RAJASTHAN CONGRESS CRISIS SIMMERS; GEHLOT’S CANDIDATURE IN DOUBT

All eyes are on Congress chief Sonia Gandhi as top leaders converged at her 10, Janpath residence in New Delhi on Monday after a series of rapid developments in Rajasthan, where a majority of the party MLAs have stood up against Sachin Pilot and want Ashok Gehlot to continue as the chief minister.

Party observers Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken, who were sent to Rajasthan, returned to Delhi on Monday after a planned meeting of the Congress legislature party (CLP) failed to take place. They met Sonia Gandhi at her residence soon after their return from Jaipur.

The high drama has also put a question mark on whether Gehlot would still run for the party president's post or if someone else would replace him as a candidate supported by the current leadership.

The political drama in Rajasthan over a possible leadership change continued on Monday with the MLAs loyal to Gehlot refraining from separately meeting Kharge and Maken. They held a parallel meeting in favour of Gehlot remaining as the chief minister and put forth a series of demands.

Maken slammed the Gehlot loyalists for setting conditions for a party resolution. He said their decision to hold a parallel meeting amounted to indiscipline.

Maken said the delegation put forward three conditions -- a decision on the selection of the chief minister should be taken after the Congress presidential poll, the chief minister should be from among those MLAs who stood with the govt during the political crisis in 2020 and not from the Pilot camp, and the AICC observers should hold meetings in groups, instead of one-on-one as sought by the high-command.

RAJASTHAN CONG CRISIS: BJP WATCHING INTENTLY FROM SIDELINES

As Congress stepped up damage control to minimise the embarrassment caused due to open rebellion in the Rajasthan state unit where it is in power, members of the opposition BJP claimed “absolutely no hand” in the crisis.

Senior BJP leader Satish Poonia, who along with Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Vasundhara Raje, and Kailash Choudhary, is believed to be one of the contenders for the CM post if the party comes to power, was quoted as saying that “doors are not closed for Sachin Pilot. If such a situation arises (Pilot decides to join BJP), the central leadership will take a call”.

BJP spokesperson RP Singh said it was “all about dynasty”. “Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra’s presidential nominee has openly rebelled against the Delhi dynasty to secure the future of his son Vaibhav Gehlot. Ashok Gehlot knows his son will be marginalised with Sachin Pilot becoming the chief minister of Rajasthan,” Singh said.

PM MODI LEAVES FOR TOKYO TO ATTEND SHINZO ABE’S FUNERAL ON TUESDAY

Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for Tokyo on Monday evening to attend the state funeral of Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe, who reshaped Japan’s foreign policy including setting out a bold vision for a quantum leap in its ties with India.

Representatives from over 100 countries, including more than 20 heads of states and govts, are expected to attend Abe’s funeral on Tuesday at the Budokan, an indoor sporting facility.

Modi will also hold a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Abe was shot dead while making a campaign speech three months ago in the southern Japanese city of Nara.

At a media briefing, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said Modi will attend the state funeral ceremony at Budokan, followed by a greeting occasion at Akasaka Palace, besides meeting Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Abe’s wife Akie. “The visit will be an opportunity for PM Modi to honour the memory of former PM Abe, who he considered a dear friend and great champion of India-Japan ties,” he said.

JAISHANKAR CALLS OUT ANTI-INDIA BIAS IN AMERICAN MEDIA

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday accused the American media of being biased in its coverage of India. In an apparent reference to The Washington Post, the minister also singled out the newspaper for such reporting.

“You know, there are some newspapers you know, exactly, what they are going to write including one in this town [Washington],” Jaishankar said at an event organised by Indian-Americans in Washington.

The Union minister said that the reason for the allegedly biased coverage was because certain groups which believe to be “custodians and shapers of India”, were making efforts to win outside the country, after not being able to do so within it.

The participants of the event asked Jaishankar if he thought that Kashmir was being misrepresented in the media. To this, the minister said that there is “big song and dance” in the media about internet shutdowns in the Union Territory, but not about the loss of lives.

Commenting on the matter on Monday, Jaishankar said: “Now, if you have reached the stage where you say an Internet cut is more dangerous than the loss of human lives, then what can I say?”

He also said that Article 370 was a temporary provision in the Constitution and that it had been abrogated by a majority in Parliament. “What is right, what is wrong is confused,” he said. “This is actually politics at work. We should not let it go...We should contest it...We should educate...We should shape the narrative...This is a competitive world. We need to get our messages out. That is my message to you.”

COVID DASHBOARD – INDIA

As of 0800 IST / Sep 26

from mohfw.gov.in ,

New Cases on Sunday 4,116

Active Cases 40,827 (-579)

Total Deaths (Deaths Yesterday) 5,28,530 (7)

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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PUTIN GRANTS RUSSIAN CITIZENSHIP TO US WHISTLEBLOWER EDWARD SNOWDEN, SAY MEDIA REPORTS

Russia on Monday granted citizenship to former US National Security Agency contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden, who was given asylum in the country after he made sensational claims about a US mass surveillance program back in 2013, according to reports.

