Tag: REET

NATIONAL NEWS 

Supreme Court protects Param Bir Singh from arrest 

The Supreme Court on November 22 granted former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh protection from arrest and directed him to join the investigation against him after he said he was very much in the country and not fled abroad.  Singh said he was fighting the might of a draconian State and its police, which has hounded him for having the courage to expose the alleged doings of former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, who is facing money laundering charges.  Singh, who is accused of corruption and extortion, portrayed himself as a whistle-blower who does not want to give the impression that I am afraid of anything.  Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh leaving National Investigation Agency office after recording his statement in connection with explosive laden SUV found near Mukesh Ambani’s house, in Mumbai, in April   Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, leading a Bench with Justice M.M. Sundaresh, remarked, the matter has become curiouser and curiouser in the battle between the former Home Minister and the Police Commissioner.  Senior advocate Puneet Bali, for Singh, observed that his client does not want to leave the country. He was willing to cooperate, except for the imminent threat against him. What faith will I have in the police now? he argued.  Justice Kaul remarked, we find this picture very disturbing… If the former Police Commissioner says he faces threats and has lack of faith in the police, what would be the fate of the common man?  Bali submitted that his client had recorded and handed over transcripts of WhatsApp communications with a senior police officer, who advised him to back off or face serious cases that would be mounted against him as a retaliation for complaining against Deshmukh.  He said I cannot fight the State… That officer does not deny anything. With this, what expectations can I have from the State? All hell broke loose after I made the complaint, he said.  Six cases were registered against Singh by bookies, extortionists and people against whom I had taken action against, he stated.  If every person I had taken action against, that too, way back in 2015, files cases against me, how will I function as a police officer? How will my colleague’s function? he contended.  Both the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court had found the charges levelled by Singh against Deshmukh very serious. The apex court said in April the charges should be probed into by an independent investigative agency, he pointed out. The court, in its order, directed Singh to cooperate with the probe against him but said he shall not be arrested.   

 

Bombay High Court refuses to refrain Nawab Malik from making comments against Wankhede 

The Bombay High Court on Monday refused to restrain Maharashtra Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik from making comments on social media against Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede and his family.  A single Bench of Justice Madhav Jamdar was hearing a defamation suit filed by Wankhede’s father, Dhyandev, who sought ₹1.25 crore in damages for making defamatory statements. The petition mentioned that Malik had leaked a purported birth certificate of his son on Twitter that allegedly stated that he was a Muslim.  The court said, although plaintiff [Mr. Wankhede] has right to privacy, the defendant [Mr. Malik] has right to freedom of speech and expression, there has to be balancing of fundamental rights. Whether the tweets made contain allegations pertaining to discharge of official functions? Whether the publications prove to be false? Whether there was reasonable verification of facts? These aspects show that defendants have not taken due care, and serious allegations are made against Wankhede, the court noted.  The court added, right to privacy is implicit in the right to life and liberty. Public have right to comment on the life of public officer, but that has to be done with reasonable verification. These are only prima facie observations. The defendants have raised pertinent issues against the plaintiff. At prima facie stage, it cannot be said that allegations are totally false.  It appeared that Malik’s statements were actuated by malice and animosity. However, relief cannot be granted at this stage, but then the defendant should conduct sufficient verification of documents before publishing documents henceforth, the court concluded.   

 

Trinamool holds Tripura CM responsible for attacks on party leaders 

Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday held Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb responsible for a series of attacks on party leaders and workers. He condemned the violence at the East Agartala women police station on Sunday after West Bengal Trinamool Youth Congress chief Saayoni Ghosh was detained on the attempt to murder charge.  BJP goons attacked our leaders and workers inside the police station. They did not even spare journalists, police officers and personnel, Banerjee said.  The Trinamool general secretary spoke to newsmen after authorities denied permission to his road show to campaign for the polls to the Agartala Municipal Corporation and 12 municipal bodies due for November 25.  Banerjee said violence in Tripura had been continuing and the police remained silent spectators despite a Supreme Court order which directed the Government to ensure peace and security to ranks of all political parties during the municipal polls.  The Trinamool on Monday moved a contempt petition in the apex court and warned that the party would drag all erring officials to the court. Banerjee alleged that total anarchy and lawlessness prevailed in Tripura, and the reason for the violence was to stop the Trinamool, which was ‘fast gaining a support base in the State’.  If Saayoni Ghosh can be arrested for uttering two words ‘Khela Hobe’ [Will Play] from her car then top central BJP leaders should also be arrested for raising the same slogan during the West Bengal Assembly elections, Banerjee stated.  Meanwhile, Chief Minister Deb slammed the Trinamool for allegedly attempting to malign the State’s image by making false allegations. Scam-tainted and corrupt leaders from a State [Bengal] are spreading canard about Tripura. They are creating a law-and-order situation, but we will not allow them to disturb peace in the State, Deb told an election rally at Ambassa in Dhalai district.  The West Tripura Chief Judicial Magistrate on Monday granted bail to Ghosh.  We argued and sought bail for her under sub-section 1 of IPC Section 437. Police have demanded her remand for two days which has been rejected, Ghosh’s lawyer Shankar Lodh told newsmen.  TMC’s Rajya Sabha Member Sushmita Dev hailed the release of Ghosh. She alleged that the case against the actress-turned-politician was politically motivated.  Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MPs staged a protest at the Ministry of Home Affairs in North Block, Delhi, on Monday after they were allegedly denied an appointment with Home Minister Amit Shah, whom they wanted to meet to flag the reported violence against its party workers in Tripura. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is also likely to reach Delhi by evening.   

 

Mamata to meet Modi on Wednesday to discuss BSF jurisdiction, funds due to State 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday left for a four-day visit to the national capital. This is the second visit of Trinamool chairperson to Delhi after the West Bengal Assembly polls in which her party had registered a thumping victory over the Bharatiya Janata Party. She is also likely to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.  I am going to Delhi today [Monday] because day after tomorrow, I have an appointment with the Prime Minister on the BSF issue and other development issues related to West Bengal, she told journalists before leaving for Delhi. She accused the Union Government of using Central forces for the benefit of the BJP.  West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. File   The BSF is not my enemy. But the BJP thinks that the BSF is BJP. Law and order are a state subject and apart from the State police, there are so many agencies and all have their respective jurisdiction.  The recent notification by the Union Home Ministry extending the BSF’s jurisdiction from 15 km to 50 km along the border has become a flashpoint between the Centre and the State Government. The Trinamool Government passed a resolution in the Assembly urging the Centre to withdraw the notification.  The other issue which Banerjee is likely to discuss is the State’s pending funds with the Centre. The Chief Minister has blamed the Centre for not making enough funds available to the State, particularly after West Bengal bore the burnt of the natural calamities like cyclones and floods.  The Chief Minister said she will meet her party MPs who have been protesting outside the office of Union Home Ministry since Monday morning.  I will not join the dharna but I am going to meet the MPs to express solidarity to their protest. I don’t know why the horror is going on in Tripura. Since yesterday [Sunday], the MPs have been seeking an appointment with the home minister and so far, they have been denied that, Banerjee said. She said even mediapersons are not allowed to work freely in Tripura.  Banerjee’s visit comes ahead of the winter session of Parliament and she is likely to meet the leaders of the Opposition parties. After her earlier visit in the last week of July, the TMC has made inroads into Tripura and Goa.  One of the highlights of the visit in July was the meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi. In the past few months, a number of leaders of the Congress, including former Mahila Morcha president Sushmita Dev and former Goa Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro, have joined the TMC. It will be interesting to watch whether the Congress leadership will reach out to Banerjee or she will reach out to senior Congress leaders.  The visit also comes days after the Prime Minister announced the repeal of the three farm laws. Banerjee had extended support to the protesting farmers and sent several delegations of party MPs to meet the farmers. The TMC chairperson, who rose to power in West Bengal championing the cause of farmers protesting against forcible land acquisition, may also meet a few leaders of the farmers’ movement.  Moreover, two visits to the national capital in less than six months also indicate the growing ambitions of the TMC as it is keen on presenting itself as a pan-Indian party.   

