INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Former Afghan president Karzai meets Taliban faction chief
A Taliban commander and senior leader of the Haqqani Network militant group, Anas Haqqani, has met former Afghan President Hamid Karzai for talks, a Taliban official said on Wednesday, amid efforts by the Taliban to set up a government, Reuters reported. Karzai was accompanied by the old government’s main peace envoy, Abdullah Abdullah, in the meeting, said the Taliban official, who declined to be identified. The Haqqani Network is an important faction of the Taliban, who captured the capital, Kabul, on Sunday. The network, based on the border with Pakistan, was accused over recent years of some of the most deadly militant attacks in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced that it has accepted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his family for humanitarian considerations. Ghani fled Afghanistan just as the Taliban approached Kabul. The statement, carried by the UAE’s state-run WAM news agency on Wednesday, did not say where Ghani was in the country. In this handout photograph released by the Taliban, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, center left, senior Haqqani group leader Anas Haqqani, center right, Abdullah Abdullah, second right, head of Afghanistan’s National Reconciliation Council and former government negotiator with the Taliban, and others in the Taliban delegation, meet in Kabul, in Afghanistan, on Wednesday, August 18, 2021. In another development, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday, August 17, 2021, on the situation in Afghanistan and they agreed to hold a virtual G7 leaders’ meeting next week to discuss a common strategy and approach, the White House said. The two leaders discussed the need for continued close coordination among allies and democratic partners on Afghanistan policy going forward, including ways the global community can provide further humanitarian assistance and support for refugees and other vulnerable Afghans, the White House said in a statement. The decision by U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, to stick to the troop withdrawal deal struck by his Republican predecessor Donald Trump has stirred widespread criticism at home and among U.S. allies. The United States and Western allies resumed evacuating diplomats and civilians on Tuesday, the day after scenes of chaos at Kabul airport as Afghans thronged the runway. As they rush to evacuate, foreign powers are assessing how to respond to the transformed situation on the ground after Afghan forces melted away in just days, with what many had predicted as the likely fast unraveling of women’s rights. A Downing Street spokesperson said Johnson in the call with Biden stressed the importance of not losing the gains made in Afghanistan over the last 20 years, of protecting ourselves against any emerging threat from terrorism, and of continuing to support the people of Afghanistan, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
China to curb ‘excessive income’ in push for common prosperity
In the wake of regulatory crackdown targeting alleged monopolistic behaviour of some of China’s biggest private sector companies, China’s Communist Party leadership has signalled that next in its sights are the country’s wealthy. Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping said measures will be introduced to curb excessive incomes and promote common prosperity, following a meeting on Tuesday of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs, which he heads. Observers noted the timing of the meeting held particular significance, as the first notable public appearance of the leadership and the first major political announcement following the annual secretive retreat of top present and past leaders in the town of Beidaihe, believed to have taken place in early August. Mr. Xi was quoted as saying by official media that common prosperity is an essential requirement of socialism. Specific measures were not mentioned but an adjustment to the taxation structure is one possibility, analysts said. A readout of the meet said rather than being egalitarian or having only a few people prosperous, common prosperity refers to affluence shared by everyone, both in material and cultural terms, and shall be advanced step by step. Mr. Xi said common prosperity would be essential to strengthen the foundation for the party’s long term governance ahead of the second centenary goal, referring to 2049 when the People’s Republic of China turns 100. Ending absolute poverty was the party’s goal for the first centenary, marked this year when the party turned 100. The meeting called for establishing a scientific public policy system and a reasonable distribution system. The readout said China’s reform and opening period saw the party summarize both positive and negative historical experiences, referring to the turmoil of the Mao years, realizing that poverty is not socialism and allowing some people and regions to get rich first. Since the 18th Party Congress in 2012, the party placed greater importance on gradually achieving common prosperity for all people, the readout said. It also called for implementing the requirements of strict governance across the board and to enhance the supervisory capacity of the financial system, suggesting that the regulatory crackdown of the past year is set to continue.
