NEWS
DIGEST, MID-DAY
08 May 2018:21 Shaban 1439: Vol:10, No:16
INDIA
CJI impeachment notice: SC dismisses Congress
petition, party withdraws plea; Who passed order to set up Constitution bench,
asks Kapil Sibal
A petition by Congress MPs challenging Rajya
Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu’s decision to reject the impeachment notice
against CJI Dipak Misra was “dismissed as withdrawn” by the Supreme Court
today. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, counsel of Congress MPs Partap Singh Bajwa
and Amee Harshadyay Yajnik, said he was withdrawing the petition after Constitution
bench refused to give the petitioner details of the administrative order passed
in constituting the bench. Minutes after Congress withdrew a petition, Sibal
sought to know as to who decided the constitution of the 5-judge bench to hear
case. Addressing a press conference after the case was “dismissed as withdrawn”
on Tuesday, Sibal said it was the first time in the country’s history that
someone had passed an order on administrative basis and claimed CJI could not
pass such orders in this matter.“We filed a petition in SC on Monday and it was
to be heard today. But we were informed last evening that our petition will be
heard by 5 judges. Who gave these orders? What were the orders?,” Sibal said,
adding,”This is the first time in the country’s history that someone has passed
an order on an administrative basis.” During the hearing in the SC, Sibal,
counsel for Congress MPs, sought a copy of the order alotting the case to the 5-judge
bench, saying they intended to challenge it. When asked about its legal
justification at the press conference, Sibal said, “There is no question of not
providing a copy of the order. This is not a document covered under Official
Secrets Act. We can only argue on the merits of the case if we receive a copy
of the order, because there is no order that cannot be challenged under the
constitution.” Asserting that if it was indeed CJI Misra who passed order to
constitute Justice Sikri-led Constitution bench,Sibal said the petitioners had
a right to know it and were entitled to challenge the order, citing conflict of
interest. Constitution bench constituted to hear CJI impeachment petition
didn’t include the 4 senior-most judges of the SC who had publicly aired in
January their grievances over how CJI Misra was running the court and
allocating cases.Prashant Bhushan said, "It is sad that this bench fixed
by the CJI to hear the challenge to rejection of his Impeachment motion, even
refused to provide a copy of the adminstrative order by which the bench was
constituted! That order could be challenged on the ground that CJI had a
conflict of interest.One of the charges in the Impeachment motion against CJI
was that he dealt with medical college case involving him & then fixed
bench of Junior judges in that case.Another charge was abusing his power as
master of roster to fix benches.Yet he fixed bench in his impeachment
case!".indianexpress
Jinnah row: Clueless govt seeks papers on
Independence, Partition as RTI petitioner seeks certified copies: firstpost
New Delhi: Amid the row over Muhammad Ali
Jinnah portrait in AMU, officers in PMO, MEA and Ministry of Culture are busy
in tracing the documents related to India’s independence and Partition of
Pakistan. While political parties are at each other’s throat, babus are
struggling to answer simple questions -- how did we get the freedom and who
signed on the Partition papers. Govt machinery was startled by an RTI
application filed by Madan Lal Narula, who had asked PMO to provide certified
copies of all written documents and allied information pertaining to Partition
of India on 14th and 15th August 1947, certified copies of official papers
bearing signatures of all the authorities, freedom fighters, politicians before
Pakistan came into existence. PMO replied no such documents were available and
the matter was escalated to CIC. Govt has argued that only document they could
think of related to Independence and Partition, was ‘Indian Independence Act,1947’
that was passed by British Parliament. Govt said it is still looking to
reasonably respond to the questions -- ‘who granted us freedom?Did Mahatma
Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru sign any papers? Is there any pact regarding the
Independence of India? How was the power transferred from the British queen to
India and personalities associated with the process?Sources in the PMO said
they have asked concerned depts and ministries including Ministry of Culture to
trace the documents that could address issue of Independence and Partition
raised by the applicant.
