22 JAN. 2020 FLASH NEWS
*anti-citizenship act stir*
CAA: SC refuses to stay CAA, gives Centre 4 weeks to reply, restrains
HCs from passing orders on pleas; Assam, Tripura petitions to be heard
separately
SC hearing on CAA: The Supreme Court Wednesday refused to stay the
contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) until it heard the Centre’s
response and hinted that it would set up a five-judge Constitution bench to
hear the matter. A 3-judge bench headed by CJI S A Bobde, which was hearing a
batch of 143 pleas, granted the Centre 4 weeks to reply. It also restrained all
high courts from hearing pleas related to CAA till it decided on petitions.
During the hearing, Attorney General KK Venugopal arguing for the Centre said
the government had been given copies of only 60 of 143 pleas and hence required
more time to respond. AG seeks a period of six weeks to file counters on the
grounds that about 80 more petitions have been filed. CJI Bobde said the court
may refer the matter to a Constitution Bench. Senior advocates AM Singhvi,
Kapil Sibal appearing for the petitioners requested the court to put on hold
operation of CAA and postpone the exercise of NPR for the time being. Senior
Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi cites the example of Uttar Pradesh. He ells the
Court that in UP, several households have already been marked out to hint at
doubtful status. Sibal adds that these people may lose voting rights.
"Without any rules being framed, 40 Lakh people have been marked doubtful.
This has happened in 19 districts of UP. Their right to vote will be lost.
Kindly stay the process. That's our prayer. This will prevent a lot of chaos
and insecurity," Singhvi said in the court, Live Law reported. Senior
advocate Kapil Sibal arguing for the petitioners says that the NPR process will
start in April and many states have already begun the process of documentation.
Stating that citizenship once granted can’t be reversed, Sibal requests court
to grant a nearby date. "Kindly postpone (NPR)process for 3 months. In the
meanwhile your lordships can decide," he told in the court, Live Law
reported. The bench also said it will hear petitions pertaining to Assam and
Tripura separately as the problem with CAA in these two states is different
from rest of the country. "The petitions concerning Assam and Tripura as
well as matters related to Uttar Pradesh, which is going ahead with the
implementation of CAA without framing any rules, can be dealt with
separately," the court said.The petitions contend that CAA stands against
the basic structure of the Constitution and is illegal. Some of the petitions
have also sought the legislation that came into force on January 10 be
withdrawn. Petitioners include Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, IUML, and its MPs,
Lok Sabha MP and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, TMC MP Mahua Moitra, All
Assam Students’ Union and Tripura royal scion Pradyot Kishore Deb
Barman.indianexpress
Citizenship Act: SC says it won’t stay law without hearing Centre, to
refer pleas to 5-judge bench
SC says no stay on CAA implementation without Centre’s response, next
hearing after 4 weeks
CAA in SC: Impression that people who have concerns with law will not be
disappointed, says Ramesh Chennithala
Ramesh Chennithala, Leader of Opposition in Kerala said, "The
attitude of the court has been very positive in this regard. There are 144
petitions. The government asked for six weeks to file a counter-affidavit but
the SC gave four weeks. There will be a decision after it. The court has taken
a very serious view of it. There have been earlier instances when the court has
swatted aside petitions against laws enacted by Parliament. But here, a final
decision will come only after four weeks. This is a larger constitutional
matter, that's how this is shaping out to be. There's certainly an impression
that the people who have concerns regarding the law will not be disappointed.
We felt so."
CAA in SC: It's a serious matter, court hearing was positive, says PK
Kunhalikutty, IUML general secretary
PK Kunhalikutty, IUML general secretary felt that the court hearing was
positive. "This is a very serious matter. Once citizenship is given, it
cannot be taken back. Kapil Sibal had strongly argued that since the matter
involves a lot of legalities, it must not be implemented now and must be
postponed. The government has asked time to respond and the SC has given four
weeks' time. Kapil Sibal also asked for the matter to be referred to a larger
constitution bench. People who listened to the hearing felt the court was
positive to the request. The IUML had also pleaded that there are contradictory
statements being made (on CAA-NRC) inside and outside Parliament. So the court
has issued a notice in this regard." The IUML submitted in its plea that
CAA violates the fundamental Right to Equality and intends to grant citizenship
to a section of illegal immigrants by making an exclusion on the basis of
religion.
