagreed that China will be a problem
in finding a solution to the problem, as it is very friendly with Pak.
"China is an enabler. It is well aware of the dangers from terrorists and
it will never support it," they said.
Erdogan: Operation in Syria's Afrin has begun
A Turkish ground push to remove Kurdish
fighters from the Syrian border town of Afrin has "actively" begun,
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.Erdogan was quoted by Anadolu
news agency as saying on Saturday that the operation in Afrin would be a
followed by a push in the northern Syrian town of Manbij. Turkey considers
Syria's Kurdish PYD and its armed wing, the YPG, "terrorist groups"
with ties to the banned Kurdistan PKK, which has waged a decades-long fight
inside Turkey.According to estimates, there are between 8,000 to 10,000 Kurdish
fighters in the Afrin area of Syria.Erdogan said that all Kurdish armed groups
"are all the same" and that changing their names "does not
change the fact that they are terror organisations".aljazeera
Russia 'moving' military observers in Syria's
Afrin
Russia has started moving military observers
away from an area in northwestern Syria where Turkey is planning an offensive
against Kurdish fighters, a Turkish official said.Moving the observers comes as
Turkey's defence minister on Friday said his country would go ahead with the
offensive in the enclave of Afrin, saying Syrian Kurdish fighters there pose a
"real" threat to his country.Ahmet Berat Conkar, a ruling party MP
and head of the Turkish delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, said:
"Russia is taking steps to move its forces in Afrin away from the areas
where there might be clashes [during Turkey's operation]."Al Jazeera
Civilian deaths in 2017 US-led anti-ISIL push
'triple'
The number of civilian deaths caused by a
US-led coalition fighting ISIL in Syria and Iraq surged by 200 % in 2017
compared with the year before, a monitor has said.US and allied strikes killed
between 3,923 and 6,102 non-combatants in both countries last year, Airwars, a
UK-based group tracking allegations of civilian casualties said on Thursday,
calling the 2017 campaign the "deadliest year yet for ordinary Syrians and
Iraqis".The group said its estimates were based on publicly available
data.The sharp rise last year was because of intense fighting in densely
populated urban areas, as Iraqi troops and Syrian Kurdish-dominated forces,
both backed by the US-led coalition, fought respectively to remove the ISIL
group from Iraq's Mosul and Syria's Raqqa.The administration of US President
Donald Trump, in power since January 20, 2017, was also partly to blame,
Airwars said. "This unprecedented death toll coincided with the start of
the Trump presidency, and suggested in part that policies aimed at protecting
civilians had been scaled back under the new administration," the monitor
said.In Syria, the toll for civilians killed in coalition air raids quadrupled
compared with 2016, with between 2,786 and 4,374 deaths likely killed in 2017, the
group said.In Iraq, deaths were up by 87 percent, with at least 1,128
non-combatants dying in more than 100 air attacks, it added.While US officials
call the campaign "the most precise in history", according to
Airwars, "the urban battlefields laid waste by bombs, artillery and
improvised explosives told another story".Coalition forces carried out
some 11,573 air and artillery attacks in 2017 and dropped a total of 39,577
bombs and missiles against ISIL.More than 70 % of those raids were in Syria,
largely because of the campaign to capture Raqqa.By the time the city was
seized from ISIL, over 1,450 civilians were killed, Airwars said, and 80 % of
the city was left uninhabitable. Kinda Haddad, the head of Airwars' Syria team,
said the coalition repeated Russian and Syrian Govt "tactics of 'siege, bomb and evacuate' in
order to achieve the stated aims of defeating" ISIL.Coalition raids, in 9-month
battle for Mosul, which began in October 2016, claimed between 1,066 and 1,579
lives, Airwars said.That was "the biggest urban assault since World War
Two", it said, and left the city reduced to rubble. aljazeera
Iraq’s war with IS: 1.3 million kids
displaced, says UNICEF
Sisi, ex-army chief Sami Anan to run in 2018
election
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has
announced he will run for a second, 4-year term in the country's presidential
elections that will take place in March.Sisi made the expected announcement
during a televised conference in Cairo on Friday where he stressed the
importance of citizens voting to "preserve the democratic experience that
began 4 years ago". "Your participation in the election will be a
strong message," he said, before jokingly adding that Egyptians would
"become exhausted with me again because Egypt needs every
sacrifice".Following the president's announcement, ex-Egyptian armed
