Archives for 2021

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday 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.

Addressing the nation on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti, the prime minister said the three laws were for the benefit of farmers but “we couldn’t convince a section of farmers despite best efforts”.

The goal of the three farm laws was to empower farmers, especially small farmers, he said.

The agriculture budget has risen by five times with over Rs 1.25 lakh crore being spent annually, Modi said.

He also highlighted his govt’s measures to benefit small farmers.

“I have experienced farmers’ difficulties, challenges from very close quarters in my five decades of public life,” the prime minister said.

New Delhi:Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday 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.

Addressing the nation on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti, the prime minister said the three laws were for the benefit of farmers but “we couldn’t convince a section of farmers despite best efforts”.

The goal of the three farm laws was to empower farmers, especially small farmers, he said.

The agriculture budget has risen by five times with over Rs 1.25 lakh crore being spent annually, Modi said.

He also highlighted his govt’s measures to benefit small farmers.

“I have experienced farmers’ difficulties, challenges from very close quarters in my five decades of public life,” the prime minister said.

Gadchiroli: Naxal activities are not limited to only remote areas of eastern Maharashtra but ‘urban naxalization’ is being seen in big cities of the state, NCP chief Sharad Pawar claimed on Thursday.

He was speaking to reporters in Gadchiroli district of the state where at least 27 naxals including senior Maoist leader Milind Teltumbde were killed in an encounter with police last Saturday.

Talking about the naxal menace in the district, which borders on Chhattisgarh, Pawar said the situation was improving.

But there is this “new phenomenon” where some elements are trying to create hatred against the government in other parts of the state too, he said.

“We can call this urban naxalisation,” Pawar said.

“Some such forces are active in Nagpur, Pune, Mumbai and in parts of the Sahyadri ranges, as far as Kerala. There is a section which is trying to create public opinion and hatred against the government,” he said.

Pawar’s party is part of the government in Maharashtra and its minister holds the home portfolio.

“Special caution should be taken about this aspect immediately, otherwise new problems would emerge,” the NCP chief, who was Maharashtra chief minister four times, warned.

Notably, BJP leaders have often used the term “urban naxals” to claim that Maoists have hidden supporters and sympathizers in urban areas.

Pawar, meanwhile, advocated a push to industrial development through mining in Surjagarh in Gadchiroli.

Protests had been staged by locals against mining in the area recently.

To a question about fear that mining will take away local tribals’ livelihood from natural resources, Pawar said farming should be improved to provide new job opportunities.

“I feel that to remove the frustration of the young generation here, they should get job opportunities. Surjagarh will give them this right and opportunity in a big way and an important and permanent industry will develop here,” he added.

Mumbai: Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik on Thursday levelled fresh allegations against Naroctics Control Bureau’s (NCB) Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede, saying the officer wrongly framed the cousin of his former wife in a drugs case to pressure her family not to speak against him.

Talking to reporters here, NCP leader Malik said Wankhede also framed another youth, the son of an IPS officer, in a drugs case following a dispute with the latter’s family and the youth was subsequently arrested.

Malik also strongly backed former Maharashtra home minister and party colleague Anil Deshmukh, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case, saying he was being “framed” by misusing central agencies.

On Wednesday, NCP president Sharad Pawar also said injustice was being done to Deshmukh, who is currently in judicial custody.

Malik on Thursday continued his tirade against Wankhede, an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, who is married to actress Kranti Redkar since 2017. The NCB officer divorced his first wife Shabana Qureshi in 2016.

Wankhede thought his first wife will speak against him. So, through a peddler, Wankhede planted drugs and got her cousin arrested through the Anti-Narcotics Cell of the state police,” the minister alleged.

His first wife’s family was threatened that if they spoke against Wankhede, the entire family will be dubbed as drug peddlers and arrested, he further charged.

Malik has been attacking Wankhede following the NCB’s raid on a cruise party last month following which around 20 people, including actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, were arrested. Aryan Khan and some of the other accused were later released on bail.

The minister has also accused Wankhede of wrongly framing people in drugs cases, and securing government job by forging his documents.

Wankhede’s father recently filed a defamation case against Malik.

On Wednesday, Malik sought the Bombay High Court’s permission to file an additional affidavit with documents to prove his allegations about Wankhede’s caste certificate, saying he wanted to submit the latter’s school admission forms and his primary school leaving certificate.

These documents mention Wankhede’s religion as Muslim, he alleged.

The minister had earlier alleged that the NCB officer was born a Muslim, but secured a central government job claiming to belong to a scheduled caste.

Wankhede has denied the allegations levelled against him.

New Delhi: Amidst the controversy triggered by stand-up comedian Vir Das with his monologue named “Two Indias” an old video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying Indians were ashamed of being born in the country before he assumed office in 2014.

The video is purported to be from 2015 when PM Modi was addressing a set of NRIs. In the video, he is seen saying “Earlier, you felt ashamed of being born Indian, now you feel proud to represent the country.”

Gurgaon: A Gurudwara in Gurgaon has come forward to volunteer allowing Muslim Friday prayers on November 19 after the recent incidents wherein Right-Wing Organisations protested over Muslims offering Friday prayers in public spaces in the city.

Gurgaon’s Sadar Bazaar Gurudwara will reportedly allow Muslims to offer prayers in its premises keeping in mind the recent events that took place in the city.

