Junior Digest

Feb 15,2024: IN a historic verdict barely weeks before the Lok Sabha polls are set to be notified, the Supreme Court struck down Thursday the Narendra Modi government’s 2018 electoral bonds scheme of anonymous political funding.

Highlighting that “the information about funding to a political party is essential for a voter to exercise their freedom to vote in an effective manner”, a five-judge Constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice of India

D Y Chandrachud, said that changes made in the laws to implement the scheme were unconstitutional.

Holding the scheme “violative” of the constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression and right to information, the court did not agree with the Centre’s contention that it was meant to bring about transparency and curb black money in political funding.

In its two separate but unanimous verdicts spanning 232 pages, the court also directed the SBI, the authorised financial institution under the scheme, to submit by March 6 the details of electoral bonds purchased since April 12, 2019 till date to the Election Commission which will publish the information on its official website by March 13.
“SBI must disclose details of each electoral bond encashed by political parties which shall include the date of encashment and the denomination of the electoral bond,” the bench said.

On April 12, 2019, the SC, in an interim order, had asked political parties to submit details of donations via electoral bonds to the EC in a sealed cover to be kept in the safe custody of the commission till further orders.

The SC also directed that electoral bonds which are within the validity period of 15 days but have not been encashed by political parties shall be returned by the political party or the purchaser — depending on who is in possession of the bond — to the issuing bank which shall refund the amount to the purchaser’s account.

The bench, also comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai, J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, struck down a set of amendments. “The Electoral Bond Scheme, the proviso to Section 29C(1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (as amended by Section 137 of the Finance Act 2017); Section 182(3) of the Companies Act (as amended by Section 154 of the Finance Act 2017); and Section 13A(b) (of the Income Tax Act) (as amended by Section 11 of the Finance Act 2017) are violative of Article 19(1)(a) and unconstitutional,” the bench said.

It held that “the deletion of the proviso to Section 182(1) of the Companies Act, permitting unlimited corporate funding to political parties is arbitrary and violative of Article 14”.

Section 29C of the RPA as amended by the Finance Act 2017 stipulated that the political party need not disclose financial contributions received through electoral bonds. Section 13A of the IT Act as amended said that the political party does not have to maintain a record of contributions received through electoral bonds. Section 182 of the Companies Act 2013 was amended by the Finance Act 2017 by which the earlier requirement of disclosure of particulars of the amount contributed by companies to political parties in their profit and loss accounts was deleted and donors were only required to disclose the amount contributed without disclosing particulars about the political party to which the contribution was made.

The court did not agree with the Centre’s submission that the political party which receives the contribution does not know of the identity of the contributor as neither the bond would have their name nor could the bank disclose such details to the party.

The court argued that “de jure anonymity of the contributors does not translate to de facto anonymity.” Saying that the scheme is not fool-proof, the court said that there are “sufficient gaps” in the scheme which enable political parties to know who paid how much.

For example, Clause 12 of the scheme says the bond can be encashed only by the party by depositing it in the designated bank account. “The contributor could physically hand over the electoral bond to an office-bearer of the political party…or the contributor could after depositing the electoral bond disclose the particulars of the contribution to a member of the political party for them to cross-verify. …ninety four percent of the contributions through electoral bonds have been made in the denomination of one crore. Electoral bonds provide economically resourced contributors who already have a seat at the table selective anonymity vis-à-vis the public and not the political party,” the court said.

The government had argued that the scheme was intended to curb black money and ensure that contributions to parties flow through legitimate banking channels.

But the bench held that the scheme does not satisfy the least restrictive test necessary for imposing curbs under Article 19(2) on the right to information under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. “The purpose of curbing black money is not traceable to any of the grounds in Article 19(2)”.

The court added that the scheme “is not the only means for curbing black money in Electoral Financing” and “there are other alternatives which substantially fulfil the purpose and impact the right to information minimally when compared to the impact of electoral bonds on the right to information”.

For contributions below Rs 20,000, electronic transfer is the “least restrictive” and “Electoral Trust” for amounts above that, it pointed out.

The bench held that “the right to informational privacy extends to financial contributions to political parties which is a facet of political affiliation” but added that “the Constitution does not establish a hierarchy between the right to information guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) and the right to informational privacy to political affiliation, traceable to Articles 19(1)(a), 19(1)(b), 19(1)(c), and Article 21”.

