Junior Digest

Ahmedabad , July 7,2023: In a setback for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Gujarat High Court on Friday upheld the Sessions Court’s order and denied a stay on his conviction in the defamation case against ‘Modi surname’ remark.

Gujarat High Court had in May reserved its order on Rahul Gandhi’s plea seeking a stay on his conviction in the 2019 ‘Modi surname’ defamation case.

The court had refused to grant any interim relief to Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress leader had moved the Gujarat High Court on April 25 challenging the Surat sessions court order which declined to stay his conviction in the criminal defamation case.

The Surat sessions court had on April 20 rejected Rahul Gandhi’s plea seeking a stay on his conviction by the lower court in the criminal defamation case.

In his judgement, Additional sessions judge Robin P Mogera had cited Gandhi’s stature as an MP and former chief of the country’s second-largest political party and said he should have been more careful.

He cited prima facie evidence and observations of the trial court and said it transpires that Rahul Gandhi Gandhi made certain derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi apart from comparing people with the same surname with thieves.

Judge Mogera said the surname of the complainant in the case, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Purnesh Modi, is also Modi. “…the complainant is [also an] ex-minister and involved in public life and such defamatory remarks would have certainly harmed his reputation and caused him pain and agony in society,” he said.

He cited the disqualification criteria under the Representation of the People Act and added that removal or disqualification as MP could not be termed irreversible or irreparable loss or damage to Gandhi.

Following his conviction by a lower court in the criminal defamation case, Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as Lok Sabha MP. He had been elected to Lok Sabha from Wayanad in Kerala.

The lower court sentenced the Congress leader to two years in jail on March 23 under sections 499 and 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in a case filed by Purnesh Modi.

At a rally in Karnataka’s Kolar in April 2019, Rahul Gandhi, in a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said, “How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?”.

Following the session’s court verdict, Congress had said it will move the Gujarat High Court.

New Delhi, Apr 24,2023: The Bar Council of India (BCI) on Sunday in its meeting resolved to request the Supreme Court of India to leave the same-sex marriage issue for legislative consideration.

The BCI resolved this decision of requesting the Supreme Court to leave the same-sex marriage issue for legislative consideration, in a joint meeting held today with all the State Bar Councils in the country.

The BCI in its letter, said that India is a diverse country with a mosaic of beliefs, and any matter that is likely to tinker with the fundamental social structure should necessarily come through the legislative process.

“Any decision by the apex court in such a sensitive matter may prove harmful for the future generation of the country. We request the Supreme Court to appreciate and respect the sentiments and mandate of the mass of the country and leave the issue of same-sex marriage for legislative consideration only,” the BCI, in its statement, said.

The BCI is a statutory body created by Parliament to regulate and represent the Indian bar. It perform the regulatory function by prescribing standards of professional conduct and etiquette and by exercising disciplinary jurisdiction over the bar.

The BCI said that more than 99.9 per cent of people in the country are opposed to “the idea of same-sex marriage”. The vast majority believes that any decision of the Apex Court in the petitioners’ favour on this issue will be treated to be against the culture and socio-religious structure of our country, the BCI, in its resolution, stated.

Bar is the mouthpiece of the common men and, therefore, this meeting of today held on Sunday, is expressing their anxiety over this highly sensitive issue, the BCI said.

It further said that the issue is highly sensitive, commented upon, and criticized by various sections of society, including socio-religious groups, for being a social experiment, engineered by a selected few.

“The issue at hand is highly-sensitive, commented upon and criticized by various sections of society, including socio-religious groups, for being a social-experiment, engineered by a selected few. This, in addition to it, being socially and morally compunctive,” the BCI said.

Thus, the resolution, passed by the BCI, unanimously agreed that the issue of same-sex marriage, having a spectrum of stakeholders from diverse socio-religious backgrounds, should be dealt with after an elaborate consultation process involving different social and religious groups by the competent legislature.

The resolution of the BCI further said that ever since the inception of human civilization and culture, marriage has been typically accepted and categorized as a union of biological man and woman for the twin purpose of procreation and recreation.