Supreme Court's Refusal to Stay CAA Disappointing: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind
NEW DELHI:Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, one of the largest socio-religious
Muslim organizations in India, has termed as “disappointing” the Supreme
Court’s refusal to stay the controversial CAA.“We had expected that the Supreme
Court would come forward for help of the people and stay the CAA because it is
the responsibility of the Supreme Court to fix the error committed by the
Parliament. Supreme Court’s refusal today to stay the implementation of CAA has
disappointed us,” said Mohammad Salim Engineer, Vice President of Jamaat.He
said the past one month was enough time for the centre to respond to all
petitions and the SC should have given its final verdict today.indiatomorrow
JDU's Prashant Kishor dares Amit Shah to implement CAA, NRC in
chronology he proposed
JDU leader and political strategist Prashant Kishor has hit out at Home
Minister Amit Shah and dared him to implement CAA and NRC in the same
"chronology" that he "audaciously announced".In a tweet on
Wednesday, Prashant Kishor threw a challenge to Amit Shah and said, "Being
dismissive of citizens' dissent couldn't be the sign of strength of any Govt.
Amit Shah JI, if you don't care for those protesting against CAA, NRC, why
don't you go ahead and try implementing CAA & NRC in the chronology that
you so audaciously announced to the nation!"Prashant Kishor on Sunday also
thanked Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for
"formal and unequivocal" rejection of NRC and reassured the people of
Bihar, ruled by his party, that CAA and NRC will not be implemented in the
state.Kishor, who is part of the ruling JDU in Bihar, is in alliance with BJP
in the state government headed by Nitish Kumar. With Prashant Kishor's open
praisies of Congress and now the dare to Amit Shah, BJP has been left red-faced.
On Camera, Women At CAA Protest In UP's Etawah Chased, Thrashed By Cops
Etawah: Women protesters are chased and caned by the Uttar Pradesh
police, who also barge into shops and force them to shut, in mobile phone
footage that has emerged from a protest in Etawah against the citizenship law
on Tuesday.Video clips show the police chasing the women in the narrow lanes of
Pachraha area and raining blows with their batons as they try to break up the
protest.In a 17-second clip, the women can be heard shouting and asking the
police why they are being assaulted. It is difficult to make out whether the
cops hitting the women protestors are men or women, but police sources insist
only women police personnel were tackling the women protestors.Other mobile
phone clips show the police lathi-charging men who had gathered in the area. In
one video, cops are seen entering a roadside eatery, hitting the employees
inside and shutting it down forcibly.A policeman is on camera hitting a
roadside vendor and asking him to shut shop. A senior policeman is seen in
another video abusing protesters. The police have defended their crackdown,
saying the protesters had thrown stones at them first.The protest took place in
Pachraha yesterday afternoon. Initially, some 150 women joined the protest but
by night the numbers had swelled to 500, according to local reporters.ndtv
UP CAA protests: Firozabad FIRs same, accused fear will be blamed for
deaths
Firozabad police registered FIRs against eight people under the Arms Act
following the December 20 protests against CAA, resulting in seven deaths. FIRs
against five mention they were rounded up in an “injured” condition, while six
FIRs claim the accused had “confessed” to have fired from illegal weapons.
Relatives of the eight accused fear the FIRs could be a way of holding them
responsible for the casualties.Police are still investigating the cause of the
seven deaths. Postmortems in case of six failed to recover bullets, as reported
by Indian Express earlier.Thirteen people are in judicial custody for the
Firozabad anti-CAA violence, including the eight under the Arms Act. All 13 are
facing charges under Section 307 of the IPC, which is attempt to murder, along
with crimes like dacoity and damaging public and private property, rioting and
criminal intimidation.indianexpress
'And Amit Shah?' Poet Munawwar Rana Questions '2 Sets Of Laws' After
Daughters' Arrests
Lucknow: Urdu poet Munawwar Rana, whose two daughters have been named in
criminal cases by the police after they participated in an ongoing protest
against CAA at Lucknow's iconic clock tower, has now accused Union Home
Minister Amit Shah of violating prohibitory orders, banning large
gatherings."My daughters Sumaiya and Fauzia have been booked for violating
prohibitory orders but what about Amit Shah who addressed a rally of thousands
in the state capital on Tuesday? Surely there were more than four people in the
rally. How can there be two sets of the same law for different people?"
the poet asked.Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu supported
Munawwar Rana, saying: "Why is Section 144 not for Union Home Minister?