 

‘Three capitals’ for A.P.: Will bring a ‘comprehensive, complete and better’ bill, says Jagan 

The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on November 22 passed a Bill to repeal the controversial A.P. Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Act, 2020, that was intended to establish three capitals for the State.  Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, however, told the Assembly his government would bring a comprehensive, complete and better Decentralisation Bill.  The 2020 Act was being repealed to protect the larger interests of people. Our intention of a decentralised development of the State has been twisted, distorted and a misinformation launched. Also, legal hurdles were created and court cases filed, the Chief Minister alleged.  Without referring to the farmers of Amaravati region, who had been fighting the three capitals decision for more than 700 days now, Jagan said the government would explain our genuine intention and the need for decentralisation to all concerned and incorporate necessary changes in the new Bill.  The government had earlier hinted A.P. could have three capitals — Executive capital in Visakhapatnam and the Legislative capital in Amaravati and Judiciary capital in Kurnool.  

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

China launches Gaofen 11-03 high resolution satellite 

China launched its 3rd Gaofen 11 reconnaissance satellite on November 19, 2021, on a Long March 4B rocket (also known as Chang Zheng 4B) from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China. The Gaofen 11 (03) satellite with an optical resolution comparable to top US spy satellites is an addition to China’s set of classified satellites. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC) announced the success of the launch after the successful insertion of the Gaofen-11 (03) satellite into a 247 by 694-km altitude orbit inclined by 97.5 degrees. The launch marked the 44th launch by China in 2021 and the 387th mission of the Long March series carrier rockets. The Gaofen 11 (03) is the third in a series of high-resolution optical imaging Gaofen 11 satellites. The first in the series of Gaofen 11 namely Gaofen 11 (01) was launched in July 2016 followed by Gaofen 11 (02) in September 2020. The Gaofen 11 (03) satellite will operate in sun-synchronous orbits. It will be primarily used for land surveys, land rights confirmation, road network design, city planning, crop yield estimation, and disaster prevention and mitigation. Gaofen is operated by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The CASC has developed the Gaofen-11 (03) reconnaissance satellite and its data transmission and relay subsystems. 

 

Pakistan to allow India’s humanitarian assistance package for Afghanistan to pass through

Pakistan has decided to allow the 50,000 MT of wheat offered by India to Afghanistan as humanitarian assistance to go through Pakistan. This will be allowed as soon as modalities are finalized with the Indian side, informed Pakistan Prime Minister’s office.  Pakistani PM Imran Khan also announced that the nation will facilitate return of Afghan patients who had gone to India for treatment and are stuck there. 

 

US- India Trade policy Forum relaunched 

The US-India Trade Policy Forum was relaunched after four years on November 23, 2021 in the presence of US Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai and Union Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal. Tai is in New Delhi for two days, November 22- 23 to hold a discussion over trade ties between the two countries. Both Ambassador Tai & Goyal welcomed the re-launch of the trade policy forum after 4 yrs and agreed that revitalized TPF will contribute to deepening bilateral trade relations by establishing regular contact aimed at resolving trade obstacles. 

NATIONAL  NEWS

Rajasthan Cabinet expanded; 15 Ministers sworn in 

As part of the much-awaited Cabinet expansion and reshuffle in Rajasthan, 15 Ministers were sworn in on Sunday, taking the strength of the Council of Ministers to the maximum permissible limit of 30. Eleven of the legislators who took oath were inducted as Cabinet Ministers and four as Ministers of State.  Governor Kalraj Mishra administered the oath of office to the new ministers on the Raj Bhawan lawns here. The 11 Cabinet Ministers included Mamta Bhupesh, Bhajan Lal Jatav and Tikaram Jully, who were elevated from Minister of State.  Two former ministers, Vishvendra Singh and Ramesh Meena, who were sacked along with then Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot after his rebellion in July 2020, made a triumphant comeback to the State Cabinet. Others inducted as Cabinet Ministers were Hemaram Choudhary, Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya, Ramlal Jat, Mahesh Joshi, Govind Ram Meghwal and Shakuntla Rawat.  The new Ministers of State sworn in at the ceremony were two-time Kaman MLA Zahida Khan, Jhunjhunu MLA Brijendra Singh Ola, Dausa MLA Murari Lal Meena and Udaipurwati MLA Rajendra Singh Gudha, who was elected on the Bahujan Samaj Party ticket and had later joined the Congress.  The expanded Cabinet has three women and four Dalit members. None of the independent MLAs, who had extended support to the Congress government during the political crisis last year, was inducted as a Minister. This was the first Cabinet reshuffle of the Congress government since it came to power in 2018.  Following the expansion, the Council of Ministers now has 19 Cabinet Ministers and 10 Ministers of State, besides Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.  Though Gehlot had collected resignation letters from all the Ministers on Saturday ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, he handed over the papers of only three of them to the Governor for acceptance. The three Ministers — Govind Singh Dotasra, Harish Chaudhary and Raghu Sharma — were dropped in accordance with the one man, one post formula in the Congress; the three hold official positions in the party.  Gehlot told reporters after the swearing-in ceremony that while an attempt had been made to give representation to all sections in the Cabinet, the portfolios would be allocated keeping in mind the preparations for the 2023 State Assembly election.  Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra pose with new Cabinet Ministers after the swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhawan in Jaipur, Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021.   Tonk MLA Sachin Pilot, whose rebellion had threatened the Congress government’s stability, said at a press conference that the Cabinet reshuffle had sent across a positive message and denied that there was any factionalism in the party. He said the issues raised by him, such as an adequate representation to Dalits, had been addressed with a comprehensive approach in the Cabinet expansion.   

SKM to raise pending demands of farmers in open letter to PM Modi  

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) said on Sunday it would write an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioning the pending demands of farmers and wait for the withdrawal of the farm laws in Parliament.  The farmers will continue with their pre-decided programme till November 29, the first day of the winter session of Parliament. It was decided that they would showcase their strength at the Lucknow mahapanchayat on Monday. It will be the first public meeting of the umbrella body of the farmer unions after the Prime Minister’s announcement.  Addressing the media after the meeting of the core committee at the Singhu border, farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said, We will write an open letter to the PM where we will seek clarification on the committee that is to be formed on granting statutory status to MSP.  He said the Prime Minister in his Friday address was not clear about the rights, duties and time-frame of the committee. Besides, we will also seek withdrawal of cases lodged against farmers during the agitation, compensation to farmers who had lost their lives, discussion on the Electricity Bill 2020, and sacking of Ajay Mishra, Minister Of State in the Home Ministry, said Rajewal.  Farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal addresses the media at Singhu border in New Delhi on November 21, 2021.   The next meeting of the farmers’ body is scheduled for November 27 where a decision will be taken on the future course, Rajewal said.  

Union Cabinet to approve farm laws repeal on November 24 

The Union Cabinet, in its next meeting on November 24, will take up for approval the repeal of the three farm laws announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 20. The proposal to repeal will then be taken up by Parliament at the start of the Winter Session of Parliament on November 29.  Government confirmed to The Hindu that the Union Cabinet’s agenda reflected the same. The repeal of the three farm laws — The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 — will be taken up for approval in the Union Cabinet meeting to be held on Wednesday, said the source.  This comes after a Friday morning announcement by Prime Minister Modi that his government would be repealing the three laws even as the protests by farmers groups against them was heading to the first anniversary mark. The move by the government is expected to deflate some of the aggression of the Opposition’s campaign against the BJP as states like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab go into Assembly polls in 2022.   

Hyderpora operation: Mehbooba protests near Raj Bhavan, seeks apology from L-G Manoj Sinha  

Former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday led a rally from her residence in Gupkar Road to the Raj Bhavan in Srinagar in protest against the alleged killings of civilians during an operation by the security forces in the capital’s Hyderpora area on November 15.  Her supporters were seen raising slogans and demanding an end to the bloodshed of innocents.  The bloodshed should be brought to an end in J&K, especially the valley. Justice should be delivered to the victims’ families. Amir’s body should also be handed over back to the family, Mufti said. Amir Magray was working as an office boy in the building where the operation was carried out. His family hails from Jammu’s Ramban area. Where is the body of the militant? Where is the picture of the dead militant? Mufti asked, saying it seemed as if no militant had been killed.  Mufi also demanded an apology from Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha over the incident. PDP leaders accompanying Mufti also demanded justice for the three civilians allegedly found dead at the encounter site.  So far, the police have handed over the bodies of two civilians to their families for burial in Srinagar. Earlier this week, Mufti claimed that she had been placed under house arrest when she decided to join the protesting families. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the Hyderpora incident by the Government.   