In such a background, it would be catastrophic to overhaul something as fundamental as the conception of marriage by any Law Court, however well-intentioned it may be, the BCI said.

“As per documented history, ever since the inception of human civilization and culture, marriage has been typically accepted and categorized as a union of biological man and woman for the twin purpose of procreation and recreation. In such background, it would be catastrophic to overhaul something as fundamental as the conception of marriage by any Law Court, howsoever well-intentioned it may be,” the resolution of the BCI said.

The same sex marriage petitions would come up for hearing before the Supreme Court’s five-judge constitution bench likely after Monday.

Lucknow, Jul 2,2023: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Sunday asserted that her party was not against the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), instead it was against the modalities of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its government in implementing it, as it should not be forced on the people of the country.

Reacting to the UCC, she said, “India has a vast population who follow different religions and have different customs, lifestyles, rules and rituals right from the birth to death.”

She further said that on the other hand, it is thought provoking that if a common law is made applicable to people of all religions, then it will not weaken the country but instead, strengthen it.

“It is also correct that it will create mutual communal harmony and brotherhood among the people and keeping this in mind, an attempt to frame a code that is Uniform Civil Code has been mentioned in the Article 44 of the Indian Constitution,” Mayawati said.

The BSP chief further said, “The provision of imposing it forcibly is not mentioned in the Constitution of Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and for this awareness and consensus has been considered the best, but not following it and indulging in politics of narrow interest in its guise is not right in the interest of the country, because Article 44 of the Constitution describes the effort to make a uniform civil code, but not to impose it forcibly.”

She suggested that before taking any step for implementing UCC in the country, BJP should pay special attention to all these aspects.
She said it seems that BJP and its government are blowing the issue of UCC in a bid to conceal its shortcomings and distract attention of the people.

“As I have said my party is not against the UCC, but people of different religions in the country have their own customs from birth to death and whenever a law is framed then their religious traditions and sentiments must be kept into consideration,” she added.

June 30,2023:The United States Supreme Court has ruled that colleges must stop considering race as a factor in their admission policies, dealing a setback to so-called “affirmative action” efforts aimed at boosting the enrolment of Black and Latino students at top universities.

The top court’s decision on Thursday came in response to lawsuits that challenged the policies of Harvard University and the University of North Carolina (UNC) by claiming race-conscious student admissions programmes discriminate against white and Asian-American applicants.

The ruling is the latest by the conservative-dominated court to advance right-wing political causes, and it could have significant implications for US college enrolment and diversity on campuses across the country.

President Joe Biden decried the court’s decision on Thursday, calling on universities to continue to advance diversity in spite of the ruling, by considering race-related factors like adversity.

“I’ve always believed that the promise of America is big enough for everyone to succeed, and that every generation of Americans – we have benefited by opening the doors of opportunity just a little bit wider to include those who’ve been left behind,” Biden told reporters.

He stressed that the top court bucked precedents – previous rulings that establish legal norms – in its decision on Thursday. “We cannot let this decision be the last word on it,” Biden said.

Asked whether the Supreme Court is “rogue”, Biden said it is not a “normal” court.

The top court ultimately found affirmative action to be in violation of US Constitution provisions that establish equal protection under the law.

“College admissions are zero-sum. A benefit provided to some applicants but not to others necessarily advantages the former group at the expense of the latter,” the Supreme Court said in its decision, embracing the argument that affirmative action benefitting some minority students disadvantages others.
Decision and dissent

The vote was six-to-three in the UNC case and six-to-two in the Harvard case, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson recusing herself from the latter because she had been a member of an advisory governing board at the university.
In a dissenting opinion, liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that “indifference to race” does not advance equality, stressing that racial inequality continues to prevail in the US, including at UNC and Harvard.

“Ignoring race will not equalize a society that is racially unequal. What was true in the 1860s, and again in 1954, is true today: Equality requires acknowledgment of inequality,” she said, referring to the US Civil War that ended slavery and the Civil Rights movement, respectively.