Savarkar was first proponent of 2-nation
theory: Aiyar
Lahore:Mani Shankar Aiyar has said that Hindu
Mahasabha leader Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was the first proponent of two-nation
theory and added that he invented the term “Hindutva” to create religious
divide in society. “Situation in India is an abhorrent one. In 1923, a man
called VD Savarkar in his book invented a word which doesn’t exist in any
religious text, ‘Hindutva’. So, first proponent of two-nation theory was
ideological guru of those who are currently in power in India,” Aiyar said at
an event in Lahore.“Approximately 70% of Indian electorate did not vote for
Modi in the last election, but lost because they were completely fractioned
among themselves.“It is my fervent hope ... that a great fraction of this 70%
who did not vote for BJP in the last election, will come together adequately to
be able to put an end to the aberration that we have been suffering in our
country,” he said.HT
AMU alumni in Delhi demand judicial inquiry
into ‘security breach’ during Hamid Ansari’s visit
Delhi chapter of AMU’s Old Boys’ Association
(AMUOBA) has demanded a time-bound judicial inquiry into the May 2 events when
miscreants entered the AMU campus and allegedly tried to attack ex-Vice-President
Hamid Ansari. The miscreants, they have claimed, belonged to right-wing outfit
Hindu Yuva Vahini.Ansari was invited by Students’ Union AMUSU to award him with
the lifetime membership of the union. The event was, however, cancelled after
the ruckus on the campus. According to reports, there was a clash between AMU
students and Hindu Yuva Vahini activists in the campus. Police also resorted to
lathicharge in which a number of students were injured.Close to 300 members
attended the meeting. indianexpress
After AMU, now row over Jinnah House, hall in
Mumbai
There seems to be no end to controversies
concerning Muhammad Ali Jinnah. After the uproar over his portrait in the
Aligarh Muslim University, now objections have been raised by another BJP
leader to Jinnah House and Jinnah Hall in Mumbai. BJP MLA Prabhat Lodha has
demanded that Jinnah House and Jinnah Hall should be converted to cultural
centres and that Jinnah’s name must be removed from them. Jinnah House was home
of Jinnah in Mumbai and the hall was named after Muslim League leader. zeenews
Govt should provide places for namaz if it
doesn’t want us to pray on roads: Muslim groups
New Delhi: Recent disruptions of Friday
prayers in Gurugram have escalated to a nationwide row, and Muslim groups and
leaders have argued that nobody is addressing the moot problem — there are
limited spaces for Muslims to offer namaz.“There is no masjid in that area (of
Gurugram). Where do these poor people go to offer namaz, which is an integral
part of our religion?” Asaduddin Owaisi, president of MIM, told ThePrint. “This
is plain majoritarian, Hindutva politics we are witnessing in all BJP-ruled
states that is now stopping people from worshipping also.”“His remarks just
prove that Hindutva goons have state patronage,” said SQR Ilyas, member of the
AIMPLB. “Muslims barely congregate for half an hour in certain places, and that
is suddenly such a big issue for BJP Govt.”He also asked for Muslims to be
provided spaces for worship, saying people having a problem with Muslims
praying was “in stark contrast to the Indian ethos”. Responding to the row in
the city, the Haryana Waqf Board Sunday submitted a list of 19 unused
mosques/properties in Gurugram that could potentially be used for offering
namaz. It is not just about Gurugram, however, argued Ilyas. “In general, there
is ‘encroachment’ of land meant for prayers for Muslims on the one hand, and
cries for denying them public places on the other,” he said.Muslim groups have
repeatedly requested Archaeological Survey of India to open up protected
historical monuments in the capital and surrounding areas, said Iliyas.theprint
Prayer promotes peace, no trouble should be
allowed over it: Naqvi
Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has said
prayers promote peace and no tension should be allowed in the name of
worshipping god.Naqvi’s comments came a day after Haryana CM said namaz should
“ideally” be offered in mosques or at one’s home. Naqvi said Haryana Govt is
“very sensitive” towards the issue and CM had himself clarified that his regime
is not against offering prayers.“There has been an increase in occurrence of
namaz being offered at public places. It is fine till no one objects. But
ideally namaz should be offered in the precincts of a religious place or at
one’s home,”CM said.PTI
Retired IAS officers urge Haryana Govt to
ensure those offering Friday namaaz are not attacked
A group of retired IAS officers on Monday
wrote to the chief secretary of Haryana, Depinder Singh Dhesi, urging him to
ensure that Muslims who gather for Friday namaaz in public spaces are not
attacked by mobs.The letter comes a day after CM Manohar Lal Khattar said that
Muslims should offer namaaz only in mosques and not public spaces. “If there is
not enough space for namaaz, then it should be offered at a personal place.
These are not things that should be put on display in public places,” Khattar
had said.The letter has been signed by eleven former IAS officers, including
Sundar Burra, former secretary in Maharashtra Govt ; Harsh Mander, former
official of the ,P Govt ; K Sujatha Rao, former health secretary of Govt ; and
Ardhendhu Sen, ex chief secretary in the West Bengal Govt .scroll.in
Puja, Kirtan session in Civil Secretariat
Srinagar, Pujaris called in, Mosque continuously locked:KNB
Srinagar: As the bi-annual offices open in J&K
’s summer capital, unusual and surprising scenes were witnessed in Srinagar
Civil Secretariat complex following Pujaris and Hindu religious priests were
called in to hold a Puja session inside the cabin of a minister.Eyewitnesses told
Kashmir News Bureau (KNB), that excited with the protocol of ministry, the
newly appointed J&K Health and
Medical Education Minister and Dr Divendar Kumar Manyal on the eve of opening
of bi-annual Darbar Move offices in Srinagar held a 2-hours-long Puja session
inside his secretariat office chamber while on other hand the only mosque in
the complex continuously remain locked since two decades for unknown
reasons.Sources in Health Ministry told KNB that the Hindu right wing party BJP
leader and Minister for Health Dr Divendar Kumar Manyal on his first day in
Srinagar office halted other senior officials ‘forcefully’ while performing
Hindu religious ritual amid sloganeering “Om Jai Jagdish Harish” and “Bharat
Mata ki Jai”, adding, the cabin reverberated with cries of hymns and recitation
of shlokas.Muslim employees of Civil Secretariat have to face inconvenience as
the mosque in the complex remains shut for the past 2 decades for unknown
reasons.KNB
Kerala Mosque Wins Hearts by Hosting Parents
While 1,200 Students Write NEET
Kochi: A mosque management in Kerala is
winning hearts all over for its decision to host parents who accompanied
students, several from Tamil Nadu, to exam centres for NEET. Management of Vadi
Hira Masjid at Aluva near Kochi decided to open its doors to parents, including
women, and made the necessary arrangements for them to get rest while their
children wrote the exam.Close to 1,200 students had come to Aluva to give the
medical entrance examination. The students were allotted centres in nearby
Thottumukham Sivagiri School and Chalakkal Amal Public School.Talking about the
reception for parents that was arranged by the mosque management, Abdul Raoof
Bin Rahim, a social activist said, “Vadi Hira Masjid arranged accommodation for
hundreds of parents who accompanied their children for the NEET exam.”news18
Schools and hospitals on waqf land to be built
under 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karykram:Union Ministry Naqvi
New Delhi:Govt is planning to utilize waqf land for rightful
usage as Union Minority Affairs Ministry plans to construct schools, colleges,
ITIs, skill development centres, multi-purpose community centres "Hunar
Hub", hospitals, business centres etc on waqf properties across country.
