Opposition seeks answers on Adani ‘stock fudge’
Summary:
Opposition parties in India have called for debates during the Budget Session of Parliament on alleged stock manipulation and tax evasion by the Adani Group and the threat to the federal structure of the country by Governors of non-BJP-ruled states. The Aam Aadmi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India are among the 37 leaders from 27 political parties that demanded a reply from the government on allegations made by US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research, given the high exposure of the State Bank of India and the Life Insurance Corporation of India to the Adani Group. The Trinamool Congress was the only leading Opposition party that did not demand a debate on the Hindenburg report, instead emphasizing the need for a debate on the "dismantling of cooperative federalism."
61 killed in suicide attack at Pakistan mosque
Summary:
A suicide bomber targeted a mosque in the high-security zone in the northwestern city of Peshawar, Pakistan, killing 61 people and injuring over 150, mostly policemen. The bomber was part of the front row of worshippers. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in retaliation for the death of one of its commanders in Afghanistan. A portion of the mosque collapsed and people are believed to be trapped under the debris. The prime minister and army chief visited the site to review the relief and rescue operations, with the prime minister promising to adopt a comprehensive strategy to counter the deteriorating law and order situation in the region.
Same-sex marriages: HC transfers pleas to Supreme Court
Summary:
The Delhi High Court has sent a batch of petitions requesting recognition of same-sex marriages under various laws to the Supreme Court. These petitions, filed by same-sex couples, sought recognition of their marriages under the Special Marriage Act, Hindu Marriage Act, and Foreign Marriage Act. The Supreme Court has taken over all similar petitions pending in various High Courts. The Indian government opposed changes to existing marriage laws to recognize same-sex marriages, saying it would disrupt the balance of personal laws in the country. In 2018, the Supreme Court decriminalized homosexuality. The current petitions argue that same-sex marriages are still not possible despite the decriminalization of homosexual acts.
24 schoolchildren, four others injured in pile-up on flyover in central Delhi
Summary:
24 schoolchildren and 28 people in total including 3 school staff and a civilian were injured in a pile-up involving 4 buses, a car, an autorickshaw, and a bike in central Delhi's Salimgarh flyover. All the injured were taken to Lok Nayak Hospital and are said to be out of danger. The buses were hired by different government schools and were on an educational tour.
Poll panel withholds Lakshadweep by poll
Summary:
The Election Commission (EC) has decided to withhold the by-election in the Lakshadweep Lok Sabha constituency due to the overturn of the MP's conviction by the Kerala High Court. The Commission had previously announced the by-election for February 27 along with six other Assembly seats. The MP had appealed the conviction and the Supreme Court was informed that the EC would take note of the High Court's suspension of the conviction.
HC closes Telangana’s plea on Governor’s Budget approval
Summary:
The Telangana High Court disposed of a petition filed by the State government seeking approval from the governor for the state budget for 2023-24, after both parties resolved their contentious issues. The chief justice questioned the judiciary's involvement in the matter and suggested that the two constitutional authorities resolve the issues by sitting down together. After lunch, the counsel for the state informed the court that the discussions between both parties were productive. The legislative affairs minister later met with the governor and requested approval for the budget proposals.
Man gets life sentence for murdering parents, burying them in garden
Summary:
A man in India has been convicted of the murder of his parents and sentenced to life in prison. The evidence was based on circumstantial evidence and there were no witnesses to the murder. The man was already convicted for the murder of his live-in partner in 2020. He buried his parents in a pit after claiming it was for a septic tank. The post-mortem could not determine the cause of death but the court concluded that the circumstantial evidence proved the man's guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
EDITORIAL
Tasks for India’s millet revolution
Summary:
The International Year of Millets has been declared by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Millets are high in protein, fiber, micronutrients, and antioxidants, and are drought-resistant and suitable for semi-arid regions. Despite their health and environmental benefits, there are barriers to increased millet cultivation and consumption, including the decline in area under millet cultivation, low productivity, and low procurement. The M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation in Tamil Nadu has attempted to address these issues through its millet project, which aimed to preserve crop diversity, increase production and consumption, and enhance farm incomes. The project intervened in yield enhancement, processing and marketing, and community mobilization.
A matter of prestige for the DMK
Summary:
The Erode (East) Assembly by-elections in Tamil Nadu, India are due to take place on 27 February 2023. The absence of a common opposition candidate and internal issues within the AIADMK, the principal opposition party, is expected to give the ruling DMK-led alliance's candidate, former Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) chief E.V.K.S. Elangovan, an advantage. The DMK is treating the election as a matter of prestige and has selected veteran of Erode district, Housing Minister S. Muthusamy, as the point man for the by-election. On the other hand, the AIADMK has not made much progress and is yet to announce its nominee. The BJP, an ally of the AIADMK, has not stated its position in the election.
