NATIONAL NEWS
CBI, ED directors can now have tenures of up to five years;
Centre issues two ordinances The tenures of Directors of the CBI and the ED can now be up to a maximum of five years from the present two years, according to two ordinances brought in by the government on Sunday. The Directors of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate enjoy a fixed tenure of two years from the date of their appointment in the wake of the directives of the Supreme Court in the famous Vineet Narain case. The Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Ordinance comes barely three days ahead of the retirement of incumbent Enforcement Directorate chief S.K. Mishra, a 1984-batch IRS officer. The government had given him an extension of one year in 2020 after the completion of his two years fixed term. The matter was heard by the Supreme Court this year which did not quash the extension but told the government not to give any further extension to Mishra beyond November 17. However, with the promulgation of the ordinance it remains to be seen whether Mishra would continue as the ED chief or not, officials said. The ordinance promulgated by President Ram Nath Kovind that comes into effect at once states: Provided that the period for which the Director of Enforcement holds the office on his initial appointment may, in public interest, on the recommendation of the Committee under clause(a) and for the reasons to be recorded in writing, be extended up to one year at a time: Provided further that no such extension shall be granted after the completion of a period of five years in total including the period mentioned in the initial appointment, it states. The ED Director is appointed by the Central Government on the recommendation of a committee chaired by the Central Vigilance Commissioner and members comprising of Vigilance Commissioners, Home Secretary, Secretary DOPT and Revenue Secretary. The government has also brought in Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021 which is also effective at once. The ordinance inserts the provision in DSPE Act that Provided that the period for which the Director holds the office on his initial appointment may, in public interest, on the recommendation of the Committee under sub-section (1) of section 4A and for the reasons to be recorded in writing, be extended up to one year at a time: Provided further that no such extension shall be granted after the completion of a period of five years in total including the period mentioned in the initial appointment, it states. The Director CBI is selected on the basis of the recommendation of a committee consisting of the Prime Minister, the Chief of Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition. The fixed term of two years was aimed at ensuring the chiefs of CBI and ED work free from government interference without worrying about any adverse action for the probes carried out by divide.
The divide between haves and have-nots is still a reality: CJI Ramana
The stark divide between haves and have-nots is still a reality and law must work to alleviate poverty, Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana said on Sunday. Despite our being a part of a welfare state, benefits are not trickling down to the intended beneficiaries at the desired levels. People’s aspiration about leading a dignified life are often met with challenges. One of them, primarily, being poverty, the CJI said. Chief Justice Ramana quoted Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on the impact of poverty and a fragmented society in a country’s growth: There could be no real freedom without economic freedom and that to call a starving man free, is but to mock him. He was speaking at a pan-Indian legal awareness and outreach campaign programme which coincided with the birth anniversary of Pandit Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister. Chief Justice Ramana reminded that the fundamental mission of our Independence struggle was to find life and dignity for all. The top judge reminisced how the Independence movement fought and won against the colonial attitude that poverty is a misfortune for which the law cannot take any responsibility at all. The struggles and aspirations of our people shaped our Constitution, the document which promised us an egalitarian future, the CJI said. The CJI said an independent and robust district judiciary was the foremost sign of a healthy judiciary. A woman in distress, a child in care of need, an illegal detainee approaches the trial court first. The mind of the Indian judiciary can be known to millions largely through the actions of the trial court and the district judiciary. For an overwhelming majority of litigants, what is real and existing is only the district judiciary. Without robust justice delivery system at the grassroot level, we cannot imagine a healthy judiciary, Chief Justice Ramana said. The CJI reinforced the need to practice a justice delivery system which reached out to those in need and rendered them help without delay. The CJI said such people care little for well-dressed, erudite lawyers or colossal court buildings. All they want is to be relieved of their pain quickly, without exhausting all their resources, Chief Justice Ramana said.
Gadchiroli encounter: Top Maoist leader Milind Teltumbde among 26 rebels killed, confirm Maharashtra police
Maharashtra Police authorities on November 14 confirmed that top fugitive Maoist Milind Baburao Teltumbde was among the 26 members of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) who were killed in the November 13 encounter in the State’s Gadchiroli district. Milind Teltumbde, known by his aliases ‘Jeeva’ and ‘Deepak’, was the central committee member of the CPI (Maoist) and in-charge of the newly formed Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh confluence (MMC) zone of the outlaws. Hailing from Rajur village in Yavatmal district’s Wani taluk, he carried a bounty of ₹50 lakh on his head and is said to have been instrumental in the growth of the outlawed movement in Gadchiroli, Gondia and Rajnandgaon districts in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. Six among the outlaws were women, who were killed along with other senior members of the CPI (Maoist) in the gun battle between teams of C-60 commandos and the outlaws that began early on Saturday in the Mardintola forest area of eastern Maharashtra (near the Chhattisgarh border) and lasted several hours. Ankit Goyal (second from right), SP of Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, and other officials on November 14, 2021 address a press conference on the encounter with 26 naxals the previous day at Gyarapatti-Kotgul forest near Dhanora in the district. As per the primary identification, Teltumbde was one of the 26 Maoists killed in Saturday’s encounter. Three security personnel have also been injured in the crossfire. They have been airlifted by helicopter to Nagpur and admitted for treatment at a local hospital, said Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police Ankit Goyal. While the identity of 10 of the slain rebels has yet to be ascertained, the 16 who have been identified include Lokesh alias Mangu Podiyam (also known as Mangu Madkam) and Mahesh alias Shivaji Gota – both Divisional Committee Members (DVCMs). Mahesh Gota, who carried a bounty of ₹16 lakh on his head, was commander of the Kasansur ‘dalam’ (squad) while Lokesh, who was commander of company 4, carried a reward of ₹20 lakh. Those killed also included Milind Teltumbde’s bodyguards, identified as Tilak Jade — an area committee member (ACM) also known by his aliases ‘Bhagatshingh’ and ‘Pradeep’ — and Manso Boga (known by her alias ‘Vimla’) who were said to be Milind Teltumbde’s bodyguards. Milind Teltumbde had also been named as an accused in the 2018 Elgaar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case, in which his elder brother Anand Teltumbde, a noted academic and writer, is currently lodged in Mumbai’s Taloja jail and is awaiting trial. The National Investigation Agency’s charge sheet in the Elgaar Parishad case which it filed last year in October alleged that Milind Teltumbde had been apparently inspired by his elder brother to join the Maoist ranks. The charge sheet had noted that Milind Teltumbde had been tasked with expanding the Maoist movement in urban areas with the help of his elder brother Anand Teltumbde on the international level and had allegedly taken guidance from him.
