NEWS
DIGEST, Afternoon
05 Dec. 2018:26 Rabiul-I 1440:
Vol: 11, No:70
INDIA
Ex-CIC says govt intimidating agency by
threatening to sue; seeks President's intervention
New Delhi: Former Information Commissioner
Sridhar Acharyulu has alleged that Central Information Commission was facing
threats of litigations filed against it by the Govt and sought President Ram Nath Kovind's
intervention.In a letter to the President, he highlighted a global trend of
Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) and said it is a
"type of frivolous lawsuit, not undertaken to be won, necessarily, but to
intimidate the target into ceasing public activities such as speaking out
against an organisation or a person". He cited 2 orders related to RBI to
drive home his point."Here the target is CIC and the citizens.
Unfortunately Govt bodies are SLAPPing
writ petitions right, left and centre against the Respondent No. 1 -CIC and
Respondent No. 2 - the Citizen who were asking for information as empowered by
RTI Act," he said.Acharyulu, who had delivered some path-breaking orders
including directions to RBI to comply with the Supreme Court orders in
disclosing wilful defaulter, approached Kovind saying the RBI has filed a
petition in the Bombay High Court making the CIC as a party in two separate
cases.He had also issued a show cause notice to RBI Governor Urijit Patel for
defiance of Supreme Court upholding the orders of former Information
Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi asking it to disclose wilful defaulters.RBI has
also challenged another order of CIC on July 4 in which CPIO of RBI was issued
show cause notice by Information Commissioner Sudhir Bhargava for not
disclosing details of foreign donors of local NGOs.Govt offices want their "rights" to be
protected from the Information Commission created by Union of India as per the
will of the Parliament, Acharyulu said."CIC is supposed to act as
Information Tribunal to adjudicate second appeals without fear or favour. But I
would like to bring it to your Excellency's notice that Information
Commissioners are feeling 'legally' intimidated from discharging their legal
duties," he said.Citing example of notices being sent to him in three
capacities — as individual, as Information Commissioner, and as a person
representing the Central Information Commission-- by the Gujarat High Court on
a plea of Gujarat University against his order of disclosing degree details of PM
Narendra Modi, he said as he is respondent number one, two and three, how does
he defend in three capacities." Union of India, in which CIC is a part,
challenges order of CIC saying that educational qualifications of a public
servant as his private information and its disclosure will cause unwarranted
invasion of his privacy," he said.Acharyulu said there are "around 1,700
writ petitions filed, most of them, surprisingly and sadly by govt and its
institutions like the RBI etc, impleading the Information Commission or
Commissioner for acting under RTI Act".Taking a dig at RBI, he said he had
ordered disclosure of names of wilful defaulters as per the directions of the SC
and in a separate case another commissioner had ordered disclosure of the list
of foreign donors of local NGOs.PTI
Centre is right when it says CVC answerable to
the Prez, but the nation knows the truth...
SC adjourns CBI hearing till tomrrow: Centre
had no choice but to intervene, argues Attorney-General
The hearing in the case of CBI director Alok
Verma, challenging the divestment of all his powers in the agency, resumed on
Wednesday in front of a Supreme Court bench of CJI Ranjan Gogoi and Justices SK
Kaul and KM Joseph.Attorney-General KK Venugopal kicked off the arguments,
submitting that decision of central Govt was with independent application of mind.
"Centre was conscious that any action should not result in eroding
nation's faith in CBI," attorney-general said. "The dispute between
CBI director and special director was tarnishing the reputation of the
institution." A situation had arisen where the Centre had to intervene and
the decision to divest Verma was taken after careful examination, Venugopal
added. Central govt was very concerned about what was happening in CBI because
two top officers were fighting with each other, Venugopal further added.They
did not keep it under the wraps instead went public with it and the media had a
field day, the attorney general said. Justice KM Joseph then asked the
attorney-general — citing an article—
whether there was any evidence of CBI director going public about
infighting.Venugopal responded that there are a large number of reports
regarding the infighting. Venugopal then argued that the action against Verma
does not amount to 'transfer' as only his functions have been withdrawn.The SC
judgments define 'transfer' as change from one station to another, Venugopal
further said, adding that Verma is retaining his designation, bungalow, and
benefits. "If you ask 'Who is CBI director?', answer is Alok Verma,"
Venugopal submitted. "We referred to Central Vigilance Commission, but the
final decision was ours to make to normalise the situation, the
attorney-general said. The concept of superintendence is of wide ambit and the
central Govt acted within its
jurisdiction," Venugopal added. It
was absolutely essential for the Union of India to step in and act and we did
so; how it would have ended otherwise, nobody can say, the attorney general
told the bench. Joseph then quizzed Venugopal on the power of superintendence
of the Centre over CBI.AG reiterated his earlier submission s and concluded his
arguments. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta then began arguing on behalf of CVC.
