Archives for August 2024

Union Minister Giriraj Singh

 Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Monday said Hindenburg Research has defamed the country in alliance with Congress and the “strictest action” will be taken against the US short-seller.

Hindenburg on Saturday launched a broadside against markets regulator Sebi chairperson Madhabi Buch, alleging she and her husband Dhaval had stakes in obscure offshore funds used in the alleged Adani money siphoning scandal.

The duo has denied the allegations as baseless and asserted their finances are an open book.

The Adani Group termed the latest allegations malicious and based on manipulation of select public information. The company said it has no commercial relationship with the Sebi chairperson or her husband.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event here, Singh, the Union Minister for Textiles, also came down heavily on Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Jairam Ramesh.

“This is a gang to defame the country, Rahul (Gandhi) and Jairam Ramesh. Hindenburg defames us. We will not tolerate this insult to the nation. These people are enemies of the country. Now strictest action will be taken against Hindenburg,” Singh said.

Calling Gandhi ‘Bade Baap Ka Beta’, the minister said: “Rahul does not know anything about the state and direction of the nation”, and cautioned that the countrymen should “beware” of such people who try to create confusion and fear.

Asked about demands by Congress for a JPC probe in the Hindenburg matter, Singh said: “This Congress is behind Hindenburg. Hindenburg is a tool kit to ruin India and people like Rahul Gandhi are involved in it”.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Sunday demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) inquiry into the charges against Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi ) chief Madhabi Buch in the latest Hindenburg report.

The Congress leader issued a stark warning regarding the integrity of India’s stock market following the latest allegations made by Hindenburg.

“Rahul Gandhi even defames the nation when he goes abroad. When at home, he (Rahul) creates confusion and fear among the countrymen… The countrymen should beware of such people. Creating confusion can be an act committed by anti-nationals. It is not appropriate, no patriot can do such a thing,” Singh said.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the ‘Handloom Expo’ here.

 A female can also face criminal proceedings under POCSO for committing the offence of “penetrative sexual assault” on a child, and the offence is not restricted to only male offenders, the Delhi High Court has held.

Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani said the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was enacted to protect children from sexual offenses, “regardless of whether an offense is committed upon a child by a man or a woman”. There was no reason why the word “person” appearing in section 3 (penetrative sexual assault) should be read as referring only to a “male”, he added.

The court’s decision was delivered last week on a plea by an accused in a POCSO case, who argued that since she was a woman, the offences of “penetrative sexual assault” and “aggravated penetrative sexual assault” can simply not be made out against her.

The accused, while assailing the framing of charges against her, contended that a plain reading of the provision showed that it only, and repeatedly, used the pronoun “he”, meaning that the intent of the legislature was only to make a man liable for the offense.

However, the court said there is no reason why the word “person’ appearing in section 3 of the POCSO Act should be read as referring only to a “male”.

“It is accordingly held that the acts mentioned in sections 3 and 5 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the POCSO Act are an offence regardless of the gender of the offender, provided the acts are committed upon a child,” the court said in the judgment.

“Giving due regard to the fact that the Legislature enacted the POCSO Act in order to provide protection to children from sexual offenses – regardless of whether an offense is committed upon a child by a man or a woman – the court must not interpret any provision of the statute that derogates from the legislative intent and purpose,” it stated.

The court noted that under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the pronoun “he” and its derivatives are used for any person, whether male or female, and the POCSO provision must not be interpreted in a manner that restricts the offense only to a man.

“When viewed from this lens, the only rational inference is that the pronoun ‘he’ appearing in section 3(a), 3(b), 3(c) and 3(d) must not be so interpreted as to restrict the offense engrafted in those sections only to a ‘man’.

“It is extremely important to note that the said provisions include within the ambit of penetrative sexual assault, the insertion of any object or body-part; or the manipulation of any body part of a child to cause penetration; or the application of the mouth. It would therefore be completely illogical to say that the offense contemplated in those provisions refers only to penetration by a penis,” the court observed.

The court, on a prima-facie consideration of the material, therefore, ruled that the offence of “aggravated penetrative sexual assault” was made out against the petitioner, even though she was a woman.