Common people are being picked up for violating prohibitory orders but when it
comes to the ruling BJP, the administration happily gives them permission to
violate a law."Munawwar Rana said that the case against his daughters and
others protesting against the CAA and NRC would be a 'injustice' if Mr Shah's
rally was termed "legal".The poet's daughters are among hundreds of
women, named and unnamed, who have been accused of defying prohibitory
orders.The protests at the historical Clock Tower in old Lucknow began on
Friday and have continued with hundreds of women braving the cold since then.
Meanwhile, UP State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (UPSCPCR) has
sent a letter to the state police chief OP Singh, saying that the presence of
children at the protest site was a violation of their rights and action against
the parents should be taken without delay.Zoya Hasan, a housewife who is
protesting with her two children, aged 6 and 8, reacted strongly to UPSCPCR
letter and said, "Let them come and ask my children if they have been
forced by us to stay here. I have been asking them to go home but they refuse
to do so. Do you think any parent will subject their children to torture? Let
them put all of us in jail but we will not budge an inch from here."ndtv
Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad to visit Shaheen Bagh today
New Delhi :A day after a Delhi
court allowed him to visit the national capital, Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar
Azad will today join the protest at Shaheen Bagh. Making the announcement on
Twitter, Azad wrote, “Friends, Jai Bhim, this evening I am coming to the land
of our struggle, Shaheen Bagh.”Azad took to Twitter to welcome the order: “I
thank the court for giving me permission to enter Delhi. This will embolden
people’s faith in the judiciary. This is a win for the Constitution. I will
come tomorrow to Delhi. I will not allow the BJP which is breaking this country
to form their Government in Delhi.”indianexpress
Counsel kids in Shaheen Bagh, may suffer mental trauma: NCPCR
New Delhi : National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)
has issued an order to District Magistrate of South East Delhi to identify the
children involved in Shaheen Bagh protests and send them for counselling. In
its order, NCPCR said the children “may suffer from mental trauma” because of
“rumours and miscommunication” regarding the CAA.“We issued the order Tuesday.
This order is based on viral videos, which show children saying things like
‘Pradhan Mantri humko desh se nikal denge (Prime Minister will throw us out of
the country)’, and ‘Home Minister ko kaagaz nahi dikhayenge toh who humein
detention camp mein bhej denge (if we don’t show documents to Home Minister, he
will send us to detention camps)’. This is the effect of rumours regarding CAA.
For the children to be affected by this and say things like this is extremely
worrying. We believe the children are in need of intense counselling. If need
be, their parents should also be sent for counselling,” said chairperson NCPCR
Priyank Kanoongo.Kanoongo added that it is apparent the children have suffered
from deep trauma because of the “rumours floating around”. He said local
counselling centres are available to this end. NCPCR has taken cognizance of
the matter under Section 13 of CPCR Act, 2005.DM is to submit a report to NCPCR
within 10 days.After parents of school-going children stressed their concerns
to Delhi Police about the protests at Shaheen Bagh disrupting their children’s
commute to school, a delegation of protesters, including five women, met
Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, after being “approached by the
administration”. indianexpress
'Modi is afraid', women take lead
in India's citizenship protests:The guardian
With a toothless grin and a clenched fist raised to the heavens,
90-year-old Asma Khatun chanted exuberantly. “Azadi,” she cried, using the
Hindi word for freedom and joining a loud chorus that rang out across Shaheen
Bagh, a neighbourhood in South Delhi that over the past few weeks has become a
nationwide symbol of resistance.In her nine decades, Khatun has lived through
British colonial rule, the war of independence and India’s bloody partition
with Pakistan, but as a housewife she had always stayed behind closed doors and
barely brushed with politics. That was until last month.For over 40 days, the
frail but feisty 90-year-old has been camped out on the streets day and night,
side by side with hundreds of women and braving Delhi’s coldest temperatures
for more than a century. “I am old, my bones hurt in the cold and my children
are very worried about my health, but I am sitting here because I will not
stand by as Modi tries to break up India, to tell me that this is not my home
after 90 years,” said Khatun.Among them was 82-year-old Bilkis, who had been
camped out for over a month. “In my whole life, this is the first time I have
taken part in any political movement,”she said. Nusrat Asra, 43, said she had
