1. Govt Names Ex-IB Chief Interlocutor for Kashmir
A former head of the country’s domestic spy agency will lead talks to end the nearly three-decade-long, bloody insurgency in Kashmir, the government announced on Monday, 23 October.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh said Dineshwar Sharma, 63, who retired as the Intelligence Bureau director in December, will speak to “all stakeholders”, as well as decide on whether to talk to the hardline separatist group, the Hurriyat Conference.
“For a substantive dialogue, I will need to talk to everybody,’’ Sharma told Hindustan Times. “Peace must be restored in Kashmir and for that I will talk to all people in an effort to bring about a solution.”
The talks offer stems from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s last Independence Day outreach to troubled Kashmir. Modi had said the region’s problems could be solved by embracing its people rather than resorting to abuse or bullets.
Source: Hindustan Times
2. Her Shield & Gag Bill Tabled in House, Raje Calls for a Rethink
Ignoring protests and pushing highly controversial legislation that seeks to muzzle the press and shield judges and government servants from investigation into any wrongdoing, the Vasundhara Raje government on Monday, 23 October, tabled The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, 2017 in the state assembly.
Under fire, the Chief Minister called senior ministers to her residence in the evening. Sources said she asked them to have a “rethink” on the Bill. Ministers Gulab Chand Kataria, Rajendra Rathore, Arun Chaturvedi, Yunus Khan and state BJP president Ashok Parnami were present at the meeting, sources said.
The Bill was introduced in the House to replace The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, promulgated on 6 September by Governor Kalyan Singh. It prohibits investigation without prior sanction against “a Judge or a Magistrate or a public servant” for any “act done by them while acting or purporting to act in the discharge of their official duties”.
Source: Indian Express
3. Supreme Court Hints at Modifying Its Order Making Anthem a Must in Theatres
Almost eleven months after the Supreme Court made it mandatory for cinema halls to play the National Anthem before screening of films, the court on Monday, 23 October, strongly hinted at modifying its order, saying it is for the Centre to take a call on framing appropriate rules and regulations.
A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud turned down the Centre's plea not to tinker with its earlier order and instead asked it to take a call on playing of the national anthem in cinema halls and at other events. It said the issue falls in the executive domain and the government should not ask the court to pronounce on functions that are in the Centre's jurisdiction.
“Why do we have to wear patriotism on our sleeves?... Tomorrow someone may say people should not come in shorts and t-shirts in cinema halls as the national anthem is played there. Where then do we draw the line? Where will this moral policing stop?” Justice Chandrachud said.
Source: Times of India
4. Gabbar Singh Tax vs Drameybaaz Party No 1: Jibes Fly as Cong, BJP Take Each Other on in Gujarat
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi attacked the BJP on Monday, 23 October, over the state of the economy and political bribery allegations as he tried to reach out to opposition leaders in poll-bound Gujarat.
At a rally in Gandhinagar, Gandhi repeatedly commended Patel quota protest leader Hardik Patel and Dalit leader Jignesh Mewani, two prominent anti-BJP figures whose support is crucial for the Congress to snatch power in the prime minister’s home state. There was also heightened speculation about whether Gandhi will meet Patel, whose community can influence the results in at least 60 out of the state’s 182 seats, but Hardik’s aides denied any meeting on Monday amid confusion.
The 47-year-old Gandhi, whose campaign received a boost with Other Backward Classes (OBC) leader Alpesh Thakor formally joining the Congress on Monday, also touched upon allegations levelled by a Patel leader that the BJP offered him Rs 1 crore to join the party.
Source: Hindustan Times
5. Mersal Effect? Actor Vishal Gets I-T Knock After He Slams BJP
A team of Income Tax officials conducted a search at a film production company in Chennai owned by Tamil actor Vishal on Monday, 23 October, a day after he hit out at state BJP leader H Raja for allegedly watching a pirated version of the movie Mersal. Raja and other Tamil Nadu BJP leaders had slammed Mersal, starring Tamil superstar Vijay, for what they described as “false criticism” of central government initiatives such as GST and Digital India.
According to a senior I-T official, the search was conducted by four officials to probe charges that the production house, Vishal Film Factory, had deducted tax at source of payment worth Rs 51 lakh made to various clients but allegedly failed to deposit the amount with the government.
Source: Indian Express
6. Unitech's Sanjay Chandra Denied Bail, Told to Deposit Rs 1,000 Crore
The Supreme Court on Monday, 23 October, denied bail to Sanjay Chandra of Unitech and held that he would have to prove his bona fides by depositing at least Rs 1,000 crore, which could be used to refund home buyers.
A total of 4,688 home buyers are claiming a refund of Rs 1,865 crore from Unitech in various projects undertaken by the real estate company.
Amicus curiae Pawan Shree Agrawal told the court the figures were based on entries submitted by home buyers on the website created to maintain accounts of Unitech’s different projects, home buyers and the extent of refunds granted to each of them. Not all buyers had submitted responses to the option they would prefer — refund or possession — as they might not be aware, Agrawal added.
Source: Livemint
7. Who Is Ramdev’s Guru? Where Is Dairongo? Sample Questions From Haryana Govt Exams
Where is the dera of Kali Kamali Baba located in Haryana? Who is the guru of Baba Ramdev? On which part of the body is the ornament ‘Chalkada’ worn?
These are some of the questions in the general knowledge category that candidates appearing in competitive exams for government recruitment have been asked to answer in Haryana over the last two years. Candidates and social activists are now questioning “the logic behind such questions” for recruitment to the posts of police constable, clerk, food sub-inspector, patwari (revenue official), statistical assistant and even pump operators.
Senior officials of the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC), which conducts these exams, did not respond to requests for comment from The Indian Express. But Raman Malik, spokesperson for the ruling BJP, said that the “questions are related to the social fabric of the state that should be known by the aspirants”.
Source: Indian Express
8. Bilkis Case Convicts Get Jobs Back, SC Asks Gujarat to Explain
The Supreme Court expressed surprise over the re-employment of policemen and doctors convicted by the Bombay high court of suppressing and tampering with evidence in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case, and sought answers from the Gujarat government.
During the 2002 post-Godhra communal riots, Bilkis was gangraped and several of her family members were murdered. Local police had filed a closure report in the case. The SC had quashed the closure report and ordered the CBI to probe the case afresh. The CBI charged 18 people, including five policemen and two doctors. The trial court convicted 11 and awarded them life imprisonment, while acquitting the policemen and doctors. On the CBI's appeal, the HC convicted the other seven.
Source: Times of India
9. India-Australia T20: Apple Request for 20 Passes Sets off War in Cricket Board
A request from tech giant Apple for 20 hospitality passes to attend an India-Australia T20 match this month has resulted in BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary launching a scathing attack on the board’s stand-in president CK Khanna.
Citing Khanna’s refusal to sanction some of these passes from the president’s quota for the match in Hyderabad on 13 October, Choudhary sent an email to the BCCI chief accusing him of neglecting important board issues because his “favourite subject has consistently been passes for international matches and even IPL games”. The T20 match eventually could not be held due to rain.
Source: Indian Express
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