Union minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that under 'Pradhan
Mantri Jan Vikas Karykram' (PMJVK) these infrastructure would be built.He said
that last week Cabinet approved PMJVK which has provision to utilise Waqf
properties for various infrastructure for socio-economic-educational
empowerment of the society. Around 308 districts, 870 blocks, 331 towns and
thousands of villages have been covered under PMJVK. Naqvi said that PMJVK
would accelerate the utilisation of waqf properties for the benefit of the
society.There are around 5.71 lakh registered waqf properties across the
country. Wakf rules are being made easy and effective to ensure better
utilisation of waqf properties and to free these properties, several of these
entangled in disputes for several decades. Waqf properties in several states
are not being utilised properly due to complicated rules. Centre will award
those 'mutawallis' who will perform well in management of waqf properties to
ensure utilisation of these properties for betterment of society especially educational
empowerment of girls.This award programme will be held every year. He said that
"waqf mutawallis" are the "custodian" of waqf properties
across the country and they should ensure that these properties are being utilised
for betterment of the Muslim community.Central Waqf Council is providing
financial help to state waqf boards for digitalisation of waqf records so that
state waqf boards can complete digitalisation work within decided time frame as
84% waqf properties already have been digitised. Remaining waqf properties will
also be digitised soon.oneindia
Kathua rape and murder: SC transfers case to
Pathankot court, orders in-camera trial
The Supreme Court has shifted trial in gangrape
and murder of a minor girl in Kathua from J&K to Pathankot in Punjab. It
directed that trial be held in-camera on day-to day basis, under Ranbir Penal
Code that applies to J&K. It allowed J&K to appoint a special public
prosecutor for the case.A bench of CJI Dipak Misra and Justices DY Chandrachud
and Indu Malhotra, which vacated the stay it had imposed on the trial on the
last day of hearing, directed that the trial in Pathankot be held on a
day-to-day basis to avoid delay.This, the bench clarified, should mean no
adjournment, and the examination-in-chief and cross-examination of witnesses
done without break.The bench said that the trial will be conducted by Pathankot
and sessions judge who will not assign it to anyone else.On Monday, the bench
granted the request of advocate Indira Jaising, who appeared for the victim’s
father, that the trial be held in-camera. But it did not entertain her plea
that the proceedings be videotaped to avoid any future controversy.
indianexpress
Kathua case trial in Pathankot: Valley parties
welcome decision, BJP says creates ‘wrong impression’ about J-K
Welcoming the decision of the Supreme Court in
the Kathua gangrape case, J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti said it “will go a long way” in
boosting the morale of the state police while mainstream parties — from the PDP
to National Conference to Congress — echoed the sentiment, saying they hope the
victim’s family gets justice.But J&K BJP made no secret of its
disappointment with the decision to shift the trial out of Kathua and not hand
over the case to the CBI. State BJP chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi said
shifting the trial to Pathankot “gives a wrong impression about Jammu &
Kashmir”.Taking to Twitter soon after the SC moved, Mehbooba Mufti said: “I
welcome today’s decision by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the Kathua case. This
will go a long way to boost the morale of our @JmuKmrPolice force who in the
face of great adversity have left no stone unturned to ensure that the
deceased’s family gets justice.”indianexpress
Ghatkopar blast: 1 of 10 absconding accused
Irfan held
Mumbai:Over 15 years after a bomb blast in a
BEST bus killed 2 at Ghatkopar in 2002, the Mumbai police on Monday arrested
Irfan Ahmed Qureshi, one of the 10 absconding accused in the case. In 2005, a
special court in Mumbai had acquitted all 8th persons tried as accused in the
case, including Mohammed Altaf, who,in his confession, named Qureshi.Qureshi, a
native of Aurangabad, was apprehended by a team of Gujarat ATS on May 5. His
transit remand was taken for his appearance before a Mumbai court till May 7.
