Category: India

On Saturday, legal experts shared different opinions about whether the Chief Justice of India (CJI) should be included in choosing executive leaders, like the CBI director. Some believe having the CJI involved brings fairness, while others think he should not be part of such decisions.

The discussion started when Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar questioned how it was right for the CJI to be part of these selections. He suggested it might be time to change the related rules.

Expert Rakesh Dwivedi argued that the CJI shouldn’t be in the selection committee for positions like the CBI director. On the other hand, lawyer Shoeb Alam said the CJI’s involvement can make these appointments fairer and more credible. He pointed out that a democracy benefits when the CJI is included, especially when there aren’t clear laws guiding such appointments.

Gopal Sankaranarayanan noted that since the case about the chief election commissioner’s appointment is currently reviewed by the Supreme Court, the Vice President shouldn’t have commented on it. Mohit Mathur added that since important roles like the prime minister and CJI are involved in choosing the CBI director, they shouldn’t face criticism for their roles.

During a meeting in Bhopal, the Vice President also shared his personal views, stating that having the CJI involved in selecting positions like the CBI director seems questionable. The Supreme Court is set to hear related cases on February 19 regarding the selection of election commissioners.

A video of people jumping over ticket gates at the Jama Masjid metro station has gone viral online. This incident happened on February 13 on the Violet Line of the Delhi Metro. In the video, you can see many commuters skipping the automatic gates by leaping over them. Some people were even filming it on their phones.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) responded to the video, explaining that there was a sudden rush of passengers at that time. “There was a short but busy period when a lot of people used the exit at once, and some chose to jump over the gates,” said Anuj Dayal, DMRC’s communications head.

He assured everyone that there were security staff and metro workers present who managed the situation. It was never dangerous or out of control, according to him. DMRC said this was a quick reaction due to the unexpected crowd near the exit gates.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has raided 11 places in Delhi and Haryana to catch cybercriminals who were pretending to be government officials. The sting operation led to the recovery of Rs 1.08 crore in cash, officials announced on Saturday. The raids took place at nine locations in Delhi and two in Hisar, Haryana, as part of a two-year investigation.

These criminals were accused of tricking people by pretending to be government workers and were involved in scams related to cryptocurrency. They cheated individuals both in India and other countries by offering fake tech support, urging them to pay using cryptocurrencies. The money was then funneled through various crypto wallets and converted into cash.

During the raids, the CBI found important digital evidence, including six laptops, eight mobile phones, and an iPad. They also discovered that the scammers were making calls using special software and accessing the darknet. In addition to the cash, the CBI seized foreign currency worth USD 1,000 and 252 grams of gold.

Former Indian Ambassador to the US, Taranji Singh Sandhu, has spoken out about US President Donald Trump’s decision to extradite Tahawwur Rana, who is accused of being involved in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Sandhu emphasized that this action sends a strong warning to those who threaten the friendship between the US and India.

In an interview, Sandhu mentioned that the joint statement after talks between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump highlighted the importance of taking firm action against individuals who put the safety of both countries at risk. He noted that President Trump had pointed out that there are more names being considered for action, suggesting that those involved in such activities should be careful.

Sandhu explained that the joint statement also talks about cooperating to combat various threats, including illegal crime, drug trafficking, and other dangers that could harm public safety. He expects the US government to take tougher measures against these threats.

President Trump announced the extradition of Tahawwur Rana during a press conference with PM Modi, stating that Rana will face justice in India. Rana was found guilty for his role in the attacks, which led to the deaths of 174 people, including security personnel and foreign nationals.

The US State Department had previously expressed its support for India’s efforts to bring justice for the Mumbai attacks. They are currently reviewing the situation for the extradition, especially since Rana has used up all legal options available to him in the US.

With the US Supreme Court denying Rana’s petition against his extradition, India is now in discussions with US officials about the next steps to bring him back to face charges.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke with hope about India’s democracy at the Munich Security Conference. He talked about how voting takes place in India, highlighting the successful recent elections in Delhi and the national elections set for 2024.

During a panel discussion titled “Live to Vote Another Day: Fortifying Democratic Resilience,” Jaishankar shared his views alongside leaders like Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin. While many people believe that democracy is struggling globally, Jaishankar disagrees. He proudly mentioned that India has had a good turnout in elections—around two-thirds of eligible voters participate.

“For our recent elections, about 700 million out of 900 million voters cast their votes. We count the votes in a single day, and there are never disputes about the results,” Jaishankar explained. He emphasized that India’s democracy is working well and providing for people.

He shared that in India, being a democratic society means they can support food and nutrition for around 800 million people. He believes different parts of the world are having different conversations about democracy, and we should not think that issues facing democracies everywhere are the same.

Jaishankar highlighted the importance of understanding the unique situations of each country. He also mentioned that many countries in the Global South might see India as a better example to follow than Western countries.

He finished by stating that if the West wants to see democracy succeed, it should learn from successful models outside of its own. The 61st Munich Security Conference takes place in Munich, Germany, from February 14–16.

Guwahati: The Director General (DG) of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), GP Singh, visited Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at his official home in New Delhi on Friday. This was the first time the two leaders met since Singh became the DG of the CRPF.

During their meeting, Singh and Sarma exchanged friendly words. The DG gave the Chief Minister a small gift and a bouquet of flowers. Before becoming the DG, Singh worked as the Director General of Assam Police for almost two years. He is a well-respected officer from the 1991 batch of the Assam-Meghalaya IPS cadre.

After the meeting, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) shared the news on social media site X, stating that GP Singh, the Director General of CRPF, met with Himanta Biswa Sarma for a courtesy visit.