The NAACP civil rights advocacy group was quick to denounce the top court’s ruling on Thursday.

“This is a dark day in America,” Wisdom Cole, national director of the group’s youth and college division, said in a statement.

“Affirmative action has been a beacon of hope for generations of Black students. It stood as a powerful force against the insidious poison of racism and sexism, aiming to level the playing field and provide a fair shot at a high-quality education for all.”

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also decried the decision, calling it a “giant roadblock” in the country’s march towards racial justice.
Affirmative action

The Congressional Black Caucus also hit out at the top court. “By delivering a decision on affirmative action so radical as to deny young people seeking an education equal opportunity in our education system, the Supreme Court has thrown into question its own legitimacy,” it said in a statement.

Under affirmative action, some US colleges have considered race among several factors when assessing students’ applications, boosting the chances of Black and other minority students.

Proponents of the practice have argued that it aims to correct some of the historical injustices people of colour faced in the US and level the playing field for all students.

They also have underscored the racial wealth gap, as well as some colleges’ “legacy” admission programmes that favour the children of graduates from the institutions.

Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on Thursday that if the Supreme Court is serious about so-called colourblindness, then justices should also abolish legacy admissions, which she called “affirmative action for the privileged”.

Critics of affirmative action have argued affirmative action works against white and some minority students – namely Asian Americans – who also may come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

On Thursday, Republican Senator Tom Cotton called affirmative action “systemic discrimination” and expressed gratitude to the Supreme Court for its ruling.

“Admissions should be decided on merit – not by color of skin,” Cotton wrote on Twitter.

Mitch McConnell, the Republican minority leader in the US Senate, also welcomed the decision as making clear that “students will get a fair shot at college and the American dream based on merit and not illegal social engineering”.
‘Essential values’

Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Rosiland Jordan said the Supreme Court’s ruling is “incredibly significant” and will affect US universities’ efforts to bolster diversity.

Affirmative action, Jordan explained, was about “not just trying to redress past discrimination, but it also [helped] the schools achieve what they believe is a laudable goal, which is to expose young people who are just starting out in life to other people of different backgrounds”.

Nine US states have already banned colleges from considering race in applications, and several of them saw a drop in minority student enrolment after the restriction.

For example, at the University of Michigan, Black student enrolment dropped to 4 percent in 2022 from 7 percent when the state ended affirmative action in 2006.

Harvard said on Thursday that it will push to preserve its “essential values” while complying with the Supreme Court’s decision.

“We write today to reaffirm the fundamental principle that deep and transformative teaching, learning, and research depend upon a community comprising people of many backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences. That principle is as true and important today as it was yesterday,” the university’s leaders said in a statement.

Dec 23,2022:The House of Representatives January 6 committee’s final report asserts that former United States President Donald Trump criminally engaged in a “multi-part conspiracy” to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election and failed to act to stop his supporters from attacking the Capitol.

The 845-page report (PDF) released on Thursday concludes an extraordinary 18-month investigation into the former president and the violent insurrection two years ago.
“It’s basically it’s the all-encompassing summary of the 18 months of work and hearings, the over 1,000 witnesses, the over one million pages, we’re told, of documents,” Al Jazeera’s Shihab Rattansi, reporting from Washington, said.

Rattansi noted the congressional committee can’t launch criminal proceedings, but said the report could prove irresistible to prosecutors.

“It follows the same narrative structure that we saw during the committee hearings, which wove that story of how Donald Trump, even as votes were being counted on election night, hatched a plan to try and steal the election, Rattansi added. “He did not want to appear a loser. He knowingly disseminated false information, he pressured the vice president, members of Congress, local state officials for extra votes, to fudge what constitutional process is, and he ultimately failed.”

It comes after the panel interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses, held 10 hearings and obtained millions of pages of documents.

New Delhi, Mar 31,2023: A Delhi Court on Friday dismissed the bail application of former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia in Delhi Liquor policy case.