Advocates Tahira Shaikh and Yakub Shaikh representing Qureshi submitted that
all the accused in the case had been acquitted, based on the evidence submitted
by the Mumbai police, on which it was now relying to seek his custody.They
further submitted that Qureshi’s name was included in the list of accused on
the basis of the confession of Altaf, who had told the court designated under
the now repealed POTA Act, that the confession was taken under force by police.Based
on the confession, the police had claimed that Qureshi was a partner of Pragma
Software, a front allegedly set up by the accused to influence Muslim youths
into terror activities, while they worked for SIMI.Countering this, Qureshi’s
defence advocates referred to a report by Review Committee of POTA Act, where
his family members had challenged him being named as an accused under POTA Act.
The report had claimed that Qureshi was a partner in the firm only for nine
months and that he had left for the job of a lecturer in Muscat in Oct.2002,
and that he was not in the country at the time of the blast on Dec.2, 2002 nor
was associated with the firm, when it was raided by the police.The committee
had stated in 2004 that it could not be said a prima facie case was made out to
indicate any connection between Qureshi and the offence. “However, further
investigation of the case, including probe of Irfan, if necessary,is not foreclosed,”
committee had said on March 6, 2004.Qureshi’s advocates submitted before the
court that despite his multiple trips to India from Muscat, the police had so
far not called him even once for questioning. The court granted the police his
custody till May 14, observing that police should be given an opportunity to
probe the accused’s involvement in the case.indianexpress
Abdul Subhan Qureshi in judicial custody
Kerala: An NIA special court here on Monday
remanded Abdul Subhan Qureshi, accused in the Wagamon SIMI camp case, in
judicial custody till May 21. Qureshi, who had been lodged in a high security
prison in Ahmedabad, was brought to Kochi on Sunday.Following the court order,
he was shifted to the Viyyur central prison in Thrissur.NIA will now be
approaching the court seeking to conduct an identification parade of Qureshi in
the presence of a magistrate.Thereafter, it will seek his custody for evidence
collection at Thangalpara in Wagamon, where the armed training was held in
2007. A native of Maharastra, Qureshi landed in NIA’s custody in New Delhi in
January while returning from Saudi Arabia.thehindu
Siddaramaiah tears into PM Modi, says minorities
terrorised under BJP rule
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah alleged that minorities in country
were feeling terrorised under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi.Karnataka CM further dubbed BJP as a communal party and
accused it of jeopardising the religious harmony in the nation."BJP is a
communal party that makes religions and communities fight with each other and
destroy all equality in society. A leader of that kind of a party is in power
as a PM . In the past 4 years, minorities are facing a terrorised state of
affairs. Under Atrocities Act, if there is a caste-related violence, accused
should be arrested immediately. However, they (Centre) have diluted the act,
but PM Modi has not opened his mouth on
it," he said at a public rally here on Monday.ANI
Karnataka poll survey: BBC denies
commissioning fake survey showing BJP’s majority
BBC has denied that it commissioned out a poll
survey giving BJP a majority in Karnataka assembly elections. This was in
response to a fake WhatsApp message that implied that BBC’s survey had given
the saffron party an overwhelming majority.A press release by BBC Press team
said, “This fake survey on Karnataka polls has been circulating on Whats App
and claims to be from BBC News. We’d like to make it absolutely clear that it
is #fake and does not come from the BBC. The BBC does not commission
pre-election surveys in India.”jantakareporter
Congress to Emerge as Single Largest Party in
Karnataka, JD(S) to be Kingmaker: Opinion Poll
As the Karnataka poll date inches closer, an
opinion poll conducted by ABP has projected ruling Congress to emerge as the
single largest party in a hung Assembly. Opinion poll said that Congress would
get a 38% vote share, followed by BJP at 33% and JD (S) at 22%. But none of the
parties would get the magic figure of 112, and hence, fall short of forming a Govt
in the state on their own. The survey showed that the Congress could win 97
seats in House of 225, while BJP led by BS Yeddyurappa is projected to win 84
seats. Opinion poll, like others before it, suggested that JD(S) could emerge as
the kingmaker with 37 seats.The survey indicated that 38% people believe that
Congress is better for development with 32% of the people going for BJP and 24%
with JD(S).news18
Forest Dept Undertakes Demolition of Mumbai's
Cheeta Camp area, 600 Muslim Families to be Rendered Homeless
Without providing means of rehabilitation to affected
families, the Maharashtra Forest Dept has begun its “largest demolition drive”
in mangrove areas in Mumbai on May 7, starting with bulldozing hutments of
Cheeta Camp – a Muslim-majority slum in Trombay with over 600 households. The
forest department had earlier notified that Bheemchhaya, a Dalit-majority slum
in Kannamwar Nagar, with 800 households will be demolished on a later
date.Bilal Khan, representing Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan, a Mumbai based
NGO, said that the Govt ’s action is rendering the poor homeless. “Despite
Maharashtra govt’s populist claims such as ‘Housing for All’ and ‘Affordable
Housing’, today the households of Cheeta Camp have become homeless. While the
residents of this settlement possess ration cards, which record their annual
income less than Rs 1 lakh, how can these poor people get another home in
Mumbai?” questioned Bilal Khan.“During the demolition, the officials did not
even let the people collect their own household things. Earlier, the local
police had threatened Muslim youth of dire consequences if they try to resist
the demolition drive,” Khan said. These demolitions are being done “without
following the due process of law and making enough provisions for grievance
redressal.”Khan said that these slums are protected under the Maharashtra Slum Act,
but the forest department is disrespecting the housing rights of the slum
dwellers by refusing to rehabilitate them.Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan is
preparing for a legal battle in order to protect the slum dwellers.newsclick.in
Delhi: Their homes lost in fire, over 200
Rohingya remind authorities of their many promises
New Delhi:3 weeks after 40 homes of Rohingya
refugees were destroyed in a blaze at Kanchan Kunj camp in Kalindi Kunj, 228
residents received plenty of promises — but little respite. A day after the
April 15 fire, the Delhi Govt had built
a temporary shelter for the residents on an adjacent plot, and AAP MLA from
Okhla Amanatullah Khan had promised compensation of Rs 25,000 for each family.