CVC is entrusted with the responsibility of superintendence over CBI,Mehta
began, citing the Vineet Narain judgment to buttress his case. CVC has been given power of superintendence and
power to give directions.The only limitation is that in individual cases, it
cannot give directions on how a probe should be conducted, SG Tushar Mehta. Not
only does CVC have jurisdiction, but it also would have been answerable to the
President of India if it had not acted, Mehta said. The bench then adjourned
the matter to Thursday. firstpost
They were fighting like cats': Govt justifies
midnight transfer of CBI directors in SC
Minors Aged 11,12, Muslims Who Live in NCR
‘Seen’ by Bajrang Dal Leader Killing Cows in Bulandshahr
Bulandshahr: 7 Muslims from Nayabans village
in Bulandshahr were named in an FIR and charged by the UP police with cow
slaughter, the alleged incident which sparked the violence that led to the
murder of a police inspector and a local youth. Of the 7, two happen to be
minors, aged 11 and 12, and the rest were not present in the village on the day
the incident, according to several villagers and local police officers.The
complaint was filed on the basis of a statement by Yogesh Raj, Bajrang Dal’s
district head who has been named as the main accused in a separate FIR over the
murder of police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh during Monday’s mob violence.
Parents and close relatives of the minors said police had come to their house
in search of those who had been named as accused. After initial interrogation,
they took the children with them along with one of the relatives.“I was taken
to the police station where they kept me for almost 4 hours and then made me
write their names and took my phone number,” said the relative. For the two
minors, it was nothing less than a traumatic experience. "We hardly spoke
there. I was not feeling well. I had never been inside a police station before.
After my uncle said that we were younger than 18, he was asked to get our Aadhaar
cards to confirm the age," said one of the minors.SSP in Bulandshahr,
Krishna B Singh, refused to respond to News18’s queries and said, “We are
verifying the facts.”Back in the village, on Monday evening, almost 70
policemen had come to the village of Nayabans to identify the 7 accused for cow
slaughter. The team of cops occupied a central position in the cluster of
Muslim houses and called out the names, one at a time.It turned out that
Sudaif, the first name on the list was not a resident of the village ever.
There were two men by the name of Ilyas, the second name on the list. However,
both of them had left the village with their families around 15 years ago, in
search of jobs and were settled in the national capital region. Sharafat, the
third name in FIR, has also been living in Haryana’s Faridabad with his family
for many years. Sarfuddin and Parvez, named in FIR, were residents of the same
village. However, they were in Bulandshahr since Saturday, 45 km from Nayabans.
The duo were attending Ijetma where 10 lakh Muslim devotees had gathered to
pray on Monday at Tablighi Jamaat’s ijtema and were yet to return. The families
of both individuals provided photographs and videos of the men attending the
ceremony as proof.The two minors were the only ones whose names matched the
ones called out by the police. The entire incident was confirmed by several
villagers and 2 policemen who were part of the team in the village. Meanwhile,
the statement given by the sole complainant in this case, Yogesh Raj, was not
corroborated on the ground. News18
Bulandshahr: 2 children among 7 Muslims named
in alleged cow slaughter case
Bulandshahr violence: Adityanath focuses on the
allegations of cow slaughter
Lucknow:At a security review meeting on the
Bulandshahr mob violence, UP CM Yogi
Adityanath focused on the allegations of cow slaughter.At the meeting held with
top officials, hours before he left for poll campaign again in Telangana, Adityanath
said the incident of alleged cow slaughter in Bulandshahr was part of a “big
conspiracy.”He asked the top officials to take “tough action” against those
involved in cow slaughter, a Govt spokesperson said in a statement. “The
incident is part of a big conspiracy and all those involved in cow slaughter,
directly or indirectly, should be arrested in a time-bound manner,” a Govt spokesperson quoted Adityanath as saying.CM also instructed all DM and district police
chiefs to implement anti-cow slaughter laws and the shutting down of illegal
slaughterhouses in the state, a decision taken by him after coming to power in
March, 2017.Officials have also been told to run a campaign to “expose” those
“element spoiling the atmosphere” and take effective action against those
involved in “plotting the conspiracy.”thehindu
A Policeman Died in Bulandshahr, But
Adityanath's Focus Is Only on Cows