President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a decree on Monday granting Russian citizenship to him, according to CBS News. Similar reports also appeared in Russian media.

39-year-old Snowden made headlines after making allegations about a US mass surveillance program back in 2013 claiming it was carried out by the NSA where he was a contractor. He fled America and was given asylum by Russia.

US authorities have for years wanted Snowden returned to the United States to face a criminal trial on espionage charges.

ITALY’S EU PARTNERS VIGILANT AS FAR RIGHT SET TO TAKE POWER

Italy’s EU partners are signalling discomfort, even vigilance, after Italy, one of the bloc’s founding members, swung far to the political right. The result of Italy’s latest election raises troubling questions about whether Rome will maintain its commitments to EU principles, laws and ambitions.

French PM Elisabeth Borne on Monday said her govt, along with EU officials, would be watching to ensure that human rights are guaranteed in Italy after Giorgia Meloni’s neo-fascist far-right Brothers of Italy topped the vote count in Sunday’s election.

“In Europe, we uphold some values and we’ll ensure, and the president of the commission will ensure, that these values — on human rights, the respect of other people, especially the respect of the right to abortion — will be respected by all (member states),” Borne said. Such statements among the longtime EU partners are highly unusual and follow European Commission President Ursula vonder Leyen’s pre-poll warning that Europe “has the tools” to deal with any country — and that means Italy too — if things go “in a difficult direction”.

The EU is already beset by challenges, including rising inflation and energy costs, and it does not need the threat that a far-right Italian leader might joint a strident nationalist bloc, including Hungary and Poland, that has repeatedly assailed EU democratic standards.

European leaders will be watching to see which Meloni emerges: the firebrand who has railed against LGBT rights, Islamist violence and mass migration as well as Brussels’ bureaucrats, or the one who has toned down her rhetoric in recent weeks and has backed EU support for Ukraine.

THE REST

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FROM TODAY ONE CAN WATCH SC'S CONSTITUTION BENCH PROCEEDINGS LIVE ONLINE

The Supreme Court is all set to live-stream its Constitution bench proceedings from Tuesday, and the hearing of pleas challenging reservations for the economically weaker sections and the row over control of services between the Centre and the Delhi govt will be the first regular webcast.

Exactly four years ago, on September 27, 2018, the then Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, heading a bench had delivered the landmark judgment on live telecast or webcast of important proceedings in matters of constitutional importance, saying ”Sunlight is the best disinfectant”.

Earlier in the day, a  bench headed by Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit said the top court will soon have its own ”platform” to live-stream its proceedings instead of having to use YouTube. The bench said this when former BJP leader K N Govindacharya's counsel argued that the copyright of apex court's proceedings cannot be surrendered to private platforms.

CONGRESS INITIATES LEGAL ACTION AGAINST BJP LEADER FOR SPREADING FAKE NEWS

The Congress party has initiated legal action against BJP leader Priti Gandhi for allegedly "spreading fake and divisive news to disrupt the grand old party's Bharat Jodo Yatra".

Sharing the letter of the police complaint written by his party MP Hibi Eden, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh tweeted: "We have initiated legal action in 5 cases of fake and divisive news peddled by BJP leaders and their bhakt online hate factory to hurt #BharatJodoYatra. Be warned! We will not take this lying down. Latest is a police complaint by MP @HibiEden against a particularly vicious bhakt."

In his complaint, Eden alleged that BJP leader Priti Gandhi had, on September 24, 2022, shared a photo of Rahul Gandhi on her Twitter handle with a caption that read: "Look carefully. Not Bharat Jodo, this is Bharat Todo!!".

He further stated: "The impression these pictures sought to convey was that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was posing with an individual who had been accused of sloganeering 'Pakistan Zindabad' on a previous occasion."

Pointing out that "the individuals in the photographs were two separate and distinct people," Eden stated: "Priti Gandhi then deleted the tweet and immediately uploaded another one to double down on her messaging making base and vulgar insinuations without the scantest regard for the individuals involved."

I&B MINISTRY ASKS YOUTUBE TO DOWN 45 VIDEOS FROM 10 CHANNELS

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has directed YouTube to remove 45 videos from its 10 channels. “The orders to block the videos were issued on September 23, 2022, under the provisions of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021,” officials said, adding that the blocked videos had a cumulative views of over 1.30 crore.

The videos that have been taken down include 13 from a YouTube channel called The Live TV, nine from Hind Voice, six each from Inqilab Live and Desh India Live, four from Mr Reaction Wala, two each from GetsetflyFACT and 4PM, and one each from the channels of National Adda, Dhruv Rathee and Vinay Pratap Singh Bhopar.

Officials said the content included “fake news and morphed videos aimed at spreading hatred among religious communities”.

CAN STATE GOVTS PUBLISH ADS IN OTHER STATES? SC AGREES TO HAVE  A LOOK

The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the Centre and the states on a plea seeking to restrain state govts from publishing advertisements outside its territory. A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli issued notices to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and all the states.

The top court was hearing a plea filed by NGO Common Cause seeking directions to restrain state govts from publishing advertisements outside its territory. At the outset, the bench expressed disinclination to entertain the petition but after a brief deliberation, it decided to seek a response from the respondents.