abandoned her life as a housewife for the first time, to sit with the women of
Shaheen Bagh every day. Her husband had initially been resistant, she said,
“but now he knows why I am fighting”.“I am not afraid of anything, I am not
afraid of the police, I am not afraid of being beaten, I am here just to stand
up for freedom,” said Asra animatedly, her face lit up in defiance.the guardian
‘A Man from my Tribe Died in a Detention Camp’: DU Students Protest
NEW DELHI: Scores of students
collected at the New Academic Block of Hindu College, University of Delhi on
January 20 to protest against the controversial CAA and NRC. The demonstration
was addressed by many students belonging to Kashmir and Assam, urging the
student body to continue their “fight” in solidarity with the states they come
from. “A man from my tribe died in a detection camp,” said a first year
Philosophy student of Hindu College who wished to remain anonymous. A resident
of Sonipur district in Assam, he said, “They don’t care about minorities, they
don’t give a damn. How can a poor man give papers, in a state where he
constantly has to shift homes because of annual floods that nobody talks about,
and he loses everything in this moving?”“Coming to Delhi is a big dream for
people in my tribe. And I’m using my voice of privilege to speak up for my
people. This is a fight for everyone, whether you’re a Muslim or Hindu, from
Assam or not. All of us are brothers and sisters. Please keep fighting,” he
stated.thecitizen
‘You’re Hindu, How Is Your Name Robin?’: UP Police to An Activist
These were some of the questions that UP police put forth when they had
arrested activist Robin Verma in Lucknow on 20 December.A day prior to his
arrest, Verma had gone to participate in a peaceful anti CAA protest at
Parivartan Chowk. He claims that the police subjected him to physical as well
as mental torture while in custody, which included religion-specific comments
and snide remarks about family members. “On 20 December, I was with my friend
Omar Rashid, who is a journalist with The Hindu. We were eating near BJP office
when a few people, who were not in police uniforms, came to us. They said that
they were from the police and asked us to come along with them. They didn’t
show us any arrest warrant at that point of time. They took our mobile phones
and didn’t produce any documents for that as well,” said Robin. The activist,
said, "I was not allowed to go to the toilet. They neither gave me water
nor informed my family. They then started asking all sorts of questions. How
come you are a Hindu and have Muslim friends? We will push your wife towards
prostitution. We will make your daughter do the same thing. We will trap you in
big cases.”Though out of jail now, Verma continues to face charges for causing
damage to public property during protests and is gearing up to challenge
legally a notice that has put the cost of damage at Rs 2.59 crore. the quint
Rihai Manch Chief Says RSS, BJP Conspired to Turn Peaceful Protests
Violent in UP
New Delhi: Addressing a press conference in the national capital on
Tuesday after his release from the Lucknow district prison, senior lawyer and
president of Rihai Manch, Mohammad Shoaib alleged that peaceful agitations
against the CAA and NRC on December 19, were disrupted by RSS and BJP members
and turned violent.“We have reason to believe that it was a well thought out
conspiracy,” Shoaib added.Speaking to the media, he said, “I was also arrested
during the Emergency and back then I was hailed as a freedom fighter but today
I am portrayed as a rioter and conspirator.”thewire
Questions on parents in NPR form may be dropped: Union Minister Paswan
NEW DELHI:The patriarch of key BJP ally LJP and Union Minister, Ram
Vilas Paswan has said the government may consider the widespread demand to
remove the questions on date and place of birth of a respondent’s parents from
NPR. “Even I don’t know the date of birth of my parents, forget about producing
documents proving the dates,” Paswan
said.He said the government would consider acceding to the demand and had
repeatedly clarified that the production of documents would not be mandatory.So
far, there is no official notification from Ministry of Home Affairs, which is
helming the exercise, on changes to NPR form. The government has not yet notified
NPR form.Various State governments have insisted that these 2 questions should
be removed from NPR form because a vast majority of respondents will not be
able to produce any proof of date of birth and place of birth of their
parents.NPR exercise by far, Paswan said, is similar to the Census, which
happens at the turn of every decade.The Hindu
Yechury calls for civil disobedience against citizenship law
Kalaburagi City witnessed a massive turnout of people for the national
convention against CAA, NRC and NPR, organised by Karnataka People’s Forum, at
Peer Bengali Dargah grounds here on Tuesday.The national convention resolved
not to furnish any documents for NRC and NPR and not support the process.