“That shelter was removed after five days, and we haven’t got any compensation
from the Govt . We were told that five days is the duration for which the Govt extends such aid during disasters,” claimed
Kabir Ahmed, who is now living in a makeshift tent nearby.Asked about this,
Khan alleged the shelter was removed under orders from officials, and he was
not aware of it.On compensation not having been given, he said he had sent the
files to Divisional Commissioner the day after his visit to the site on April
16.Defence Colony SDM Neeraj Aggarwal said,“File for compensation has been sent
to the Delhi Govt . We are awaiting further directions in this matter.”For now,
a cluster of yellow and green tarpaulin tents are home to the displaced
families.
Govt must change its Rohingya policy: Civil
society
Assam JPC hearing on Citizenship Bill: Protests
against granting of citizenship to Hindu foreigners
Cutting across political parties, a large
number of people protested against granting of Indian citizenship to Hindu
foreigners on Tuesday, saying it would threaten the existence of the indigenous
people of Assam as JPC on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 began its
hearing here. The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha to amend the Citizenship
Act, 1955 to make illegal migrants belonging to 6 communities — Hindus, Sikhs,
Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians — eligible for Indian citizenship after
six years of residence in the country. 16-member Joint Parliamentary Committee(JPC),
headed by BJP MP Rajendra Agarwal, visited north-eastern state under public
pressure to incorporate the opinions of organisations and individuals into the
bill.Several organisations and citizens have voiced their concern against the
Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which they have claimed would breach the
clauses of the “historic” Assam Accord that states all illegal foreigners who
came to the state after 1971 from Bangladesh, irrespective of their religion,
have to be deported. Among those who opposed the bill were state leaders of the
ruling BJP, its ally AGP and opposition Congress.Opposing the bill, prominent
BJP women’s wing leader Meera Borthakur said, “A foreigner is a foreigner,
whether Hindu or Muslim. Assamese people have not become so weak that we need
to import people from Bangladesh.indianexpress
MHA okays NSG deployment in JK
New Delhi: Union Home Ministry has approved
the deployment of elite counter-terror force National Security Guards (NSG) in
Kashmir as part of counter-insurgency (CI) grid, officials in the ministry said
on condition of anonymity, adding that this would provide an opportunity for
the special force to keep its skills sharp even as it reduces casualties in
security forces in the state that may not be equipped to handle all
situations.NSG has also been asked to train both J&K State Police and the
CRPF in counter-terror operations in densely populated areas. Home secretary
Rajiv Guaba on May 4 issued written directions to national security agencies to
the effect that Black Cat commandos will be part of CI grid in Srinagar city as
a first step and will also train 2 forces within city jurisdiction.NSG is elite
counter-terror force with around 10,000 men, directly recruited and on
deputation from Army,at its command.HT
VHP strips Togadia supporters of all
responsibilities
Ahmedabad:VHP has stripped its four main
office-bearers, including state president Kaushik Mehta, of all
responsibilities. The VHP announced the decision in a letter dated May 6. The
move comes days after the ouster of ex working president of VHP Pravin Togadia,
who, following the defeat of his candidate for the post of the organisation’s
president, went on indefinite hunger strike and criticised PM Narendra Modi.Mala Raval, a senior member of
women’s wing Durgavahini; Kaushik Mehta, president of VHP’s Gujarat unit;
Ranchhod Bharwad, general secretary of Ahmedabad unit; and senior member Rohit
Darji have been stripped of all responsibilities — they had all supported
Togadia.indianexpress
Arshad Madani unanimously nominated for prez
JUH
Lucknow: An important board meeting of Jamiat
Ulama-i-UP was held at state office in Lucknow. Recognising the selfless
services and immense talent of Maulana Arshad Madani general secretary Jamiat
Ulama UP Maulana Abdul Hadi proposed his name for the next term as well. Other
members unanimously accepted the proposal. Thus Maulana Syed Arshad Madani was
unanimously elected for next term.siasat
Top Maoist leaders paid lakhs to get
engineering and medical seats for relatives: Govt
Home Ministry has said that it has identified
top Maoist leaders who have been diverting a chunk of the funds they receive to
sponsor the education of their children in professional colleges and ensure
that their “families live in comfort”. To choke this funding, officials said,
the Ministry has now set up a multi-disciplinary group comprising officers of
intelligence and investigative agencies, and various tax departments.According
to officials, intelligence agencies have tracked specific cases of funds being
allegedly diverted by Maoist leaders.indianexpress
Dalit youth assaulted in Baghpat dies, most
villagers who fled yet to return
New Delhi:A 19-year-old Dalit student, who was
assaulted by Gujjar residents of his village in Baghpat, died of “multiple
organ failure” triggered by renal trauma and septicaemia from the assault on
Monday, police said. Akash Khondwal (19) had been on ventilator support at a
hospital in Meerut after being thrashed with an iron rod, following his
abduction from his home at Kamala village, on April 27. Doctors were treating
the 19-year-old with dialysis since his kidneys had stopped functioning. Police
