1. Akhilesh Promises Smartphones, But Only if SP is Back in Power
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, on Monday, announced a scheme to provide the poor with free smartphones.
However, speaking at the inauguration of Ala Hazrat Haj House at Mohan Nagar, he added that smartphones will be delivered only when the Samajwadi Party (SP) government comes back to power after the Vidhan Sabha elections in 2017.
Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India scheme, Yadav said it was the SP government that had distributed a maximum number of free laptops.
An official statement said that the registration process has been made online to prevent corruption.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
2. Cannot File Sedition Charges to Crush Dissent: SC
The Supreme Court on Monday asked all authorities to stick to the guidelines laid down by a Constitution bench 54 years ago while invoking the sedition law.
The five-judge bench had ruled in 1962 that sedition charges could be filed only if “violence and public disorder” had been incited.
The directive on Monday, came against a backdrop of complaints that sedition cases were being filed indiscriminately to crush dissent and diverse opinions.
Read more on The Quint.
(Source: The Telegraph)
3. NIA Investigates Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s Son in Hizbul Funds Probe
Last week, when the NIA summoned Naeem Geelani, elder son of separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, for questioning, it had nothing to do with its probe into the suspected funding of the ongoing protests in Kashmir.
Naeem Geelani was, in fact, summoned in a case where his father is facing a far more serious charge — allegedly accepting “terror funds” linked to Hizbul Mujahideen from Pakistan. Sources said Naeem Geelani was summoned in connection with a 2011 case of terror funding, for which four alleged Hizbul Mujahideen operatives are in jail and two more accused are absconding.
NIA has accused Syed Ali Shah Geelani of having received “terror-linked funds” from Pakistan in its chargesheet.
In its preliminary probe, the NIA has not found any link to the bank accounts under scanner.
Read more on The Quint.
(Source: The Indian Express)
4. Vijayan Compared to Modi After Extravagant Ad
Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday found himself fending off the charge that he was doing a Narendra Modi, having promoted himself as the face of the Kerala regime with an ad blitzkrieg in the Delhi papers twice in 100 days.
In the capital to attend Saturday’s Onam celebrations hosted by the President, the Kerala chief minister was asked the question point-blank.
At first he said: “I don’t know anything about it.” Then, he added: “Go back to my days as minister and see if there has been a change in my behaviour since then.”
(Source: The Telegraph)
5. AAP Sidelines Devinder Sehrawat After He Sided With Ousted Leaders
In March last year, 65 AAP MLAs signed a two-page letter seeking the removal of party colleagues Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan for alleged anti-party activities. Two MLAS, however, refused to sign the document. One was Pankaj Pushkar, who came out as a party rebel in the following months and has openly sided with the Swaraj Abhiyan — a body founded by Yadav and Bhushan. The second MLA was Devinder Sehrawat, a former colonel in the Army.
Ever since he called for a press conference to announce his disapproval over the way Yadav and Bhushan were expelled, Sehrawat has been on a collision course with the party leadership and left out of most party meetings and responsibilities.
The question remains as to why Sehrawat has not resigned from the party in protest of the ‘wrongdoings’ or why the party has not taken disciplinary action against them.
(Source: The Indian Express)
6. SC to Hear Plea for Independent Judicial Appointments Commission With Role to Public
The Supreme Court on Monday said it is likely to hear a petition seeking the formation a “public, transparent body”, neither controlled by the government nor the judiciary, for the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court and high courts of the country, on 12 September.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India TS Thakur agreed to hear the National Lawyers Campaign for Judicial Transparency and Reforms, represented by advocates Mathew J Nedumpara and AC Philip, after they made an urgent mentioning highlighting the “nepotism and favouritism” prevalent in the Collegium system of appointing judges.
(Source: The Hindu)
7. India Will Be Late by 50 Years in Achieving Education Goals: UNESCO
Going by the current trend, India will be half a century late in achieving its global education commitments and the country needs fundamental changes in the education system if it wants to meet the 2030 sustainable development goals, a UNESCO report has said.
UNESCO’s new Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report says that based on current trends universal primary education in Southern Asia will be achieved in 2051, lower secondary in 2062, and upper secondary in 2087.
India is expected to achieve universal primary education in 2050, universal lower secondary education in 2060 and universal upper secondary education in 2085, it said.
(Source: The Indian Express)
8. Congress Goes Mum to Protest Insult Against Nehru, Mahatma and Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Congress members on Monday observed a “maun vrat“ (silence) at Rajghat to protest against AAP leader Ashutosh’s remarks on Mahatma Gandhi and former PMs Jawaharlal Nehru and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
It is the same AAP which took birth at the feet of Mahatma Gandhi at his samadhi at Rajghat, and now its senior functionary Ashutosh is insulting him with disparaging remarks in his blog.Ajay Maken, President, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee
Maken said the blog also cast aspersions on former Prime Ministers Nehru and Vajpayee and this “silent protest” is to pray for “wisdom” for AAP members, including chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Ashutosh.
Read more on The Quint.
(Source: Times of India)
9. Scorpene Data Breach Echoes on G20 Sidelines
The breach of sensitive data regarding the French Scorpene submarines being built in India has echoed in Hangzhou, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking up the issue during the “pull aside” with French President Francois Hollande on the sidelines of the G20 summit on Monday.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup, during his briefing on Monday afternoon confirmed that the Scorpene issue was raised during the Prime Minister’s brief meeting with the French President.
However, he was non-committal when asked separately by The Hindu on whether the sensitive information seepage, reported by an Australian newspaper, also came up during Sunday’s talks between Prime Minister Modi and his Australian counterpart, Malcolm Turnbull.
(Source: The Hindu)
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