The SC said, “we are unable to see how the disclosure of information about contributors to the political party to which the contribution is made would infringe political expression. .. Under the current Scheme, it is still open to the political party to coerce persons to contribute. Thus, the argument of the Union of India that the Electoral Bond Scheme protects the confidentiality of the contributor akin to the system of secret ballot is erroneous”.

On the amendment to Section 182 of the Companies Act permitting unlimited political contributions by companies as manifestly arbitrary, the SC said “the ability of a company to influence the electoral process through political contributions is much higher when compared to that of an individual.”

A company, the bench said, has a “much graver influence on the political process, both in terms of the quantum of money contributed to political parties and the purpose of making such contributions.” It added: “Contributions made by individuals has a degree of support or affiliation to a political association. However, contributions made by companies are purely business transactions, made with the intent of securing benefits in return. The amendment to Section 182 is manifestly arbitrary for treating political contributions by companies and individuals alike”.

The apex court said, “Companies before the amendment to Section 182 could only contribute a certain percentage of the net aggregate profits. The provision classified between loss-making companies and profit-making companies for the purpose of political contribution and for good reason.. the underlying principle of this distinction was that it is more plausible that law-making companies will contribute to political parties with a quid pro and not for the purpose of income tax benefits”.

“The provision as amended by the Finance Act of 2017 does not recognise that the harm of contributions by loss-making companies in the form of quid pro quo is much higher. Thus the amendment…is manifestly arbitrary for not making a distinction between profit-making and loss-making companies for the purposes of political contribution”.

The court pointed out: “The purpose of Section 182 is to curb corruption and electoral financing. For instance, the purpose of banning a government company from contributing is to prevent such companies from entering the political fray. Amendment to Section 182 by permitting unlimited corporate contributions authorises unrestrained influence of companies in the electoral process. This is violative of the principle of free and fair elections and political equality captured in the value of one person, one vote.”

The verdict said financial contributions to political parties are usually made for two reasons — they may constitute an expression of support to the political party or the contribution may be based on a “quid pro quo”.

“The huge political contributions made by corporations and companies should not be allowed to conceal the reason for financial contributions made by another section of the population: a student, a daily wage worker, an artist, or a teacher. When the law permits political contributions and such contributions could be made as an expression of political support which would indicate the political affiliation of a person, it is the duty of the Constitution to protect them,” it said.

In October last year, the bench began hearing arguments on the four petitions, including those filed by Congress leader Jaya Thakur, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

WASHINGTON, Feb 7 ,2024: An array of unconventional, privately funded plans to exploit the moon, including as a site for human ashes and sports-drink containers, has gathered steam in recent years as NASA pushes to make Earth’s natural satellite more accessible.

Concerns about possible gaps in U.S. oversight and legal questions about proper use of the moon have rocketed to the forefront.

Landers built by private companies and emerging space powers are expected in the next few years to join the U.S. flag and other vestiges of past programs to the moon. Other initiatives could include using the moon as a site for capsules of human remains, advertising sports drinks, and maybe even a two-story-tall Christian cross made of the moon’s own dirt.

“We’re just at the beginning of exploring the moon, and … we need to be careful we’re not contaminating it – not just with biological and chemical contamination but with litter,” said Leslie Tennen, an attorney practicing international space law.

Among the payloads aboard a recent private moon mission by U.S. company Astrobotic – which ultimately failed to reach the moon’s surface – were dozens of capsules of human ashes and a can of Japanese sports drink Pocari Sweat. The exact purpose of the can was unclear.

Under U.S. law, those items and anything else can go to the moon, as long as the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and other agencies certify a rocket payload’s launch off Earth does not “jeopardize public health and safety … U.S. national security … or international obligations of the United States.”

The issue will gain more attention as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration leans heavily on private companies to cut the costs of its trips to the moon. At present, there are no U.S. laws or standards outlining what is acceptable on the celestial body’s surface. NASA envisions long-term moon bases and hopes to spur a competitive commercial marketplace.

Lawyers with space-law expertise worry that the absence of regulations could pit U.S. companies against other countries operating on the lunar surface or spark international disputes over which private endeavors could be considered land appropriation or claims of sovereignty.