'Growing Impunity' for Cow Vigilantes to Blame
for Cop's Death in Bulandshahr: Amnesty
New Delhi: Human rights organisation Amnesty
India has released a statement on violence in Bulandshahr, in which two people
including a policeman were killed, holding the ‘growing impunity’ for
perpetrators of cow-related violence in UP responsible.Asmita Basu, programmes
director of Amnesty India said:“UP Govt have arrested four people so far in the death
of police inspector, Subodh Kumar Singh. But mere arrests are not enough. The
disturbing truth is that cow vigilante groups operate in many cases with the
tacit approval of state authorities.Subodh Kumar Singh was the first
investigating officer into the death of Akhlaq. On 28 Sept.2015, Akhlaq was
killed by a mob in Dadri in UP on the suspicion that he possessed and consumed
beef. 3 years later, Akhlaq’s family is still waiting for justice, and now the
family of Subodh Kumar Singh is mourning the death of their loved one. The sad
reality in UP is that neither police nor marginalised communities, or in fact
any one, are safe from the violence perpetrated by cow vigilantes.”According to
Basu, UP CM Adityanath needs to take responsibility for the violence and
deaths.thewire
Bulandshahr violence: Will shoot myself if
guilty go unpunished, says slain inspector’s wife
Etha:Rajni Rathore, wife of slain police
inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, threatened to commit suicide at the Bulandshahr
police lines, if those guilty of killing her husband went unpunished.Demanding
a CBI probe into the incident, she also said she would like to punish the
culprits herself once they were caught.Rajni Rathore accompanied the mortal
remains of her husband to his paternal village Taregawan in Etah district on
Tuesday. She broke down repeatedly as she reached her in-laws’ house, which she
last visited in Jan.when Subodh lost his mother.“My husband was a brave man. He
used to lead from the front. But he was so shamefully ditched by his colleagues
in the police force while he was tackling those protesting against cow
slaughter at a village in Bulandshahr district on Monday. His mobile phone and
pistol were nowhere to be found. He went down discharging his duty,” she said
as she sat beside her husband’s body before the funeral.HT
UP DGP says Bulandshahr incident is part of a
bigger conspiracy
Adding a new angle to the Bulandshahr
violence, UP DGP OP Singh said that the incident was not just a law and order
issue, but part of a larger conspiracy. DGP said that there were reasons to
believe that the timing of the whole incident was a suspect.“The incident in
Bulandshahr is a big conspiracy. This is not only a law and order issue, how
did the cattle carcass reach there? Who brought it, why & under what
circumstances?,” said SinghSingh said that first FIR was registered within 48
hours of 2 murders.nationalheraldindia
Was Bulandshahr violence ‘orchestrated’ ahead
of 2019 polls, Shiv Sena asks BJP
Mumbai :Shiv Sena has attacked ally BJP over
the violence in UP ’s Bulandshahr, asking if it was orchestrated to polarise
society on religious grounds ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls.The issue of cow
slaughter and consuming meat is widely prevalent in Goa, Mizoram, Nagaland,
Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura, but no violence or mob lynchings have been
reported there as these states have negligible Lok Sabha seats, the Sena said
in remarks laced with sarcasm.BJP could come to power at the Centre in 2014 as
it won 71 out of total 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP, the party noted. BJP has
realised that repeating the performance is not possible and on top of it,if
Opposition comes together, like it did in the Kairana by-polls (in UP), the
ruling party could be easily defeated, the Sena said.“Was the Bulandshahr
incident orchestrated like the Muzaffarnagar incident before 2014 polls? BJP
knows that the 2019 elections will not be easy for it. Therefore, has it used
its weapon of religious polarisation?” Sena asked in an editorial in party
mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.PTI
Bulandshahr violence pattern same as
Muzaffarnagar riots,pre-planned ahead of polls:CPIM
New Delhi:CPI(M) has blamed UP CM Yogi Adityanath's "communally provocative
speeches" for the Bulandshahr violence and said it was "planned"
in view of 2019 Lok Sabha polls, "same as 2013 Muzaffarnagar
riots".CPI(M) polit bureau in a statement condemned the brutal killing of
police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a bystander, allegedly by a mob in
Bulandshahr district on Monday. "Such incidents are planned in view of the
forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. The communally provocative speeches being made
byCM Adityanath have also created an
atmosphere for the mobs to act with impunity", said the CPI(M) in the
statement.
