Archives for 2024

Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw faced fierce criticism and a wave of memes on social media after the Opposition branded him the “Reel Minister” during a heated session in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The mocking label stems from accusations that Vaishnaw prioritizes his social media image over addressing critical safety concerns within the railway sector.

The Opposition’s barbs followed a series of recent train derailments, with the latest incident occurring on July 30 near Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, where 18 coaches of the Howrah-Mumbai Mail derailed, resulting in two deaths and 22 injuries. In response, the Congress and other parties have intensified their scrutiny, accusing Vaishnaw of neglecting essential safety measures.

During his speech in the Lower House, Vaishnaw, visibly angered, accused the previous Congress-led administrations of failing to implement Automatic Train Protection (ATP) systems. However, this did little to quell the criticism from the Opposition, who continued to highlight his perceived focus on social media.

Rashtriya Loktantrik Party MP Hanuman Beniwal further fueled the debate by calling Vaishnaw a “reel minister” and a “derail minister,” leading to a sharp retort from Vaishnaw, who told Beniwal to “shut up.” The exchange quickly went viral, sparking a meme-fest on platforms like Twitter and Instagram, where users flooded timelines with satirical content mocking the minister.

Congress representatives pointed out that Vaishnaw’s tenure has seen three major accidents in June and July alone, costing 17 lives. They argue that the lack of accountability and tangible improvements in railway safety infrastructure under his leadership is concerning.

New Delhi: A court here on Thursday allowed the second bail plea of an SUV driver, arrested for his alleged role in drowning of three civil services aspirants in the basement of a coaching centre.

During the proceedings, the Delhi Police told the court that they have decided to drop harsher charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against Manuj Kathuria, the SUV driver.

Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Kumar was hearing an appeal against the denial of bail to Kathuria by a magisterial court on Wednesday.

“The bail is allowed,” the judge said.

A detailed order of the court is awaited.

Kathuria was accused of driving his Force Gurkha car through the street that was flooded by rainwater, causing the water to swell and breach the gates of the three-storey building housing the coaching centre and inundate the basement.

During the proceedings, the Delhi police told the court that they have decided to drop ‘culpable homicide not amounting to murder’ charge against Kathuria.

“During the further investigation, as carried out in the preceding 48 hours, it has transpired that the ingredients of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) is, at this stage, not being sufficiently established,” the investigating officer (IO) said in his reply to the appeal.

“The same can be better assessed when the expert team from IIT-Delhi visits the spot and post inspection, submits its findings. Thus, as of now, the primary offence against the accused is of Sec 281 BNS (rash driving or riding on public way) for which the court may kindly pass appropriate orders as deemed fit,” the IO added.

On Wednesday, terming the offence as “serious”, the magisterial court had denied bail to Kathuria, saying the plea was “untenable at this stage”.

The denial of bail by the magisterial court came hours after a Delhi High Court bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan castigated the police for its “strange” probe by arresting the driver.

“What is Delhi Police doing? Have they lost it? What are its officials who are monitoring the probe doing? This is a cover up or what?” the high court said in the forenoon while hearing a PIL seeking a probe into the incident.

Kathuria was arrested on Monday along with four co-owners of the basement.

On Sunday, a magisterial court had sent to 14-day judicial custody Rau’s IAS Study Circle owner Abhishek Gupta and coordinator Deshpal Singh.

Police have registered an FIR under the BNS sections 105 (culpable homicide), 106(1) (death of any person by doing any rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide), 115(2) (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 290 (negligent conduct with respect to pulling down, repairing or constructing buildings).

A view of Sri Krishna temple and Shahi Idgah mosque, in Mathura

Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court on Thursday ruled that the trial in 18 cases related to the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah dispute in Mathura can continue, dismissing a petition filed by the mosque committee that challenged the maintainability of these suits.

Justice Mayank Kumar Jain had on June 6 reserved his judgment on the plea moved by the Muslim side. The court has now fixed August 12 as the date for framing of issues.

The suits filed by Hindu litigants seek “removal” of the Shahi Idgah mosque adjacent to the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple.