CBI Special Judge MK Nagpal after hearing arguments and submission on behalf of Central Bureau of Investigation and Defence Counsel passed an order to dismiss the bail application.

Counsel for Sisodia earlier submitted through before the Court that Sisodia has always cooperated with the investigating agency and nothing incriminating material found against him during the searches. He said there is no evidence that the applicant may influence the witnesses except a vague thing that he is in a position to influence the witnesses. He further submitted that not a single penny has been traced from Sisodia.

He further submitted that no fruitful purpose would be serve by keeping him behind the bar. He is ready to abide all the terms and conditions leveled by the court, if granted bail.

Government Counsel for CBI after filing written submission opposed the regular bail application of Sisodia by submitting before the Court that in this matter phones were frequently changed by Manish Sisodia which is not an innocent act, it was done for the destruction of evidence. If bail is granted he may destroy the evidence.

Sisodia was arrested by CBI on February 26 after about eight hours of questioning on various aspects of the excise policy for 2021-22. According to investigating agency the excise policy was suffered from irregularities in its formulation and implementation.

Jan 23,2023:Banks would have to set aside a punitive amount of capital to cover holdings of cryptoassets under a draft law due to be voted on by lawmakers on Tuesday. The European Parliament’s economic affairs committee is due to vote on cross-party compromises, seen by Reuters, on a draft law which implements remaining elements of Basel III, a global accord which forces banks to hold more capital to cope with market shocks unaided by taxpayers.
One amendment states that banks would have to apply a risk-weighting of 1,250% of capital to cryptoassets exposures, meaning enough to cover a complete loss in their value. This is in line with recommendations from the global Basel Committee of banking regulators in December. The amendments also introduce a definition of “shadow banking”, the vast sector of insurers, hedge funds and investment funds that make up about half the world’s financial system and typically less regulated than banks.

The amendment requires the EU’s executive European Commission to publish a report by June 2023 analysing the possibility of introducing prudential limits on banks’ exposures to shadow banks. Amendments also require renumeration policies at banks should be aligned with their transition plans to address environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks over the short, medium and long term.

The draft law introduces a new “fit and proper” regime for appointing bankers, with amendments saying there should be targets for a bank’s management body. They should be “sufficiently diverse as regards age, gender, and geographical and educational background” according to a report from Jonas Fernandez, the committee member leading the negotiations on the draft law in parliament.

The amendments generally go further than changes made by EU states, who reached a deal among themselves in December and which generally focused on temporary carve-outs on some of the requirements to give banks more time to adapt, in the teeth of European Central Bank opposition.

After Tuesday’s vote the lawmakers and EU states will thrash out a final deal which would come into effect in 2025.

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) , June 29,2023: National Conference (NC) Chief Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said that the Centre before bringing the Uniform Civil Code should consider that the country is diverse.
Farooq Abdullah also extended his greetings on the occasion of Eid al-Adha. He got emotional while explaining the significance of the day, which recognises Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice everything, including his son Ismail for Allah.
Meanwhile, the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir extended his wishes to the pilgrims embarking on the Amarnath Yatra, commencing on July 1.
“They (Central Government) should consider that the country is diverse. People of all religions, languages, and ideologies live here, and as for Muslims, they have their Shariat laws too. The Government should think about any possible storm that would come if they take a step in this direction (implement UCC)” he said.

New Delhi, July 5,2023: Supreme Court in its order on wednesday extended the interim bail of social activist, Teesta Setalvad till July 19, and issued notice to Gujarat Government, seeking its reply on the plea filed by her, after Gujarat High Court rejected her regular bail in a case of alleged fabrication of evidence in relation to the 2002 Gujarat riots.

A two-judge bench of the Apex Court, headed by Justice B R Gavai and also comprising Justice J B Pardiwala passed the order and extended the interim bail of Teesta Setalvad till July 19, and issued notice ro Gujarat govt for its reply.

Teesta had to move the Supreme Court, after the Gujarat High Court rejected her bail and directing

her to surrender immediately in the case.