TMC leader Sayani Ghosh detained for questioning in Tripura

Tripura police on Sunday detained West Bengal Trinamool Congress leader Sayani Ghosh for questioning following a complaint by the ruling BJP worker that she had disturbed a street corner meeting of Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Saturday night, according to an official.  Ghosh, the youth unit secretary of TMC West Bengal, was detained a day before a planned visit by the party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee after being called in for questioning in a police station.  A police official, who did not want to be named, said a BJP worker lodged a complaint that when a street corner gathering was being addressed by Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Saturday night, Ghosh reached there and shouted Khela hobey (game will happen) and claimed that there were not even 50 people in the gathering.  Khela hobey is a slogan used by the TMC during the assembly election in West Bengal held in March-April this year.  TMC leaders alleged that their workers were also roughed up by BJP supporters outside the East Agartala Women’s police station, a charge denied by the saffron party.  Abhishek Banerjee in a tweet accused the BJP government in the North-eastern State of disregarding Supreme Court orders on the rights of political parties to hold peaceful programmes.  @BjpBiplab has become so UNABASHEDLY BRAZEN that now even SUPREME COURT ORDERS DOESN’T SEEM TO BOTHER HIM. He has repeatedly sent goons to attack our supporters & our female candidates instead of ensuring their safety! DEMOCRACY BEING MOCKED under @BJP4Tripura, Banerjee said in the Twitter post, attaching a video of the alleged attack of Sunday morning.  The Supreme Court recently directed Tripura police to ensure that no political party is prevented from exercising their rights in accordance with the law for campaigning in a peaceful manner.  Police said some unidentified miscreants attacked a group of people who gathered near the police station during the questioning of Ghosh, but no one was injured.  The TMC is contesting the Tripura civic polls to be held on November 25. The ruling BJP has already won 112 out of 334 seats uncontested across 20 urban local bodies including Agartala Municipal Corporation. This will be the first civic election that the BJP will face after coming to power in 2018.  The Mamata Banerjee-led party is trying to gain a foothold in the State ahead of the 2023 assembly elections. TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev claimed that BJP-sheltered goons attacked the leaders and workers of the party on the premises of the police station after Ghosh reached there.  Our candidates were beaten up; their houses vandalised and though complaints were filed, no action was taken. Police here are acting in a one-sided manner, she told reporters.  TMC West Bengal secretary Kunal Ghosh said if this is what is democracy in Tripura, We would recommend to our leaders to do the same thing (to the BJP) in West Bengal.  Tripura BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharya denied the allegation, saying the saffron party workers did not ever attack anyone of the TMC as the party does not consider it as a political opponent to reckon with.   

Five MPs to move dissent notes in Personal Data Bill panel  

At least five of the 30 members of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill are moving dissent notes. Sources said that at least three of these are directed at the controversial clause that allows the Union Government to exempt any agency under its purview from the law.  According to informed sources, Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Manish Tewari and Gaurav Gogoi; Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’ Brien; and Biju Janata Dal MP Amar Patnaik will be moving the dissent notes. Sources said that more members could join this list. The panel is meeting on Monday to adopt the long-pending report on the law. The panel has been studying the Bill since 2019.  Clause 35, in the name of sovereignty, friendly relations with foreign states’ and security of the state allows any agency under the Union Government exemption from all or any provisions of the law. This clause assumes importance in the backdrop of recent revelations in the Pegasus spyware case, where both private and public citizens were allegedly snooped upon by the government.  The panel reached a middle path on the clause by agreeing that the Government has to record in writing the reasons to give exemption to any agency. Demands that this clause be suitably amended to also include the provision to seek approval from Parliament for seeking such exemptions was not accepted.  Ramesh was one of the members who argued that the government should table the recorded reasons in Parliament for providing exemption to any government agency to bring in greater transparency and accountability.  In his dissent note against Clause 35, Ramesh said the design of the PDP 2019 Bill assumes that the Constitutional right to privacy arises only where operations and activities of private companies are concerned. Governments and government agencies are treated as a separate privileged class whose operations and activities are always in the public interest and individual privacy considerations are secondary, he wrote.  He added that the idea that the August 2017 Puttaswamy (privacy) judgment of the Supreme Court is relevant only for a very, very, very tiny section of the Indian population and is in my view deeply flawed and troubling.  

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Jason Mott won 2021 National Book Award for fiction

The 72nd edition of the National Book Award was organized as a virtual event by the National Book Foundation. Jason Mott won the 2021 National Book Award for fiction for his novel “Hell of a Book”, a narrative about a black author’s adventure while travelling around in a book tour.

Geoff Allardice appointed as Permanent CEO of ICC

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has appointed Geoff Allardice as the permanent CEO of the International Cricket governing body. He was serving as interim CEO for more than eight months. He replaces Manu Sawhney who officially resigned from his position in July 2021. Allardice, a former Australian first-class cricketer and administrator, was the ICC General Manager, Cricket for eight years. He had previously held a similar role at Cricket Australia.

Lewis Hamilton wins 2021 F1 Qatar Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain), has won the 2021 F1 Qatar Grand Prix. Max Verstappen (Red Bull – Netherlands) came second while Fernando Alonso (Alpine- Spain) came third. With this win, Lewis Hamilton has become the first driver to have won at 30 different circuits in Formula 1.

World Fisheries Day: 21 November

World Fisheries Day is celebrated on 21 November every year by fishing communities across the world. It highlights the importance of healthy oceans ecosystems and ensuring sustainable stocks of fisheries in the world. 2021 is the fifth World Fisheries Day. The first World Fisheries Day was celebrated on November 21, 2015. On the same day, it was the grand opening of the International Fisherman’s organization was held in New Delhi.

NATIONAL NEWS 

Samyukt Kisan Morcha calls farmers to gather at protest sites on November 26 to mark first anniversary of their agitation 

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the repeal of the three contentious farm laws, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Saturday, said the struggle will continue to get all demands of the protesting farmers fulfilled. In a statement, the SKM, an umbrella body of 40 farmers’ unions, urged farmers to gather in large numbers at all protest sites to mark the first anniversary of their agitation on November 26. The SKM has welcomed the prime minister’s decision and said it will wait for the announcement to take effect through due parliamentary procedures.  Thousands of farmers, particularly those from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting at the borders of the national capital since November 26 last year demanding repeal of the three farm laws.  Farmers seen celebrating at Singhu border in New Delhi on November 19, 2021   Farmer leaders said that a final decision on the future course of the agitation and the issue of minimum support price (MSP) will be taken in a meeting of the SKM at the Singhu border protest site on Sunday. The farmers’ body said the first anniversary of the agitation will be marked by parades by tractors and bullock carts in other States.  In various states that are far away from Delhi, the first anniversary on November 26 will be marked by tractor and bullock cart parades in capital cities, along with other protests, the SKM said in the statement. It said that the prime minister announced repeal of the three black farm laws but he chose to remain silent on the other pending demands of the farmers.  More than 670 farmers martyred in the farmers’ movement so far and the Government of India did not even acknowledge their sacrifice. These martyrs’ families have to be supported with compensation and employment opportunities. The martyrs also deserve homage to be paid to them in Parliament session, and a memorial should be erected in their name, the SKM said in the statement.  Hundreds of cases in which thousands of farmers have been implicated in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh and elsewhere have to be withdrawn unconditionally, it said. It added that during the Monsoon Session of Parliament from November 29, peaceful and disciplined march of 500 protesters in tractor trolleys to Parliament every day will go ahead as planned.  It also indicated that its movement for a statutory guarantee of MSP and demand for the withdrawal of the Electricity Amendment Bill will continue. BJP MP Varun Gandhi, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged him to take strict action against BJP MP against Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra, whose son, Ashish Mishra, remains incarcerated for the Lakhimpur Kheri incident which saw the death of eight people, including four farmers. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s demand for the same appeared to have struck a chord with the BJP MP. They are cousins.  

