Category: National

New Delhi: On Thursday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met with BJP stalwart Lal Krishna Advani, congratulating him on receiving India’s highest civilian distinction, the Bharat Ratna.

On his first trip to Delhi following his breakup with the opposition INDIA alliance and his return to the BJP-led NDA, Nitish Kumar had meetings with J P Nadda, the president of the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday.

Despite several rifts in his relationship with the BJP since 2013, the president of the Janata Dal (United) has always held Advani in high regard and has often talked nostalgically about his friendship with him and former prime minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee.

Being a prominent figure in his party during the 1990s, Advani played a crucial role in uniting the BJP around Kumar, establishing the Bihar leader as the face of their alliance against the then-dominant RJD leader Lalu Prasad, who ruled the state for 15 years with his wife Rabri Devi.

The central government gave Advani, who is 96 years old, the Bharat Ratna Award last week.

Alarming Figures, Immediate Intervention: Kolkata High Court

The amicus curiae told the court that they had personally observed a pregnant inmate and fifteen other prisoners living with their newborns inside a women’s correctional home during a recent visit. Due to this, the court decided to order the case to be transferred to a specialized criminal division so that it could be investigated further and possible reforms could be discussed.

Suggestions for Improvement: Preserving Women’s Dignity

A ban on male staff members entering female inmate enclosures was proposed by the amicus curiae as a solution to the problem of pregnancy in prisons. They also suggested that all convicted women undergo mandatory pregnancy tests prior to being admitted to prisons and that these tests be performed by police stations after an arrest. These steps are intended to protect female prisoners from sexual exploitation and to guarantee their welfare.

Monitoring at the District Level to Guarantee Transparency

The amicus curiae also suggested giving District Judges, who preside over Boards of Visitors, the authority to inspect prisons and determine the proportion of pregnant inmates. The jail system would become more accountable and transparent as a result of this district-level oversight.

Requests for Change: An Important Matter

Outrage and calls for immediate action have been sparked by the discovery that 196 babies were born in West Bengal prisons. Addressing this important issue and guaranteeing the protection of women’s rights and dignity within the state’s prison system is made possible by the court’s decision to transfer the case and consider possible reforms.

On Thursday morning, threats of bombs via email caused several private schools in Chennai to experience chaos, commotion, and panic, resulting in the early dismissal of students.

When parents received word from the schools or saw the news on local TV channels, they hurried to schools in Gopalapuram, Mogappair, Parrys, and Anna Nagar.

The crowding and confusion around schools prompted the Greater Chennai Police (GCP) to advise the public not to panic, despite parents’ complaints that appropriate arrangements were not made to disperse the students immediately.

“Bomb threat e-mails were received at a few educational Institutions in GCP limits. GCP/ BDDS (Bomb Detection and Disposal Squads) have been sent for Anti-Sabotage Checks in these educational institutions and action is being taken to identifying the culprit who sent these e-mails,” posted by Greater Chennai Police on X.

According to police sources, the accused will soon be apprehended as the cybercrime wing is currently investigating the IP address from which the email was sent.

Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam addressed Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani, stating that he had invited her to the Kalki Dham foundation stone ceremony, not because she was a BJP leader but rather because she was a great devotee of Ram and Krishna. As a follower of Kalki and Devi, If it is a crime to invite Smriti Irani, the Prime Minister, and the Defense Minister, then I am prepared to pay the price for this crime.

He had met with the Prime Minister to extend an invitation to attend the Shri Kalki Dham foundation stone laying ceremony. It had been requested by Acharya Pramod Krishnam not to approach this meeting from a political standpoint.

Rahul Gandhi not giving time to meet Acharya Pramod Krishnam

Subsequently, the Congressman claimed that he had been pleading with Rahul Gandhi for a meeting for the past year, but that it had not been possible. However, four days after he had called the Prime Minister’s office, PM Modi granted him the opportunity to meet.

Acharya Pramod, a Congress leader, recently made remarks regarding Rahul Gandhi. He had informed the media during this time that it took him four to five days to meet with Prime Minister Modi. Rahul Gandhi is still very active. They are not sociable by nature, so their meetings are infrequent. Only when Rahul Gandhi has time will we get together. They might think it’s a waste of time to meet them.

Delhi NCR:In view of the farmers’ protests in Noida and Greater Noida, Gautam Buddha Nagar Police on Tuesday said that restrictions under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) will remain in force on February 7 and 8. Police have also issued a traffic advisory, cautioning commuters about changes on some routes in both cities in view of the farmers’ agitation.

Why are the farmers protesting now?