Earlier the Supreme Court had stayed the Gujarat High Court order for a week and granted interim bail to Teesta.

The Supreme Court extended the interim bail of Teesta, after hearing her plea in which he sought regular bail in the case of alleged fabrication of evidence in relation to the 2002 Gujarat riots.

New Delhi, April 10,2023: The Supreme Court on Monday posted for hearing in July, a plea of the Meghalaya government challenging the High Court’s order which had put a stay on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Meghalaya and Assam to resolve the long-standing interstate boundary dispute between the States.
A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala said the plea was wrongly listed today by the Registry and will take it up for hearing in July.
The bench said, “We will keep this in July.”
The Meghalaya High Court on December 8, 2022, had put an interim stay on the execution of the Assam-Meghalaya border pact, which was entered into between the two states subsequent to the signing of the MoU on March 29, 2022.
The MoU was signed by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad Sangma to resolve the long-standing interstate boundary dispute, particularly in respect of six areas.

The Meghalaya government while approaching the top court against the High Court’s order has said that the issues concerning the alteration of boundaries or exchange of areas between two states are a purely political question within the “sole domain” of the Executive.
It stated, “The MoU signed by the two states is a sovereign act between the states to demarcate the boundaries in a fair and transparent manner which cannot be interfered with by way of a writ petition and much less by passing an interim order.”
The arrangement dictated Assam keeping 18.51 square kilometres of land, with Meghalaya keeping 18.28 square kilometres of land, for the 36.79 square kilometres of total land.
Meghalaya was carved out of Assam as a separate State in 1972, but the new State challenged the Assam Reorganisation Act, of 1971, leading to disputes in 12 border locations.
The interim order was passed by the High Court on a plea moved by some residents claiming that the MoU violates provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution which relates to ‘Administration of Tribal Areas’ in North East States.
Earlier, the apex court had stayed the High Court’s order which had put a stay on the MoU between the states.

New Delhi,Feb 02,2023:The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a public interest litigation seeking to quash a law allowing candidates to contest elections from more than one constituency, Live Law reported.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ashwini Upadhyay had challenged the constitutionality of Section 33(7) of the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951.
In his plea, Upadhyay pointed out that candidates need to vacate one of their seats if they end up winning both of them.

“…Apart from the consequent unavoidable financial burden on the public exchequer, government manpower and other resources for holding bye-election against the resultant vacancy, is also an injustice to the voters of the constituency which the candidate is quitting from.”

However, a bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud dismissed the plea, saying it was a legislative matter. “Candidates may contest from different seats due to variety of reasons,” the court added. “Whether this would further the course of democracy is up to Parliament.”

Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing Upadhyay, told the court that the Law Commission of India had also recommended to bar a person from contesting more than one seat at a time. The bench responded by saying that it was the prerogative of Parliament to take action and there was no need for judicial interference.
Several leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, have contested from two constituencies in the past in a bid to demonstrate their mass appeal.

At Thursday’s hearing, Chandrachud said that candidates can attempt to become pan-India leaders by contesting from more than one seat. “These are all political decisions and ultimately the electorate will decide,” he added.

Washington, May 12,2023: The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed border security legislation amid concerns about the thousands of migrants gathered at the United States’ border with Mexico who are waiting to enter the country after the end of the Title 42 immigration policy later in the evening.

House lawmakers passed the bill, dubbed the Secure the Border Act, in a vote of 219-213, with two Republicans joining all Democrats in opposition.

The legislation would resume construction of a US-Mexico border wall, expand crimes that disqualify individuals for asylum and create an electronic verification system for employers to determine the eligibility of applicants.

Mar 08,2023:The Canadian government on Tuesday (March 7) expunged the historic indecency and anti-abortion laws targeting women and members of the LGBTQ community. The repealed laws had targeted women and LGBTQ individuals’ access to abortion as well as to bathhouses, nightclubs, and swinger clubs, considered to be safe spaces for the queer communities. 