No positive evidence against Aryan Khan: Bombay High Court

The details of the order granting bail to 23-year-old Aryan Khan, son of actor Sharukh Khan, which were made available on Saturday offered reasons for setting the young man free. The single judge bench observed that there was little evidence available on record to suggest that the accused persons intended to commit an unlawful act. With lower courts denying bail, Aryan Khan had spent 22 days in jail before being set free.  A single judge bench of Justice Nitin Sambre, while granting bail to Aryan Khan also said, the court prima facie has not noticed any positive evidence against Aryan Khan and two others, the order stated.   The court stated, This Court is of the opinion that the claim put forth by the Narcotic Control Bureau that the accused should be considered to have intention to commit an offence under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, having found in possession of commercial quantity, in the backdrop of case of hatching conspiracy is liable to be rejected.  The court also took note of the fact that the accused were not even subjected to medical examination so as to determine whether they had consumed drugs at the relevant time. On October 2, the Central agency had seized 13 gm of cocaine, 5 gm of MD (mephedrone), 21 gm of charas, 22 pills of MDMA (‘Ecstasy’), and ₹1,33,000 cash at the International Cruise Terminal, Mumbai.  Aryan Khan arrives at the NCB office to mark his attendance in a drugs case in Mumbai, Friday, Nov. 19, 2021.   Mr. Khan, and eight others, were charged under Section 8 (c) (prohibition to produce, manufacture, possess, sell, purchase, transport, warehouse, use, consume, import inter-State, export inter-State, import into India, export from India or tranship any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance); Section 20 (b) (punishment for contravention in relation to cannabis plant and cannabis produces, manufactures, possesses, sells, purchases, transports, imports inter-State, exports inter-State or uses cannabis); Section 27 (punishment for consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance); Section 28 (punishment for attempts to commit offences); and Section 29 (punishment for abetment and criminal conspiracy) read with Section 35 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act(presumption of culpable mental state).  

Rains wreck Andhra Pradesh 

Rains lashed across Andhra Pradesh and claimed the lives of 13 people in   rain-related incidents in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh on Friday. In Tirupati, the situation continued to be grim in various localities with hundreds of houses close to Tirumala foothills inundated. Road traffic was cut off from Tirupati towards Pudi and Pachikapallam. Vehicular movement from Tirupati towards Chittoor and Madanapalle was also stopped. Rescue teams found eight bodies after 50 persons went missing after they were washed away in the gushing waters when the Annamayya dam breached near Rajampeta in Kadapa district on November 19. Most of the victims were passengers of two RTC buses caught in the floodwaters on the road down the reservoir zone.  After a five-hour-long rescue operation, about 20 passengers were rescued. The rescue teams found eight dead bodies. Unconfirmed reports said that another four bodies were found.  The Annamayya project, constructed in 1978, was getting heavy inflows from the Bahuda river, after the Pincha project suffered damage near Rayachoti in the district. A concrete bund to a length of 336 metres got washed away in the morning. The waters gushed through the Cheyyeru river and entered the road nearby. Three buses were immediately marooned.  In Chittoor district, the body of a woman factory worker was retrieved, while three others were feared dead after they were washed away in the swirling waters of Balijapalle tank after it overflowed on a causeway on Thursday night.  Chittoor district received a cumulative record 7,473.6 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours ending Friday morning. About 1,400 villages were cut off after they were surrounded by floodwaters due to overflowing streams and tank breaches.  Several incidents were reported from across Anantapur as heavy rain continued till Friday evening. A youth died when the roof of his house at Ganthumarri village caved in on him. An IAF helicopter from Yelahanka rescued 10 persons stranded in an earthmover in the middle of Chitravathi river at Veldurthy village in Anantapur district.  

Sidhu walks into a Pakistan and sets off a raging debate in India

Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Saturday visited the revered Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan and offered prayers and stressed on opening of a new friendship chapter and trade between the two countries, days after India reopened the visa-free Kartarpur corridor for Sikh piligrims. But it was his address of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan as ‘bada bhai’ that irked the BJP which has demanded that All India Congress Committee president Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi explain the party’s stand on Pakistan.  While he didn’t name Mr. Sidhu, Congress MP Manish Tewari on Twitter said, Imran Khan may be anybody’s elder brother but for India he is that cat’s paw of Pak Deep State ISI-Military combine that drones’ arms & narcotics into Punjab & sends terrorists on a daily basis across LOC in J&K. Have we forgotten martyrdom of our soldiers in Poonch so soon? The Kartarpur corridor links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, with the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district in India’s Punjab State. The 4 km-long corridor provides visa free access to Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the Darbar Sahib.  The Kartarpur corridor was reopened on Tuesday for pilgrims after it was suspended in March last year following the COVID pandemic.  In the name of Baba Guru Nanak, a new chapter of friendship between the two countries should begin, Mr. Sidhu told journalists upon his arrival at the Kartarpur Sahib. There is a need to open windows in the walls erected in 74 years (between India and Pakistan), he said, stressing on opening of trade between the two countries. There should be trade between two countries, the cricketer-turned-politician said. Mr. Sidhu thanked Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan for taking a step to open the corridor.  Earlier this week, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi along with 37 others, including his Cabinet Ministers, and Jagir Kaur, president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), had visited    the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. Some 2,500 Indian Sikhs who have come to Pakistan via Wagah border on the occasion of the 552-birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev will also visit the Darbar Sahib.  

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Gaofen-11 03- China launches a new satellite

China launched a new satellite called Gaofen-11 03 from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre. This satellite is also called as Chang Zheng 4B, CZ-4B and LM-4B. It is an expendable orbital Launch vehicle of China. The satellite was Launched from Launch Complex 1 of Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. It is a 3-stage rocket, which is used to place satellites into low Earth orbit as well as sun-synchronous orbits.

Spain’s Garbine Muguruza wins 2021 WTA Finals

In tennis, Garbine Muguruza of Spain beat Anett Kontaveit of Estonia, 6-3, 7-5 in the final to claim her first WTA Final title. Muguruza is also the first Spaniard to win the WTA Finals. Muguruza battled back from a breakdown in the second set, winning the last four games of the match to seal her 10th career title. In doubles, Czech’s Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková defeated Hsieh Su-wei (Chinese Taipei) and Elise Mertens (Belgium) 6–3, 6–4.

World Toilet Day is observed on 19 November

World Toilet Day is observed as an official United Nations international day across the world on 19th November 2021. The day is observed to inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis. The day is observed to inform, engage and inspire people to take action toward achieving the goal of improving sanitation and aims to Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

Draft Food Safety & Standards (Genetically Modified or Engineered Foods) Regulations, 2021

Draft Food Safety and Standards (Genetically Modified or Engineered Foods) Regulations, 2021 was issued by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on November 15, 2021. It will be applicable to Food or Processed food comprising of Genetically Modified ingredients produced from but not containing GMOs, LMOs or GEOs.

NATIONAL NEWS 

Modi announces repeal of three contentious farm laws Prime Minister 

Narendra Modi on Friday announced the repeal of three contentious farm laws, assuring farmer groups protesting against them for the past year that the legislative process for the repeal would be completed in the upcoming Winter Session of Parliament.  Modi also announced the formation of a committee with representatives from both Central and State Governments to look into issues related to agriculture, such as zero budget farming, fertilizers, change in crop patterns, transparency in establishing Minimum Support Prices and so on.  Addressing the nation in a television broadcast, the Prime Minister said his government’s intentions in bringing in these laws was to provide alternatives to small farmers, who constituted 80% of farmers in India, for access to markets and good prices for their crops.   I apologise to you, my countrymen, that despite my government’s good intentions, there may have been some lack in our Tapasya (penance) that we could not convince some of our farmer brothers of the intentions of these laws which were as pure as the light from a lamp, he said, while announcing the repeal.  Earlier governments too had considered such measures and we consulted a range of stakeholders and experts before bringing in these laws. Many farmers were happy with the reforms and we are grateful to them. We could not explain to some farmers despite our efforts. Agricultural economists, scientists and progressive farmers also tried their best to make them understand the importance of agricultural laws, he noted.  Even though this section was not a huge part of the larger category of farmers, it was important for us that we convince them. We tried engaging them in dialogue, we listened to their arguments and the logic that they put forward, we agreed to suspend the implementation of these laws for two years, and the matter has also been put before the Supreme Court. Particular sections of the laws that they objected to were also removed, but may be there was something lacking somewhere that we were not able to convince this section of farmers, said Modi, explaining the background to the decision taken by his government.  On this auspicious day of Gurpurab [birth anniversary of Guru Nanak], I appeal to all farmers who are protesting to return home in good spirits, he said. The announcement of the repeal of the laws comes in the backdrop of Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, where the protests have had some traction.   

Will continue agitation until the laws are actually repealed in Parliament, say farm unions   

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement to repeal the three contentious farm laws, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) announced the mobilisation of a large number of farmers to protest sites on November 26 to mark the first anniversary of anti-farm law agitation being intensified.  Although they welcomed the announcement by Modi, farmers, however, said that they will continue their agitation until the government withdraws the three laws in the Parliament. The protest will not be withdrawn immediately, we will wait for the day when the farm laws are repealed in Parliament. Along with MSP, the government should talk to farmers on other issues too, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait tweeted in Hindi.  A protesting farmer distributes sweets after hearing the announcement on repeal of three farm laws, at Ghazipur border, on November 19, 2021.   Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary urged them to return home and not be adamant as the Centre has met their demand of repealing three farm laws.  Various farmers unions have been protesting at the borders of the national capital since last year to demand repeal of three farm laws.   