believe the attack on Khondwal, allegedly by Gujjars, came following an affair
between a Dalit man and a Gujjar woman of the village.Confirming that Khondwal
died early on Monday, IG (Meerut) Ram Kumar said, “His body was sent to his
village, where he was cremated. There is no more tension. All seven people have
been arrested. He came to Meerut the same day after the assault, but informed
the police afterwards.We took immediate action,” he said.indianexpress
Embedded Journalism Is Becoming Norm Today,
Warn Media Veterans
Lucknow: Ringing an alarm bell over a big
section of the India media getting regulated by the ruling BJP at the directions
of its patron RSS and big corporate houses, senior journalists here urged the
common people to unite against this political-capitalist nexus. They were
speaking at a program “Growing Attacks on Media Houses”, jointly held by rights
group Rihai Manch and media watchdog Media Vigil here on Sunday.“The present
form of journalism being practiced in India is not free but embedded
journalism. And that’s the form of journalism that corporate want as it helps
them get a monopoly to do what they want or run the country in their own way.
The primary motive of such corporate houses is to have a country head who has
little concern or regards for the Indian law or the constitution and cares only
about the profit of investors. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that Mukesh Ambani
now owns 70 % of the Indian Media houses,” said Pankaj Shrivastava, founding
editor of Media Vigil. The program was organized on the second anniversary of
the media watchdog.Caravan Daily
Hours after Mayawati announces alliance with
SP for 2019, CBI pounces
A day after Mayawati made it clear for the
first time that the electoral alliance/understanding between her BSP and
Akhilesh Yadav’s SP will continue till the 2019 general polls, the CBI launched
an investigation against the BSP chief in an old case dating back to
2010-11.The alleged ‘sugar scam’ is related to disinvestment of 21 state-owned
sugar mills in UP in 2010-11, which allegedly
caused a loss of ₹1,179 crore to the state Govt . It is alleged that under then
CM Mayawati’s watch, state-owned sugar
mills were sold at rates much lower than market rates. Of 21 mills, 10 were
operational at the time of disinvestment.Yogi Govt has referred the alleged
“scam” to CBI for investigation on April 12.nationalheraldindia
Late night dust storm hits North India, Met
issues weather alert for today
Met office has said a storm is expected to hit
on today towards afternoon and evening. Lightning, thunderstorm, rain and gusty
winds, up to 70 km per hour, are expected. A high-velocity dust storm hit parts
of north India on Monday night with a wind speed of up to 70 kilometres per
hour, the Met office said adding the squalls are likely to continue on today too.
Why thunderstorms have gripped north India,
explained
Mumbai: 25-Yr-Old Man Who Converted To Islam
Threatens To Sue His Parents after their brutalities
"The day I converted to Islam was the
best day of my life," said Islam Raza, 25. Born as Jithendar Ghisaram into
a traditional Hindu Marwari family, he had never expected his parents to accept
his decision. But when his father called him back home, he went obediently,
never imagining what a ruthless 'ghar wapsi' his own kith and kin had in store
for him.Raza was brutally beaten and humiliated. His hair and beard were shaved
off, and he was forced to convert back to Hinduism. He was kept in confinement
for a week, before he finally escaped. Now, his own parents have set the police
on his tail, accusing him of stealing from them, and even hinting that he may
be involved with anti-national elements It was to avoid this hostility that
Raza had fled from his parents' home in Chennai to Mumbai in Jan.2017. mid-day
WORLD
Hezbollah, Amal and allies claim Lebanon
election sweep
Hezbollah and its political allies are the
biggest winners in Lebanon's first general election in nine years, an analysis
of the preliminary results show.Hezbollah and Amal - dubbed the "Shia
duo" by local news media - are predicted to have won 29 seats in Lebanon's
128-seat parliament during Sunday's vote, according to unofficial tallies cited
by politicians and local media reports.More than 11 seats are predicted to have
been won by other political parties aligned with the duo.The long-awaited
elections were marked by a voter turnout of just under 50 percent, down from 54
% in the last legislative election in 2009, Nouhad Machnouk, Lebanon's interior
minister, said on Monday.Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's leader,declared the
outcome a "national achievement".Commenting on the contest between
the Hezbollah-led bloc and the Future Movement party of Saad Hariri, Lebanon's PM,
in Beirut, a Sunni stronghold, Nasrallah said the results will show that
"Beirut is for all the Lebanese" and that it is "a capital of
the resistance". Images circulating on social media on Monday showed
Hezbollah supporters tearing up posters of Hariri and his late father and
former Lebanese PM , Rafik Hariri, the previous evening in Beirut.Hezbollah,
Amal and their allies appear to have secured more than the "obstructionist
third" needed to block the most important actions of parliament, Kemal
Feghali, a veteran Lebanese pollster, said.Explaining that a two-thirds quorum
vote is required in crucial matters, such as amending the constitution or
electing a president, Feghali said: "Because they have more than a third
[of parliament], they can block the quorum."Hezbollah and Amal further
allied with prominent yet controversial figures: one, who emerged victorious at
unofficial polls, was Jamil al-Sayyed, a Shia former intelligence chief with