The lack of guidelines has some eying the possibilities.

Justin Park, a Washington, D.C.-based entrepreneur, wants to build a Christian cross on the moon potentially as big as a two-story building and made of hardened lunar dirt, an estimated $1 billion undertaking he has discussed with U.S. lawmakers and Catholic organizations.

“Nobody owns the moon,” Park said. “You don’t want to stomp on traditions, but you can’t hold the rest of the world back.” Overly restrictive regulations for moon activities, he said, would “destroy an industry before it gets off the ground.”

The crescent Earth rises above the lunar horizon in this NASA photograph taken from the Apollo 17 spacecraft in lunar orbit in 1972. REUTERS/NASA Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
‘RELIGIOUS TEST’

Texas-based Celestis, which launches cremated human remains into space and had arranged the ashes on Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander, drew ire from the Navajo Nation, which regards the moon as sacred and considered the company’s memorial mission sacrilege.

Celestis CEO Charles Schafer said memorials of the dead in space are inevitable as more humans traverse the cosmos.

“We don’t make space mission decisions on the basis of a religious test,” Schafer said. “I have a photo of 20,000 Buddhist monks celebrating our launch. So which religion rules?”

NASA officials overseeing the program that helped fund Astrobotic’s mission have said they have no control over what companies put on their landers, and that payload standards could be created in the future.

“You’ll see that evolve quite a bit over time,” said Chris Culbert, head of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. “But I think the first step is a successful landing – that’s what we care about most in these early steps.”

Some officials at NASA and space agencies from other countries have privately regarded the ashes and sports drink as obstructions and trash that would set a negative precedent, according to two U.S. officials who asked not to be identified.

With another private U.S. lunar lander due to launch next month, the lack of lunar regulation risks bringing Washington in conflict with the widely ratified 1967 Outer Space Treaty, lawyers said. That pact says countries must authorize and supervise the activities of nongovernmental entities.

That raises the stakes for the space industry, Biden administration and lawmakers who have battled for months over how to regulate novel commercial space activities, with industry groups resisting what they call innovation-stifling regulations.

Few countries have adopted standards for moon behavior, and rules remain unclear in international law, lawyers said.

Some feel too little has been done internationally to guide moon behavior.

“We are already late, and we are very urgently in need to start now, to discuss the moon at an international level,” said Martha Mejía-Kaiser, a Mexican-German space lawyer and board member of the International Institute of Space Law.

Jan 31,2023: Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan and his wife were sentenced Wednesday to 14 years in jail after being found guilty of graft in a case involving gifts he received while premier.

The verdict, a week before national elections, comes a day after Khan was given a prison sentence of 10 years in a case related to leaking state secrets.

“Another sad day in our judicial system history, which is being dismantled,” a spokesman for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party told media.

It was not immediately clear if Khan’s sentences were to run consecutively or concurrently following a trial held inside the jail where he has been detained for much of the time since his arrest in August.

But Khan’s lawyer Salman Safdar confirmed to AFP he had been sentenced alongside his wife, Bushra Bibi, who had been on remand throughout the trial.

“Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi have been sentenced. Bushra Bibi has not been arrested as yet,” Safdar said.

The pair married in 2018, months before Khan was elected prime minister.

Bibi, a faith healer who met Khan when he approached her for spiritual guidance, is rarely seen in public.

About 127 million Pakistanis are eligible to vote on election day next Thursday, with Khan and PTI at the centre of debate despite being squeezed out of the limelight.

The ballot has already been marred by allegations of rigging, with Khan barred from running over a previous graft conviction and his party subject to a massive crackdown.

Since being ousted in 2022, Khan has been buried by court cases he claims have been triggered to prevent his return to office after a campaign of defiance against Pakistan’s military kingmakers.

Khan had accused the powerful military — with whom he ruled in partnership for much of his tenure — of orchestrating his ouster in a US-backed conspiracy.

When Khan was first arrested in May last year, riots broke out across the country.

But his street power was killed by a military crackdown that saw thousands of supporters detained — 100 of whom are facing closed-door military trials — and dozens of senior leaders forced underground.