Bulandshahr incident BJP’s planned conspiracy:
AAP
Lucknow: AAP Rajya Sabha MP and spokesperson
Sanjay Singh here on Wednesday alleged that Bulandsharh incident in which two
people including a police inspector got killed, was planned conspiracy of BJP
to incite the Hindu-Muslim riots for political gains. Addressing the media here
Singh said that after gruesome killing of brave police officer local BJP MLA
claimed that inspector was die of heart attack.Family of martyred policeman was
anguished with the statement of BJP MLA, he added.BJP was failed to handle the
situation and law and order situation was deteriorating day by day, he pointed
out.UNI
Shadow Over Credibility of Police And Govt’s
Secularism:Former DGP Prakash Singh
New
Delhi: Prakash Singh, who retired as DIG in 1996, is well known as a key
architect of police reforms in India. And is a voice that brings in long years
of experience as Chief of the Border Security Force, UP Police and Assam Police. In this quick interview
with The Citizen following the murder of Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, Prakash
Singh says, “ the police force is caught in a terrible predicament. You carry
out the diktat of the politicians and you are damned. You disobey them and you
are damned. In either case, they face public criticism.”thecitizen
Yogi Adityanath’s speech triggers resignation
spree by Muslim leaders of BJP
Bhopal: ‘Ali Vs Bajrangbali’ speech by UP CM Yogi Adityanath, ahead of Nov.28 assembly
polls in Madhya Pradesh, has triggered a resignation spree by Muslim leaders of
the ruling BJP in the central Indian state.Around 20 Muslim leaders and workers
have resigned from their posts and primary membership of the party in Indore,
which has long been considered a RSS-BJP stronghold.Those who have sent their
resignations to party leadership, include Indore BJP city executive member Haji
Aman Memon, Irfan Mansoori (Indore Rural minority cell vice president), Danish
Ansari (Indore city working committee member and office bearer of minority
cell), Sonu Ansari (vice president of Maharana Pratap Mandal of Indore-IV
assembly seat), Anis Khan and Riyaz Ansari (minority cell members in Indore
district).While confirming the exits, state vice president of BJP’s minority
cell Nasir Shah said, “around 18-20 minority cell office-bearers and workers
have quit from their post and also the party in the last three-four days over speech
by Yogi Adityanath.”newindianexpress
There Is No Evidence Of A Temple Under The
Babri Masjid, ASI Lied To The Country, Say Archeologists
NEW DELHI—In August 2003, following a
six-month-long excavation, the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) informed the
Allahabad High Court that it had found evidence of there being a temple under
the Babri Masjid, the 16-century mosque demolished by kar sevaks on 6 December
1992.Two archeologists, Supriya Varma and Jaya Menon, accused the ASI of having
preconceived notions ahead of the dig, and violating ethical codes and
procedures during the excavation. Varma, professor of archeology at Jawaharlal
Nehru University, and Menon, who heads the history department at Shiv Nadar
University, told the court that the excavation did not find anything that
supported ASI's conclusion. In 2010, they published a paper in the Economic and
Political Weekly, challenging the methods used in collecting evidence and its
interpretation.The archeologists, who were observers during the excavation on
behalf of the Sunni Waqf Board, a party to the tile suit in the Ayodhya
dispute, say the ASI, then under the BJP-led NDA government, was under pressure
to reinforce the Hindu right-wing narrative that Mughal emperor Babur's general
Mir Baqi knocked down a temple to build a mosque on the spot where Hindu god
Ram was born. Ahead of the 26th anniversary of the Babri Masjid's demolition,
Varma spoke to HuffPost India about the three key pieces of evidence found in
2003, why she thinks the ASI felt compelled to fabricate its conclusion, and
procedural lapses during the excavation led by B.R. Mani, who was later
replaced on an order by the Allahabad High Court. In 2016, the Modi government
appointed Mani as the Director General of the National Museum.huffingtonpost
26 years on: Ayodhya residents recall the
horrors of 1992 tragedy
Ayodhya:Mohammed Azim, an auto-driver in Ayodhya,
still recalls the frightening night of Dec.6, 1992 when he along with a group
of other Muslim residents of the temple town had taken shelter in the farm
fields fearing for their lives.Azim, who was just 20 then, said, “An army of
‘karsewaks’, in a grip of frenzy, had brought down Babri Masjid, triggering
unrest and panic. We were so terrified, we did not know what to do.”