strong ties to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.By all accounts, the biggest
loser in Sunday's vote was Hariri's Future Movement party, which won only 21
seats, compared with 34 seats in the previous election, Nader said.aljazeera
Netanyahu to be guest of honour at Russia’s
Victory Day Celebration
Russian Govt has confirmed that PM Netanyahu
of Israel has been invited to attend Russia’s forthcoming 9th May Victory Day
Celebration as the guest of honour. He
will also hold high level talks with the Russian Govt and with President Putin. Kremlin’s website
has published a statement , reads, "PM of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu will make a
working visit to Moscow on May 9. He has been invited to attend a military
parade marking the 73rd anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War."Israel
for its part has confirmed that Netanyahu has accepted Russia’s invitation.9th
May Victory Day Celebration is not only a festive day in Russia. It is also a high point in Russia’s
diplomatic calendar.Foreign leaders who get invited to attend the Celebration
are invariably persons in whom Russia takes a special interest, with an
invitation being treated as a special honour.theduran
Netanyahu To Attend Victory Day Parade, Meet
Putin
White House announces Jerusalem embassy
opening attendees
White House has announced the list of
attendees at next week's ceremony marking the controversial relocation of the
US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem - with President Donald Trump not being
part of the delegation.Instead, a five-person mission, including Trump's
daughter Ivanka, son-in-law Jared Kushner and US Treasury Secretary Steven
Mnuchin, will be present at the opening ceremony on May 14, a White House
statement on Monday said.US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and Trump's
Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt will also attend.In December 2017, Trump called
Jerusalem the capital of Israel and launched the process to relocate the
embassy there.The White House announcement came after "US Embassy"
road signs went up in Jerusalem earlier on Monday.The signs, in English, Hebrew
and Arabic, were installed by workmen close to the south Jerusalem location of
a US consulate building that will be re-purposed as the embassy when it is
officially relocated from Tel Aviv, Reuters news agency reported.Also on
Monday, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesman said Paraguay would also open an
embassy in Jerusalem later in May.aljazeera
Paraguay to move its embassy in Israel to
Jerusalem
Paraguay will move its embassy in Israel to
Jerusalem by the end of May, a Paraguay Govt spokesman and Israeli foreign
ministry said on Monday, following the US and Guatemala. Status of Jerusalem is
one of the thorniest disputes between Israel, which says the city is its
eternal and indivisible capital, and the Palestinians, who want the eastern
part of the city as the capital of their own future state.MEMO
Israeli soldier filmed killing Palestinian
released from jail
An Israeli soldier convicted of manslaughter
for shooting dead an injured Palestinian was freed from prison on Tuesday, the
army said, after spending nine months behind bars.Elor Azaria was initially
sentenced to 18 months in prison for the killing of Abdul Fatah al-Sharif in
the occupied West Bank city of Hebron in March 2016. He began serving his
sentence on August 9.The army's chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot later reduced the
term by four months. Moreover, Israeli prisoners often have their sentences
reduced by one third for good behaviour.aljazeera
April's Afghan air attack on madrassa killed
30 boys: UN
Rockets and heavy machines guns fired from
Afghan Govt helicopters killed and
wounded at least 107 boys and men attending a religious ceremony near northern
city of Kunduz in April, according to a UN report.On April 2, villagers in
Dasht-e-Archi district of Kunduz said dozens of people, including many children
were, killed in a Govt air attack on a religious ceremony, prompting UN to
launch an investigation.In its report on Monday, the UN said at least 36
people, including 30 children, were killed and 71 wounded and there were
questions "as to Govt's respect of the rules of precaution and
proportionality under international humanitarian law"."A key finding
of this report is that the Govt used
rockets and heavy machine-gun fire on a religious gathering, resulting in high
numbers of child casualties," UNAMA said.aljazeera
Indians accounted for more than 74% of H-1B
visas in 2016, 2017: USCIS report
In 2016 technology professionals from India
accounted for 74.2% of total number of H-1B visas issued by the U.S. and the
next year the figure increased to 75.6%, a Govt report said in Washington on
Monday.However there has been a drop in the number of new H-1B beneficiaries
from India, the official report has said. China with a little over 9%, comes a
distant second after India in terms of number of H-1B visas. Figures for China
were 9.3% and 9.4% respectively for 2016 and 2017. Number of beneficiaries from
India approved for initial employment decreased by 4.1% in fiscal 2017, while
the number of beneficiaries approved for continuing employment increased by
12.5% in fiscal 2017,US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)said in its
latest report titled ‘Characteristics of H-1B Specialty Occupation
Workers’.USCIS said petitions for initial employment are filed for first-time
H-1B employment with an employer, only some of which are applied to the annual
cap. Examples of petitions for initial employment that are exempt from the cap
include petitions submitted by non-profit research organisations or Govt al research
