1. Delhi: Fresh Row Over Who Controls Services Department; Kejriwal, Sisodia to Meet L-G Today
A judgment which was expected to bring about a resolution to the festering dispute between the Delhi government and the Lieutenant Governor appears to have created a deeper chasm, with the two sides sticking to their widely varying readings of the Supreme Court ruling — including on who controls services.
As the principal secretary (services) refused to issue an order empowering ministers to decide on transfer and postings of bureaucrats for the second straight day, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said her action may invite “serious consequences”, including “contempt of court”.
(Source: The Indian Express)
2. UK Court Allows Search of Mallya’s Properties for Recovery of Dues
Nearly two months after 13 Indian banks won a landmark debt recovery case against controversial businessman Vijay Mallya, the business and property bench of the UK high court has permitted the search and taking control of goods in his house near London.
The order was issued by Justice Bryan on 26 June. A spokesperson for TLT Solicitors, the law firm that acted on behalf of the Indian banks, however, said on Thursday: “It is an order though not an ‘enforcement order’. The order does not trigger any enforcement. The order grants permission, should any action need to be taken, but it is not an instruction to act. It is too soon to speculate as to what enforcement action will be taken”.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
3. Citing Narada, Chanakya, Ambedkar, Law Panel Wants Betting Under Law
BR Ambedkar have been brought together, along with a host of Vedic priests and sages, in the Law Commission’s potentially landscape-changing recommendation to legalise betting in India.
The report, titled ‘Legal Framework: Gambling and Sports Betting including Cricket in India’, leaves the final call to Parliament and the state legislatures, and recommends various ways to regulate the betting market. The commission concludes that such a move will generate immense revenue which can be used for “social welfare”, to curb underworld influence, and restrict black money and money laundering.
The commission suggests linking Aadhaar/PAN card to betting for both operators and participants, cash-less digital transactions to help monitor cash flow, limitations on the amount an individual can bet, and makes a distinction between “proper betting” for higher stakes and “small gambling” for people with low income.
(Source: The Indian Express)
4. ‘Juvenile’ to Be Tried as Adult in Kathua Case
The eighth accused in the Kathua rape and murder case lost on Thursday his bid to be tried as a “juvenile” after the trial court in Pathankot ordered that he should be tried as an adult, reports Ajay Sura.
The district and sessions court passed the order on the basis of a medical board’s conclusion after the accused’s ossification test.
The board had concluded that the accused’s age could be 20-21 years. The court also ruled that he would join the Pathankot trial on Friday along with seven other accused
(Source: The Times of India)
5. Jammu and Kashmir: Cop Abducted by Militants
A constable of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Javaid Ahmad Dar, was abducted by suspected militants on Thursday evening.
Dar, a resident of Kachdoora village in South Kashmir’s Shopian district, is reported to have been abducted from outside his house. While security forces have launched an operation to trace him, Shopian SSP could not be contacted.
The incident occurred on a day when Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the security situation in the state at a high-level meeting attended by Governor N N Vohra, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and top civil and police officials in Srinagar.
(Source: The Indian Express)
6. JNU Rusticates Umar Khalid, Fines Kanhaiya
Nearly two and a half years after JNU got caught in a political maelstrom over alleged “anti-national” slogans raised on campus, the JNU administration has upheld its 2016 decision to rusticate Umar Khalid and fine then student union president Kanhaiya Kumar Rs 10,000.
On 9 February, 2016, an event reportedly honouring Afzal Guru was organised in JNU for which three students — Khalid, Kanhaiya and Anirban Bhattacharya — were arrested. The students had moved HC and got conditional relief. But after this report, Khalid, who was to submit his MPhil thesis this month, may not be allowed to do so
(Source: The Times of India)
7. HDK Waives Farm Loans, Raises Fuel Tax
Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, presenting the budget on Thursday, went ahead with his election promise and announced immediate waiver of farm loans up to Rs 2 lakh, at the cost of Rs 34,000 crore to the state exchequer. The sop will come at a cost. Taxes on petrol, diesel and electricity have been raised, which may have a cascading effect on prices.
Excise on alcohol too has been raised, on top of the increase announced by former CM Siddaramaiah in February.
(Source: The Times of India)
8. RIL AGM: Mukesh Ambani Targets Internet And Cable TV Service Providers With JioGigaFiber
Mukesh Ambani, India's richest man, has extended his cheap data war to everyone from internet services providers to cable TV operators as he unveiled a plan to roll out fibre-to-home broadband network across India.
“We will now use fiber connectivity to offer fixed line broadband,” Ambani announced at the annual general meeting of his flagship Reliance Industries Ltd Called JioGigaFiber, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd will provide the service to homes and businesses across 1,100 cities, he said.
That could unleash the next phase of disruption after Reliance Jio triggered a tariff war driving consolidation in the world's second biggest telecom market.
(Source: BloombergQuint)
9. ISRO Takes First Step Towards Manned Mission
More than 56 years after the erstwhile USSR and the US put their men in space, India on Thursday took baby steps to its manned mission, testing an unmanned crew escape system, reports Surendra Singh.
The ‘pad abort’ experiment involved firing the 12.6-tonne crew capsule using seven solid propellant motors at 7 am, after a five-hour countdown from Sriharikota. On reaching an altitude of 2.7 km, the capsule arced towards the Bay of Bengal, deployed two parachutes and landed on the sea, 2.9 km from the launchpad.
In 2003, China became the third country to send an astronaut to space using its own rocket.
(Source: The Times of India)
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