Withdrawal of farm laws impelled by fear of elections: Chidambaram  

Calling the Centre’s decision to repeal the farm laws as a great victory for the farmers and the Congress, senior party leader P. Chidambaram on Friday took a dig at the government, saying the move was not inspired by a change of heart but impelled by fear of elections.  His remarks came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an address to the nation on Friday morning, announced that the government has decided to repeal the three farm laws, which were at the centre of protests by farmers for the past year.  What cannot be achieved by democratic protests can be achieved by the fear of impending elections! Chidambaram tweeted. The PM’s announcement on the withdrawal of the three farm laws is not inspired by a change of policy or a change of heart. It is impelled by fear of elections, the Congress leader charged in a series of tweets.  Anyway, it is a great victory for the farmers and for the Congress party which was unwavering in its Opposition to the farm laws, Chidambaram said. In another tweet, Chidambaram said if there is fear of losing the next election, the prime minister will admit that demonetisation was a Himalayan blunder, admit that the GST laws were poorly drafted and implemented in a hostile manner, admit that Chinese troops have intruded into Indian territory and occupied our land, admit that the CAA is a patently discriminatory law, admit that the Rafale deal was dishonest and requires to be investigated, admit that the acquisition and use of Pegasus spyware were illegal.  Many farmers had been protesting and were encamped at Delhi’s borders since November 2020 with a demand that the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 be rolled back and a new law made to guarantee MSP for crops.  The Centre, which has held 11 rounds of formal dialogue with the farmers, had maintained that the new laws are pro-farmer, while protesters claimed they would be left at the mercy of corporations because of the legislations.   

Hyderpora incident: Bodies of two locals exhumed and handed over to families in Srinagar for burial  

The Jammu and Kashmir administration, on Thursday night, handed over the bodies of two locals to their families for burial. Altaf Bhat and Dr. Mudasir Gul were among the four killed during an anti-militancy operation at Srinagar’s Hyderpora on Monday.  The bodies were earlier exhumed around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday from the two graves located at a far-off hillock, Wadder Zachaldara, in north Kashmir’s Handwara in front of a local magistrate.  Official sources said the bodies of Bhat, who owned the building where the incident took place, and Dr. Gul, who had rented accommodation in the building, were taken to the Police Control Room (PCR) in Srinagar from Handwara. The close relatives were also called to the PCR and the bodies were handed over to them for burial at their ancestral graveyards in Srinagar, officials said.  Family sources of Bhat and Gul said the bodies would be buried before the sunrise at the Barzalla and Pirbagh graveyards. With relatives and locals waiting for the bodies to arrive, emotional scenes were witnessed at the two residences.  Srinagar Mayor, Junaid Azim Mattu, while confirming that the bodies were exhumed at Handwara earlier, said, This is the first step towards ensuring justice is done in this case. I also hope the magisterial probe is now changed into a judicial probe.  However, the body of third slain local, Amir Magray, son of Abdul Latief Magray, who has won the bravery award for killing a militant with a stone, was not exhumed or handed over to the family yet.  The return of two bodies is a step forward. But what about Aamir Magray of Ramban? His body ought to be returned as well, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) spokesperson Suhail Bukhari said.  Earlier, Section 144, which bars assembly of more than five people, was imposed in three villages of Magray’s native place Ramban. The families of Magray, Bhat and Gul had contradicted the police statement that they were killed in exchange of firing during an encounter or had any links with the militants. They accused the security forces of staging the encounter and using the civilians as a human shield. The J&K administration has already ordered an inquiry into the incident.   

Allahabad High Court urges Centre to speed up Uniform Civil Code  

Stating that the Uniform Civil Code is a necessity and mandatorily required today, the Allahabad High Court has called upon the Central government to forthwith initiate the process for its implementation.  The UCC cannot be made ‘purely voluntary’ as was observed by Dr. B.R Ambedkar 75 years back, in view of the apprehension and fear expressed by the members of the minority community, Justice Suneet Kumar said on November 18. The court directed the Centre to consider the constitution of a committee or commission for implementing the mandate of Article 44, as directed by the Supreme Court.  A common civil code will help the cause of national integration by removing disparate loyalties to laws which have conflicting ideologies. No community is likely to bell the cat by making gratuitous concessions on this issue. It is the State which is charged with the duty of securing a uniform civil code for the citizens of the country and, unquestionably, it has the legislative competence to do so, the court observed.  Justice Kumar made the observations while hearing a bunch of 17 petitions filed by inter-faith couples, who contracted marriage upon conversion, seeking protection of their life, liberty and privacy guaranteed under Article 21, to live independently as man and woman without the interference of the their family or others. The petitioners apprehended threat to their life and liberty at the hands of their parents, relatives and other family members in connivance of the State machinery.  Noting that there has been a steep rise in inter-community, inter-caste and interfaith marriages and relationships, which has exploded specially in the last few decades, the court said that since 1950 the society has considerably evolved and the relationships, be it interfaith, inter culture, coupled with the rise in the number of single women requires a comprehensive Family Code which is in conformity with the changing times.  Providing relief to the 17 inter-faith couples, the court also said the marriage registrar lacks the power to withhold the registration of marriage merely for the reason that the parties have not obtained the necessary approval of conversion from the district authority.  The court noted that the new anti-conversion law in UP, which was brought by the Yogi Adityanath-led government last year, per se, does not prohibit interfaith marriage but the requirement of approval by the district authorities could make it tedious for such couples.  Such an approval is directory and not mandatory. If interpreted otherwise, the Act (The Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021) would not satisfy the test of reasonableness and fairness, and would fail to pass the muster of Article 14 and Article 21, the court said.  The HC, while allowing the petitions, observed that the consent of the family or the community or the clan or the State or executive is not necessary, once two adult individuals agree to enter into a wedlock which is lawful and legal.  Their consent has to be piously given primacy, with grace and dignity. The Marriage Officer/Registrar cannot refuse to register a duly solemnized marriage, and/or, insist of a conversion approval of the district authority, the court said.  Holding that Intimacies of marriage lie within a core zone of privacy, which is inviolable, Justice Kumar said, The absolute right of an individual to choose a life partner is not in the least affected by matters of faith.  

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Austria to enter lockdown, bring in mandatory vaccinations

Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said Friday that the country will go into a national lockdown to contain a fourth wave of coronavirus cases. Schallenberg said the lockdown will start Monday and initially last for 10 days. Most stores will close, and cultural events will be cancelled.  He initially said all students would have to go back into home schooling. Wolfgang Mueckstein, the country’s health minister, later said that kindergartens and schools would remain open for those who needed to go there but all parents were asked to keep their children at home if possible.  Starting on February 1, the country will also make vaccinations mandatory, public broadcaster ORF reported.  We do not want a fifth wave, Schallenberg said, according to ORF. Nor do we want a sixth or seventh wave. Austria had initially introduced a national lockdown only for the unvaccinated that started Monday, but as virus cases continued to skyrocket, the government said it had no choice but to extend it to everyone.  This is very painful, Schallenberg said. The national lockdown will initially last for 10 days, then the effects will be assessed and if virus cases have not gone down sufficiently, it can be extended to a maximum of 20 days.  Austria’s intensive care doctors welcomed the government’s decision. The record infection figures that we have now experienced day after day will only be reflected in normal and intensive care units with a time lag. It really is high time for a full stop, Walter Hasibeder, the president of the Society for Anesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive Care Medicine told Austrian news agency APA.  Given the current infection developments, we believe there are no alternatives to even greater contact restriction than recently, so any measures that help curb the momentum are welcome, he added.  For the past seven days, the country has reported more than 10,000 new infection cases daily. Hospitals have been overwhelmed with many new COVID-19 patients, and deaths have been rising again, too. So far, 11,525 people have died of the virus in Austria.  Austria, a country of 8.9 million, has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Western Europe — only 65.7% of the population is fully vaccinated. Despite all the persuasion and campaigns, too few people have decided to get vaccinated, Schallenberg said, leaving the country no other choice but to introduce mandatory vaccinations in February.  The chancellor said the details would be finalised in the coming weeks but those who continued to refuse to get vaccinated would have to expect to get fined. For a long time, the consensus in this country was that we didn’t want mandatory vaccination, Schallenberg said. For a long time, perhaps too long.  