organisations.PTI
Pak miffed over Bangl’s call to make India
observer to OIC
Bangladesh’s call to induct India and other
nations with large Muslim populations as observers to the Organisation of
Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has drawn a sharp retort from Pakistan. Although India has over 10 % of the world’s
Muslim population, Pakistan blocked India’s original request to join on the
ground that membership rules stipulate that an aspiring member cannot have a
conflict with an existing member. Pakistan also uses the platform to try and
internationalise the Kashmir issue, without much success.newindianexpress
Amnesty: Political prisoners in Egypt suffer
solitary confinement
Authorities in Egypt are deliberately using
solitary confinement to punish political prisoners, a new report by Amnesty
International says.Egypt is known to have terrible conditions within its
prisons but political prisoners are the ones to frequently get solitary
confinement treatment for merely being peacefully politically active, according
to the report."Under international law, solitary confinement may only be
used as a disciplinary measure of last resort, but the Egyptian authorities are
using it as a horrifying 'extra' punishment for political prisoners," said
Najia Bounaim,North African campaign director of London-based human rights
group."Amnesty International has documented 36 cases of prisoners being
held in prolonged and indefinite solitary confinement, six of them are
unlawfully isolated from outside world since 2013.aljazeera
Human rights group slams inaction on Rohingya
crisis
The world is failing to take real steps to
fight the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, said the head of the
British-based Burma Human Rights Network on Monday.“International community is not
taking concrete actions against the Myanmar Govt and its army that prosecutes
Rakhine Muslims, and this is encouraging them to create more problems and
attack people,” Kyaw Win said in a telephone interview conducted while he was
in Istanbul, attending a conference.He also charged that UN is not willing to
take measures against a “visible genocide,” mentioning how UNSC delegations
have visited Rakhine state, the site of much of the persecution."UNSC is
divided on deciding against Myanmar Govt to bring them to the International
Criminal Court," he said.Anadolu Agency
Egyptian companies mull importing gas from
Israel
A number of local private companies are
currently seeking the Egyptian authorities’ approvals to import gas from
Israeli fields, the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Tarek
El-Molla, announced yesterday.El-Molla said that “negotiations are taking place
between the ministry and local private companies over importing gas from
Israel.”The move, El-Molla added, is part of Egypt’s plan to become a regional
gas trading centre. middleeastmonitor
Al-Shabaab militants kill 9 Kenyan soldiers
Al-Shabaab militants from Somalia have killed 9
Kenyan soldiers along the porous Kenyan-Somali border, officials revealed
Monday.The soldiers were on a patrol in Dobley, a Somali town, on their way
back when their vehicle was blown up by an IED on Sunday. Anadolu Agency
Epidemics threaten Syrian children’s in Greece
camps
Refugees, especially children, in in the Moria
camp on the Medellie Greek island face the threat of a diseases resulting from
poor health and living conditions.A number of representatives of civil
organizations in the region said that inadequate health services are due to
overcrowding and are particularly threading to children and pregnant women in
the refugee camp.Moria camp is at twice its maximum capacity and suffers from a
dearth of resources. In particular there are problems regarding bathrooms’
hygiene, lack of sewage channels, lack of drinking water and environmental
pollution. Amanda Goodbali, Director of Mobile Medical Clinic, part of Médecins
Sans Frontières (MSF), said, that the centre provides medical services to about
100 children a day. MEMO
FLASH:
VIEWS & NEWS
Saffron paradox: Hindutva supporters seem
determined to prove that Jinnah was right:Shoaib Daniyal
Karnataka elections 2018: The spin around the
Muslim vote:Afshan Yasmeen
Namaz disruptions to tomb being converted into
temple in Delhi NCR — bigotry is hitting too close to home: Yashee singh
Cow, namaz, historical monuments, Jinnah — we
are back to cultural issues in the prelude to Partition:Pratap Bhanu Mehta
Bill Gates’s claim that Aadhaar raises no
privacy concerns is misleading:Jean Dreze
RSS’s own documents highlight its opposition
to a secular, democratic India:Shamsul Islam
Kavadias, Muharram processions, Ram Navmi or
namaz mustn’t be allowed in public spaces:Laila Tyabji
he Indian Express WRITES BACK: Kathua article
based on report circulated by GIA
'Weak Palestinian leadership' undermining
national goals:Analysts
GST, bank balance sheet problems pushed
India’s economic growth downward but gradual recovery expected: UN
Please Remove Jinnah’s Portrait from AMUSU But
We Cannot Stop Here, Need to Go Further….Satire:VAGRAJ BADARAYAN
Are Aligarh, Gurugram Mere Theatres of BJP’s
Play on Communal Politics?Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar
Dalmiafication of the Qila-e-Mubarak Will Lead
us Nowhere: Narayani Gupta
Centre Overlooked EC’s Concerns on Changes to
Laws on Political Funding:Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar
Aadhaar must for informers of benami property,
tax evasions to claim rewards from IT dept
BJP-led govt wants to replace Tripura tribal’s
language with Hindi on TV channels
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq (Released at: 2:53 PM)
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