46-year-old, now a father of four, feels upset that Ram Temple issue was again
being raked up by some politicians and the Sangh Parivar, threatening the
“fragile peaceful atmosphere” of Ayodhya, whose residents are still trying to
come to terms with the tragedy 26 years later.“Every year around this time, we
fight those emotions. We have tried to put the past behind us, but the tragic
memories just refuse to go away. And, with all the noise around the temple
issue in Ayodhya and elsewhere, it has opened our wounds again,” he rued.Azim
says the fateful night still flashes before his eyes. He says it was a Hindu
family who gave him shelter when “the two communities were baying for each
others’ blood”.“We were panic-stricken, so a group of us in our neighbourhood
ran outside the town and into the farm fields to hide ourselves from a frenzied
mob running amok in the streets,” he told PTI.PTI
'Ramayan' TV Show Laid Ground For Babri Masjid
Demolition, Says Anand Patwardhan
While the Ram Temple issue has been raked up
ahead of almost every general election since then, there is a particular
urgency this time—BJP Govt is just
reaching the fag end of its tenure and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, its
tallest leader, is being criticised even by hardened right-wingers for not
making any effort to build the temple. Even RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has asked
the Govt to bring a law on
this.Filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, whose documentary Ram Ke Naam traced Advani's
rath yatra and the communal campaign that was unleashed, told HuffPost India
that the Sangh Parivar has fallen back on religious polarisation—"their
tried-and-tested weapon"—to hide the failures of economic policies such as
demonetisation. In an email interview, Patwardhan also spoke about the role of Govt
broadcaster DD and the TV serial Ramayan
in laying the ground for the Ram temple movement.huffingtonpost
India's Relations with Arab World, Other
Muslim Nations Improved Under Modi Govt:Sushma Swaraj in UAE
Abu Dhabi India's relations with the Arab
world as well as other Muslim-majority nations has improved under Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's Govt , External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj
said.Addressing the Indian community in the UAE, she said that ahead of the
2014 general elections, political analysts were of the view that if Modi
becomes the Prime Minister then he won't be able to take along the West Asian
countries.Swaraj arrived here on Monday on a two-day visit to attend the
UAE-India Joint Commission Meeting here.India and the UAE Tuesday signed two
agreements, including one on currency swap, as Swaraj held exhaustive
discussions with her counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed to step up bilateral
cooperation in areas like security, defence, counter-terrorism, trade and
energy.PTI
Mumbai: High court upholds conviction of duo
held for terror bid
Mumbai: Bombay high court has upheld the
conviction and sentencing of two persons in an eight-year-old terror attempt
case. The accused-Abdul Latif Shaikh and Riaz Abubakar Shaikh-tried to set on
fire ONGC building in BKC, Mangaldas Market in island city and Gujarati Chawl
near Thakur Mall in Dahisar but the attempts were foiled by Mumbai police.
Justice AM Badar dismissed the duo's appeals, challenging their Jan.2016
conviction and sentencing by a special trial court. The trial court had held
both guilty under section 18 of UAPA for conspiring and attempting or
instigating the commission of, a terrorist act or any act preparatory to it.
The trial court handed a sentence of rigorous imprisonment of 12 years to Abdul
and 10 years to Riaz. They were both acquitted of an offence of criminal
conspiracy under IPC and for a charge of recruiting a terrorist under UAPA. On
March 2, 2010, assistant commissioner of police, ATS, Mumbai, received
information that a Pakistan national was conspiring to commit terror activities
with the help of his associates in Mumbai. A person based in Pakistan, known
only as "Uncle". was communicating with Abdul on his cellphone. The convicted duo, through their counsel
Kirti Dabir, denied the charges and said the evidence was lacking and
questioned the legality of the call interception. Riaz said he was working in
Thakur Mall as a salesman and was "falsely implicated" in the case.
The duo's case was that there was "no evidence to show they visited any
place to execute the terrorist act as per intercepted conversation."TOI
Bombay HC directs Goa Chief Secy to file
affidavit detailing Parrikar’s status
Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court on
Tuesday directed Goa Chief Secretary to file an affidavit specifying the health
status ofCM Manohar Parrikar on
Wednesday.The direction by Justice RM Borde follows a petition by local politician
Trajano D'Mello, who had sought to know the health status of Parrikar, who is
suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer and has not attended any official
meeting or function outside his private residence for more than a month
now.D'Mello in his petition filed earlier this month had asked the court to
direct state Chief Secretary Dharmendra Sharma to evaluate the former Defence
Minister's health by a panel of expert doctors and release a medical report in
public domain.Parrikar has been in and out of hospitals in Goa, Mumbai, New
York and Delhi for nearly nine months.IANS
Anil Ambani-led firm failed delivery of
vessels to Navy in time, yet contract not cancelled
Anil Ambani-led firm Reliance Naval
Engineering (RNEL) is four years behind its schedule to supply 5 offshore
patrol vessels (OPVs) to the Indian Navy. But, Modi Govt has still not cancelled the contract. This
delay has led the naval authorities to encash the bank guarantees given by
Reliance Naval Engineering.Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba was responding to a
