1. SC Rejects Govt’s Stand on Rohingyas, says Judiciary Can Review Executive Decision to Deport Refugees
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it has the authority to review the move to deport Rohingya Muslim refugees, rejecting the NDA government’s stand that the judiciary must not interfere with an executive decision.
“To say this petition is not maintainable, I believe, is not correct,” said an apex court bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra. “I, for one, believe from my past experience of 40 years that when a petition like this comes to us, the court should be slow to abdicate its jurisdiction.”
The judge was responding to additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta’s argument that the Centre’s submission with regard to the case was justified.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
2. Three Jaish Men Killed in Attack on BSF Camp Near Srinagar Airport
Three heavily armed terrorists were killed in a fierce gunfight early Tuesday after they stormed a BSF camp near the airport on the outskirts of Srinagar. A BSF officer was killed trying to repulse the attack while three other jawans were injured, said a CRPF officer.
The three Jaish-e-Muhammed fidayeen sneaked into the BSF camp in Humhama from the back at dawn, and positioned themselves inside the barracks. The terrorists were in combat fatigues, one of them even firing in the same direction as the jawans to trick the forces, the officer added.
(Source: Times of India)
3. Honeypreet Insan Arrested by Haryana Police from Punjab, Being Questioned
Priyanka Taneja alias Honeypreet, the adopted daughter of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, was arrested by a Haryana Police team that intercepted the vehicle she was travelling in on the Zirakpur-Patiala road Tuesday afternoon.
Panchkula police commissioner A S Chawla said, “The SIT received a specific input that Honeypreet was travelling on that road. Since she was rounded up from an area that falls under the jurisdiction of Punjab Police, we informed them before taking her in custody.”
(Source: The Indian Express)
4. Significant Push for Mallya’s Extradition
The fresh arrest warrant against businessman Vijay Mallya on money laundering charge is a sign that India’s push for his extradition from the United Kingdom has gained more weight, according to investigating agencies.
Mallya was arrested in London for the second time on Tuesday on the basis of a charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act before a Mumbai court on 14 June, against him and eight other accused. The directorate has already shared the relevant documents with the U.K. authorities for inclusion in the extradition proceedings.
The ED, in a statement, said Mallya had been arrested in pursuance of the fresh extradition request sent by the directorate for facing trial in the case.
(Source: The Hindu)
5. India in Pro-Death Club
India voted with the US, Saudi Arabia and China to counter a resolution condemning death penalty for consensual same-sex relations, adultery, blasphemy and apostasy but could not block it from clearing the 47-member United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
The resolution, put to vote on Friday, cleared the council with 27 countries voting for it, seven abstaining and 13 saying "No".
The other naysayers were Bangladesh, Botswana, Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Japan, Qatar and the UAE. The US, which has always taken pride in being the leader of the free world, went with this bloc, possibly reflecting the post-Trump domestic mood.
The resolution essentially urges countries that have not banned the death penalty to "ensure that it is not applied on the basis of discriminatory laws or as a result of discriminatory or arbitrary application of the law".
(Source: The Telegraph)
6. Marriage Veto Query
The Supreme Court on Tuesday wondered whether a high court could exercise its special powers to annul the marriage of a Hindu woman who had converted to Islam to marry a Muslim man.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra also questioned how the parents of the 24-year-old woman could control her movements when she was an adult.
The posers came in the alleged "love jihad" case in Kerala, a month and a half after the then CJI, JS Khehar, had ordered a probe by the National Investigation Agency amid claims that the woman had been radicalised and brainwashed into converting.
Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud – the other judges on the bench who were part of the earlier bench headed by Justice Khehar – did not comment.
(Source: The Telegraph)
7. BHU to Relax Curfew Timings for Girls
After a sustained movement, there could soon be good news for girls in the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) as the varsity is likely to relax their hostel curfew timings.
The varsity resumed classes on Tuesday after a vacation break, which was advanced by three days due to the turmoil on the campus after protests over alleged molestation of a woman student turned violent.
Senior administrative sources in the BHU told The Hindu that a proposal was in motion to extend the hostel outdoor timings from 8 pm to 9.30 pm. for girls’ hostels. Inmates of girls’ hostels have been demanding equal curfew timings, arguing that the 10 pm deadline for boys was discriminatory and arbitrary.
(Source: The Hindu)
8. Jamia Hasn't Had an Election in 11 Years, Students Want Franchise Back
It has been 11 years since the last students' union election in Jamia Millia Islamia, leaving students chafed that their “democratic rights have been curbed”.
To counter the university administration's opposition to political activities on the campus, a number of student organisations have formed the Joint Action Committee (JAC) to work in tandem with the authorities and possibly effect a change of thought.
Meeran Haider informed TOI on Tuesday that JAC was formed to pursue a united agenda and comprises Jamia Students' Forum, the Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India, Aam Aadmi Party's student wing, Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti, All India Students' Association, Muslim Student's Forum and other independent organisations.
The Jamia students' union was disbanded in 2006 after a scuffle between the union president and the university proctor over the former having a say in the allotment of hostel seats, which the administration was loathe to agree to.
(Source: Times of India)
9. Not Enough Rooms for Doctors, Queues at AIIMS Dept Get Longer
The earliest you can get an appointment at the rheumatology OPD at AIIMS is February, 2018. The reason: There isn’t enough space, or time, provided to the team of 11 specialists.
According to an official, the 11 doctors have been provided just four rooms, and two morning OPD slots every week (Wednesday and Saturday), apart from an additional rheumatology clinic that runs every Thursday afternoon.
The department caters to patients with autoimmune diseases and pain disorders that affect joints. “The department has a vacancy for four physiotherapists and two counsellors, but we can recruit them only when there is space. Right now, we use the facility of the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation,” said an AIIMS official.
(Source: The Indian Express)
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