“You have to take revenge for every injustice with your vote on February 8,” Khan said in a statement posted on his X profile reacting to his 10-year sentence on Tuesday.

“Tell them that we are not sheep that can be driven with a stick.”

Patna, Jan 28,2023: Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar took the oath as the chief minister of Bihar on Sunday for a record ninth time.

Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath to them in a function organized at Rajbhawan.

Along with Nitish Kumar, Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha also took oaths as cabinet ministers.

Besides Kumar, eight ministers also took oaths on Sunday. Other ministers who took the oath are Prem Kumar, Vijay Chaudhary, Vijendra Yadav, Shravan Kumar, Santosh Kumar, and Sumit Singh.

With this, four members, including Kumar from the JDU, three members from the BJP, one from the Hindustani Awam Morcha, and an independent MLA, took oaths at the function.

Bihar Legislative Council chairman Devesh Chandra Thakur, BJP national president J.P. Nadda, Union Minister Pashupati Kumar Paras, HAM national president Jitan Ram Manjhi, LJP(Ramvilas) national president Chirag Paswan, JDU MP Lalan Singh, BJP leader Mangal Pandey, Rajiv Pratap Rudi, former MLC Ranvir Nandan, and several other dignitaries attended the oath-taking ceremony at Raj Bhavan.

Quetta, Pakistan,Feb 07,2024: A pair of bombings at the election offices of a political party and an independent candidate in southwest Pakistan killed at least 24 people and wounded more than two dozen others, officials said Wednesday. The blasts came one day before parliamentary elections are to be held across the country.

The first attack happened in Pashin, a district in Baluchistan province, said Jan Achakzai, the spokesperson for the provincial government. Officials said at least 14 people were killed in the attack and the wounded are being transported to a nearby hospital. Police said some of them were listed in critical condition.
Later Wednesday, another bombing at the election office of politician Fazlur Rehman’s Jamiat Ulema Islam party in Qilla Saifullah town of Baluchistan killed at least 10 people, Acahkzai and local authorities said. CBS News’ Sami Yousafzai said the JUI party is seen as close to the Afghan Taliban, which retook power in the neighboring country in August 2021.
Attack comes despite tight election security

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, which came despite the deployment of tens of thousands of police and paramilitary forces across Pakistan to ensure peace following a recent surge in militant attacks in the country, especially in Baluchistan.

Achakzai sought to reassure the public that peaceful elections would go ahead in Baluchistan on Thursday despite the attack.
In recent years, Pakistan has struggled to rein in surging militancy, especially in the former stronghold of Pakistan Taliban. Militants have a presence in Baluchistan and have targeted civilians in recent years. The Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups also have a strong presence in the province.

BRUSSELS ,Feb 13,2024: The United Arab Emirates, host of last year’s COP28 climate summit, and Azerbaijan and Brazil, the hosts of the next two U.N. climate summits, said on Tuesday they would team up to push for more ambitious emissions-cutting goals.

Preparations for the 2024 and 2025 climate talks are taking place amidst a political push-back on climate action in some countries – even as extreme weather becomes more frequent and temperature records are smashed nearly every month.

The UAE’s COP28 presidency said on Tuesday the summit hosts would form a three-way “troika” to focus on ensuring that more ambitious CO2-cutting pledges are made ahead of a deadline at 2025’s COP30 summit in Belem, Brazil.
“We cannot afford to lose momentum, we must do everything we can to keep 1.5 C within reach,” said Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE’s president of last year’s negotiations. The target of containing global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels was set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

The main task for this year’s COP29 summit in November in Baku, Azerbaijan, is to agree a new global target for climate finance for developing countries.

But some climate diplomats are already looking ahead to Brazil’s summit in 2025 as the next major milestone for global climate diplomacy. Nearly 200 countries are required to submit updated national CO2-cutting pledges in time for COP30.

The next round of countries’ climate targets is seen as a crucial last chance to prevent global warming exceeding 1.5C, a target fast slipping out of reach, as global greenhouse gas emissions continue to climb.

In a bumper year for elections, some politicians – from Republican frontrunner Donald Trump in the United States, to far-right parties seeking gains in the EU’s upcoming election – have pushed back on climate policies as they court voters.

New Delhi Feb 3,2023: Former Deputy Prime Minister and veteran BJP leader L K Advani will be conferred with Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of the country.