NATIONAL NEWS
CJI hits out at ‘speculative’ reports on Supreme Court Collegium recommendations
Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana on Wednesday voiced in open court his extreme displeasure over speculative reports in certain sections of the media about the Supreme Court Collegium having recommended nine names for judicial appointments to the top court. The CJI said the reports were irresponsible and counter-productive. Today’s reflections in some sections of the media, pending the process, even before formalizing the resolution is counter-productive. There were instances of deserving career progression of bright talents getting marred because of such irresponsible reporting and speculation. This is very unfortunate and I am extremely upset about it, Chief Justice Ramana said. The CJI was heading a Ceremonial Bench convened on the occasion of Justice Navin Sinha’s retirement. The CJI said Collegium meetings were going on. The process of judicial appointment is a sacrosanct function of the Collegium. The media should not harm the integrity and dignity of the process by indulging in speculation. You are all aware we need to appoint judges to this court. The process is ongoing. Meetings will be held and decisions will be taken. The process of appointment of judges is sacrosanct and has certain dignity attached to it. My media friends must understand and recognise the sanctity of this process. As an institution, we hold the freedom of media and the rights of individuals in high esteem, Chief Justice Ramana said, urging the media to report with a certain sense of responsibility and maturity. The CJI also commended journalists who had shown restraint. I must also place on record the tremendous amount of maturity and responsibility displayed by the majority of senior journalists and media houses in showing restraint and not speculating on such a serious matter. Such professional journalists and ethical media are the real strength of the Supreme Court in particular and democracy in general. You are part of our system. I expect all the stakeholders to uphold the integrity and dignity of this institution, the Chief Justice said.
Samajwadi Party MP booked on sedition charge for comments on Taliban
Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal Shafiqur Rahman Barq was booked on sedition charges for allegedly drawing a parallel between the struggle of freedom fighters during India’s Independence and the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, police said on Wednesday. Dr. Barq was also charged with deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings and promoting enmity between different groups. The FIR was lodged on the complaint of Rajesh Singhal, reportedly a BJP leader, but described as a private person by the police. SP Sambhal Chakresh Mishra said Dr. Barq’s comments were inflammatory. On Monday, the five-time MP from Uttar Pradesh said that the Taliban wanted to run Afghanistan themselves as per their will. He further said that when India was fighting for Independence against the British rule, the entire country came together. Similarly, he said, the Taliban wanted to free their country that was captured by the U.S. and, earlier, Russia. Taliban is a force there.They want to run the country themselves as per their ways, said Barq, who also described it an internal matter of Afghanistan. Mishra said two others, Faizan Chaudhary and Mohammad Muqeem, who allegedly posted comments in support of the Taliban, were also booked in the FIR. They made inflammatory statements regarding the Taliban, said the SP. A private person Rajesh Singhal in a written complaint said that in a media briefing Dr. Barq compared the Taliban to the freedom fighters in India and rejoiced over their victory, he said.
Shashi Tharoor cleared of all charges in Sunanda Pushkar death case
A Delhi court on Wednesday discharged Congress leader Shashi Tharoor from all charges, including abetment to suicide, in connection with the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar in January 2014. The accused (Mr Tharoor) is discharged, said Special Judge Geetanjli Goel while asking the MP from Thiruvananthapuram to furnish a requisite bond. Most grateful, your honour. It’s been seven-and-half years of absolute torture. I really appreciate it, said Tharoor, who was present during the video conferencing hearing, immediately after the pronouncement of the verdict. Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in a suite of a luxury hotel in the city on the night of January 17, 2014. The Delhi Police’s charge sheet had named Tharoor as an accused for alleged offences under Sections 498A (husband or his relative subjecting a woman to cruelty) and 306 of the Indian Penal Code (abetment of suicide). Tharoor was granted anticipatory bail in the matter by a Sessions court on July 5, 2018. Following that order, a magisterial court converted the anticipatory bail into regular bail after he appeared before it on July 7 in pursuance to the summons issued by the Metropolitan Magistrate in the matter. Earlier, Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa, appearing for Tharoor, had argued that the investigation conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) completely exonerated his client of all the charges levelled against him. The senior advocate had asked to discharge Tharoor in the case as there was no evidence against him to prove the offences of cruelty or abetment of suicide. Later, Tharoor issued a statement thanking the judge and his lawyers. I would like to express my humble thanks to Judge Geetanjali Goel for her orders today, discharging me from the charges levied by the Delhi police, which I have consistently described as preposterous, Tharoor said. This brings a significant conclusion to the long nightmare which had enveloped me after the tragic passing of my late wife Sunanda. I have weathered dozens of unfounded accusations and media vilification patiently, sustained by my faith in the Indian judiciary, which today stands vindicated, he said.