Kamala Harris becomes first woman to get US presidential powers 

US Vice-President Kamala Harris on November 19, 2021, became the first female acting President of the United States for one hour and 25 minutes when US President Joe Biden temporarily transferred power to Harris while he went under anesthesia for a routine colonoscopy. With this development, 57-years-old Kamala Harris is now the first woman ever who held presidential powers in the 250-years-old history of the US. Kamala Harris is the first woman, first African-American and first Asian-American, first Indian-American who holds the second-most powerful position in the US. Harris was elected US Vice-President on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the President of the United States in the US Presidential Elections 2020. US President Joe Biden, 79-years-old, on November 19, 2021, underwent his first routine annual physical checkup at Walter Reed Medical Center since taking the office. Following this, it is a protocol for a Vice-President to assume Presidential powers while the President undergoes a medical procedure that requires sedation or anesthesia.

 

NATIONAL NEWS 

Government accepts Cairn’s offer on retro tax; company to withdraw cases now, refund to follow 

Moving quickly towards ending a retrospective tax dispute with a firm that gave India its largest oilfield, the government has accepted Cairn Energy PLC’s undertakings which would allow for the refund of taxes, sources said.  Meeting the requirements of the new legislation that scraps levy of retrospective taxation, the company had earlier this month given required undertakings indemnifying the Indian government against future claims as well as agreeing to drop any legal proceedings anywhere in the world.  The government has now accepted this and issued Cairn a so-called Form-II, committing to refund the tax collected to enforce the retrospective tax demand, two sources with direct knowledge of the development said.  Following the issuance of Form-II, Cairn will now start withdrawing all cases in international courts. Once this is complete, the company will be issued a ₹7,900 crore refund, they said, adding the withdrawal of cases may take up to three-four weeks. While a Cairn spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comments, a senior finance ministry official confirmed the government accepting the company’s undertakings.  Seeking to repair India’s damaged reputation as an investment destination, the government in August enacted new legislation to drop ₹1.1 lakh crore in outstanding claims against multinationals such as telecom group Vodafone, pharmaceuticals company Sanofi and brewer SABMiller, now owned by AB InBev, and Cairn.  About ₹8,100 crore collected from companies under the scrapped tax provision are to be refunded if the firms agreed to drop outstanding litigation, including claims for interest and penalties. Of this, ₹7,900 crore is due only to Cairn.  Subsequent to this, the government last month notified rules that when adhered to will lead to the Centre withdrawing tax demands raised using the 2012 retrospective tax law and any tax collected in the enforcement of such demand being paid back.  For this, companies were required to indemnify the Indian government against future claims and withdraw any pending legal proceedings. Cairn on November 3 had stated that it has entered into undertakings with the Government of India in order to participate in the scheme introduced by recent Indian legislation, the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill 2021, allowing the refund of taxes previously collected from Cairn in India. Cairn’s undertaking furnished in Form No.1 under the rule 11UE(1) of the amended law have been accepted by the Principal Commissioner for Income Tax, the sources said.  The August legislation cancelled a 2012 policy that gave the tax department power to go back 50 years and slap capital gains levies wherever ownership had changed hands overseas but business assets were in India.  The 2012 legislation was used to levy a cumulative tax of ₹1.10 lakh crore on 17 entities, including U.K. telecom giant Vodafone, but nearly 98% of the ₹8,100 crore recovered in enforcing such a demand was only from Cairn.  India issued Cairn with tax claims six years ago, and in December 2020 the company won an international arbitration against such demands.  

Hyderpora encounter: Return bodies to families, says Gupkar alliance; LG orders magisterial probe 

People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), an amalgam of Jammu and Kashmir’s regional parties, on Thursday met in Srinagar over the Hyderpora incident and resolved to help the three families to get the bodies of civilians killed in the encounter.  We did not meet for any political process or to hold elections. All we want is to safeguard the lives of our people. We appeal to the people of Jammu as well that we are together to save the lives, Constitution, and institutions which should guarantee the security of the common man, Gupkar alliance spokesman M.Y. Tarigami stated.  The meeting was held at the residence of Gupkar alliance chairman Dr. Farooq Abdullah.  In case such incidents don’t stop and bodies are not returned, we will knock every door to raise our voice. Members of Parliament will also raise the issues in Parliament, Tarigami, a CPI(M) leader, said.  The Gupkar alliance demanded that those involved should be dealt as per the law and the bodies should be returned.  Those involved, irrespective of their position, are violators and deserve punishment, Tarigami remarked. Dr. Abdullah approached the administration to allow him to meet the families but permission was not granted. Burial [of the bodies] is not being allowed, citing several issues including COVID-19, security reasons, which is against the constitution, he added.  National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah also held a sit-in in solidarity with the families, which were protesting and demanding the bodies.  Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the encounter in Hyderpora, Srinagar, November 15 after three families claimed that the three deceased out of the four killed during the operation were civilians.  The order came hours after the police removed the family members from a protest site in the city. A magisterial inquiry by an officer of ADM [additional district magistrate] rank has been ordered in Hyderpora encounter. The government will take suitable action as soon as the report is submitted in a time-bound manner. The J&K administration reiterates commitment of protecting lives of innocent civilians and it will ensure there is no injustice, a statement issued by Raj Bhawan read.  There has been a growing public outcry over the incident. Earlier, in a midnight action, the family members and protesters who had gathered at the Press Enclave in Srinagar on Wednesday to demand the bodies of the civilians were evicted and the sit-in was disallowed by the police. The family members were seen being dragged and bundled into a police vehicle during the police action that was carried out after snapping electricity in the area.  Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti said she was disallowed to come out of her residence to join the protest. Their narrative right from the start was based on lies to escape accountability. They don’t want to be held accountable for their actions and that’s why they are muzzling voices that speak up against such injustice and atrocities, she said in a tweet.  She accused the police of arresting party leaders Najmu Saqib and Suhail Bukhari. They too have been arrested. The pattern of using innocent civilians as human shields and then denying their families the right to a decent burial shows that the Government of India has plumbed new depths of inhumanity, she stated.  Sharing a video of the police action at night, National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah said, This is the ‘Naya Kashmir’ of 2021. This is how the J&K police fulfills the Prime Minister’s promise to remove ‘dil ki doori and Dilli se doori’. It’s outrageous that the J&K administration did not allow the families to conduct a peaceful sit-in.  The Hurriyat, headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, has called for a shutdown on Friday over the killings. Infant daughter, distraught mother protesting in freezing weather not for punishment to the killers but begging for the bodies for a decent burial is agonising, the Mirwaiz said in a statement.  

Sexual intent of the offender, not skin-to-skin contact, forms assault: SC  

The Supreme Court on Thursday quashed a Bombay High Court decision to acquit a man charged with assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) solely on the grounds that he groped the child over her clothes without ‘skin-to-skin’ contact.  The act of touching a sexual part of the body with sexual intent will not be trivialised and not excluded under Section 7 of the POCSO Act, a Bench of Justices U.U. Lalit, S. Ravindra Bhat and Bela M. Trivedi held.  Section 7 mandates that whoever with sexual intent touches the vagina, penis, anus or breast of the child or makes the child touch the vagina, penis, anus or breast of such person or any other person, or does any other act with sexual intent which involves physical contact without penetration is said to commit sexual assault.  Justice Trivedi, who authored the judgment, observed that the purpose of law is not to allow the offender to sneak out of the mesh of law. The court said limiting the ambit of touch to a narrow and pedantic definition would lead to an absurd interpretation.  Image used for representational purpose only.   The Bench said the most important ingredient in Section 7 was the sexual intent of the offender and not skin-to-skin contact.  The conclusion that ‘sexual intent’ mentioned in the provision should be ex facie skin to skin would defeat the object of the provision. It would, rather than giving effect to the rule, destroy it.  Justice Trivedi, speaking for the Bench, said when legislature had clarified its intent, the court should not introduce ambiguity.  The court should not be overzealous in searching for ambiguity when the words in the section are plain. Someone can wear a surgical glove and exploit a child and get away scot-free… This is an outrageous order, Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal, who moved the top court in the constitutional capacity of his office, had argued during the hearing.  The court, while setting aside the High Court decision, confirmed the guilt of the offender in the case and sentenced him to three years of rigorous imprisonment subject to the period he has already undergone.  Venugopal had argued that the High Court order would set a very dangerous precedent and cripple the intention of the POCSO Act to punish sexual offenders.  He added the High Court order had a deleterious effect when the number of POCSO cases had reached 43,000 in a year.  On January 19, a Single Judge of the Bombay High Court’s Nagpur Bench created a furore by acquitting a man under the POCSO Act and holding that an act against a minor would amount to groping or sexual assault only if there was skin-to-skin contact.  The High Court had concluded that mere touching or pressing of a clothed body of a child did not amount to sexual assault.  The accused was sentenced to the minimum three years’ imprisonment under Section 8 of the POCSO Act. That was set aside by the HC and his sentence was reduced to one year under Section 354 (assault of a women to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code… This is very disturbing, Venugopal had submitted in the top court shortly after he mentioned the case.  The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights had earlier asked the Maharashtra government to urgently appeal the High Court judgment.  Several organisations, including the Youth Bar Association of India, represented by advocate Manju Jetley, had also moved the top court against the High Court judgment.  The petitioners had said they were badly perturbed to note that the January 19 verdict contained several observations about the victim child’s modesty, which were both derogatory and defamatory. The child was even named in the judgment, the petition said.   