The announcement was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his social media handle X.

Through his post, the PM said that he spoke to LK Advani and congratulated him on being conferred this honour.

Narendra Modi on X said, “I am very happy to share that Shri LK Advani Ji will be conferred the Bharat Ratna. I also spoke to him and congratulated him on being conferred this honour”.

“One of the most respected statesmen of our times, his contribution to the development of India is monumental. His is a life that started from working at the grassroots to serving the nation as our Deputy Prime Minister. He distinguished himself as our Home Minister and I&B Minister as well. His Parliamentary interventions have always been exemplary, full of rich insights,” he added.

Feb 02,2024: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget — the one for the forthcoming financial year (2024-25). Since it’s the last one before Lok Sabha elections, the Budget is an interim one.

No changes were introduced to tax slabs. Meanwhile, the fiscal deficit target — the gap between government’s revenue and expenses — for 2024-25 (FY25) was set at 5.1% of the gross domestic product (GDP).
Budget 2024: Top Highlights from Union Budget 2024-25 by FM Nirmala Sitharaman

🔴 The revised fiscal deficit — the gap between government’s revenue and expenses — is at 5.8% of the GDP for 2023-24 (FY24). Fiscal deficit in FY25 is expected to be 5.1% of GDP. The target is to reduce the fiscal deficit to below 4.5% of the GDP in 2025-26 (FY26).

🔴 No changes to income tax slabs.

🔴 In a major announcement, the government has decided to withdraw outstanding direct tax demands up to Rs 25,000 for the period up to financial year 2009-10 and up to Rs 10,000 for financial years 2010-11 to 2014-15.

🔴 The number of tax filers swelled by 2.4 times, Sitharaman said. The direct tax collection has trebled since 2014. In 2024-25, the tax receipts are projected at Rs 26.02 lakh crore.

🔴 Tax exemptions given to start-ups extended till March 31, 2025.
🔴 In a bid to improve operations of passenger trains, the Sitharaman announced three major economic railway corridor programmes — energy, mineral and cement corridors, port connectivity corridors, and high traffic density corridors. “They will improve logistics efficiency and reduce cost. The resultant decongestion of the high-traffic corridors will also help in improving operations of passenger trains, resulting in safety and higher travel speed for passengers,” Sitharaman said. This will also reduce logistics cost.

🔴 The Finance Minister also announced 2 crore more houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin ( PMAY-G).

🔴 “For our tech-savvy youth, this will be a golden era. A corpus of Rs 1 lakh crore will be established with 50-year interest free loan provided. The corpus will provide long term financing and re-financing with long tenures at low or nil interest rates. This will encourage the private sector to scale up research and innovation significantly in sunrise domains.”

🔴 “We need to have programmes that combine the powers of our youth and technology. A new scheme will be launched for strengthening deep tech technology for defence purposes and expediting atma nirbharta,” Sithraman said.

🔴 Sitharaman also announced plans to set up more medical colleges through utilisation of the “existing hospital infrastructure under various departments”. “A committee for this purpose will be set up to examine the issues and make relevant recomendations,” she said.

🔴 “Making triple talaq illegal, reservation of 1/3rd seats for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies, and giving over 70 per cent houses under the PM Awas Yoajana in rural areas to women have enhanced their dignity,” Sitharaman said.

🔴 “Through roof-top solarisation, 1 crore households will be enabled to obtain up to 300 units of free electricity every month. This scheme follows the resolve of the Prime Minister on the historic day of the consecration of Shri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.” The government aims to achieve ‘net zero’ by 2070.

🔴 For boost to tourism, “long-term interest free loans to be provided to States to encourage development.”

🔴 Starting off her speech, Sitharaman noted that the Indian economy has witnessed positive transformation in the last 10 y ears.

🔴 “Poor, women, youth and farmers — their needs, their aspirations will guide country’s growth.”

🔴 “The government is working towards making India ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047…Our focus is sabka sath, sabka vikas,” Sitharaman said.

🔴 “The government is equally focused on GDP – Governance, Development and Performance.”

🔴 On social justice, Finance Minister said, “Our government is working with an approach to development that is all-round, all pervasive and all inclusive.”