Addressing the gathering, CPI (M) Leader Sitaram Yechury, termed CAA, NRC and NPR
unconstitutional and called for a civil disobedience movement against the
citizenship law.“We are the soldiers of Free India. Our duty is to save the
country and its Constitution when it is in danger. The Constitution is a sacred
document and we will protect it whenever it is violated. It is patriotism, not
treason,” Yechury said.In a blistering attack, Yechury accused the right wing
forces of trying to establish a Hindu nation by destroying the secular fabric
of the country. We should not give any information for NPR, he said. Congress
leader Mallikarjun Kharge, former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, social
activist Swami Agnivesh, KPCC working president Eshwar Khandre, MLAs MY Patil,
B Narayanrao, former IAS officer Sasikanth Senthil and others took part in the
convention.deccanherald
In Wasseypur protest, women take lead: ‘Maa, mulk nahi badla jata’
Wasseypur :Surrounded by collieries, the Wasseypur region in Jharkhand’s
Dhanbad has long been affected by gang violence. However, for the last 20 days,
it is the women of the area that have been in the news.Traditionally limited to
their households, women, for the first time in Wasseypur, have taken to the
forefront of protests, holding demonstrations against CAA and NRC.On Tuesday,
around 500 women gathered at the protest site. Tabassu Khan, in her forties,
claimed she votes for the BJP. “We did not say anything when Babri (Masjid)
verdict came. We did not utter a word on the laws on instant triple talaq. But
CAA is completely anti-democratic and discriminatory,” she said. She said her
children’s exams are around the corner, but she has not been able give them
time.One of the oldest women protestors is Sehrin Nisha, in her 80s. She said,
“I don’t have any documents and don’t have any home. I live with my relatives
and I am an Indian.”indianexpress
*OTHERS*
Trump meets Imran Khan in Davos, offers ‘help’ on Kashmir issue
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday reiterated his offer to “help” on
the Kashmir issue, as he met Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in Davos,
Switzerland on the sidelines of World Economic Forum.Interestingly, Trump
volunteered US’s “help” even before Khan spoke — without any prompting or
provocation.Addressing the media with Khan at his side, Trump said, “We are
talking about Kashmir and in relation to what is going on with Pakistan and
India and if we can help — we certainly will be helping. We’ve been following
that and watching it very very closely. Khan said it was US which will be able
to help resolve the issue, and said that he had pinned his hopes on US
President.This is the fourth time that Trump has made such an offer – each
time, India has rejected his proposal.His latest offer comes in the backdrop of
talks between Delhi and Washington about Trump possibly visiting India this
year, anytime between February and Sept. indianexpress
Donald Trump Repeats Offer To "Help" On Kashmir Ahead Of Talks
With Pakistan PM Imran Khan
Pakistan has ‘limited options’ to respond to India’s decision on Jammu
and Kashmir: Report
Washington :Pakistan’s leadership has “limited options” to respond to
India’s decision on Jammu and Kashmir as many analysts view that Islamabad has
“little credibility” on the issue given its long history of covertly supporting
militant groups there, according to a US Congressional report. Congressional
Research Service (CRS) in its second report on Kashmir in less than six months
also said that Pakistan’s ability to alter the status quo through military
action has been reduced in recent years, meaning that Islamabad likely must
rely primarily on diplomacy.CRS is the independent research wing of the US
Congress which prepares periodic reports on issues of interest for US lawmakers
so that they can take informed decisions inside Congress. Currently, two
resolutions are pending in the House of Representatives, one of which is being
sponsored by Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal.In its report dated
January 13, CRS said that post August 5, Pakistan “appeared diplomatically
isolated”, with Turkey being the only country to offer solid and explicit
support for Islamabad’s position.PTI
Naqvi begins Centre’s Kashmir outreach
SRINAGAR:Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday became
the first Union Minister to visit the Kashmir valley as part of the Centre’s
outreach programme following August 5 decision to end J&K’s autonomous
status, and chose the underdeveloped pocket of Dara in Srinagar’s Harwan to
kick-start the tour.Amid snowfall, Naqvi addressed a gathering of about 300
people, most of them residents of the under-developed hilly pocket of Dara. To
connect with the people, he promised that the Haj quota for locals would be
raised and asserted that the ‘change being witnessed’ in mainland India “will
be reflected in J&K too”.“It is the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi
that J&K too joins the development trajectory of the country. It was the
termite of corruption that destroyed this paradise, with people only pursuing
their personal gains. For decades, aspirations of locals have been ignored.