Popular entrepreneur and activist Harteerath Singh on Wednesday evening took to his Twitter handle to break the news asserting that the Gurudwara was open for Muslims to offer prayers.

“#Gurgaon’s Sadar Bazaar Gurudwara is now open for our Muslim brothers to offer their daily namaz keeping in mind the recent events that took place in the city.” Harteerath Singh wrote in his tweet.

November 19 will also mark Guru Nanak Dev jis Gurpurab. Harteerath said it will be a spectacular sight and a show of brotherhood and humanity.

“The best part is tomorrow is Guru Nanak Dev jis Gurpurab and Friday namaaz too. What a spectacular sight it will be tomorrow- prime example of brotherhood and humanity!” he wrote in another tweet.

In a similar gesture earlier, a Hindu man had offered his vacant shop for Muslims to offer prayers while another man had similarly offered his terrace space for the cause.

On November 2, the district administration had withdrawn permission for namaz at eight of the 37 previously agreed upon sites citing “objection from local residents and RWAs”.

A Gurudwara in Gurgaon has come forward to volunteer allowing Muslim Friday prayers on November 19 after the recent incidents wherein Right-Wing Organisations protested over Muslims offering Friday prayers in public spaces in the city. Gurgaon’s Sadar Bazaar Gurudwara will reportedly allow Muslims to offer prayers in its premises keeping in mind the recent events that took place in the city. Popular entrepreneur and activist Harteerath Singh on Wednesday evening took to his Twitter handle to break the news asserting that the Gurudwara was open for Muslims to offer prayers. “#Gurgaon’s Sadar Bazaar Gurudwara is now open for our Muslim brothers to offer their daily namaz keeping in mind the recent events that took place in the city.” Harteerath Singh wrote in his tweet. In a similar gesture earlier, a Hindu man had offered his vacant shop for Muslims to offer prayers while another man had similarly offered his terrace space for the cause. On November 2, the district administration had withdrawn permission for namaz at eight of the 37 previously agreed upon sites citing “objection from local residents and RWAs”.

New Delhi: Congress leader Randeep Surjewala on Thursday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Union government’s ordinances extending the tenures of Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chiefs from two to up to five years.

He has moved the plea against the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021, and the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021, of November 14 along with the Personnel Ministry’s November 15 notification amending the fundamental rules which enable the government to extend the tenures of ED, CBI chiefs, as also of the defence, home and foreign secretaries.

These ordinances empower the Government of India to provide “piecemeal extensions” of one year each to the tenures of the directors of ED and CBI following the conclusion of the fixed terms provided in their statutes, Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Surjewala claimed.

“There are no criteria provided save for a vague reference to ‘public interest’ and is in fact, based on the subjective satisfaction of the respondents. This has the direct and clear impact of eroding the independence of the investigative bodies in question,” he said in the petition.

Surjewala also alleged that the extension of tenure in this “ad-hoc and episodic fashion” reaffirms the control of the Executive over investigative agencies and is “directly antithetical” to their independent functioning.

The CBI and ED directors had a fixed tenure of two years but can now be given an extension each year as long as the cumulative extension is not beyond five years from the initial date of appointment, the Congress leader said.

“It would thus mean that each permissible extension will be at the discretion and the subjective satisfaction of the appointing authority,” he said.

The Congress leader has also sought from the court an interim relief, alleging that the ordinances violate the court orders issued from time to time to ensure the independence of such institutions and it also reveals the clear abuse of power by the authorities.

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Thursday ordered a magisterial probe into the Hyderpora encounter here, in which police claimed to have killed two terrorists and two terror associates.

“A magisterial inquiry by officer of ADM rank has been ordered in Hyderpora encounter. Govt will take suitable action as soon as report is submitted in a time-bound manner. JK admin reiterates commitment of protecting lives of innocent civilians & it will ensure there is no injustice,” Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said in a tweet.

The magisterial probe was ordered amidst protests by the family members of three of the four persons killed in the encounter on Monday.

The family members of Mohammad Altaf Bhat (the building owner), Mudasir Gul (a tenant) and Amir Magray (Gul’s office boy) have been protesting against the killings, which they have described as cold-blooded murder.

They have demanded that the bodies of the deceased be handed over to them for the last rites.

All the four persons killed in the encounter were buried in the Handwara area of Kupwara district.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday quashed the Bombay High Court verdict which had held that no offence of sexual assault under the POCSO Act is made out if there is no direct skin-to-skin contact between an accused and victim.

A bench headed by Justice U U Lalit set aside the high court judgement, and said the most important ingredient of constituting sexual assault is sexual intent and not skin-to-skin with the child.

Purpose of the law cannot be to allow the offender to escape the meshes of the law, the apex court said.

“We have held that when the legislature has expressed clear intention, the courts cannot create ambiguity in the provision. It is right that courts cannot be overzealous in creating ambiguity,” the bench, also comprising Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Bela M Trivedi, said.

The top court, which was hearing separate appeals of Attorney General and the National Commission for women (NCW), had on January 27 stayed the order which had acquitted a man under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act saying groping a minor’s breast without ‘skin to skin contact’ cannot be termed as sexual assault .

The sessions court had sentenced the man to three years of imprisonment for the offences under the POCSO Act as also under IPC section 354. The sentences were to run concurrently.

The high court, however, acquitted him under the POCSO Act while upholding his conviction under IPC section 354.