Army Chief General MM Naravane on his first 5-day visit to Israel
The Chief of the Army Staff General MM Naravane has begun his 5-day visit to Israel. This will be Naravane’s first visit to Israel. During the visit, Naravane will meet Israel’s senior military and civilian leadership to discuss opportunities for enhancing Indo-Israel defence relations. Naravane will meet the Service Chief and visit the Headquarters of the Ground Forces element of the Israeli Defence Forces. Naravane will be further enhancing the excellent bilateral defence corporation between India and Israel through several meetings with senior officials of the security establishment.
President Ram Nath Kovind promulgates two ordinances extending tenure of CBI and ED Directors for upto 5 years
President Ram Nath Kovind on November 14, 2021, promulgated two Ordinances to extend the tenure of Directors of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) upto 5 years. The two ordinances are the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 and the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Ordinance 2021. As per the ordinances, the Chiefs of both agencies CBI and ED will be eligible for extensions every year for upto 3 years after they complete the 2-year term. The ordinances however stated that no such extension will be given after the completion of a period of 5 years in total including the period mentioned in the initial appointment. The current tenure of the Chiefs of CBI and ED is 2-years.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Glasgow climate summit commits nations to strengthen emission reductions
The 26th United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) in Glasgow concluded late on Saturday, local time, with a resolution by countries to revisit and strengthen their existing emission targets by 2022. The Glasgow Climate Pact, combined with increased ambition and action from countries, means that 1.5°C remains in sight, but it will only be delivered with concerted and immediate global efforts, said a statement from the United Nations Secretariat. The Paris Agreement, a treaty signed in 2015, exhorts countries to strive to curtail emissions that would prevent temperatures from rising over 1.5°C by 2100. This would require significant adaptation to renewable energy, cutting global emissions by as much as 45% by 2030 and effectively zero emissions by mid-century. A major target when negotiations began on November 1 was to tie up loose ends from 2015 Paris Agreement. The Paris Rulebook, that specifies guidelines for how the Paris Agreement is delivered, was also completed today after six years of discussions. This will allow for the full delivery of the landmark accord, after agreement on a transparency process which will hold countries to account as they deliver on their targets. This includes Article 6, which establishes a robust framework for countries to exchange carbon credits through the UNFCCC, the statement noted. India was among the countries that had insisted on clarity on Article 6 because a bulk of the carbon credits accumulated by its several companies — private and public sector enterprises — over a decade were infructuous and India had pushed for them to be made valid again. Carbon credits allow companies in developed countries to indirectly pay for clean energy transitions in developing countries by accumulating credits. However, criticism mounted that that was not actually leading to measurable reductions in overall polluting emissions and the 1997 Kyoto Protocol that validated carbon credit trading had expired in 2020. A key thrust of COP 26, led by the United States and the United Kingdom, which held the presidency this time, was to have countries such as India and China agree to a year, preferably mid-century, by which their emissions would be near zero. This would also imply phasing out coal. However India, in a last minute intervention and supported by China, opposed such wording in the text of the agreement. As a compromise, it now reads that coal will not be phased out but phased down. The U.K. Presidency noted that as recently as 2019, only 30% of the world was covered by net zero targets and this had now moved close to 90%. Over the same period, 154 Parties (of the nearly 200) had submitted new national targets, representing 80% of global emissions.
Russia starts delivery of S-400 missile systems to India, says Russian official
Russia has started the delivery of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to India, according to a senior Russian official. Russia’s Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) Dmitry Shugaev told Sputnik news that the deliveries are going as planned. The supplies of the S-400 air defence system to India have started and are proceeding on schedule, he said. In October 2018, India had signed a $5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, despite a warning from the Trump administration that going ahead with the contract may invite U.S. sanctions. File photo of Russian S-400 air defense missile systems. India made the first tranche of payment of around $800 million to Russia for the missile systems in 2019. The S-400 is known as Russia’s most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system. Following U.S. sanctions on Turkey over the procurement of S-400 missile systems, there have been apprehensions that Washington may impose similar punitive measures on India.
