Category: India

The Maharashtra government has announced a holiday on Friday, December 6, to honor Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a key figure in creating India’s Constitution. This day is known as Mahaparinirvan Diwas.

On Thursday, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde paid respect to Ambedkar by placing flowers at his statue in Thane. There will also be a special event at Prerna Sthal in the Parliament House, organized by the Dr. Ambedkar Foundation. The event will start in the morning with floral tributes from important leaders like Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and others.

Every year, many people travel to Mumbai to visit Chaityabhoomi in Dadar’s Shivaji Park, where Ambedkar was cremated. To support the large crowds, the Railways will run special trains.

Dr. Ambedkar, who passed away on December 6, 1956, was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest honor, after he died.

What’s Open and Closed on Mahaparinirvan Diwas?
– Government offices in Mumbai will be closed.
– Alcohol shops will also be closed because it’s a dry day.
– Public and private banks will be open since they don’t recognize December 6 as a holiday.
– Schools in Mumbai are closed due to a notice from the Education Department.

Special Trains
The Central Railway has announced 14 extra trains for Mahaparinirvan Diwas, coming from cities like Aurangabad and Nagpur to Mumbai on December 6. There will also be extra suburban trains running on December 5 and 6 to handle the crowd.

To keep everyone safe, about 300 extra Railway Police Force (RPF) members have been assigned to key stations like Dadar and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. They have also set up ‘May I Help You’ booths for passengers.

Traffic Rules in Mumbai
Many people will visit Chaityabhoomi in Shivaji Park, where Ambedkar was cremated. To manage the crowds, traffic police have enforced restrictions from December 5 to 7.

One important road, Veer Savarkar Road, will be closed from Siddhivinayak Temple to Hinduja Hospital. Local residents can access their homes by taking a left turn from Yes Bank Junction.

Today, farmers from Punjab started their ‘Dilli Chalo’ march from the Shambhu border, aiming to reach Delhi. In response, the Ambala district of Haryana has set rules to prevent large crowds from gathering. This means that police are keeping a close watch and have increased security at the Shambhu border on NH-44 for safety reasons.

Many farmers are calling for support to get fair prices for their crops, relief from debts, pensions, and a say in land acquisition laws. They also want help for families who lost members during previous protests and justice for those affected in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri incident.

A group of over 100 farmers, led by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, plans to begin their march to the Parliament around 1 PM. Recently, around 5,000 farmers from Uttar Pradesh faced delays when trying to protest near the Noida-Delhi border. Heavy security and barriers caused significant traffic jams, affecting many commuters.

In a recent Supreme Court hearing, judges reminded everyone that while peaceful protests are allowed, people should not cause problems for others. Some farmers have been at the borders for weeks, after their attempts to march to Delhi were stopped earlier, resulting in tragic incidents.

India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, recently said that India should handle its business with China carefully. This is important because of the challenging political relationship between the two countries over the last four years. Jaishankar mentioned that while India can still do business with China, it should not rely too much on them for supplies.

He pointed out that there’s been some progress in easing tensions along the border, but much more needs to be discussed. “We don’t want to just be a market for another country and get flooded with their cheaper goods,” he stated, stressing the importance for small businesses in India, known as MSMEs, to stay competitive.

India must also remember that China is a major player in global manufacturing. However, Jaishankar warned against depending too much on a single country for supplies, which could hurt various sectors in India.

Additionally, Jaishankar talked about the ongoing issues in the political relationship with China. He noted that the situation has improved slightly and discussions on future cooperation are necessary. The military standoff that began in 2020 affected the ties between the two nations. After negotiations led to a deal on disengagement, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met to discuss ways to normalize relations.

Jaishankar also expressed that India is in a strong position to work closely with the new US administration under Donald Trump. He believes India can build an even better relationship, focusing on mutual interests.

He mentioned the challenges in India’s trade with Russia, stressing that India needs better access to Russian markets, especially for exports like pharmaceuticals and agricultural products. Although trade with Russia has increased significantly, India is pushing for its exports to be valued more fairly.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has warned that the health of millions of pilgrims visiting the Maha Kumbh fair could be at risk if sewage keeps flowing into the Ganga River in Prayagraj. The Maha Kumbh Mela is a big event that will last for 40 days, starting on January 14 and ending on February 26. Many people from around the world are expected to attend this festival.