The next ‘full budget’ will be presented in July, once a new government has been sworn in after the Lok Sabha elections.

New Delhi, Feb 7,2024: Addressing the logjam on the issue of funds devolution to Karnataka, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said that making false claims against the Finance Commission in the media shows the separatist mindset of the Congress.

“Through this advertisement in the media, the Congress is taking forward the language of separatism. This is one of the ways to break the country into pieces, and that way is by making false claims against the Finance Commission,” she told reporters here.

Sitharaman said the Karnataka government has given full-page national newspaper advertisements by using taxpayers’ money, in which six claims have been made, but two of them are outrageously false.

“One, it says zero has been given by the Centre for drought, which is disaster relief. Not zero. I told you a total of Rs 12,476 crore, has been given for disaster management and capital investment.

“If we have given money for disaster relief, how are they (Karnataka government) mentioning it in the advertisement?” she asked.

Sitharaman also dismissed the Karnataka government’s claim on non-release of special grants to the state.

She said, “The ad also claims the special grant is a mirage. I mentioned in the beginning that the special grant was not even there in the final recommendation. So, there is no recommendation of the Finance Commission but you are mentioning that here.”

These false claims by the Congress are the offshoot of a separatist mindset, Sitharaman said.

“I would like to humbly say that all of these things are arising out of just one mindset – the mindset of separatism – what the Deputy CM’s brother said. Congress party today is with separatists and they don’t condemn them.

“In this case as well, through this advertisement, the Congress is taking forward the language of separatism. This is one of the ways to break the country into pieces. The way is by leveling false allegations on the Finance Commission,” she said.

Earlier, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah led a “Chalo Delhi” protest by the state Congress leaders against the central government’s tax devolution policies.

Siddaramaiah alleged that for every Rs 100 given to the Centre, the state gets Rs 13 in return. He also said though Karnataka is the second-highest tax contributor nationwide, the centrally sponsored schemes grants have witnessed a consistent decline.

“From Rs 20,986 crore in 2021-22, it has sharply dropped to Rs 13,005 crore in 2023-24 – an alarming Rs 7,000 crore reduction,” he said.

The Centre is yet to release funds for flood relief and farmers issues in Karnataka, Karnataka CM alleged. “The reduction in our state’s share of central taxes from 4.71 percent in the 14th Finance Commission to 3.64 percent in the 15th Finance Commission has led to a staggering loss of approximately Rs 62,098 crore to Karnataka over five years,” he said.

Feb 13,2024: Elon Musk has denied selling his Starlink internet service to Russia after Ukraine claimed the terminals were being used by Russian troops on the front lines of the war.

“A number of false news reports claim that SpaceX is selling Starlink terminals to Russia. This is categorically false,” Musk, who leads SpaceX and several other companies including Tesla, said in the post on X on Monday.

“To the best of our knowledge, no Starlinks have been sold directly or indirectly to Russia.”

Moscow also rejected Kyiv’s claim that Starlink terminals had been smuggled into Russia and were being used on a “systematic” basis in Russian-occupied Donetsk.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Starlink is not certified for use in Russia.

“It cannot be officially supplied here and is not officially supplied here,” Peskov told reporters on Monday.

On Sunday, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency GUR said that intercepted conversations among Russian forces revealed that Starlink terminals had been deployed among troops operating near the towns of Klishchiivka and Andriivka.

New Delhi, Feb 1,2024: Railways Minister Ashiwin Vaishnaw on Thursday said a total of Rs 2.5 lakh crore has been allocated in the interim Budget 2024-25 for his ministry, which will provide a transformative change.
Addressing a press conference here, the Minister termed it a “historic announcement” for the transformation of Railways.
The Union Minister further stated: “In this budget, a big focus has been put on creating additional capacity through three corridors.
“Overall, through these 3 corridors, about 40,000 Km of new track will be laid which will significantly increase railway capacity and reduce pollution as railways can save up to 90% CO2 emissions in a cost-effective manner” he sai
The first is the energy, mineral and cement corridors which will help reduce the pollution of roads and ensure a reduction in the cost of logistics.
The second is port connectivity which will provide seamless connectivity to the ports through railways in a multimodal ‘Gati Shakti’.
The third is ‘Amrit Chaturbhuj’ which will be akin to a golden quadrilateral on the Railway network on high-density traffic routes.
Talking about the second big announcement, the Union Minister said: “After the success of ‘Vande Bharat’ and ‘Amrit Bharat’ trains now we can upgrade all the 40,000 conventional coaches. The work to increase capacity is happening on multiple fronts. Last year we added 5,200 km of new tracks which is equivalent to the entire rail network of Switzerland,” he stated.
The Minister said this year the Railways is adding 5,500 km. “From 4 km per day in 2014, we are now adding about 15 km per day in new tracks”.