However, Centre is for positive and effective change on the ground,” said
Naqvi.thehindu
J&K kids nationalists, sometimes motivated in wrong direction:
Rajnath Singh
New Delhi :Days after Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat said
that girls and boys were being radicalised in Kashmir, Union Defence Minister
Rajnath Singh Wednesday said the children of Jammu and Kashmir are
nationalists, but they are sometimes being motivated in the wrong direction.
Singh was speaking at the NCC Republic Day Camp in Delhi.“The kids of Jammu
Kashmir are nationalists. They shouldn’t be seen in any other way. Youngsters
are youngsters only. Sometimes, the way they should be motivated, people do not
motivate them. In fact, they are motivated in the wrong direction,” PTI quoted
Singh as saying.“That is why the kids should not be blamed for this. The ones
who are wrongly motivating them should be blamed. The ones who are motivating
them in the wrong direction are the culprits,” he added.indianexpress
Passenger vehicle retail sales dip 9% in Dec: FADA
NEW DELHI: Automobile dealers' body FADA on Tuesday said retail sales of
passenger vehicles in December 2019 declined 9 per cent to 2,15,716 units
year-on-year, as even the best offers failed to lift weak consumer
sentiments.According to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations
(FADA), passenger vehicles (PV) sales stood at 2,36,586 units in December
2018.Two-wheeler sales declined 16 per cent to 12,64,169 units last month as
compared with 15,00,545 units in December 2018.PTI
Tukde-tukde gang does exist, they are running govt: Shashi Tharoor
New Delhi:Taking a dig at Home Ministry's reported reply to an RTI query
that there is no information available on 'tukde-tukde gang', senior Congress
leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said it does exist and is running the
government.An activist has claimed that the Home Ministry has responded to his
RTI query saying that there is "no information concerning tukde-tukde gang".Tagging
the media report, Tharoor tweeted, "tukde-tukde gang does exist. They are
running the Government and dividing the nation."Asked about RTI reply at a
party press conference, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said, "I think
the home minister knows more about the tukde-tukde gang than we do... the
country knows who is dividing India".india today
Maharashtra: 2 ‘SIMI members’ granted bail
Mumbai : 2 alleged members of SIMI, arrested by Maharashtra ATS last
month in connection with a 2006 case, were Monday granted bail by a Mumbai
court which observed that being an absconder for a long time itself cannot be a
ground to reject bail.Ejaz Khan (40) and his brother Iliyas (48), were arrested
on December 12 last year by ATS, which said they were members of the banned
organisation. The prosecution said the two men were absconding since 2006 when
many were arrested on allegations of being SIMI members following serial train
blasts in the city.Lawyer OA Siddiqui, appearing for the two men, submitted
before the court that the accused had been falsely implicated. He said the two
were students in the city in 2006 and there was no evidence presented to show
that they were SIMI members. He said the brothers had not absconded, but left
the city for their native town Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh, as they were
unaware that a case had been filed against them.Siddiqui also claimed that the
alleged literature seized by the ATS as evidence against SIMI members in
similar cases, pertained to good manners and respecting one’s parents, which
cannot be considered to be “objectionable”, “banned” or “anti-social”
literature.The court took into consideration that the 13 people arrested in the
case had been granted bail. The last two persons to be arrested in the case
were released on bail in 2008.indianexpress
Maharashtra government to make Marathi mandatory in all schools
MUMBAI:Maharashtra government will enact a law during the next Assembly
session, making it mandatory to teach Marathi language in all schools in the
state irrespective of mediums of instructions, said Industries Minister Subhash
Desai on January 21.Desai, a Shiv Sena leader who is also the Marathi Language
Minister, said the draftbill in this connection is being prepared.PTI
Maharashtra government makes it compulsory for school students to read
the Preamble to Constitution
Maharashtra government on Tuesday ordered that school students across
the state must recite the Preamble to the Indian Constitution, during their
morning assemblies from January 26. School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad
made the announcement.