query on whether action has been taken against the Anil Ambani-promoted company
for overshooting the deadline.However, the question remains as to why the Govt had not cancelled the contract as it had done
with other companies in the past whenever the delivery was delayed.“For a
similar infringement, the navy cancelled an order on ABG Shipyard, leading to
its bankruptcy,” pointed out a shipbuilding industry executive, reported the
Business Standard.nationalheraldindia
Governor Malik rethinks on J&K Bank’s
autonomy
Jammu ;LESS than a fortnight after turning the
J&K Bank (J&K Bank) Ltd into a
public sector undertaking and making it answerable to the state legislature,
Governor Satya Pal Malik Tuesday said that the Govt would re-examine the issue and that the bank
board was the right forum to take all decisions.Malik’s assurance came after a
delegation of bank employees met him Tuesday. His November 22 decision sparked
outrage across the political spectrum and leaders in the state including
Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah and Sajad Lone called it an assault on the bank’s
autonomy.The Governor Tuesday clarified that J&K Bank, which was registered
as a Govt company under the Companies
Act, was and would continue to be regulated by RBI. RBI had licensed J&K
Bank, incorporated in October 1938, as an “old generation private sector
bank.”The clarification puts at rest speculation in J&K that the state Govt
’s stake in the bank may be taken over by the Central Govt . The state is the
single-largest shareholder and holds a majority 59.3 % in the bank.indianexpress
Agusta deal accused Christian Michel to be in
CBI custody for 5 days, orders Delhi Court
New Delhi:Christian James Michel, 57, the
British businessman accused of bribery in the 3,600-crore AgustaWestland
chopper deal, will remain in CBI custody for 5 days, a Delhi Special Judge
ordered on Wednesday on a request by the investigating agency. The court said
he can meet his lawyers for an hour, twice every day.The court’s decision came
after the CBI told the judge that the agency needed to interrogate him to trace
the 37 million Euros that he allegedly received for the deal. CBI had pitched
for a 14-day custody, telling the court that it needed to confront the man they
believed could help them unravel the money trail.Michel was earlier taken to
CBI headquarters following a medical check-up after being brought to India, in
a move that many see as a significant win for the Indian government. He reached
the CBI headquarters at 1:38am.The extradition coincides with a visit to the
UAE by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. Both the CBI and the
Enforcement Directorate (ED) have filed cases against him. The move is even
more significant because Michel is a British national being extradited to India
from Dubai.HT
3 bureaucrats get 3-year jail terms in coal
scam case
NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Wednesday
sentenced former coal secretary H.C. Gupta to three-year imprisonment in a coal
block allocation scam case that happened during the previous UPA regime at the
Centre.Two other bureaucrats — K S Kropha and K C Samria — were also awarded
three-year jail term.Special Judge Bharat Prasar sentenced other convicted
persons Vikas Patni, MD of Vikash Metals and Power Limited, and its authorised
signatory Anand Mallick to a four-year jail term. A fine of ₹1 lakh was imposed
on the company.PTI
Congress Accuses BJP of EVM Tampering in MP,
Moves EC for Probe
NEW DELHI:Alleging BJP in “collusion with the
local administration” was “attempting to tamper/replace” EVMs during the
November 28 Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, the Congress of Tuesday sought an EC
probe into four such incidents, including where EVMs were being transported to
a collection centre in Sagar after 48 hours of polling.A Congress delegation
led by former Union Ministers Kapil Sibal and Kamal Nath submitted a memorandum
to the Election Commission, including video evidence of the four incidents,
that occurred respectively in Sagar, Bhopal, Satna and Shajapur districts.“A
number of incidents in various districts of MP have been reported demonstrating
the ruling BJP in collusion wih local administration tried to tamper/replace
the EVMs used in the districts of Sagar , Bhopal, Satna, Shajapur and
districts,” the Congress said in the memorandum.Citing the incident in Sagar
where EVMs were transported in a vehicle without a registration number and
reaching the collection centre 48 hours after the voting ended in the state,
the Congress demanded a probe into all the EVMs to ascertain which authority
directed the transport of the EVMs and whether any “foreign chip or any external
device or component has been attached to the EVMs”.It also demanded a probe
into an EVM strongroom facing blackout in Bhopal on November 30 with CCTVs not
working during the blackout.IANS
Kushwaha may announce split from NDA today
New Delhi :RLSP chief and Union Minister
Upendra Kushwaha, who has been at loggerheads with BJP over seat-sharing
arrangement for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, may announce the party’s split
from the NDA on Wednesday. If that happens, Kushwaha’s RLSP will be the second
alliance partner after Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP to walk out of NDA with just
four months left for the crucial general elections.RLSP chief, who is the
minister of state for Human Resource Development, had earlier served BJP with a
deadline of November 30 to increase the number of seats offered from two. On
Monday, Kushwaha dared BJP to dismiss him as Union minister.Kushwaha had hinted
that the party, which is holding a two-day brainstorming session in Valmikinagar
in West Champaran district over the prevailing political situation in the
state, would make a “big announcement” on Dec. 5.indianexpress
Hindus deserve respect because they are
natives invaded by Muslims: RSS leader