“How can we prohibit a state govt from publishing an advertisement outside the territory? the bench said. “A state govt may want to attract business to its territory by showcasing the work to the public of other states. They want to attract investment and say we are creating this infrastructure of roads, power, tourism, etc,” it said.

AND KARNATAKA HC GRAPPLES WITH BLOCKING OF TWITTER ACCOUNTS

Social media giant Twitter told the Karnataka High Court on Monday that it was asked to completely block numerous multiple accounts during the farmers' agitation on the borders of Delhi last year.

It also told the bench headed by Justice Krishna S. Dixit that the law in this regard only allows blocking of an individual tweet, not the whole account, against the backdrop of political criticism unless there is repeated offence.

Senior counsel Arvind S. Datar, appearing for Twitter in connection with 10 blocking orders by the Union govt between February 2021 and February 2022, submitted that Section 69 of the Information Technology Act does not give scope for blanket blocking of accounts.

He questioned that when the newspapers, and television channels were covering the farmers' agitation, why was his client (Twitter) was asked to completely block all accounts.

Justice Dixit sought to know how such issues are dealt with in other jurisdictions such as American law for which the counsel sought time. The hearing was adjourned to October 17.

The Central govt maintains that the blocking orders were issued in the national and public interest, and action was taken to prevent lynching and mob violence.

PASSPORT APPLICANTS CAN APPLY ONLINE FOR POLICE CLEARANCE CERTIFICATES

Passport applicants will now be able to apply for police clearance certificates (PCCs) at all online post office passport seva kendras, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday.

The PCCs are a pre-requisite for the issuance of passports to the applicants.

Often, the issuance of the PCCs by the local police takes time that results in a delay in the grant of passports.

CELEBS TOO HAVE RIGHTS, SAYS SC, REJECTS STAMPEDE COMPLAINT AGAINST SRK

Celebrities also have rights like common citizens and cannot be made "vicariously culpable", the Supreme Court observed on Monday while upholding the Gujarat high court decision quashing a criminal case against superstar Shah Rukh Khan and others for causing a stampede at the Vadodara railway station while promoting a film in 2017.

A bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and CT Ravikumar dismissed the appeal filed by Jitendra Madhubhai Solanki alias Pappu, who had challenged the decision of the Gujarat high court dated April 27, 2022.

"Celebrities have rights like all other citizens and cannot be made vicariously culpable. What was the fault of this man (Khan)? Just because he is a celebrity, it doesn't mean he has no rights," the bench said, adding it is not inclined to interfere with the order of the high court.

Solanki had alleged in the complaint that Khan was promoting his film Raees during the journey from Mumbai to New Delhi by August Kranti Rajdhani Express on January 23, 2017, without taking prior permission of the railway authorities.

The apex court said the actor cannot be expected to ensure everyone's safety or provide personal guarantee while travelling by train.

NASA SPACECRAFT DART SUCCESSFULLY COLLIDES WITH ASTEROID DIMORPHOS

An asteroid hurtling towards the earth, its collision having the potential to wipe out all life forms. And humans manage to execute a last-minute plan to deflect the asteroid from its trajectory and avoid the collision.

On Tuesday morning (04:46 am India time), NASA, for the first time, enacted this script in real life. Just that the asteroid in question was not headed towards the earth, and there was no danger of any collision. What NASA managed to do was to let one of its spacecraft, sent specially for this purpose last year, crash itself against a small asteroid that was orbiting the Sun 11 million km away from Earth. By doing so, it hopes to change the orbit of the asteroid. How much it succeeded in its effort would become known later.

The 11 million km is the closest that this asteroid, Dimorphos, comes to Earth while going around in its orbit. There was absolutely no danger that it would have come and collided with Earth. Tuesday’s collision was, therefore, just a technology demonstration, and an experiment to assess the capabilities to do such maneouvers in future should a need arise.

Though there was no threat to Earth from this particular asteroid — and NASA says there is no real danger to Earth from asteroids for the next 100 years at least — asteroid collisions are real, and can happen. The dinosaurs, and most other life forms at that time, are known to have become extinct following an asteroid collision about million years ago.

As recently as 2013, an asteroid entered the earth’s atmosphere and exploded over Russia, causing injuries to hundreds of people, and causing widespread damage.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you. - Kahlil Gibran

OFF TRACK

All the passengers are seated on a plane out on the tarmac, they look out of the windows and see two men, dressed as pilots walking towards the plane. Both men are using guide dogs and appear to be blind. There are murmurs among the passengers, and some believe it is a joke.

But the men board the plane and go into the cockpit. More concerned murmurs and uneasy chuckles from the passengers.

The plane taxis normally to the runway and begins its takeoff. As passengers look out the window they realize they are nearing the end of the runway. The entire passenger cabin begins screaming but the plane lifts off just before the end of the runway. The passengers calm down and chuckle to themselves.

In the cockpit, the pilot turns to his copilot and says “You know, one day those people are gonna scream too late and we’re all gonna die!”