Water woes: Opening up the entire Indus Waters Treaty could come with its challenges
Summary:
The Indian government has issued a notice to Pakistan to renegotiate the Indus Waters Treaty due to Pakistan's objections to two hydropower projects in India. India believes the projects are within the treaty's fair water use, but Pakistan has refused to negotiate and sought escalation. The World Bank is holding two parallel adjudication processes with a neutral expert and a Court of Arbitration, but India is boycotting the latter. The treaty, which has held for over half a century, took nearly a decade to negotiate originally. There are concerns that reopening negotiations could lead to further conflict between India and Pakistan, especially as there is currently no political dialogue between the two countries
In 2022, trial courts imposed most death sentences in 20 years
Summary:
India had 539 prisoners on death row at the end of 2022, the highest since 2016, according to a report by the National Law University Delhi. The increase was due to 165 death sentences imposed by trial courts in 2022, the highest in two decades, largely due to a special ruling in a case related to the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts. Gujarat courts imposed 51 death sentences in 2022, the highest among all states. The rise in death row inmates was also due to the low disposal rate of death penalty cases by the appellate courts. The Supreme Court took a significant initiative on capital punishment in September 2022 that may decrease the number of death sentences. The initiative may make it necessary for trial courts to consider the accused's background before passing sentence.
The recent wave of tech layoffs
Summary:
Tech companies in the US including Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta have laid off thousands of employees due to what is being called the "midlife crisis" of Big Tech or the end of its hyper-growth. In 2022, the tech sector shed over 150,000 employees, with 51,000 being from the four largest tech companies. Over 30-40% of those laid off are Indian IT professionals, many of whom are on H-1B and L1 visas and are now scrambling to find a new job before their visas expire. Big tech companies had gone on a hiring spree during the pandemic but are now "rightsizing" their growth, instead of downsizing.
SC to list on Feb. 3 petition to restrain Union govt. from ‘censoring’ BBC documentary
Summary:
The Supreme Court of India has agreed to hear a petition seeking to prevent the Indian government from censoring the BBC documentary "India: The Modi Question." The petition was filed by N. Ram, Director of The Hindu Publishing Group, Mahua Moitra MP, and advocate Prashant Bhushan and names the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Twitter Communications India, and Google India as respondents. The petition argues that criticism of the government or its policies does not violate India's sovereignty or integrity, and that all citizens, including the press, have the right to view and disseminate the documentary as a right to freedom of speech and expression. The plea states that the Ministry censored 50 tweets and blocked YouTube links to the documentary on January 20 under the Information Technology Rules and the Information Technology Act. The petitioners are asking the court to call for and quash any orders censoring the documentary, which is critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Attorney-General objects to petitions in SC against States’ legislation against conversion
Summary:
The Indian Attorney-General has raised objections to petitions being filed in the Supreme Court against various states' religious conversion laws. The government has also opposed a citizen's right of justice and peace organization's approach to the Supreme Court regarding these laws. The case involves anti-conversion laws in 9 states, including Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear all the petitions on February 3rd, including one from the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, which seeks to declare religious conversion laws as unconstitutional
Centre to roll out process to set up 16th Finance Commission soon
Summary:
The Indian government will soon begin the process of setting up the 16th Finance Commission to recommend the revenue sharing formula between the center and states and distribution among the states. The 15th Finance Commission was established in 2017, with a mandate to make recommendations for a five-year period which was later extended by a year. The 16th Finance Commission is expected to be established this year, breaking the cycle of having one established every five years. The major challenge for the 16th FC would be coexisting with the GST Council, whose decisions on tax rate changes could affect the Commission's revenue calculations.
‘General Assembly divided over UN reforms’
Summary:
Csaba Korosi, the 77th President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), stated that the disunity of the UNGA is the crucial hurdle in the way of UN reforms. He said that a resolution in the General Assembly is necessary to reform the UN Security Council and that the 193 countries in the General Assembly are divided into five negotiating groups and are neutralizing each other. India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has described the UN as a "frozen 1945-invented mechanism" and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the reform of the UN Security Council with Korosi. Despite demand for reforms, little has been done so far, but Korosi has appointed two negotiators to start wider consultations. India has played a vital role in improving the response mechanism of the UN and Korosi invited India to become active in all negotiating tracks under way at the UN.
Police officer who shot dead Odisha Minister arrested
Summary:
Gopal Krushna Das, an assistant sub-inspector of police, was arrested and dismissed from service after shooting and killing the Health and Family Welfare Minister in Odisha. The Crime Branch is investigating the motive behind the murder and has intensified its interrogation of Das. The police seized a 9mm pistol, three rounds of live ammunition, and a mobile phone from the shooter. The firearms and ammunition will be sent for ballistic examination, and Das is in police custody with his case pending further court proceedings. Mr. Das had a good career record and won police medals, but the authorities did not provide details on his mental health, which was reported to be manic depressive disorder.