RSS leader Suresh Joshi stoked controversy on
Tuesday saying the primary goal of the Hindu outfit is to keep the Indian
culture alive at all costs and that Hindus should prevent marrying their girls
into other communities. Joshi alias Bhaiyya Ji said that the primary goal of
the RSS is to keep the Indian culture alive and the BJP Govt at the Centre has been instrumental in doing
so.Talking about the workings of RSS, he said that the RSS transforms the mind,
body and soul of the person who joins the organization. "Anyone who
sincerely attends a few 'shakhas' will become a completely different person
from what he was," said Joshi.He added that to keep the Indian culture
alive, the number of 'swayamsevaks' will have to be increased while more and
more people will need to be involved with the social work that the RSS has been
doing in the country since its inception.indiatoday
SC approves Centre’s draft witness protection
scheme
NEW DELHI:The Supreme Court on Wednesday
approved the Central Govt ’s draft witness protection scheme and asked all the
States to implement it till Parliament comes out with legislation.A Bench
headed by Justice A.K. Sikri said they have made some changes in the scheme.The
issue had cropped up when the top court was hearing a PIL petition seeking
protection for witnesses in rape cases involving self-styled preacher Asaram
Bapu.During the hearing on November 19, Attorney General K.K. Venugopal told
the court that the draft scheme, which has now been finalised, would be made
into law “in due course”, but till then the court could direct the States to
start implementing it.PTI
WORLD
US senators: 'Zero chance' MBS not involved in
Khashoggi killing
After a closed-door briefing by CIA Director
Gina Haspel, some top US senators have said there is "zero chance"
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) wasn't involved in the murder of
journalist Jamal Khashoggi."Views that I had before have only
solidified," said Senator Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, who has called for a strong reaction from the
United States to Khashoggi's death and backs legislation to end all support for
the Saudi coalition waging war in Yemen. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told
reporters, "You have to be willfully blind not to come to the conclusion
that this was orchestrated and organised by people under the command of
MBS."He added that it appeared the Trump administration does not want to
recognise evidence of the crown prince's complicity. Republican Senator Bob
Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, echoed the
comments, saying he had zero doubt in his mind that Prince Mohammed ordered and
monitored the killing of Khashoggi.He added that if Prince Mohammed were put on
trial, a jury would find him guilty in "about 30 minutes".aljazeera
Khashoggi murder: CIA holds classified
briefing, concludes Saudi crown Prince ordered killing
Turkish prosecutor seeks arrests of Saudi
crown prince aides Khashoggi murder
Istanbul's chief prosecutor has filed warrants
for the arrest of a top aide to Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler and the deputy
head of foreign intelligence on suspicion of planning the killing of Saudi
journalist Jamal Khashoggi.The prosecutor's office concluded that there is
"strong suspicion" that Saud al-Qahtani and Ahmed Asiri, who were
both removed from their positions following the murder, were among the planners
of the murder, two Turkish officials said on Wednesday."The prosecution's
move to issue arrest warrants for Asiri and Qahtani reflects the view that the
Saudi authorities won't take formal action against those individuals," one
of the officials told Reuters.The official added that Saudi Arabia could
address international concern by extraditing all suspects in the case to
Turkey.The Saudi prosecution has previously acknowledged that al-Qahtani and
Asiri were part of the plot to kill Khashoggi. The 2 men were both high-ranking
officials with close ties to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.aljazeera
Turkey seeks arrest of 2 Saudi crown prince
allies over Khashoggi murder
Saudi king extends invitation to Qatari emir
to attend GCC summit
Saudi Arabia's King Salman has invited Qatar's
Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to attend the upcoming Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) summit set to take place in Riyadh on December 9, the official
Qatar News Agency reported.The announcement on Tuesday follows Qatar's decision
a day earlier to withdraw from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OPEC), a move seen by some analysts as deeply symbolic given Qatar's
modest oil output.Qatar News Agency (QNA) said in a tweet the emir received
"an invitation from the King of Saudi Arabia" for the meeting. The
invitation was delivered by the Bahraini secretary general of the GCC,
Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, during a reception by Qatar's Minister of
State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi. QNA did not say if
Sheikh Tamim would travel to Saudi Arabia."I am optimistic that the level
of representation is expected to be high and reflects the keenness of GCC
leaders to maintain this pioneering experience," Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign
Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah was quoted as saying at the time. aljazeera
Saudi refuses to engage in WTO dispute brought
by Qatar
Saudi Arabia told the World Trade Organization
on Tuesday that national security concerns meant it "simply will not
engage in dispute settlement procedures" regarding an intellectual
property complaint by Qatar.Qatar launched the dispute in October, saying Saudi
Arabia was blocking Qatari-owned broadcaster beIN and refusing to take
effective action against the piracy of its content by a sophisticated operation
called "beoutQ".BeoutQ, a 10-channel system broadcasting to the