Farmer groups in Noida and Greater Noida have been protesting since December 2023, demanding higher compensation and developed plots in lieu of their lands acquired by local development authorities. The protesting farmer groups have called for a Kisan Mahapanchayat on Wednesday and a march to Parliament in the national capital on Thursday to press for their demands.

In light of the farmers’ planned march to the Parliament, Noida Police increased security at its borders with Delhi on Thursday. The protest has caused traffic to slow down on a number of routes, including the Noida-Greater Noida Motorway and DND, according to Noida police officers. In addition, barricades have been erected at Delhi’s borders in response to the farmers’ protest. To manage traffic, senior authorities and other staff are stationed at different sites.

Notably, section 144 of the CrPC has already been enforced by the Gautam Buddh Nagar Police today.

A traffic alert was also released by the police, warning commuters not to veer off of certain routes in the twin cities due to farmers’ tractors.

In response to the farmers’ agitation, barricades are being erected at Kisan Chowk, Delhi’s borders, and other locations. Traffic is flowing slowly because each car is being inspected and approved, according to a police spokesperson. “The traffic is being monitored continuously” , he stated.

It is suggested that the farmers, under the leadership of the Bharatiya Kisan Parishad (BKP), gather at the Mahamaya Flyover in Noida at 12:30 PM today.

BKP leader Sukhbir Yadav ‘Khalifa’ declared, ‘The farmers shall march towards the Parliament in Delhi from Mahamaya Flyover to advocate for our long-pending demands’.

Why are farmers protesting again?

Since December 2023, farmer organisations in Noida and Greater Noida have been demonstrating against their property that was previously taken by the local development authority, demanding increased compensation and constructing plots in exchange.

10% of Abadi land is what the farmers affiliated with Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha and Sanyukt Kisan Morcha are requesting.

Over the past five months, farmers from over 40 villages have been camped in Noida. For the past two months, they have been camped out in front of the Noida Authority’s Sector 6 office.

Kulwinder Singh claims that the 1956 law has been changed to assume control of the throne. The Maharashtra government now nominates twelve members instead of the previous seven. Nevertheless, there is now only a three-percent constituency tax. There has also been a reduction in the authority of the Sikh MP Shiromani Gurdwara Management Committee. It now sends two instead of the previous four members to the board.

The Nizam of Hyderabad gave the Sikhs the historical site of Nanded, and a representative was chosen from Secunderabad and Hyderabad, which is no longer in existence.

The Sikh Parliamentary Board, an association of Sikh intellectuals, Chief Khalsa Diwan, and Hazuri Khalsa Diwan’s representation has been eliminated.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Chairman of the National Minority Commission Iqbal Singh Lalpura have all been urged to get involved in this issue by lawyer Kulwinder Singh. The new law states that 17 additional members will be responsible for managing and administering the Takht Hazur Sahib Management Committee.

Which will have 12 members nominated by the Maharashtra government, 3 elected from among Nanded’s Sikh community, and 2 nominated by the Shiromani Gurdwara Management Committee. It has been decided that the President, General Secretary, and other officials will be chosen by the Maharashtra government under this arrangement.

According to Kulwinder Singh, it is because of such decisions that the minorities do not have confidence in the Bharatiya Janata Party. Due to the change of sides of the members of Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee, critics have already got an opportunity to raise questions on the government and the party and now the Takht Hazur Saheb Management Act 2024 has raised questions on the intentions of the government and the party. Now the Prime Minister and the national leadership of BJP need to come forward to correct these discrepancies and win the trust of the Sikhs.

According to media reports, the MCA has asked the company for information about the evidence it has submitted in court in the criminal case it has filed against Grover. The fintech company came into controversy in 2022 when its founder Ashneer Grover used abusive language and threatened a Kotak Group employee who was unable to secure an allotment during Nykaa’s IPO.

After the controversy, Ashneer Grover resigned as Managing Director of BharatPe and the company decided to have its financial accounts audited.

Company’s allegations

After the audit, BharatPe filed a case of misappropriation of funds and fraud against Ashneer Grover, his wife and his brother. The company claimed that Ashneer and his wife caused the company a loss of Rs 88.67 crore. The company had filed a case for damages. However, Ashneer denied the allegations against him and his wife.

The company also alleged that Ashneer Grover had no contribution in BharatPe technology.

Notice issued by MCA

The MCA has asked BharatPe to provide information about the following:

• The details of the legal action taken against Ashneer Grover.
• The evidence submitted in court against Grover.
• The steps taken by the company to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.

The MCA has also asked BharatPe to provide the information within 15 days.

BharatPe’s response

BharatPe has said that it will cooperate with the MCA and provide all the information required. The company has also said that it is committed to good corporate governance and will take all necessary steps to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.

This is a developing story. We will update this article as more information becomes available.