New Delhi, Feb 1,2024: Presenting the interim budget for 2024-25, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday kept the tax rates unchanged and continued to focus on public spending to boost growth.

“As for tax proposals, in keeping with the convention, I do not propose to make any changes relating to taxation and propose to retain the same tax rates for direct taxes and indirect taxes, including import duties,” the Finance Minister announced.

With general elections barely months away, salaried taxpayers were expecting some respite, but the status quo on tax slabs and rates are likely to leave them disappointed.

The government has continued its focus on capital expenditure (capex) to support growth and generate more jobs.

Accordingly, the outlay for financial year 2024–25 was increased by 11.1% to Rs 11.11 lakh crore. This accounts for 3.4% of the gross domestic product (GDP).

Among the major projects, Sitharaman announced plans to implement three major economic railway corridor programmes. The proposed corridors are energy, mineral, and cement corridors, port connectivity corridors, and high traffic density corridors.

“The projects have been identified under PM Gati Shakti for enabling multi-modal connectivity. They will improve logistics efficiency and reduce cost,” Sitharaman said.

The minister highlighted the achievements of the government and exuded confidence about winning the upcoming polls.

“We expect that our government, based on its stupendous work, will be blessed again by the people with a resounding mandate,” Sitharaman said.

SANAA, Feb. 6 ,2024: The U.S.-British coalition launched three airstrikes on Yemen’s northern province of Saada on Tuesday before dawn, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.

The strikes targeted sites in the eastern part of the province’s capital city, which bears the same name, the Houthi television said without elaborating further.

Dehradun, Feb 7,2024: The Uttarakhand assembly on Wednesday passed the landmark Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill, that proposes the same set of laws governing issues like marriage, divorce, and inheritance for all religions.

Uttarakhand has become the first state in India to pass such a legislation in its Assembly.

Speaking in the assembly during the discussion on the issue, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the UCC was introduced under constitutional provisions. The bill will become law once it is cleared by the governor.

“After independence, the makers of the Constitution gave the states the right under Article 44 to introduce the UCC at an appropriate time… People have doubts regarding this. We made the draft as per the constitutional system,” he said.

The UCC bill proposes to have the same set of laws governing issues like marriage, divorce, and inheritance for all religions.

Among the many proposals, the legislation makes it compulsory for live-in relationships to be registered under the law.

Once the proposed UCC Bill is in place, “live-in relationships” must be registered under the law within 1 month from the “date of entering into the relationship.”To live in a live-in relationship, adults must obtain consent from their parents”.

The bill also imposes a ban on child marriage and introduces a uniform process for divorce.

UCC provides equal rights to women of all religions in their ancestral property.