Paytm shares make weak debut; tumble over 27% during day trade  Shares of One97 Communications Ltd, Paytm’s parent company, on November 18 made a weak market debut and tumbled over 27% during the day from the issue price of ₹2,150. The stock was listed at ₹1,955, slipping 9% from the issue price on the BSE. It then tumbled 27.25% to ₹1,564 during the day.  On the NSE, it debuted at ₹1,950, registering a decline of 9.30% against the issue price. During the day, the stock plunged 27.34% to ₹1,562. Paytm, the biggest IPO in India so far, debuted the secondary market on a weaker note as compared to our expectations of a flat listing, Santosh Meena, head of research, Swastika Investmart Ltd., said.  The company commanded a market valuation of ₹1,01,484.00 crore in late afternoon trade on the BSE. Ant Group-backed Paytm’s ₹18,300 crore IPO was oversubscribed 1.89 times on the last day of India’s biggest share sale last week. This was greater than miner Coal India’s ₹15,000 crore offer a decade back.  Paytm founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma breaks down while delivering a speech during his company’s IPO listing ceremony at the Bombay Stock Exchange in Mumbai on November 18, 2021.   Paytm, formally called One97 Communications debuts today at exchanges which saw a dull response and got subscribed only 1.89 times from the investors, which is much lower compared to the other recently listed companies, Parth Nyati, founder, Tradingo said.  He added that they feel that due to the brand the company sought high valuation and it might see a correction in the near term.  The initial public offering of Paytm’s parent company One97 Communications Ltd. received bids for 9.14 crore equity shares against the offer size of 4.83 crore shares, according to information available with stock exchanges on November 10.  Paytm had fixed its IPO in a price band of ₹2,080-2,150 per share. Incorporated in 2000, One97 Communications is India’s leading digital ecosystem for consumers and merchants.  It offers a range of services, including payment services and financial services.  Launched by a son of a school teacher from a small town Aligarh nearly a decade ago as a platform for cellular recharging, Paytm grew rapidly after ride-hailing agency Uber listed it as a fast cost possibility.  

Speaker Birla for action plan to increase sittings of legislatures

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday told an All-India Presiding Officers’ Conference in Shimla that there was need to prepare an action plan for increasing the sittings of legislatures. He was addressing the valedictory session of the two-day conference.  We should try to make a definite action plan to increase the number of meetings of the legislatures so that we can provide maximum time and opportunities to the members so that the people’s representatives can discuss the major issues of their state and country extensively, he stated. He called for drastic changes to the functioning of standing committees, including changes to their rules.  Presiding officers should evaluate the work of parliamentary committees once a year and make them more accountable to people. The tradition of zero hour should be started in State legislatures to give members the chance to raise urgent matters pertaining to their constituencies, he noted.  Addressing the issue of increasing disruptions, he observed that the matter would be discussed with leaders of all political parties. The work of creating a single platform for all legislatures would be done by 2022.  Speaking earlier in the session, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said a law was as good or bad as its implementation. Sometimes laws are passed, but the rules are not made for two or three years, he pointed out.  The conference adopted a resolution that there should be no disturbance in the House during the President and Governor’s address and Question Hour. This will be discussed again with all the parties… It has been agreed in this conference that the smooth conduct of the legislatures is the moral responsibility of the presiding officers and all the MPs and MLAs, the resolution said.  

INTERNATIONAL NEWS  

US remains India’s biggest trading partner, India-US trade to surpass $145 billion in 2021: US Consul General

The US remains India’s biggest trading partner with trade increasing from approximately $20 billion in 2001 to $145 billion in 2019, said the US Consul General in Chennai Judith Ravin while addressing the United States India Business Council after the opening of the India-US Tech Conclave as part of the Bengaluru Tech Summit. The US-India bilateral relationship continues to be expanding from collaboration on mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 and climate change to space exploration. Both countries have a joint commitment towards a free and open Indo-Pacific region. US Consul General Ravin further said that US Trade representative Katherine Tai will be in New Delhi on November 22, 2021 to hold talks with Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on expanding bilateral trade.

Israel PM Naftali Bennett likely to visit India in 2022

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is likely to visit India in 2022. Both countries are working on the tentative dates, informed Ambassador of Israel to India Naor Gilon. Meanwhile, Indian Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane is currently visiting Israel. PM Modi and Israeli PM Bennett met for the first time on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. They discussed the environment, defence, global, and regional issues. Both countries have also discussed Free Trade Agreement negotiations and will finalize it by June 2022. Former Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu had visited India in January 2018 where he met Indian PM Narendra Modi.

NATIONAL NEWS

U.P. agrees to SC proposal to have ex-judge monitor Lakhimpur Kheri probe 

The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday agreed to the Supreme Court’s suggestion  appoint a retired judge to monitor the investigation into the Lakhimpur Kheri murders and violence. The cases concern a convoy, allegedly belonging to Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra, ploughing into a group of farmers and civilians protesting the controversial agricultural laws and the ensuing violence at Lakhimpur Kheri district. Minister’s son Ashish Mishra is a prime accused in the case concerning the farmers’ deaths. We leave it to Your Lordships… You may appoint whoever you want, senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for U.P., submitted before a three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana. The Bench, also comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, after a briefly conferring among themselves, said it needed a day to zero in on the judge. We are considering former Punjab and Haryana HC Judge Rakesh Kumar Jain or others. We have to consult them, the court said. Salve stated that the government had left it to the wisdom of the court. However, he made a suggestion. He made a point that the court’s choice of a retired judge should not rest on whether he or she was from the State or outside. You mean it can be from any State… the court sought to clarify from him. Salve explained that the focus should be on the person, the judge, whether or not from or outside the State. It should be just that Your Lordships are appointing a person… he offered. The Bench indicated that it may consider either a retired Supreme Court or High Court judge willing to take up the assignment. The court further asked the government to provide it with a list of names of IPS officers of U.P. cadre, but who were not native to the State to be considered for inclusion in the task force. It noted that some of the members of the present task force were of sub-inspector level or drawn from the Lakhimpur Kheri police station itself. Salve interjected that a senior police officer had been recently appointed to the task force. But the court said the task force needed to be upgraded. It asked the government to provide the list by November 16. It posted the case next for November 17. The suggestion from the court to have a retired judge at the helm came after it expressed its waning confidence about the fate of the investigation at the hands of the State police. It observed that such a step may be necessary to infuse fairness and impartiality in the probe. In an earlier hearing, the CJI stated, The investigation is not going the way we expected… We are here to see that a proper investigation takes place. There is a need to appoint a retired High Court judge to monitor it (investigation) without bias. The court had refused to entertain suggestions from lawyers to order the CBI to take over from the police. The CBI is not the solution to everything, it said.  