The tribunal was looking into a complaint that 50 drains were dumping dirty sewage directly into the Ganga River along an eight-kilometer stretch from Rasulabad to the Sangam, where the Ganga and Yamuna rivers meet. Earlier in September, the NGT created a high-powered committee to come up with solutions and report back by November 23.

On November 29, NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava pointed out that the committee had not submitted any report and hadn’t asked for more time to do so. The tribunal stressed that the pollution of the Ganga is urgent and must be addressed before the Kumbh Mela starts.

The NGT expressed concern that if no action is taken, the health of the millions of visitors could be harmed. It noted that the committee was expected to take this issue seriously. Although the UP state government’s lawyer asked for an extra 15 days to submit the report, the tribunal was not satisfied, especially since the report was supposedly already prepared.

In the end, the tribunal allowed the committee one week to file the report and reminded everyone involved about the need for quick action. The next hearing is scheduled for December 9. Previously, the tribunal had pointed out that the water quality in the area was not safe for drinking.

On Thursday, the Indian government told the Rajya Sabha that it does not plan to increase the retirement age for judges in the Supreme Court and high courts. The Law Minister, Arjun Ram Meghwal, explained that Supreme Court judges retire at 65 years, high court judges at 62, and district judges at 60.

There was a past attempt by the UPA 2 government to change the retirement age of high court judges to match that of Supreme Court judges, but that bill was never discussed and eventually lapsed.

During a Question Hour, AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chaddha raised concerns about retired judges taking on political roles, like becoming members of the Rajya Sabha or governors. He said this could lead to conflicts of interest and uncertainty about the independence of the judiciary. Chaddha proposed that there should be a cooling-off period of at least two years before any retired judge takes on a political or executive role, and he suggested that judges should receive better pensions to avoid financial dependency on post-retirement jobs.

In response, Law Minister Meghwal stated that Chaddha’s remarks were politically charged. He mentioned that judges are appointed based on a set process outlined in the Constitution and past Supreme Court rulings. Meghwal also noted that while a resolution was passed in a conference for increasing judges’ retirement age, there is currently no government proposal on this matter. He pointed out that the Prime Minister has not created any new tribunals for retired judges.

In Kolkata, the state assembly is urging the Indian government to encourage airlines to start direct international flights to Europe and the US. Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya mentioned that working together with the Centre could help solve travel problems for people in the region and boost tourism.

The assembly passed this proposal unanimously. Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition, promised that BJP members would join any effort to talk to the aviation minister about this important issue. However, he criticized the ruling Trinamool Congress for not providing land needed to improve some state airports, including Hasimara and Kalaikunda, which belong to the Indian Air Force.

Bhattacharya explained that many travelers from Kolkata and eastern India have to stop in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Dubai, or Singapore to travel to Europe or the US since the last direct flight to Europe was stopped in 2022. She believes that new flights would greatly benefit students, businesspeople, and tourists.

Recently, there has been some good news. Malaysia Airlines started flying to Kolkata again after 18 years. The airline is now running five weekly flights to Kuala Lumpur, using a Boeing 737-800. The inaugural flight was packed, showing there is a strong demand for travel to Kolkata.

This renewed service is part of a collaboration with IndiGo, expanding travel choices for people between Malaysia and 16 destinations in India. Kolkata Airport announced this exciting development on social media, celebrating the new connection.

A big scam involving chartered accountants, a company secretary, and a cryptocurrency trader has been discovered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). This group tricked people out of more than ₹640 crore with various online scams.

Two chartered accountants, Ajay and Vipin Yadav, along with crypto trader Jitendra Kaswan, were arrested from November 28 to 30 during searches in the Delhi-NCR area. The investigation showed they ran a huge money-laundering scheme that connected to people overseas and used secret messaging apps.

This gang operated in different states, using fake online betting, gambling, part-time job listings, and phishing scams to take money from people. They funneled the stolen money through over 5,000 fake bank accounts in India before sending it to a payment service from UAE called “PYYPL.” Some cash was then withdrawn in Dubai using Indian bank cards.

During a raid at Ashok Kumar Sharma’s home in Bijwasan, Delhi, associates of the suspects attacked ED officials, injuring one. The police and CRPF had to step in to protect the rest of the team. Ashok is currently on the run, but his brother, Radhe Shyam Sharma, was arrested for the attack.