Middle East on the Arabsat satellite operator, is allegedly being transmitted
from Saudi Arabia.Saudi representative told a WTO dispute settlement meeting
that Riyadh had cut ties with Qatar to protect its vital security interests and
WTO agreements could not override that decision."My Govt considers that the severance of diplomatic
relations renders impossible the conduct of any dispute settlement
procedures," the Saudi trade diplomat said.aljazeera
US special Afghanistan envoy skips India
New Delhi: US Special Representative for
Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad in a curious move, twice in as many
months, has decided to skip India during his fortnight travel to the region for
advancing peace talks in the landlocked country.While India remains a key
stakeholder in Afghanistan and Khalilzad has attended all peace conferences
including Geneva talks and Moscow format recently, this is the second time that
he will not be visiting India while touring the region.“Special Representative
for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad will travel to
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Belgium, UAE, and
Qatar with an interagency delegation from Dec.2-20,” US State Department said. Khalilzad
has always batted for a bigger role for India in Afghanistan and so it is even
more surprising that he has decided to give Delhi the miss during his last two
visits for consultations.Khalilzad will meet Afghan Govt officials and other interested parties to
support and facilitate an inclusive peace process in Afghanistan. “Special
Representative Khalilzad will be in communication with President Ghani, Chief
Executive Abdullah, and other Afghan stakeholders to coordinate closely on
efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table with the Afghan Govt and other Afghans,” according to the State
Department.TOI
Taliban being utilised as hedge against India:
US Commander
Nearly 2 days after US President Donald Trump
sought Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's help in the Afghan peace process, a
top American commander has told lawmakers that Islamabad's policy seems to be
unchanged and it continues to use the Taliban as a hedge against
India."Pakistan is an essential element in long-term stability in
Afghanistan," Marine Corps Lt Gen Kenneth McKenzie Jr told members of the
Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing for commander
of US Central Command (CENTCOM).Pakistan could play a key role in facilitating
talks between the Taliban and Govt of Afghanistan, he said, adding, "I
would welcome that development. At this time, however, Pakistan does not appear
to be using the full extent of its influence to encourage the Taliban to come
to the table.""We continue to see the Taliban being utilised as a
hedge against India rather than as part of a stable, reconciled
Afghanistan," McKenzie told the lawmakers during his confirmation hearing.
India TV
Uruguay affirms support for Palestinians
rights
Uruguay’s Vice-President, Lucia Topolansky has
affirmed her country’s support for the Palestinian people’s rights and the
importance of cooperation in various fields.Topolansky made the remarks during
a meeting with Palestinian Ambassador, Walid Abdel Rahim.Ambassador Abdel Rahim
stressed that the Palestinian people appreciate Uruguay’s support for their
right to self-determination and to have an independent state with East
Jerusalem as its capital on the 1967 borders.The ambassador briefed the
Uruguayan official about the Israeli violations of international law and human
rights including building illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian
territories, demolishing Palestinian homes and depriving the Palestinians of
their most basic human rights.middleeastmonitor
Extreme weather events killed over 70,000
people in India, 5.2 lakh across world in 20 years: Report
Katowice:Just in 2017 alone, 2,736 people in
India died in extreme weather events like floods, excessive rain or cyclones,
the report by Germanwatch, an independent development organisation, said.Amid
calls for much stronger action on climate change, a new report on Tuesday said
more than 5.2 lakh people died in extreme weather events across the world in
the last twenty years, with India accounting for the second highest number of
these casualties after Myanmar.Just in 2017 alone, 2,736 people in India died
in extreme weather events like floods, excessive rain or cyclones, the report
by Germanwatch, an independent development organisation, said. This too was the
second highest number of such deaths in the world, topped only by Puerto Rico,
which bore the brunt of Hurricane Maria in Sept.2017 which claimed 2,978
lives.In the 20-year period between 1998 and 2017, India lost, on an average,
3,660 people every year, with a total of 73,212 casualties.During this period,
India faced super cyclone in Odisha, several other cyclones, floods, landslides
and extreme rain and heat-wave events.indianexpress
FLASH: VIEWS &
NEWS
Why Qatar has left OPEC, and how the decision
will impact oil prices, India
A new deal for the farmer:A Basic Income
Scheme for the farmer will not tax the Govt ’s resources:Yashwant Sinha
Explained: Why number of hungry is rising
The cow vigilante menace: UP records highest
number of incidents
Bulandshahar Killings Mark a Moment of Truth
for the UP Police:Tariq Hasan
The Hindi news channel editor who thrives on
‘provoking Hindu-Muslim hate’:Amrita Nayak Dutta
Bulandshahr focus shifts from Hindu
vigilantism to cows or is Yogi following due process?
Chilling video points to dangerous plans by
Hindutva brigade in Bulandshahr, one Kundan had allegedly ‘slaughtered’ cow:
jantakareporter
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi Visited
Court No. 1 in the Supreme Court;Swati Chaturvedi
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Anwarulhaq (Released at: 5:02 PM)
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