forces chief of staff General Sami Anan said that he will contest Sisi in the
election."I call on civilian and military institutions to maintain
neutrality towards everyone who had announced their intention to run and not
take unconstitutional sides of a president who will leave his post in a few
months," Anan said in a video statement on Facebook.Egypt must be saved
from incorrect policies, Anan said.aljazeera
US top Court to consider challenge to Trump’s latest
travel ban
Washington: The Supreme Court announced that
it would consider a challenge to President Trump’s latest effort to limit
travel from countries said to pose a threat to the nation’s security, adding a
major test of presidential power to a docket already crowded with
blockbusters.The case concerns Trump’s third and most considered bid to make
good on a campaign promise to secure the nation’s borders. But challengers to
the latest ban, issued as a presidential proclamation in Septembr, said it was
tainted by religious animus and not adequately justified by national security
concerns.The decision to hear the case, Trump v. Hawaii, No. 17-965, came
almost a year after the first travel ban, issued a week after Mr. Trump took
office, caused chaos at the nation’s airports and was promptly blocked by
courts around the nation. A second version of the ban, issued in March, fared
little better, though the Supreme Court allowed part of it go into effect in
June when it agreed to hear the Trump administration’s appeals in two
cases.nytimes
US Govt shuts down over immigration impasse
US Govt shut down on Saturday, after members of
Congress failed to reach an agreement on the divisive issue of immigration and Govt
spending.In a late-night vote,
opposition Democrats in the Senate joined to block a bill that would have kept
the Govt running for another four
weeks.The shutdown comes exactly a year after Donald Trump took his oath as US
president.On social media, Trump lashed out at the opposition for the impasse,
saying the Democrats "want a shutdown in order to help diminish the great
success of the tax cuts, and what they are doing for our booming
economy".In a separate statement, the White House Press Secretary called
Democrats "obstructionist losers, not legislators".Just a few hours
earlier, the president had praised the Senate's Democrat leader Charles Schumer
for an "excellent preliminary meeting" to avert the
shutdown.Democrats had tried to get concessions from Republicans, particularly
on the extension of the immigration programme protecting young immigrants from
deportation, which is set to expire in March.Saturday's shutdown is only the
fourth govt closure in 25 years.aljazeera
US withholds another $45m for Palestinian food
aid
US is withholding another payment to the UN's
relief agency for Palestinian refugees.45 million dollars pledged for food aid
is now frozen.That's in addition to $65m, which was cut back earlier this week.
Al Jazeera went to the occupied West Bank, where we spoke to people who rely on
this money to survive.
US won't pay $45 million pledged for
Palestinian food aid for now
Qatari royal: Gulf crisis to seize Qatar's
wealth
A member of the Qatari royal family, who was
allegedly held against his will in the UAE, has accused Saudi Arabia and the
UAE of orchestrating a months-long Gulf crisis in order to seize Qatar's
wealth, and threatened to commit suicide. Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Thani was
previously portrayed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE as an alternative to the
Qatari leadership amid the major diplomatic dispute.In an audio recording from
January 15 obtained by Al Jazeera, Sheikh Abdullah said the rift was triggered
by the Saudi and Emirati crown princes, whom he accused of plotting to take
Qatar's wealth by force. "The Gulf
crisis is based on interests and the desire of both Mohammed bin Zayed and
Mohammed bin Salman to usurp the wealth and riches of Qatar," the sheikh
said, referring to the Abu Dhabi and Saudi crown princes respectively. "I
urge my fellow Qataris to defend your position," he added, warning his
countrymen that the two crown princes "may blind you with money to destroy
your own country".He went on to blame Mohammed bin Zayed "for the
pressures on me, my confinement, and inability to return home (Qatar) or join
my family, namely my two daughters", and added: "I have decided to
end my life with the aim of preventing any harm to others." Majed
al-Ansari, a professor at Qatar University, told Al Jazeera that the recording
came as "no surprise".aljazeera
Saudi minister previously detained in
corruption crackdown to head Davos delegation
Saudi Arabia’s delegation to the World
Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos next week will be led by state minister Ibrahim
al-Assaf, who was released from detention related to an anti-corruption purge
in November, Saudi sources told Reuters.Assaf, who was also a former finance