International study centre better than tallest statue for Dalit icon:
VBA chief Prakash Ambedkar
Mumbai :VBA president Prakash Ambedkar has reiterated his reservations
to the proposed statue for Dalit icon Dr B R Ambedkar and suggested that an
international study centre dedicated to the architect of the Indian
Constitution would be a better tribute. Dalit leader’s comments come days after
he suggested the Bombay High Court asked the state government to utilise funds
sanctioned for the proposed statue of his grandfather at Indu Mill in Mumbai
for improvement of the cash-strapped Wadia hospitals for women and children
instead.“The greatness of BR Ambedkar cannot be measured with the height of a
statue. It is a futile exercise undertaken by successive governments to serve
their politics,” said Prakash Ambedkar. Indian Express.
Muslims insisted on Cong joining govt to keep BJP out: Ashok Chavan
Mumbai :A video of PWD Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan
purportedly saying that his party joined the Shiv Sena-led government on
“insistence” of the “Muslim community” to stop the BJP from returning to power
has gone viral on social media.Chavan Tuesday said he meant “pressure from all
communities, including Muslims” in his speech. The remarks were purportedly
made while he was addressing a rally against the CAA in Nanded recently.In the
purported video, Chavan is heard saying in Hindi:“We have a (coalition) government
in place in the state. The Congress decided to join the government to avoid the
(repeat of) losses the state had suffered in the last five years (when the BJP
was in power). Our Muslim brothers also insisted that we join the government to
keep the biggest enemy, the BJP, away from power.”indianexpress
Bhima Koregaon violence: Will decide on review after getting info on
evidence, says Anil Deshmukh
Mumbai:Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Tuesday that a decision to
review cases related to the Bhima Koregaon violence will be taken Wednesday
after the police informs him and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar what the
evidence they have in connection to the registered cases.Speaking at an Idea
Exchange at Loksatta, Deshmukh further said that unlike the previous government
that had “labelled” anyone disagreeing with it as “urban naxals”, the current
regime will approach those opposing it in a better manner, as “in a democracy,
everyone has a right to express his/her opinion”.“A decision on reviewing the
Bhima Koregaon cases will be taken after we go through a presentation of the
evidence (by the police) in these cases. On Wedn-esday, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar
and I will see the presentation and decide on the further course of action.
There have been demands for creation of an SIT,” Deshmukh said. At present, a
two-member inquiry commission is looking into the January 2018
incident.indianexpress
Not behind Jeff Bezos phone hack: Saudi Arabia calls report absurd
Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday that a media report that the Kingdom is
behind the hacking of Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos' phone was
"absurd."The billionaire's phone was hacked in 2018 after receiving a
WhatsApp message that had been sent from the personal account of Saudi's crown
prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Guardian reported.The encrypted message from
the number used by the crown prince is believed to have included a malicious
file that infiltrated the phone Bezos had used and extracted large amounts of
data within hours, the report said."Recent media reports that suggest the
Kingdom is behind a hacking of Mr. Jeff Bezos' phone are absurd. We call for an
investigation on these claims so that we can have all the facts out,"
Saudi's US embassy said in a message posted on Twitter.Reuters
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