“The petitioner is therefore required to be put to trial for the offenses as charged. The petition is accordingly dismissed,” held the court.

Article 25 of the Constitution pertains to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra agreed to examine the issue.

The plea was of a Muslim constable of Maharashtra State Reserve Police Force (SRPF). He was suspended for keeping a beard, violating the Bombay Police Manual of 1951.

“This is an important issue of the Constitution… We will list the matter for hearing on a non-miscellaneous day,” the CJI said, after being told that the case was before the Lok Adalat and remained unresolved.

Zahiroddin S Bedade had approached the top court in 2015.

Earlier, the bench had offered to revoke his suspension if he agreed to shave his beard. The petitioner, however, had then refused to accept the condition.

New Delhi: Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor praised the Indian government’s decision to provide refuge to Sheikh Hasina after she stepped down as Bangladesh’s Prime Minister following violent protests. Tharoor further said that the recent political shift in Bangladesh should not harm India-Bangladesh relations, highlighting India’s longstanding commitment to the welfare of the Bangladeshi people since 1971.

Tharoor expressed confidence in the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, noting that there is no reason for India to be concerned. He acknowledged the potential influence of Pakistan and China but downplayed the likelihood of any immediate threats. Tharoor also lauded the Modi government’s quick action in offering help to Sheikh Hasina, describing it as a necessary step in upholding India’s reputation as a reliable ally.

In response to concerns about attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, Tharoor acknowledged the incidents but pointed out positive reports of solidarity among communities. He voiced hope that Yunus’s call for peace and protection of minorities would be effective in stabilizing the situation.

Sheikh Hasina, who resigned after protests against a reservation policy escalated, has been in India for almost a week. India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has briefed Opposition leaders on the situation, with the Opposition pledging full support to the government’s approach.

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is expected to summon Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, for further questioning in its ongoing money laundering investigation related to the National Herald newspaper. According to sources, the ED aims to conclude its probe, which has already led to the attachment of assets worth ₹751 crore.

Rahul Gandhi, who was previously interrogated by the agency for nearly 40 hours in June 2022, may face another round of questioning. The ED’s investigation focuses on the financial transactions of Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI), a company in which both Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi hold majority stakes. The probe also examines the acquisition of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) by YI and the ₹90.21 crore loan given by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) to AJL.

The ED’s findings suggest that a criminal conspiracy was orchestrated to transfer control of properties worth “hundreds of crores of rupees” from AJL to the “beneficial owners” of YI, Rahul and Sonia Gandhi. The agency has alleged that the same individuals held key positions in AJL, YI, and AICC, facilitating the transactions.

In response, Congress has consistently denied any wrongdoing, arguing that the financial decisions were made to save the National Herald newspaper and protect the jobs of its staff. The party has accused the central government of using the ED to target the Gandhi family for political reasons.

The case has been ongoing, with AJL challenging the attachment of properties before the appellate tribunal for forfeited property (ATFP). As the ED seeks to finalize its investigation, it remains uncertain whether Sonia Gandhi will also be called for additional questioning.

Ten government hospitals in Delhi have begun an indefinite strike, halting all elective services on Monday, in response to the recent rape and murder of a resident doctor in Kolkata.

The Maulana Azad Medical College, RML Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, GTB, IHBAS, Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical College, and National Institute of TB and Respiratory Diseases Hospital are participating in the strike, which began at 9 am, according to a statement by the Resident Doctors’ Associations (RDA).

According to the RDA, during the indefinite strike, all outpatient departments (OPDs), operation theatres (OTs), and ward duties will be shut, but emergency services will continue to operate as usual, ensuring that urgent patient care remains unaffected.

The move comes in response to a call from the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) after a postgraduate trainee doctor was raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata while on duty.

The semi-naked body of the 32-year-old woman was found in the seminar hall of the government-run hospital in the West Bengal capital on Thursday night.

“As a mark of solidarity with our colleagues at RG Kar, we announce a nationwide suspension of elective services in hospitals starting Monday, August 12. This decision is not made lightly but is necessary to ensure that our voices are heard and that the demands for justice and safety are addressed without further delay,” the statement read.