Supreme Court pulls up Army for ‘regressive mindset’, allows women, as interim measure, to take NDA exam
The Supreme Court pulled up the Army for its regressive mindset while allowing women, as an interim measure, to take the National Defence Academy (NDA) examination on September 5. A Bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Hrishikesh Roy found it absurd that women were not allowed to appear for the NDA even after the apex court, in a judgment, directed Permanent Commission for women in the Army. Why are you continuing in this direction? Even after Justice D.Y. Chandrachud’s judgment expanding the horizons and extending Permanent Commission in the Army to women? This is unfounded now! We are finding it absurd! Will the Army only act when a judicial order is passed? Not otherwise? Justice Kaul asked Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati. Senior advocate Chinmoy Pradip Sharma and advocates Mohit Paul and Sunaina Phul appeared for the petitioners. Bhati said she had, as a private lawyer, represented the women officers who fought for Permanent Commission, in the apex court. She argued that it was a policy decision not to allow women to take the NDA exam while they were permitted entry through the Indian Military Academy (IMA) and the Officers Training Academy (OTA). The court asked why co-education is a problem in the NDA. The policy decision is based on gender discrimination, it observed, asking the Army and the government to take an expansive and constructive view on the issue. It asked the UPSC to give maximum publicity to its interim order. It said it would consider the larger issue of admission of women to the NDA as a policy later on.
NHRC expert group concerned over slow pace of criminal justice reform
A group of experts under the National Human Rights Commission (NJRC) on Wednesday expressed serious concerns over the slow pace of reforms in the criminal justice system to ensure speedy justice, an NHRC statement said. The NHRC core group on the criminal justice system held its first meeting on Wednesday where experts said the delay in disposal of cases was leading to human rights violations of the under-trials and convicts. NHRC member Justice (retired) M.M. Kumar, who chaired the meeting, said despite the Supreme Court directions on police reforms, there had been hardly any changes on the ground. He said special laws and fast-track courts could replace certain offences under the Indian Penal Code, in order to reduce the piling up of cases at every police station. NHRC chairperson Justice (retd.) A.K. Mishra said not only were trials getting delayed, but court orders convicting a person also take years to implement. He said digitisation of documents would help in speeding up investigations and trials. According to estimates, there were about 4.4 crore pending cases in the Supreme Court, High Courts and district courts, NHRC secretary general Bimbadhar Pradhan said. Among the suggestions that came up during the meeting were increasing the awareness of laws among police personnel, increasing the number of police personnel and stations in proportion to the number of complaints in an area, and including social workers and psychologists in the criminal justice system.
Supreme Court dismisses Maharashtra govt plea against CBI probe into transfer, posting of police by Anil Deshmukh
The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea of the Maharashtra government seeking to set aside two paragraphs related to transfer and posting of police officers and reinstatement of an officer from the CBI’s FIR against former state home minister Anil Deshmukh. A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah said it is not inclined to interfere with the July 22 order of the Bombay High Court and dismissed the petition. The top court said it cannot dilute the direction of a constitutional court ordering a CBI probe by drawing a line for the agency on which aspect the investigation should be done. CBI has to investigate all aspects of the allegations and we cannot limit them. This will be like denuding the powers of a constitutional court, the bench said. It said that an impression is being created that the state is trying to protect the former home minister by not allowing the probe on the aspect of transfer and posting of police officers and reinstatement of additional police inspector Sachin Waze. Advocate Rahul Chitnis, appearing for the Maharashtra government, said the state has withdrawn consent for the CBI probe and the High Court direction for a probe was limited to allegations of collection of money from bars and restaurants and not on transfer, posting of police officers and reinstatement of Waze into the police force. On July 22, the Bombay HC said the CBI can inquire into the transfer and postings of police personnel and the reinstatement of Waze in the Mumbai Police force so far as this has a nexus with Maharashtra’s former home minister Anil Deshmukh and his associates.
