by Editor | Aug 31, 2024 | News, Politics
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to grant interim bail to Popular Front of India (PFI) leader OMA Salam, arrested in a case registered under the anti-terror law, UAPA, against the banned organisation and its members.
A bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Amit Sharma rejected Salam’s plea seeking a release for two weeks, saying he is “a person of great influence” who managed and administered the PFI for years, and enlarging him on interim bail would not only entail flight risk but also the possibility of several witnesses being influenced.
Salam had sought two weeks’ interim bail on the ground that his daughter died in April and his wife was in a “depressive state”.
Dismissing the plea, the court noted that Salam was given custody parole when his daughter died in an accident in April and his wife’s mental condition was neither debilitating nor of a nature that required an urgent intervention.
“Upon considering the fundamental ground of interim bail made by the appellant, that is, his wife not being well, the court on perusal of the medical records as also the overall facts of the present case holds that the present case does not reveal a situation which justifies grant of bail,” the bench said in its decision.
“The appellant in the present case is a person of great influence and was the chairman of the PFI, which is now a banned organisation. The observations of the Kerala High Court sufficiently capture the events that took place on September 23, 2022, that is, one day post the arrest of the appellant herein. The observations of the Kerala High Court reveal the nature of influence that the appellant wields,” it observed.
by Editor | Aug 31, 2024 | News, Politics
New Delhi: A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre to conduct a caste-based census in the country for the “welfare of backward and other marginalised sections”.
The PIL demands expeditious enumeration of data for the 2024 census and a Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) for the implementation of welfare measures, according to the population.
An SECC would help identify disadvantaged groups, ensure equitable resource distribution and monitor the implementation of targeted policies, said the plea, adding that accurate data on backward and other marginalised sections is crucial for the Union government to achieve social justice and constitutional objectives.
Further, the PIL said that a data-driven approach is essential for informed policy-making, and precise data aids in understanding socio-economic conditions and demographics, enabling targeted interventions to uplift disadvantaged communities.
“For the first time in post-independence, the SECC conducted in 2011 aimed to gather comprehensive data on socio-economic indicators, including caste information. However, concerns over the quality of data and classification challenges have prevented the release and effective utilisation of the raw caste data. An Expert Group was formed to classify and categorise this data, but its recommendations have yet to be released by the Union Government,” said the PIL, filed through advocate Shravan Kumar Karajan.
It added that Article 340 of the Constitution mandates the appointment of a commission to investigate socially and educationally backward classes.
by Editor | Aug 31, 2024 | News, Politics
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday underlined the need for swift justice in cases involving crimes against women and said that it will give them greater assurance of their safety.
Modi also said the judiciary is considered a guardian of the Constitution, and that the Supreme Court and the judiciary have lived up to the responsibility.
Addressing the inaugural session of a national conference of the district judiciary in the presence of Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, Modi said the people of India have never shown any distrust of the Supreme Court or the judiciary.
Describing the imposition of the Emergency as a “dark” period, the prime minister said the judiciary played a key role in upholding fundamental rights.
On matters of national security, Modi said, the judiciary has protected national integrity by keeping national interests paramount.
Against the backdrop of the alleged rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata and the sexual assault on two kindergarten girls in Thane, he said atrocities against women and the safety of children were matters of grave concern for society.
by Editor | Aug 31, 2024 | News, Politics
Bhubaneswar: The well-marked low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal on Saturday intensified into a depression and the system is likely to cross north Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha coasts between Vishakhapatnam and Gopalpur close to Kalingapatnam around midnight, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The well-marked low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal off north Andhra Pradesh and South Odisha coasts moved west-northwestwards and intensified into a depression, the IMD said in a bulletin.
“It is likely to move further west-northwestwards and cross north Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha coasts between Vishakhapatnam and Gopalpur close to Kalingapatnam around midnight of today, the 31st August 2024,” the IMD said.
Under its influence, Odisha is likely to experience isolated very heavy rainfall during this period, the weather agency said, adding that heavy rainfall may also continue on September 1.
The IMD on Friday had warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorm and lightning at isolated places in southern Odisha districts of Gajapati, Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada and Nabarangpur on Saturday.
Heavy rainfall along with thunderstorm/lightning may also occur at isolated places in Nuapada, Kalahandi, and Bolangir in western region and Kandhamal and Ganjam in the southern part of the state.
by Editor | Aug 31, 2024 | News, Politics
New Delhi: Even as the term of the 22nd Law Commission comes to an end on Saturday, the key report on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is still being worked upon.
In the absence of a Chairperson, the report on UCC is believed to be delayed. The outgoing Commission last year, had initiated fresh consultations on UCC.
However, a report on simultaneous elections is said to be ready but cannot be submitted. A high-level committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind presented a report on ‘One Nation, One Election’ in March.
The Chairperson’s position fell vacant after (retired) Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi was appointed to the Lok Pal, the anti-corruption watchdog, in March this year.
In the absence of a Chairperson, the report cannot be submitted.
In his Independence Day speech this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that a common code, which he called a “secular civil code” is the need of the hour for India. He also dubbed the existing set of laws as “communal civil code,” calling them discriminatory in nature.