The country’s Women and Gender Equality and Youth Minister Marci Ien said that citizens deserved non-discriminatory policies that put their safety first, which is why the government “recognises that past laws and regulations were unjust and compromised the freedoms of 2SLGBTQI+ communities and women.”

“This is another crucial step in achieving the goals set out in the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan – by continuing to promote human rights and encourage the development of inclusive federal policies, programs, and laws,” Ien added. 

By repealing these laws, people with previous convictions can apply for an expungement order for free under the Expungement of Historically Unjust Convictions Act, which allows for the permanent destruction of historically unjust records of conviction, the news agency Reuters reported on Tuesday. 

There is no fee to apply for an expungement order. Applicants would be needed o provide evidence that the conviction meets certain criteria. “Given the historical nature of the offences, sworn statements/solemn declarations may be accepted as evidence if applicants have demonstrated that court and police records are not available,” the above statement read. 

In case the person is deceased, an appropriate representative, such as a family member or a trustee, can apply on their behalf.

Mar 18,2023:Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday invoked the constitutional “Lakshman Rekha” guiding different institutions, including the executive and the judiciary, and wondered that if judges become part of administrative appointments, who would carry out judicial work.

Rijiju was responding to a question on a Supreme Court bench directing the government to set up a panel comprising the prime minister, the chief justice of India and the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha to select the chief election commissioner (CEC) and election commissioners till a law is in place for the same.

“The appointment of election commissioners is prescribed in the Constitution. Parliament has to enact a law. Accordingly, the appointment has to be done. I agree that there is no enactment for that in Parliament, there is a vacuum,” the minister said at the India Today Conclave.

Rijiju said he is not criticising the apex court judgment or talking about its “repercussions” or what the government is going to do on the issue.

The minister felt that if judges got involved in administrative work, they would have to face criticism. He said the principle of justice will be compromised if a judge ends up hearing a matter of which he or she was a part.

“Suppose you are the chief justice or a judge. You are part of an administrative process that will come into question. The matter comes to your court. Can you deliver a judgment on a matter you were part of? The principle of justice itself will be compromised. That is why the Lakshman Rekha is very clear in the Constitution,” Rijiju said.

New Delhi,Jan05,2022:The Supreme Court has put on hold the demolition of more than 4,000 homes that were allegedly encroaching on land belonging to the railways in Haldwani town in Uttarakhand.
“There cannot be uprooting of 50,000 people overnight. There has to be segregation of people who have no right on the land and the need to rehabilitation while recognising the need of the railways,” the top court said in its order on Thursday.
On December 20, an order passed by the high court of the northern state declared 4,365 houses adjacent to the railway line in Haldwani’s Banbhulpura colony “illegal” and therefore to be demolished.

The Supreme Court has sought replies from the Indian Railways and the Uttarakhand government and will next hear the matter on February 7.
Braving the biting cold, hundreds of women had been holding a sit-in against the eviction drive for more than a week. They held candlelight vigils every evening, demanding a withdrawal of the lower court’s order.
The top court’s ruling comes as a relief to about 50,000 people in the Himalayan town, situated about 300km (186 miles) from New Delhi.