minister and a board member of national oil company Saudi Aramco, was among
people detained and under investigation by a new anti-corruption body, a senior
Saudi official had told Reuters.After he was seen attending a cabinet meeting
earlier this month, a Saudi source said he had been cleared of wrongdoing and
retained his positions as minister of state and adviser to the king.Saudi
security forces have rounded up dozens of princes, ministers and business
leaders and converted the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh into a luxurious prison
in what the authorities said was a crackdown on corruption.middleeastmonitor
Rohingyas seek safety, citizenship guarantees
before repatriation process
https://www.newsx.com/world/rohingyas-seek-safety-citizenship-guarantees-before-repatriation-process
Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh on Saturday
asked for guarantees that their safety and security would be protected and that
they would be granted Myanmar citizenship before being repatriated to Rakhine
state. Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed earlier this week to complete the
refugees’ return process within two years. Rohingya community leader Sirajul
Mostafa, who lives in Bangladesh’s Kutupalong refugee camp, told Efe news that
his community was demanding the “complete” implementation of the
recommendations made by an advisory commission on Rakhine state led by former
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan before being repatriated.The commission
proposed addressing the rights of Rohingyas to resolve sectarian violence in
Myanmar’s western Rakhine state, including measures such as speeding up the
verification process for citizenship and granting citizenship by
naturalisation. “We are not here to stay, we want our rights back. If we had
seen that peace was restored in Myanmar, there would no problem. People would
go back directly,” Mostafa said, adding that the Myanmar Army was still
allegedly carrying out torture as part of an ongoing campaign. He added that no
one from the mostly Muslim minority had yet been asked to prepare for
repatriation.IANS
Exclusive: Rohingya refugee leaders draw up
demands ahead of repatriation
UK: Kashmiri-origin MP Becomes First Female
Muslim Minister to Address House of Commons
London: Nus Ghani, a Kashmiri-origin
parliamentarian in the UK, on Friday became the first female Muslim minister to
speak from the British Parliament dispatch box.Ghani, born in Birmingham to
parents who migrated from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, was cheered by her
colleagues as she addressed the House of Commons as a junior minister in the
Department for Transport."Made my debut as @transportgovuk Minister and
made a bit of history as first female Muslim Minister to speak from the House
of Commons dispatch box,? she tweeted soon after her first Commons outing in
her new role. 45-year-old was appointed Parliamentary Under- Secretary at the
Dept for Transport by British PM Theresa
May as part of her New Year reshuffle last week.Conservative Party MP from
Wealden was also given the assistant Govt whip in the reshuffle to oversee party
discipline. "The roles are both exciting and challenging opportunities?
Transport is a subject on which I have campaigned passionately since being
elected as the MP for Wealden. Alongside my ministerial duties, I will continue
to be a strong voice for Wealden and deliver for my constituents," Ghani
had said in a statement. news18
Pakistan: Zainab's rape, murder sparks child
sexual abuse debate
A minor girl's rape and murder earlier this
month has sent a shock wave across Pakistan. The incident has drawn a wide
public outcry, with many celebrities openly talking against child sexual abuse
in the South Asian nation.Zainab Fatima Ameen, a seven-year-old girl from the
city of Kasur in central Punjab, was found dead in a rubbish dump after several
days of her disappearance. An autopsy revealed she had been brutally abused and
strangled to death."Sex abuse prevention education is a necessity of the
day but there should be some checks that obscenity isn't taught in its
name," Farid Piracha of Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan’s largest Islamic party,
told Al Jazeera. "The purpose should be propagation of ethical and
religious lifestyle," he said. The Govt insists it is not going for the westernisation
of sexual education.aljazeera
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
A Committed Judiciary and Democracy:NIKHIL
WAGLE
From Dalit activist to Gujarat MLA: Tracking
Jignesh Mevani’s journey: HT
JNU administration is attempting to change the
basic character of the university:Parnal Chirmuley
AAP won’t take EC disqualification lying down:
Atishi Marlena
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:21 PM)
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