New Delhi, Jan 28,2023: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Diamond Jubilee celebration of the Supreme Court on Sunday at the Supreme Court auditorium in New Delhi.
Inaugurating the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Supreme Court today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the role of the judiciary in strengthening India’s vibrant democracy and for its commitment to safeguard the fundamental rights of every citizen.
The Prime Minister launched the new website of the Supreme Court and its citizen-centric information and multiple technology initiatives, including the Digital Reports (Digi SCR), Digital Courts, and other technological innovations.
The PM said that the government approved Rs 800 crore last week for the expansion of the Supreme Court Building Complex and is committed to providing all help in terms of infrastructure, funds, and manpower to modernize and facilitate the legal system. The government has also disbursed Rs 7,000 crores since 2014 for the physical infrastructure of the courts, the PM said.
The PM said that ease of justice is the need of the hour, and our government is committed to providing support to the judicial system to reach out to every person in an efficient and cost-friendly manner. The PM said that the E-Courts Mission Project’s third phase will have four times more funds.
Justice Chandrachud said that the E-Courts project of the Supreme Court has reached many milestones. There were days when lawyers used to reach the courts with trolley carts of paper. Now it has completely changed. Now we have the facility to file cases at the click of a button.
Nearly 1,28,000 e-filings have been done so far, with a consistent rise in the share of e-filings compared to physical filings. The e-filings are available in 25 states. They have recorded over 29 lakh case filings, the CJI said.
The CJI further said that with the immense support of the bar and the bench, we were able to swiftly shift to virtual hearings during COVID-19. Even after the pandemic, hybrid hearings continue to be a feature of our courts, and any Indian lawyer sitting in any part of the country, or the world can argue before this Court through video conferencing. This has democratized access to the Supreme Court. It has opened the door for those who were unable to approach the Supreme Court due to physical distance, the CJI said.
The CJI said that the live proceedings of the Supreme Court Constitutional Bench hearings are popular and speak to the genuine curiosity that people have towards our courts and procedures. The e-Courts project of the Supreme Court of India attempts to enhance the accessibility and transparency of the justice delivery system. At the heart of these initiatives is the desire to transform the judicial system into a technology-enabled, efficient, accessible, and environment-friendly institution.
Dr. Adhish Aggarwala, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, lauded the CJI’s orders and said that his judgments are cited across the world, including the European courts.
Lauding the government for its support of the legal system, Dr. Aggarwala said that the government is seen as a partner of the legal system and not in opposition to the judiciary.
The event was marked by the presence of stalwarts like former Supreme Court Chief Justice N. V. Ramana, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, and Justice K. G. Balakrishnan. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, High Court Judges, Vice Chancellors of Law Universities, Senior Advocates, and other dignitaries were present during the occasion.
The Chief Justices of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Mauritius, Nepal, and Sri Lanka were also present at the event.
The CJI said we have to thank them for joining us and commemorating this occasion together. India has long-standing cultural bonds with them, and the presence of the Chief Justices today strengthens India’s ties with their nations.
Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said that our decisions, both in the judicial and administrative realms, have been aimed at enhancing accessibility to the Indian judicial system for common citizens. There is a need to start a conversation on the long court vacations and propose alternatives to them with discussions with the bar on this aspect, CJI suggested.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said that the Supreme Court was established 75 years ago with six judges; now it has a strength of 34 judges. Since independence, we have endeavored to have laws that would be interpreted by a constitutional court under the rule of law and not by colonial values or social hierarchies. There is a need to decolonize the legal system, he said.
Bar Council Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra said that our judiciary is one of the strongest in the world, and also that our Prime Minister is one of the tallest leaders in the world who is respected and has made citizens proud.
Attorney General R. Venkata Ramani also stressed the need to uphold the constitutional values of the country. The Supreme Court Judge, Justice Sanjive Khanna, had made the opening speech. Justice B. R. Gavai proposed a vote of thanks.

Ranchi, Feb 2,2024: Veteran Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Champai Soren was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Jharkhand alongside two other ministers belonging to the coalition constituents Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) here on Friday.

Sixty-seven year old Soren was administered the oath of office and secrecy by the state Governor C P Radhakrishnan at a solemn function in the Darbar Hall of the Raj Bhavan.

Congress legislature party leader Alamgir Alam and Satyanand Bhokta of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) took oath as ministers after Soren, who has been asked to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly within ten days from the date of his appointment.

Sixty-seven-year-old Soren replaces his party leader Hemant Soren, who resigned on Wednesday night and has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.

Champai Soren, who represents the Saraikela constituency in the Assembly, is the seventh Chief Minister of the tribal-majority eastern state. He is a four-time member of the Jharkhand Assembly. Earlier, he was elected once as a legislator in Bihar before Jharkhand’s formation.

The 1956-born Champai Soren was the minister in charge of Transport, Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Caste & Backward class welfare in Hemant Soren’s cabinet. Both Alam and Bhokta also were members of Hemant Soren’s cabinet since 2019.

After taking the oath, Soren told the media his government would speed up and ensure the timely completion of the initiatives taken by the coalition government under the leadership of Hemant Soren for the holistic development of the tribals and all other people of Jharkhand.

“We will work to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the people of the state,” he said.