INDIA

Jitendra Singh of BJP on Saturday said that people’s right to sell properties and houses haven’t been usurped by anyone. “Whoever says J&K is on sale, you should tell him that the sale of J&K will start with Gupkar bungalows. The law doesn’t allow occupying a bungalow forcibly. The owners still enjoy the right to decide whether to sell it or not. The day the order to occupy houses comes, beautiful houses along Dal Lake will be occupied,” Union minister Jitendra Singh was quoted by outlook as saying. Singh was addressing a press conference in Jammu along with the BJP general secretary Tarun Chug and BJP president for Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh, Ravinder Raina. About the ban on the 4G internet services in Jammu Kashmir, Singh said the case is with the Supreme Court and he cann...

The Bombay High Court has reserved its judgment in a petition filed to challenge Republic TV Editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami’s arrest. The Republic Media Network Managing Director had filed the plea requesting to declare his arrest as illegal, and also sought interim release from jail. The court said that it could not pass an order today citing the considerations and compilations submitted to them. The court added that it will pronounce the orders someday in the next week. On Friday, after hearing Arnab Goswami’s counsel, the division bench of Bombay High Court, comprising Justices S S Shinde and M S Karnik, had adjourned the plea of Republic TV’s editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami that sought revocation of the 2018 abetment of suicide case in which he has been arrested. The Bombay HC...

The Ministry of Home Affairs has sought list of Central Civil Services Officers willing to serve in Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh.  The MHA has written to Defence Ministry and other Ministries, whereas communication copy to Defence Ministry reads  “it is requested that the willingness of Central Civil Services Officers, selected through Central Civil Exams conducted by the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission)." The order further reads that in the (I) Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS), (ii) Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS), (iii) Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES), may please be obtained and provide the name(s) of suitable officer(s), eligible for deputation in terms of existing guidelines and willing to serve in the Governments of J&K/UT of Ladakh, along with the cad...

The Jammu Kashmir unit of the Congress will undertake a signature campaign next week against the recently introduced land laws in Jammu Kashmir and the “anti-farmer” laws in the country. The protest campaign will coincide with a tractor rally between Miran Sahib to RS Pura on the outskirts of Jammu on 9 November under the leadership of All India Congress Committee leader and in-charge Jammu Kashmir affairs Rajni Patil, a party release said. A memorandum along with signatures opposing the “anti-farmer and anti-Jammu Kashmir laws” would be forwarded to President Ram Nath Kovind after 10 November, the release said. The decision to this effect was taken at a meeting chaired by Pradesh Congress Committee president GA Mir at party headquarters, it added. “The meeting took serious no...

The Maharashtra CID on Wednesday detained Republic television editor Arnab Goswami from his house in connection with the death of interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother Kumud Naik in 2018. A senior police official has confirmed that Goswami will now be taken to Alibaug. This comes at a times when TRP scam investigation against Goswami is going on in Mumbai. This case goes back to 2018 when a 53-year-old interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother Kumud Naik dies by suicide in Alibaug in May 2018. A suicide note purportedly written by Anvay was found in which he said that Goswami and two others had not paid him Rs 5.40 crore which led to his financial constraints. In 2018, the Alibaug police had filed a case of abetment to suicide but in 2019 the case was closed by Raigad Police....

On Monday, the Supreme Court (SC) refused to extend the security of former judge SK Yadav, who gave the verdict in the Babri Masjid demolition case and acquitted all 32 accused, including BJP veterans Uma Bharti, Murli Manohar Joshi, and LK Advani.  A bench of Justice RF Nariman and also Justice Krishna Murari and Navin Sinha was considering Yadav's request to continue his personal security in view of the sensitivity of the case decided by him on his last day in office. “Having perused the letter dated September 30, we do not consider it necessary to continue (the) security,” said Supreme Court Justices RF Nariman, Navin Sinha and Krishna Murari.  On September 30, the apex court had acquitted all 32 accused in the case saying there was no conclusive evidence that they were part of...

The grand mufti of the Dargah Aala Hazrat has urged the governments of India and Sri Lanka to stop ‘forceful cremation’ of Muslims falling prey to COVID-19. He said that the last rites should follow the guidelines in Islam. According to news reports, Salman Hasan Khan, Vice President, Aala Hazrat Dargah, said, “Islam does not allow, under any circumstances, cremation of the deceased. This action, where Muslims dying of Covid-19 are being forcefully cremated, has caused immense grief in the community.” The grand mufti said that the last rites should be permitted strictly as per the tenets of Islam and keeping the sentiments of the family in mind.The letter further stated that the World Health Organization (WHO) and numerous scientists have also reiterated that the dead do not transmit...

On Tuesday, an FIR was registered against Amitabh Bachchan and the makers of the Sony TV show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) for hurting 'Hindu sentiments' over a question that was asked on Friday's special episode titled Karamveer. The controversy started after Bachchan asked a question related to Manusmirti in the episode. The episode had social activist Bezwada Wilson and actor Anoop Soni as guests on a hot seat.  The question for Rs 6,40,000 was: On 25 December 1927, Dr BR Ambedkar and his followers burned copies of which scripture? And the options given were, a) Vishnu Purana, b) Bhagavad Gita, c) Rigdev, and d) Manusmriti.  After answering the question, Bachchan explained that Dr Ambedkar condemned and burned copies of the ancient Hindu text. He also said, "In 1927, Dr BR A...

An application for early hearing of the petitions challenging the promulgation of the Constitution (Application to Jammu Kashmir) Order, 2019 amending Article 367 of the Constitution of India and abrogating Article 370 has been filed in the Supreme Court. The application has been filed by one Shakir Shabir, who had challenged the revocation of Article 370 in the top court last year. The application states that several legislations have been passed since August 5, 2019 and key changes are being effected by the government in J&K which risks lending permanency to initial impugned order passed on 5 August 2020. The applicant has, therefore, raised the apprehension that "mere passage of time" can render the abrogation of Article 370 permanent making the petitions infructuous. "All ...

On Saturday, the Special Branch of CID in Rajasthan arrested Ram Niwas Gaura (28), a civil defence employee at Military Engineering Services (MES) for working as a spy for Pakistan's intelligence agency. He has been accused of working for the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) for some time. He has also been accused of collecting information by keeping in touch with the officers and jawans of the Indian Army.  According to the army officials, “It was learnt that Gaura was in contact with one Pakistan Intelligence Operator (PIO) namely Ekta aka Jasmeet Kour through Facebook and WhatsApp. During his two years of contact with PIO, he shared the information about the unit's formation at Niwaru and Jaipur as well as information about various offices, posted personnel at these two loca...