Gurugram (Haryana) July 14,2023:: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday raised concern at the two-day G-20 Conference here regarding terrorists using the dark net to hide their identity and spread radical material, and find solutions by understanding pattern of these activities.
The minister also warned of cyber-attack threat which he said is hovering over all the major economies of the world and “many countries of the world have become victims of it”.
To create a “robust and efficient operational system”, Shah said, “Terrorists are using the dark net to hide their identity and spread radical material, and we have to understand the pattern of these activities running on the dark net and find solutions for the same.”
The Home Minister also specified the need to think coherently to crack down on the use of various virtual assets.
Speaking at the G20 Conference on Crime and Security in the age of the Non-Fungible Token (NFT), Artificial Intelligence (Al) and Metaverse’, Shah further said “The Metaverse, once a science fiction idea, has now stepped into the real world.”
He said the metaverse may create new opportunities for terrorist organizations primarily for propaganda, recruitment, and training.
“This will make it easier for terrorist organizations to select and target vulnerable people and prepare material according to their vulnerabilities.”
“The metaverse also creates opportunities for true imitation of a user’s identity, known as “deep-fakes”. Using better biometric information about individuals, criminals will be able to impersonate users and steal their identities,” Shah further said.
The minister also pointed out that incidents ranging from ransomware attacks, the sale of critical personal data, online harassment, and child abuse to fake news and misinformation campaigns with ‘toolkits’ are being carried out by cybercriminals.
At the same time, Shah said, there is also a growing tendency to strategically target critical information and financial systems.
“Such activities are a matter of national concern, as their activities have a direct impact on national security, law and order, and the economy. If such crimes and criminals have to be stopped, then we have to think and also act by rising above the conventional geographic boundaries,” said Shah.
“The targets in digital warfare are not our physical resources, but our ability to act online. Disruption of the online network even for 10 minutes can be fatal.”
Noting that all the governments of the world are promoting digital means in governance and public welfare today, Shah said it is necessary in this direction that citizens have faith in digital platforms.
Insecurity in the digital space also raises questions about the “legitimacy and sovereignty” of the nation-state, Shah said while advising “Our internet vision should neither be one of excessive freedom threatening the very existence of our nations nor one of isolationist structures such as digital firewalls.”
Stating on cyber-attack threat hovering over all the major economies of the world, Shah cited World Bank estimate that “cyber-attacks could have caused losses of around $5.2 trillion to the world during the years 2019-2023.”
He also said the use of cryptocurrency by malicious threat actors further complicates its detection and prevention.
“The government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi has worked towards outlining a uniform cyber strategy, real-time reporting of cyber-crimes, capacity building of LEAs, designing analytical tools and setting up a national network of forensic laboratories, ensuring cyber hygiene, and spreading cyber awareness to every citizen. The Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS) has been implemented in all the police stations of the country,” Shah said.
He also said the Government of India has established the Indian Cyber-Crime Coordination Center (I4C) to ensure a comprehensive response against cybercrime.

United Nations, June 13,2023: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday expressed support for establishing an AI watchdog body akin to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

“It’s my intention to create a high-level advisory body on artificial intelligence to seriously prepare the different kinds of initiatives that we will be able to take.

I would be favorable to the idea that we could have an artificial intelligence, an agency, which I would say is inspired by what the International Agency of Atomic Energy is today,” the top UN official said at a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York.

Guterres stressed the need to address the significant harm caused by digital platforms filled with misinformation alongside the concerns over advancements in artificial intelligence, proposing an international code of conduct as a solution.

While acknowledging that the alarm bells over AI were “deafening,” the UN chief emphasized that they should not divert attention from the existing damage inflicted by digital technology.

“They must not distract us from the damage digital technology is already doing to our world,” he said.

Guterres highlighted the grave global harm caused by the proliferation of hate and lies in the digital space, noting that “the proliferation of hate and lies in the digital space is causing grave global harm now.”

He further underscored that “it is fueling conflict, death and destruction now.

It is threatening democracy and human rights now.”

Looking ahead, Guterres revealed that a United Nations Code of Conduct for information integrity on digital platforms was being developed in preparation for the UN’s upcoming “Summit of the Future” scheduled for next year.

The secretary-general put forth several proposals, including calling for a commitment by governments, tech companies and other stakeholders to refrain from using, supporting, or amplifying disinformation and hate speech for any purpose; the consistent application of policies and resources by digital platforms around the world, to eliminate double standards that allow hate speech and disinformation to flourish in some languages and countries; a commitment from digital platforms to make sure all products take account of safety, privacy and transparency.

“Advertisers — who are deeply implicated in monetizing and spreading damaging content — should take responsibility for the impact of their spending,” Guterres noted.

The UN chief further stressed that “disinformation and hate should not generate maximum exposure and massive profits.”

New Delhi, July 20,2023: Making a strong remark over the incident in Manipur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that it “brings shame to humanity” and what has happened to daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven and the “guilty will not be spared.”