Delhi air pollution: SC asks Centre to hold emergency meeting 

The Supreme Court on Monday said the cat is out of the bag to prove that urban factors such as construction activities, industry, vehicular exhaust and road dust were actually the major causes of pollution in the Capital and not farmers’ stubble burning. A special Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana gleaned the fact from the affidavits filed by the Centre and the Delhi Government. The Centre, for one, stated that farm fires in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh contributed only 10% of the pollution. A flock of pigeons seen on a smoggy day in the national capital as the Air Quality Index remains in severe category in New Delhi on November 15, 2021. In the previous hearing, the court had questioned the narrow focus of the Centre and the Delhi Government on farmers. You say 76% of the pollution is caused by industry, dust, vehicles and construction and not due to stubble burning… So the cat is out of the bag… So, you are now trying to target pollution that is insignificant? Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, on the Bench, asked both Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior advocate Rahul Mehra, appearing for the Centre and Delhi, respectively. Are you agreeing in principle that farm fires are not the major cause? So all that hue and cry had no scientific or actual basis? Justice Surya Kant queried. Chief Justice Ramana noted that the court had been insisting that stubble burning was not the major cause. Pollution is caused by city-related issues… You first take care of them and then we will come to stubble burning, he observed, nudging the Centre, Delhi and States towards a firm commitment to act against pollution. The court was shocked to realise that Delhi had only 69 mechanised road sweepers to cover the entire streets of the Capital. Mehra was quick to assure commitment at the top. He said the municipal corporations in Delhi were autonomous bodies and suggested the court should ask the Mayors to file specific affidavits. This is like the story told by grandma… Everyone is passing the buck, Chief Justice Ramana scoffed. Justice Kant lashed out at the Delhi Government for coming up with lame excuses. He said if this went on, the court would be constrained to order an audit inquiry into the money the government spent on popularity slogans seen across the Capital. Justice Chandrachud asked, How will you augment the number of machines in the next 24 hours. Justice Kant stated, Municipal corporations say they don’t even have the money to pay their staff. Mehra, after conferring with officials, said MCD can say how many they require, the government will release the funds. We are committed… We will do on a war footling. Tall words… the CJI reacted at one point. The Delhi counsel persisted that the government had been doing everything the Union of India had asked to quell pollution. Mehra said, Everything that needs to be done further, will be done in 24 to 48 hours. Senior advocate Vikas Singh, for the petitioners, said the Centre had made a wrong statement in court today on stubble burning as their high-powered meeting last night has recorded that stubble burning even now is responsible for 35-40% of Delhi air pollution. He said construction needed to be regulated rather than banned. The court scheduled the next hearing for November 17.  

Congress demands ‘white paper’ from BJP, AAP on steps taken to tackle pollution in Delhi 

The Congress demanded a white paper from both the Centre and the Delhi Government on November 15 on the steps taken by them to tackle pollution in the national capital and said they should be held accountable for playing with the health of people. Talking to reporters in New Delhi, Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill accused both the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of indulging in a blame game and wasting the taxpayers’ money on hollow advertisements. AAP’s Delhi government and BJP’s central government should issue a white paper on what steps they have taken to tackle the black pollution except hollow advertisements and playing blame game politics and wasting the taxpayers’ money, he said. Shergill said the Supreme Court’s observations have exposed the spineless and careless approach of the AAP and the BJP towards tackling pollution. The truth is that Delhiites are paying a heavy price for the BJP’s and the AAP’s politics, and their obsession with self publicity, he noted, soon after the apex court came down heavily on the two governments over the rising air pollution in the national capital. It is high time political accountability was fixed and the people of Delhi should hold both the BJP and the AAP accountable for playing with their health and jeopardising it, the Congress leader said. People have been suffering due to the severe air pollution in the national capital over the last few days with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of over 500.

Three months ahead of Uttar Pradesh elections, PM Modi to open Purvanchal Expressway on November 16 

With three months left for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Tuesday inaugurate the 341-km six-lane Purvanchal Expressway that would connect the State capital to the eastern regions of the State. Since the leading Opposition Samajwadi Party has built a formidable caste alliance against the ruling BJP in the region and claimed credit for the project, the new expressway has come under the political spotlight, much like the Agra-Lucknow Expressway built under Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. Politics over the expressway intensified after the Ghazipur administration denied permission to the SP to hold a roadshow to Azamgarh, citing that no traffic would be allowed on the expressway on November 16 due to Modi’s launch of the highway on the same day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi. File In response, Yadav on Monday at a press conference said his party would shower petals at different places on the highway and mark a ‘symbolic’ launch of the highway the foundation stone of which, he said, was laid during his tenure. The SP also re-scheduled its rath yatra to November 17 and changed the route to Lucknow from Ghazipur. Modi will inaugurate the expressway at Karwal Kheri in Sultanpur where he will also witness an air show by the IAF on the 3.2-km long airstrip constructed on the expressway to enable landing and take-off of fighter planes in cases of emergency. The project was built at a cost of ₹22,497 crores, said the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA). It starts from village Chaudsarai in Lucknow and ends at village Hydaria on National Highway 31, 18 km east of UP-Bihar border. It would pass through Lucknow, Barabanki, Amethi, Ayodhya, Sultanpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Mau and Ghazipur districts. Yadav accused the BJP of trying to steal credit for the project. He also said the BJP government had not only removed the word ‘Samajwadi’ from the original name of the project but also ‘compromised’ on the quality to cut costs and launched an incomplete highway, putting commuters at risk. Riders would have to face back pain, he said. In contrast, If you are drinking tea in a car on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, you will not spill it even at the speed of 100 kmph, Yadav said. The UPEIDA in a statement said the SP Government had also opened the Agra-Lucknow Expressway in 2016 when it was incomplete and that the BJP Government had to finish several portions of it after 2017. With the farmers protest raging in western U.P., the stakes are high for the BJP in Purvanchal where it hopes to showcase the expressway as a beacon of development. In November 2016, the then SP Government opened the 302-km Agra-Lucknow Expressway with a spectacular show of simulated take-offs and landings —‘touch-and-go’ manoeuvre — by six fighter planes of the IAF. It was touted as the hallmark of Yadav’s pitch to project his infrastructural works. However, in the 2017 election, in the 10 districts touched by the expressway, the BJP had won 48 seats while the SP could manage only 10. The BSP and the Congress got one each.  

Sidhu asks Punjab government to make public fiscal situation every month 

Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday alleged that the State was reeling under acute debt and asked the government to make public the fiscal situation every month. Pointing out that his focus was beyond the 2022 Assembly elections, he asserted that Punjab was the most indebted State in the country and party workers were looking towards a solution. Today Punjab is the most indebted State in India. Debt accounts for 50% of State GDP. Half of our expenditure is funded by expensive debt. Let’s not derail from real issues to which every Punjabi & party worker demands solution, because there’s #PunjabBeyond2022, he tweeted. Financial Accountability and Transparency are pillars of Punjab Model. Accountability demands revealing sources of funds at every scheme announcement, whether from income or from more debt. Transparency demands making public state’s fiscal health every month, he stated. Borrowing was not the way to go forward for Punjab. Taxes should not go to settle debt but go back to people in the form of development. Borrowing is not the way forward! Taxes should not go to settle debt but go back to the people in the form of development. Solution oriented model is to stop theft of State’s resources, fill up public exchequer and create a Welfare State through income generation, he added.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

6th edition of Indo-France joint military exercise ‘Ex-Shakti 2021’ begins on November 16

The 6th edition of Indo-France joint military exercise ‘Ex-Shakti 2021’ began on November 16 at the French port town of Frejus. The 12-day long bilateral exercise will conclude on November 26, 2021. The Ex-Shakti 2021 will be focusing on Counter-Terrorism operations in semi-urban terrain under UN Mandate with an aim at enhancing inter-operability and military cooperation between both armies. The Indian Army is being represented by a platoon strength of a Gorkha Rifles Infantry Battalion whereas the French Army is being represented by troops of the 21st Marine Infantry Regiment of the 6th Light Armoured Brigade. The last edition of Ex-Shakti was conducted from October 31 to November 13, 2019 at Foreign Training Node in Mahajan Field Firing Ranges, Rajasthan during which Counter-Terrorism operations in semi-desert terrain were conducted. India and France armies carry out three biennial training exercises namely Exercise SHAKTI with the Indian Army, Exercise VARUNA with the Indian Navy, and Exercise GARUDA with Indian Air Force. 

Bangladesh writer Hasan Azizul Haque dies away at 82

Renowned literary figure and short-story writer of Bangladesh Hasan Azizul Haque passed away on November 15, 2021. Born in 1939, Haque was 82-years-old. Hasan Azizul Haque was one of the most prominent literary figures of Bangladesh. He was conferred with the Ekushey Padak in 1999 and Bangladesh’s top civilian honour Independence award in 2019. He has also been awarded the Bangla Academy award, Ananda Sahitya Puraskar, and Adamjee Sahitya Puraskar in 2018 in Kolkata for his novel ‘Agunpakhi’. Haque was known for his short stories in Bangla namely ‘Jibon Ghoshe Agun’, ‘Atmoja O Ekti Karabi Gaach’, ‘Gotrahin’ and ‘Naamhin’.