1. If Needed, Will Go to Jammu and Kashmir High Court: CJI Ranjan Gogoi on Allegations of Access Denial
Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Monday said that he will go to Jammu and Kashmir High Court and speak to the chief justice after allegations that people aren’t being able to access the court.
“Access to the high court is seriously affected, we seek reply from the chief justice of the high court in the matter. If required, I will go to the high court and speak to the chief justice. If people can’t approach the HC we have to do something,” CJI Ranjan Gogoi said. Solicitor General KK Venugopal, who was representing the government at the hearing, said all courts are functioning in Jammu and Kashmir, including lok adalats.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
2. Trump to Attend Howdy, Modi!, PM Says Sign of Special Friendship
US President Donald Trump will join Prime Minister Narendra Modi at “Howdy, Modi!”, the Indian community event in Houston on 22 September.
Confirming Trump’s participation, White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, in a statement, said: “It will be a great opportunity to emphasise the strong ties between the people of the US and India, to reaffirm the strategic partnership between the world’s oldest and largest democracies, and to discuss ways to deepen their energy and trade relationship.”
(Source: The Indian Express)
3. After Plea Seeks Presence of Farooq Abdullah, Govt Slaps PSA, Prolongs His Detention
The J&K administration has slapped the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) on detained former Chief Minister and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, describing him as a “threat to public order” as the lockdown in the Valley entered its 40th day. Under this law, Abdullah may remain under detention up to a year, if not more, at his Srinagar home which has now been designated a subsidiary jail.
Sources said Abdullah’s detention — he has been under house arrest since the 5 August announcement ending J&K’s special status — was brought under the PSA Sunday and was ratified within hours by the advisory board which had weeks to confirm the government order.
(Source: The Indian Express)
4. Tw Ayodhya Parties Request Resumption of Mediation in Case
The three-member Ayodhya mediation panel on Monday approached the Supreme Court with a request from 2 of the 16 parties to the land title dispute who wanted the mediation effort to continue even as the constitution bench of the top court holds daily hearings into the title suit.
The panel led by retired Supreme Court judge FMI Kalifulla told the top court last month that there had been no consensus on the dispute. A bench of five Supreme Court judges led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi had resumed the hearings soon after.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
5. Pulwama to 5 August: Jammu and Kashmir HC Indicted Govt for PSA Arrests — in 80% Cases
There is no official count but since 5 August, as many as 4,000 people are said to have been detained in Jammu and Kashmir, almost 300 under the draconian Public Safety Act. Yet, because of the continuing lockdown, there have been barely a dozen habeas corpus petitions — pleas challenging the detention and asking the government to produce the detainee in court.
In sharp contrast, since the Pulwama attack on 14 February and until 4 August, records accessed by The Indian Express show that as many as 150 habeas corpus petitions were filed in the Srinagar bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Of these, verdicts came in 39 cases, in almost 80 per cent, the court quashed the detention and ordered the release of the detainee.
(Source: The Indian Express)
6. Paytm Founder Had Accused Her of Nearly Bringing Down Firm, She Is Back as V-P
Early this month, the parent company of Paytm welcomed back Sonia Dhawan, a former employee of the digital payment firm, who “played an instrumental role in building the brands since inception”. But barely a year ago, Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma had told police that she had allegedly stolen data that could have “destroyed” the company.
This is just one of the key details in the chargesheet filed against Dhawan, who was in custody for four months in the Rs 10-crore extortion case that took the corporate world by surprise last year.
(Source: The Indian Express)
7. Won’t Compromise on Kannada, Says Yediyurappa After Row on Hindi Push
As the row over prominence to Hindi set off by Home Minister Amit Shah’s comments on Hindi Diwas show no signs of abating, BJP leader and Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa asserted that his government would never compromise with the importance of Kannada.
Yediyurappa’s tweet came after opposition leaders kept up their attacks on the BJP-led national coalition over Amit Shah’s description of Hindi as a language that holds the potential to unify the country. Leaders from some non-Hindi speaking states had interpreted Amit Shah’s statement to be a precursor to the Centre imposing Hindi on them.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
8. Not a Single Uttar Pradesh Farmer Has Got PM-Kisan 3rd Tranche, Finance Ministry Concerned
Uttar Pradesh, which accounts for one out of every four farmers in the country, has not yet paid the third instalment under PM-KISAN (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi) to a single farmer, according to the last update Monday night on the scheme’s official website.
The third instalment is due between 1 August and 30 November, and a total of 94.88 lakh farmers across the country have been paid Rs 2,000 each so far. Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Telangana are the top three states, having disbursed the third instalment to almost 16.35 lakh, 13.99 lakh and 11.03 lakh farmers, respectively.
(Source: The Indian Express)
9. Aramco Assures India Even as Oil Prices Surge on Saudi Attacks
India, the world’s third largest oil consumer, said it is keeping a close watch on the rapidly developing situation with drone strikes on the world’s biggest oil producer, Saudi Arabian Oil Co, or Saudi Aramco, as the Kingdom races to restore oil production after drone strikes disrupted around 5% of global supplies.
The Saudi company on Sunday also assured India there would be no impact on crude supply to the refineries.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
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