The petitions claim that the Aurangazeb-era mosque was built after the demolition of a temple that marked the spot where Lord Krishna was born.

But the mosque management committee and the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board argued that the suits were barred under Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which prohibits changing the religious status of any shrine from what existed on the day of the country’s Independence.

However, the 1991 law had exempted the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute from its purview.

Hindu side counsel Vishnu Shankar Jain told reporters that with the dismissal of the plea challenging maintainability, the high court will continue to hear all related cases on the temple-mosque issue.

Jain also said the Hindu side will now move the Supreme Court asking it to vacate its stay on an earlier Allahabad High Court order that had allowed a survey of the mosque.

The Hindu side claims the mosque holds signs suggesting that it was a temple once.

On May 31, the Allahabad High Court reserved its judgment on the maintainability plea after hearing both sides.

However, the court reopened the hearing at the request of Shahi Idgah counsel Mehmood Pracha. The judgment was finally reserved on June 6.

In several ways, the Mathura dispute mirrors the legal tussle in Varanasi, where the Gyanvapi mosque and the Kashi Vishwanath temple are located next to each other.

 More than 2.16 lakh Indians renounced their citizenship in 2023, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said this in a written response to queries on Indian citizens who have renounced their citizenship in the last five years.

In his response, he also shared the corresponding data for 2011-2018.

In 2023, the number of Indians who renounced their citizenship stood at 2,16,219 (2.16 lakh).

The corresponding figure for 2022 was 2,25,620 (2.25 lakh); 1,63,370 (1.63 lakh) in 2021; 85,256 in 2020; and 1,44,017 (1.44 lakh) in 2019, according to the data.

The query from AAP member Raghav Chadha was also on whether the government had taken steps to find the reasons for such “high number of renunciation” and “low acceptance of Indian citizenship” and, if so, the details thereof.

He also sought to know whether the government had tried to determine the “financial as well as intellectual drainage” and loss to the country because of the high renouncement of citizenship.

“The reasons for renouncing/taking citizenship are personal,” the minister said.

“The government recognises the potential of the global workplace in an era of a knowledge economy. It has also brought about a transformational change in its engagement with the Indian diaspora,” he said.

A “successful, prosperous, and influential diaspora” is an “asset for India”, Singh said.

“India stands to gain a lot from tapping its diaspora networks and productive utilisation of the soft power that comes from having such a flourishing diaspora. The government’s efforts are also aimed at harnessing the diaspora potential to its fullest including through sharing of knowledge and expertise,” he added.

Sultanpur (UP): Cobbler Ram Chet says he was offered Rs 10 lakh for a slipper stitched by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi but he turned down the deal and he would like to keep the “lucky” footwear in glass frame.

The cobbler also said officials from various government departments also reached out to him to enquire about his problems ever since the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha made a surprise visit to his humble shop in the Vidhayak Nagar area on outskirts of Sultanpur, turning Chet into a local celebrity.

Gandhi briefly stopped at Chet’s shop on July 26 and spoke to him about his family and his problems. During this, Gandhi also tried his hand at stitching a footwear and pasting a shoe.

Chet now says Gandhi’s visit has dramatically changed his fortunes, bringing him into the limelight.

“My world has completely changed. Nobody knew me before, but now people come to my shop and take selfies with me,” he said.

Regarding the slipper stitched by Gandhi, Chet said, “I have received many calls from people wanting to buy that slipper. The highest offer I have received so far is that of Rs 10 lakh. Someone from Pratapgarh called me on Tuesday, offering Rs 5 lakh for the slipper. When I refused, they increased the offer to Rs 10 lakh. I told them I won’t sell it as the slipper is lucky for me.”

Asked what he plans to do with the slipper, he said, “I will frame it in glass and keep it in my shop. Rahul Gandhi has become a partner in my shop.”

“By sitting in my shop and stitching a slipper, Rahul Gandhi has become my partner,” he further explained.

Chet said he has been getting an increased attention from government officials since Gandhi’s visit.

“After Rahul Gandhi visited my shop, officials from various government departments have started coming to enquire about my problems,” he said.The Congress leader had come to Sultanpur to appear before an MP-MLA court in a defamation case against him.