1. Donald Trump Formally Nominated for US Presidency
After vanquishing 16 party rivals, warring with much of the Republican establishment and sparking controversy at the party convention, Donald Trump on Tuesday secured the party’s 2016 nomination for the White House.
Trump’s Democratic rival, Clinton, was quick to respond with a tweet.
The state-by-state vote to put Trump’s name in nomination took place a day after opponents staged a failed attempt to force a vote opposing his candidacy, and after a speech by his wife, Melania, drew accusations of plagiarism.
Source: Reuters
2. J&K Court Orders Probe Into Police Killing of Kashmiri Youth
A court in Jammu and Kashmir directed the police to register a case against a DSP for allegedly killing a Kashmiri youth in Srinagar on 10 July, The Indian Express reported.
According to a court application filed by his father, Abdul Rehman Mir, a police team led by DSP Yasir Qadri barged into their home and killed 26-year-old Shabir. His father also claimed that the Station House Office refused to file a case regarding the matter.
Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Srinagar, Masarat Shaheen has directed for the case to be investigated “by a senior officer not below the rank of DSP.”
Source: The Indian Express
3. Navjot Sidhu to Be Chief Campaigner For AAP Before Upcoming Punjab Polls
Navjot Singh Sidhu will be the chief campaigner for the AAP before the upcoming Punjab Assembly Election, once he joins it in “two-three days”, party leaders told The Economic Times, on Tuesday.
ET quoted AAP’s Punjab-in-charge Sanjay Singh as saying, “Both Navjot Singh Sidhu and his wife will be joining the AAP soon. They will join us without any pre-condition.”
AAP’s Punjab MP Bhagwant Mann too quelled speculation about friction regarding Sidhu’s role, saying that everybody will unanimously support the party’s choice.
Source: The Economic Times
4. Google Issued Notice for Featuring PM Modi in World’s Top 10 Criminals
A court in Allahabad issued notices to global search engine company Google and its CEO for listing PM Narendra Modi among the world’s top ten criminals, The Times of India reported.
A complaint was filed by advocate Sushil Kumar Mishra who said that he had asked Google to remove Modi’s name from the list, but received no response.
The next court hearing will take place on 31 August.
Source: The Times of India
5. Wife and Daughter of Govt Official Commit Suicide After CBI Raid
The wife and daughter of a senior corporate affairs ministry official – who were arrested by the CBI on charges of corruption – have allegedly committed suicide in their east Delhi residence on Tuesday, Hindustan Times reported.
The CBI arrested 58-year-old Satyabala and 28-year-old Neha for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 20 lakh from Mumbai-based firm Elder Pharmaceutical – which has been accused of duping 24,000 investors of Rs 176 crore through a fraudulent investment scheme.
In their suicide notes, the two mentioned that shame and stigma had driven them towards their suicide, for which nobody was to be blamed.
Source: Hindustan Times
6. How Cow Vigilantism Affects People’s Livelihoods
Angry Dalits in Gujarat rebelled against the growing cow vigilantism by dumping carcasses of dead cows at government offices, consuming poison, targeting policemen, and torching buses to protest the flogging of four Dalit men over suspicions of cow slaughter.
So far, the Gau Rakshaks have mostly targeted the minority section, but this rebellion brings a very important social factor into the fore – the economic effects of cow vigilantism, The Telegraph reported.
In Saurashtra, where the protest first broke out, many members of the lower castes find a livelihood in carcass collection, which fetches them Rs 500-800 with the sale of skin and bones.
But last week’s assault on the four Dalit me threatened this very livelihood. While the economic effect of extreme forms of cow protection are hardly considered, the clampdown on the sale of beef has certainly affected a lot of people’s livelihoods.
Source: The Telegraph
7. Rahul Gandhi to Stand Trial in Defamation Suit
The Congress prefers its Vice-President Rahul Gandhi to stand trial in a defamation suit filed by an RSS activist for linking the RSS to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, rather than apologising.
The Telegraph quoted a Supreme Court bench as saying:
There is a difference between Nathuram Godse killing Mahatma Gandhi and the RSS killing him. You can’t make a collective denunciation of an organisation. It must stand the test of public good. Otherwise, it has to go for trial.
The Congress saw this as an opportunity to debate the “first act of terrorism in independent India. Rahul was egged on by Gandhi’s great grandson, Tushar Gandhi, who described it as a “great opportunity to expose in court” the RSS’s alleged involvement.
Source: The Telegraph
8. Govt Changes Rulebook to Control Criticism on Social Media
A little caution will have to be exercised by bureaucrats before criticising government policies on social media, what with the Centre’s proposal that the act will be considered a violation of a code of conduct.
It all started when IAS officer Ajay Gangwar ‘liked’ a post on Facebook that was critical of PM Modi and praised Nehru instead, according to Hindustan Times.
Government officials were always barred from criticising government policies in radio broadcasts, public media or documents, but social media wasn’t covered under it. The alteration of the rulebook has closed this loophole.
Source: Hindustan Times
9. Probe Team Set to Find Out What Causes Waterlogging in Delhi
A team comprising senior officials of PWD, Delhi Metro and the South Corporation conducted a joint inspection of various parts of Delhi to conduct an investigation on what has been causing water logging in the capital city in the past few days.
This led to the issuing to challans to NBCC and DDA for causing water logging at the AIIMS flyover and Sarita Vihar, The Times of India reported.
TOI quoted an official as saying:
So far the blame for water-logging has largely been put on PWD and the municipal corporations for their failure to de-silt drains. The issue is, however, quite complex. There are multiple agencies involved in the maintenance of various aspects of roads and drains and each one seems to have a role to play.
A report is expected to be submitted to Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia.
(Source: The Times of India)
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