Addressing the media, before the Monsoon Session of Parliament on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “The whole country is being insulted, and 140 crore countrymen are feeling ashamed. I assure the countrymen that no culprit will be spared. What has happened to these daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven.”

PM Modi also advised the Members of Parliament to make the best use of this session.

“All the political parties and all the MPs should make the best use of this session. This session holds much significance because the bills introduced in this session are directly connected to the public interest,” he said.

“Discussion plays a significant role, the sharper the discussion, the better the decisions, which will give far-reaching results in the public interest,” the PM said.

“The Data Protection Bill, introduced at a time when our youth is leading the digital world, gives a new sense of faith to people and raises the stature of India before the world,” he added.

The Prime Minister said, the bills being brought in this session are directly related to the public.

“Our young generation, which is leading in a way with the digital world, at that time the Data Protection Bill is going to give a new confidence to every citizen of the country and enhance India’s prestige in the world,” he added.

In this Parliament session, the Union government is likely to discuss a total of 31 bills, including those that were already introduced in the lower house.

The data protection bill is anticipated for discussion, which the Centre has been keen to address.

Ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, the government convened an all-party meeting Wednesday and sought cooperation from all political parties for the smooth functioning of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Briefing the media after the meeting, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said the government is ready to discuss all issues following the rules and regulations and with the permission of the Speaker.

He appealed to the opposition parties for their cooperation. The Monsoon session of Parliament will take place from today (Thursday) to August 11.

During the meeting, several opposition leaders raised their demand to discuss the Manipur violence in Parliament.

The meeting was attended by Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Piyush Goyal, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, Prof Ramgopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, AAP leader Sanjay Singh, M. Thambi Durai of the AIADMK, and Lalan Singh of JDU, among others.

On the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament beginning on Thursday, various bills are listed in today’s business of both houses.

In the Lok Sabha, the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023, and The National Dental Commission Bill, 2023, are listed for introduction, while The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2022, will be taken up for consideration and passing.

In the Rajya Sabha, the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023, is listed for introduction, while the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill, 2022, and The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2022, are listed for consideration and passing in today’s business.

New Delhi, Mar 01,2023: The Supreme Court in a significant order directed that the Highest Z+ Security Cover be provided to Reliance Industries Chairman and billionaire Indian businessman, Mukesh Ambani and his entire family, throughout India, and abroad.

The Supreme Court, in its order, said that the cost of security expenses for this exercise of providing Z+ security, shall be borne by the Ambanis.

A two-judge Bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Krishna Murari and also comprising Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah pronounced the order yesterday.

“When Mukesh Ambani and his family are within India, State of Maharashtra and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) are to ensure their security. When they are traveling abroad, the Ministry of Home Affairs would ensure the same,” the Supreme Court, said, in its order.

The Supreme Court passed the order, after hearing an appeal filed by the Central government against the petitioner Bikash Saha.

Inititially, Saha, had questioned in his petition filed before the Tripura High Court over the security being provided to the Ambanis family.

Acting on the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Saha, the Tripura High Court through its order of May 31 and June 21 had directed the MHA to produce the original file pertaining to threat perception and assessment report of Mukesh Ambani and family.

Later on the Central government had filed an appeal, after June 21, before the Supreme Court challenging this Tripura High Court’s order, which had entertained the PIL of Shah, against the security cover given to Reliance Industries Chairman, Mukesh Ambani and his family.

The Apex Court had also last year agreed to examine the issue and stayed the Tripura HC order.

Senior Advocate, and former Attorney General of India (AG) Mukul Rohatgi appearing for the Ambanis, submitted before the Supreme Court that his clients are at continuous risk of being targeted to financially destabilize the country and such risk exists in India and also when they are traveling abroad.

The Supreme Court also settled the disputes of security of Amabanis, as it observed that the issue of security cover provided to the Ambanis is the subject matter of litigation in different parts of the country, and the Bench hoped that after passing this order, the issue be given a logical conclusion.