INDIA

The now-scrapped Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu Kashmir, was meant to be a “temporary” provision since the beginning and the framers of the Constitution had put it there “intelligently”, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday. Inaugurating a training programme on legislative drafting, Shah also said that if a legislation is drafted well, there is “no need for any court to give any explanation to any law”. If the drafting is simple and clear, it will also be easier to educate people about the law with minimal chances of errors by the executive, he said and added that if “grey areas” are left in the drafting, they will lead to “encroachment” in interpretation. Shah said if the drafting is complete and lucid, its interpretation will also be clear. Referring to ...

Kaneez Fatima, the Congress party’s sole Muslim woman MLA in Karnataka, has said that the ban on wearing hijab in educational institutions of the state would be lifted, reported Muslim Mirror. “God willing, we will reverse the hijab ban in the coming days and we will get those girls back to classrooms and they will be able to appear for their exams,” Fatima told reporters. “They have lost two precious years.” Despite the absence of an announcement in the party’s election manifesto, Congress party’s only Muslim woman MLA in Karnataka, Kaneez Fatima, stated that the ban on wearing hijab in educational institutions would be lifted. The Congress party secured a majority in the Karnataka Assembly, winning 136 out of 224 seats. Kaneez Fatima herself won her constituency by defeating the...

Thousands of Muslims gathered in Kollam for a mass rally and public conference organized by the Kerala Muslim Jama-ath Federation (KMJF) to mark its 40th anniversary, Muslim Mirror reported. The event aimed to address concerns affecting the Muslim community in India, including opposition to the proposed National Registration of Citizens (NRC) and Uniform Civil Code. KMJF leaders highlighted issues such as violence against Madrasas and Masjids, Hindutva fascism, and Islamophobia. They stressed the importance of unity among Muslims and marginalized groups in countering these challenges. Participants raised slogans against Hindutva and called for the protection of the rights of the largest religious minority in India. The Kerala Muslim Jama-ath Federation (KMJF), which is a part of t...

Pravin Togadia, the leader of the International Hindu Council known for making controversial statements against Muslims, has expressed his determination to curb the Muslim population growth in India, Muslim Mirror reported. He stated that only Hindus should hold positions of power, including the Prime Minister, Chief Minister, Ministers, District Magistrates, and Superintendents of Police. “Only individuals belonging to the Hindu faith will be permitted to occupy positions of authority in the nation, including the Prime Minister, Chief Minister, Ministers, District Officers, Superintendents of Police (SP), and District Magistrates (DM),” he said. Parveen Togadia, attending an event called ‘Hindi Sahitya Sammilan’ in Harmadapuram, Madhya Pradesh, stated his intention to restrict th...

With merely a few rounds of counting left in Karnataka, the Congress stays comfortably above the halfway mark. The BJP may end up with close to 75 seats. The JDS is faring badly in many of the regions. The Congress is winning/leading in more seats in the Kalyan Karnataka, Kittur Karnataka and South regions, reported Indian Express. The BJP is leading in Bangalore and coastal Karnataka regions. A party or a coalition needs to win 113 seats to secure a majority in the 224-member Karnataka Assembly. Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar won from Kanakapura seat after securing 70 per cent votes. Among those who are leading are Siddaramaiah in Varuna, Basavraj Bommai in Shiggaon. JD(S)’s Nikhil Kumaraswamy is leading from Ramanagara and IT Minister Dr. Ashwanth Siddharamiah a...

Over 2,500 mobile toilets will be set up for the Amarnath Yatra in Jammu Kashmir, with most on the two routes to reach the cave shrine located at a height of 3,880 meters in the Himalayas, officials said. Scheduled to begin on July 1, the 62-day-long yatra this year could see more pilgrims, they said and added that in total, 1,500 personnel will be manning the toilets from Lakhanpur in Kathua district to the shrine. ''Over 940 toilets will be set up at the Baltal axis and 1,345 toilets at the Pahalgam axis,'' an official said and added that 1,370 personnel, including sanitation workers and supervisors, will be deployed for managing these toilets. The officials said that an additional 120 toilets will be set up at the Yatri Niwas and at other locations in Jammu City. Lakhanpur, ...

A court in Delhi has sentenced nine Muslim men convicted in a case pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots to seven years of rigorous imprisonment, PTI reported. Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala on Tuesday pronounced the order, sentencing Mohammed Shahnawaz, Mohammed Shoaib, Shahrukh, Rashid, Azad, Ashraf Ali Parvez, Mohammed Faisal and Rashid. On March 13, the court convicted the nine accused, saying the charges levelled by the prosecution were proved beyond a reasonable doubt. “All the convicts shall undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of seven years for the offence punishable under Section 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house etc.) of the Indian Penal Code and each convict shall pay a fine of ₹ 20,000,” the judge sai...

Police arrested five people on Thursday after a low-intensity explosion took place near the Golden Temple, saying they were also involved in two similar blasts within a week. The police did not elaborate on the motive but said they will investigate the “entire deep-rooted conspiracy” and examine possible connections of those arrested, in India and abroad. The latest blast occurred on Wednesday midnight in Galiara, the pathway and park around the Golden Temple, behind the Guru Ramdas Ji Niwas (inn) building, they said. Director-General of Police Gaurav Yadav told reporters that the police will look into whether the explosions were the work of a self-radicalised module or it acted on the directions of someone else. He said a Special Investigations Team will be formed to probe int...

The Prayagraj police has designated slain gangster politician Atiq Ahmed’s widow, Shaista Parveen as a ‘mafia’ for the first time in an FIR lodged on May 2 in connection with the arrest of one Mohd Atin Jafar, who was arrested for sheltering her and Sabir, a listed shooter of Atiq gang. Besides the Umesh Pal murder case, Shaista has been named in seven other cases, including five of forgery and cheating, lodged at different police stations of the state. Both Shaista and Sabir, also named in the Umesh Pal murder, are supposed to be on the run together and police have announced a cash reward for anyone providing information leading to their arrest. While Sabir carries a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh, Shaista has a reward of Rs 50,000. SHO Dhoomanganj Rajesh Kumar Maruya, in his FIR lo...

The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh has initiated action against 36 nursing students for not listening to the 100th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mann Ki Baat programme. As a punishment, the female students have been barred from leaving  the hostel for a week, as per local journalist Sandeep Singh. https://twitter.com/Punyaabteam/status/1655830155603087365?t=OYwqIi0KMQcH3apixZ6G9w&s=19 On April 30, a program was organized to commemorate  the 100th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mann Ki Baat program at PGI's LT One Lecture Theatre. As per the instructions of PGI director, all girl students were ordered to be present at LT 1 theater at 10.30 am on April 30 to listen to the the program, however,  36 female students ...