The ED searched 13 locations in Delhi, Gurgaon, Jodhpur, Jhunjhunu, Hyderabad, Pune, and Kolkata. They found lots of debit cards, cheque books, ATM cards, PAN cards, digital wallet phrases, ₹47 lakh in cash, and cryptocurrency (USDT) worth ₹1.36 crore from a wallet. They also froze several bank accounts.

The ED said: “The handlers gave instructions about opening fake accounts, handling cash, and buying crypto through a group chat. We found more than 2,000 documents that detail transactions in many bank accounts and crypto purchases. We are currently analyzing these documents.”

The Delhi High Court has dismissed a second police complaint against former councillor Tahir Hussain. The court decided that the new complaint was not needed because it was similar to an earlier one. The judge said that it’s unfair to have two cases for the same issue.

Tahir Hussain faced trouble before, accused of being part of a protest that turned violent. In his new complaint, he claimed he was wrongly blamed. The court agreed that following two FIRs (First Information Reports) for similar claims can cause confusion and is unnecessary.

In the end, the court’s ruling means that Tahir won’t have to deal with the new case. This decision helps clarify the legal situation for him.

The Supreme Court recently finished defamation proceedings against Indian Union Minister L Murugan over comments he made back in 2020. Murugan claimed that the Murasoli Trust, linked to the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party in Tamil Nadu, was using land without permission.

Justices Bhushan R Gavai and KV Viswanathan decided to close the case after Murugan stated he did not intend to hurt the trust or its members. He explained that his remarks were made while serving as a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in the Opposition in Tamil Nadu.

The Murasoli Trust, which operates a newspaper and a news channel and includes Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin as one of its managers, accepted Murugan’s explanation. The court praised the trust’s willingness to move on and ended the criminal case against Murugan.

Murugan sought help from the Supreme Court after the Madras High Court rejected his request to dismiss the case in September 2023. This politician and former BJP state president had made the contested comments during a press conference in 2020.

Murugan’s lawyer, K Parmeshwar, said that when Murugan was vice-chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, he received complaints that the Murasoli Trust’s building was on land meant for Scheduled Castes (SC) in Tamil Nadu. Parmeshwar insisted that Murugan’s comments were not meant to damage the trust’s reputation and were made while he held a political position.

The Supreme Court had advised the trust to consider Murugan’s clarification. Senior advocates for the trust said they were okay with accepting his explanation and didn’t want to press on with the case anymore. They suggested that Murugan publish his clarification in newspapers as a sign of goodwill.

The defamation case began in 2021 when DMK leader RS Bharathi accused Murugan of suggesting that the trust was operating illegally. Bharathi noted that the trust had been at the same location for over 35 years and had never had issues regarding its property rights.

Earlier, the Madras High Court did not rule in Murugan’s favor, arguing that the statements made should be evaluated considering a regular person’s understanding of them. The court mentioned that even if Murugan felt he had not spoken against the trust, his remarks could still cause people to question the trust’s property rights.

Murugan defended himself by saying he was protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, which supports freedom of speech. The High Court indicated that a thorough examination of the facts was necessary during the trial while urging the special court to speed up the process.

In Malta, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken are getting ready to talk about the war in Ukraine. This meeting is part of a yearly event with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), where representatives from 57 countries gather to discuss important issues.

This year, the war in Ukraine is the main topic. While the meeting will also confirm agreements on important jobs in OSCE, it’s a significant moment because of the upcoming leadership of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Some of his advisers suggest ideas that would give parts of Ukraine to Russia, which makes the situation even more complicated.

Western countries want to show their support for Ukraine, while Russia is expected to criticize OSCE for favoring NATO and the European Union. Lavrov mentioned last year that he thinks OSCE is losing its purpose by aligning too closely with Western powers.

It’s Lavrov’s first visit to the European Union since Russia started its large-scale attack on Ukraine in February 2022. In the past, Russia has blocked many important decisions in OSCE. However, this year, the block on the OSCE budget is due to a disagreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Recently, an agreement was made to fill four top positions in OSCE, including the secretary-general, which will go to Feridun Sinirlioglu from Turkey. Finland will also take over the chairmanship for the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, a major agreement from the Cold War that started the OSCE.