1. Nitish Resigns, Signs Up With BJP
Breaking the grand alliance between his Janata Dal (United), Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress, which had stopped the Narendra Modi electoral juggernaut in Bihar in 2015, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar quit this evening. And by midnight had secured the BJP’s support to form the next government in the state.
Just over four years ago, Nitish had split from the NDA and today he returned, claiming the “call of his conscience” over a CBI FIR against his Cabinet colleague and ally Lalu’s son Tejashwi Yadav.
Elected as NDA leader at a hurriedly called meeting, Nitish will be sworn in on Thursday evening with BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi most likely to become his new deputy.
Source: The Indian Express
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2. Amit Shah, Smriti Irani to Fight Rajya Sabha Polls From Gujarat
The BJP Parliamentary Board on Wednesday nominated party president Amit Shah and Union Minister Smriti Irani as party candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat. The party nominated Sampatiya Uikey, a tribal leader from Mandla district, as a candidate in Madhya Pradesh, where a by-election had been necessitated following the death of Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave.
The Board’s secretary, Health Minister JP Nadda, made the announcement at the party headquarters here amid an unfolding political crisis in Bihar.
BJP sources said that while the party had not announced an official candidate for the third Rajya Sabha seat in Gujarat, for which the Congress has enough numbers and nominated its senior leader Ahmed Patel, it could support an Independent candidate.
Source: The Hindu
3. Privacy a Fundamental Right, but It Is Conditional: Centre to Supreme Court
Privacy is a fundamental right but it is conditional, the central government said in the Supreme Court on Wednesday and retreated from its previous position that the privilege isn’t guaranteed by the Constitution.
Attorney general KK Venugopal stated the government’s revised stand before a nine-judge bench led by Chief justice JS Khehar that will decide if the Constitution guarantees privacy to citizens.
“It is conditional right and should be determined on a case-to-case basis,” Venugopal said.
He argued that India’s “constitution-makers deliberately omitted privacy as a fundamental right”, but it is similar to the right to liberty that Article 21 of the statute guarantees. Therefore, every aspect of it cannot be elevated as a fundamental right.
Source: Hindustan Times
4. Macchil Killings: Tribunal Suspends Life Sentence of 5 Army Personnel
The Armed Forces Tribunal has suspended the life sentence of five army personnel including a Colonel and a Captain who were convicted by a General Court Martial in 2014 for staging the killing of three Kashmiri civilians at Macchil in 2010 and branding them as foreign militants for brass medals and cash rewards.
The three civilians – Shazad Khan (27), Shafi Lone (19) and Riyaz Lone (20) of Nadihal village in Rafiabad – had been lured to an army camp at Kalaroos in Kupwara where they were subsequently killed in a staged encounter during the intervening night of 29 and 30 April 2010 at Sona Pindi in Macchil sector on the Line of Control.
The army had dubbed them as foreign militants who were killed in an encounter while trying to infiltrate the Line of Control.
Source: The Indian Express
5. Don't Ask Indecent Questions: Delhi HC Tells Kejriwal in Jaitley Defamation Case
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday warned Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal against asking “indecent” questions to Union minister Arun Jaitley during cross-examination in a defamation suit against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader.
Justice Manmohan said expressions used by Kejriwal’s former counsel Ram Jethmalani during the cross-examination, such as “crook”, were “indecent, scandalous and abusive” which lowered the decorum of the court room.
“You are using words such as crook. Does it fall in free speech? Are you aware that this is an unparliamentary word,” the judge said.
Source: Hindustan Times
6. Stone-Throwing Incidents Curbed in Valley: CRPF Chief
The number of stone-throwing incidents in the Kashmir Valley have come down to half this year because of the “effective” action taken by security forces and investigation agencies against separatists and others, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) chief RR Bhatnagar said on Wednesday.
He said 1,590 incidents were registered last year. This year, the latest figures are 424, which is “half of what was last year”.
It is a mix of what the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is doing, it is a mix of State police and security forces doing the kind of control and hence the efforts of the law breakers, stone throwers and violent mobs is effectively blocked and hence stone throwing has gone down .RR Bhatnagar, CRPF Chief
Source: The Hindu
7. BCCI Defiant on Lodha Committee Reforms
The Special General Meeting (SGM) of the BCCI on Wednesday stuck to its defiant stand on the Lodha Committee reforms.
The Supreme Court had directed the Board to implement the Lodha reforms even as it gave indications to the cricket body that it was open to have a re-look at some of the issues.
The General Body has identified the areas where there are practical difficulties. The Court had directed the BCCI to list the areas of difficulty. The Court had used the word impracticality.Amitabh Choudhary, Acting- Secretary, BCCI
Source: The Hindu
8. India Invites New Mongolian President, a Known China Critic
India has invited Mongolia’s new President Khaltmaa Battulga, days after he won the election, a development which assumes significance amid the India-China standoff since he is a vocal China critic and has been arguing against Mongolia’s economic dependence on China.
Mongolia’s security and cultural relations with India are witnessing a steady growth, as became evident when the resource-rich landlocked country reached out to India after China imposed an economic blockade on it after it hosted Dalai Lama last year.
The Mongolian government at the time, however, buckled under pressure from China and promised not to allow any future visits of the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people.
Source: The Times of India
9. Gold Bond Investment Limit Increased From 500 Gram to 4kg Annually
The government approved raising the sovereign gold bond limit to 4kg a year to encourage Indian families to put tonnes of the precious metal stashed at homes into the financial system.
The previous limit for individuals and undivided Hindu families was 500 grams. For trusts and similar entities, the investment limit is 20kg.
The government’s gold monetisation scheme allows people and organisations to deposit gold with banks in return for interest payments. It is aimed at mobilising unproductive gold owned by Indian households, temples and trusts into cash.
Source: Hindustan Times
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