1. Kulbhushan Jadhav: If Hanged, Will Be Treated as Premeditated Murder, India Tells Pak
In a strongly-worded response to Pakistan sentencing former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav to death, Foreign Secretary Jaishankar on Monday summoned the Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit and was given a demarche, terming the proceeding that led to his sentencing “farcical” in the absence of any credible evidence against him.
If this sentence against an Indian citizen, awarded without observing basic norms of law and justice, is carried out, the Government and people of India will regard it as a case of premeditated murder.Demarche
Basit was also told that the Indian High Commission in Pakistan was not even informed that Jadhav was being brought to trial. India was denied consular access to Jadhav 13 times by the Pakistan authorities, the demarche said.
Source: The Indian Express
2. Anantnag Bypoll Deferred, Will Be Held on 25 May
A day after violence in Srinagar killed eight civilians and injured several others, the Election Commission on Monday deferred the bypoll for the Anantnag seat to 25 May. Anantnag constituency, spread over four districts of Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian and Anantnag, was earlier scheduled to go to polls on 12 April.
Earlier, Mehbooba Mufti’s brother and PDP candidate from Anantnag, Tasaduq Mufti, appealed to the Election Commission to postpone the bypoll. “I appeal to the EC to postpone the elections to a later favourable date,” Mufti told reporters in Srinagar.
When asked if he would withdraw his candidature if the poll panel rejects his appeal, he said: “I will withdraw if that helps the cause.”
Source: The Indian Express
3. Delhi: Chikungunya, Dengue Arrive Big, Early This Year
The monsoon is months away but mosquitoes are already unleashing mayhem in the city. Officials said there has been a boom in the mosquito population that is reflected in very high number of chikungunya, dengue and malaria cases for this time of the year.
As of 8 April, hospitals in Delhi had reported 79 chikungunya, 24 dengue and 13 malaria cases this year — by far the highest recorded in the corresponding period since 2012.
Chikungunya cases are particularly high given that a total of four cases were recorded during the same period in the last five years put together.
Source: The Times of India
4. Triple Talaq Impedes Social Democracy, Makes Women Financially Insecure: Govt
In a fresh submission to the Supreme Court on Monday, the Centre sought scrapping of triple talaq and polygamy among Muslims, saying these practices were not protected by fundamental right to practice religion.
The Centre also said that these made women socially and financially insecure. The Union government lamented that reforms in Muslim personal law had not happened in the last 65 years and Muslim women, who constitute 8 percent of the population, "remain extremely vulnerable" because of fear of instant divorce.
The government termed the practices of triple talaq and polygamy as patriarchal notions that impeded women's role in society.
Source: The Times of India
5. RSS Converts 53 Families in Drive to Make Block in Jharkhand 'Christianity-Free'
At least 53 families in five tribal-dominated villages “returned to Hindu fold” in the last one month as part of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s “Christianity-free” block campaign in Jharkhand’s Arki, RSS workers have said.
These families live in villages that are part of the Sindri panchayat, which the RSS, the ideological parent of the BJP that is in power in the mineral-rich state, says has been “hijacked” by Christian missionaries over the last 10 years.
The alleged ghar wapsi, sources said, would continue throughout April.
“You cannot call it conversion. We are only bringing our lost brothers and sisters back to their religion,” said RSS Saiyojak Laxman Singh Munda, who is spearheading the campaign.
Source: Hindustan Times
6. India, Australia Sign Six Pacts but Trade Deal Elusive
Delhi and Canberra sought to provide a boost to trade and security ties in a meeting between PM Narendra Modi and his visiting Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull even as the much-awaited free trade agreement remained elusive.
The two countries signed six agreements, including one for expanding counterterrorism cooperation, but could not conclude negotiations for Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) which they have been negotiating.
"We had a very good discussion about the CECA, and I think it's fair to say that progress has not been as fast as either of us would like it to be," said Turnbull after the meeting.
Source: The Times of India
7. I-T Department Grills Minister
Officials of the Income Tax Department on Monday grilled Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar for over five hours regarding the documents purportedly seized during the searches conducted at his house and other premises belonging to him, his family members and associates on Friday last.
The Department also had a marathon probe session with actor and Samathuva Makkal Katchi founder Sarath Kumar, which lasted from 11:30 am to 8:30 pm.
We recorded the Minister’s statement over the seized documents. Investigations will continue.Income Tax Official
The Department had issued summons to Mr Vijaya Baskar, Sarath Kumar and Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University Vice-Chancellor Geethalakshmi, in whose houses it conducted searches on Friday last, to appear before it for questioning on Monday.
Source: The Hindu
8. Introducing Rubber-Based Shots to Tackle Stone-Pelters in Kashmir Valley: Centre Tells SC
The Centre on Monday informed Supreme Court that the government will introduce new rubber-based shots to deal with stone-pelters in Kashmir Valley. The government said that it has issued new Standard operating Procedures (SoP) to deal with stone pelters in the Valley, one of which involves using rubber-based shots before using pellet guns.
The submission by the Central government comes almost two weeks after the apex court asked the government to consider using alternative measures other than pellet guns to deal with protesters in the state as maximum efforts needed to be made to ensure no one gets harmed.
Source: The Indian Express
9. Kerala: Police Arrest Man Suspected of Murdering Four Family Members
The Kerala police on Monday arrested a man who is suspected to have murdered four of his family members including his parents and sister in a posh colony in Thiruvananthapuram.
Cadell Jeanson Raja (30), who was working as an animator for an Australian firm, was arrested from Thiruvananthapuram railway station while he was discreetly boarding a train to Chennai, a senior police officer said. The police have taken him to an undisclosed location for questioning.
Half-burnt and badly mutilated bodies were recovered on Sunday morning after some of the local residents complained of smoke billowing from the house situated just 500 m away from the official residence of the Kerala chief minister.
Source: Hindustan Times
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