FREEDOM OF RELIGION DOES NOT INCLUDE RIGHT TO CONVERT OTHERS, GOVT TELLS SC

The Centre told the Supreme Court on Monday that religious freedom does not include a fundamental right to convert other people to a particular religion and that it certainly does not embrace the right to convert an individual through fraud, deception, coercion or allurement.

The central government said it is ”cognisant of the menace” and laws that seek to control such practices are necessary to protect the cherished rights of vulnerable sections of society including women and the economically and socially backward classes.

The Centre's stand came on a short affidavit in response to a plea by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay seeking direction to take stringent steps to control fraudulent religious conversion by "intimidation" and through "gifts and monetary benefits".

The affidavit, filed through deputy secretary of ministry of home affairs, asserted that the reliefs sought in the present petition would be taken up "in all seriousness" by the Union of India, and that it is ”cognizant of the gravity and the seriousness of the issue raised in the present writ petition”.

A bench of Justices MR Shah and CT Raviumar, while hearing the matter, observed it was not against religious conversions but  forced conversions, and asked the Centre to file a detailed affidavit on the issue after taking information from states. The court deferred hearing on the petition as well as an impleadment application challenging its maintainability till December 5.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that forced conversion was a ”serious menace” and a "national issue" and that in its affidavit the central government has mentioned about the relevant steps taken by certain states.

The affidavit informed that public order being a state subject, various states -- Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Haryana -- have passed laws seeking to curb forced conversions.

BHARAT JODO YATRA IN INDORE

Amid the power tussle between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Monday said both the leaders are assets to the party.

Addressing a press conference near Indore, in Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi, the Lok Sabha member from Wayanad in Kerala, also said the decision to contest again from Amethi would be taken after one or one-and-a-half years. "At present, my focus is on the Bharat Jodo Yatra," he said.

To a query on different statements being given by Rajasthan leaders Gehlot and Pilot amid their power tussle, he said, "It will not affect the yatra and both the leaders are assets to the Congress party."

To a query on plans for solving the unemployment problem in the country, Gandhi said the main problem at present is that the entire wealth of the nation is confined in the hands of three-four industrialists. The Congress will focus on creating small scale enterprises to generate more employment opportunities in the country, he said.

"I want the government to participate in education and health care and pump in more money in these sectors," Gandhi said.

Gandhi also said his ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, a mass contact initiative, was raising the voice of the nation. He claimed the BJP and RSS were not hearing the voice of the public and running the country by their "rigid structure".

On attacks over his attire and looks during the yatra, Gandhi said, "The problem with the BJP is that it spends thousands of crore to tarnish my image. But, the amount of money it would spend on tarnishing my image, I would get the same amount of strength as truth cannot be hidden."

On the issue of Uniform Civil Code, he said, ”Our direction is clear and their (BJP) direction is clear, and we are doing our work.”

When asked about his learnings from the Yatra, Gandhi said, “Rahul Gandhi ko maine bohot saalon pehle chhod diya. Rahul Gandhi aapke dimag main hai, mere dimag main hai hi nahin. (I let go of Rahul Gandhi years ago. Rahul Gandhi is in your mind, not mine). Try and understand, this is our country’s philosophy.”

SUPREME COURT TAKES EXCEPTION TO LAW MINISTER KIREN RIJIJU'S STATEMENT

Taking exception to Law Minister Kiren Rijiju’s reported statement that the Collegium could issue notification for judges’ appointment if it thought the government was sitting over its recommendations, the Supreme Court on Monday asked Attorney General R Venkataramani to ensure that the law was followed.

“Names are not being cleared. How can the system work? We have expressed our anguish. It appears that the government is unhappy that the NJAC (National Judicial Appointments Commission Act, 2014) did not pass muster... Can that be the reason not to clear the names for so long?” a Bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul asked the Attorney General.

“If today the government says it will not adhere to the law of the land then tomorrow someone will not adhere to another part. You must think of the larger picture, Mr Attorney,” the Bench told Venkataramani.

“Never say that the government is sitting on files. Don’t send files to the government then… you appoint yourself, you run the show,” Rijiju had told a TV channel last week.

After being told about the Law Minister’s statement, the Bench said it had chosen to ignore what had been published in newspapers. “Mr AG, I have ignored all press reports, but this has come from somebody high enough... I am not saying anything else. If we have to, we will take a decision,” Justice Kaul noted.

“Timelines have been laid out... you have to adhere to it... So many cases are pending. Good people must join the Bench and the timeline has to be adhered to unless there is an exception. Most of the names recommended have crossed the four-month limit. There has been no information to us,” Justice Kaul told the Attorney General.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

======================

RISHI SUNAK SAYS "GOLDEN ERA" OF UK-CHINA TIES OVER

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned Monday that China posed a "systemic challenge" to UK "values and interests" as his government condemned Beijing after a BBC journalist said he was beaten covering Shanghai protests.

In his first major speech on foreign policy, Sunak said that the so-called "golden era" of UK-China relations trumpeted by former prime minister David Cameron was "over, along with the naive idea that trade would automatically lead to social and political reform."

Britain would "need to evolve our approach to China" as a result, he said in his speech at the Lord Mayor's Banquet in London.

"We recognise China poses a systemic challenge to our values and interests, a challenge that grows more acute as it moves towards even greater authoritarianism," he said.

"We cannot simply ignore China's significance in world affairs -- to global economic stability or issues like climate change. The US, Canada, Australia, Japan and many others understand this too.

"So together we'll manage this sharpening competition, including with diplomacy and engagement," he added.

The speech came as tensions were further strained between the two nations after Ed Lawrence, working in China as an accredited BBC journalist, was arrested at a Covid lockdown protest in Shanghai and detained for several hours. The UK broadcaster says he was assaulted and kicked by police.

ZERO-COVID POLICY TO STAY, BUT CHINA RELAXES CURBS AFTER MASS PROTESTS

Chinese authorities eased some anti-virus rules but affirmed their severe “zero Covid” strategy on Monday after protesters demanded President Xi Jinping resign in the biggest show of opposition to the ruling Communist Party in decades. The government made no comment on the protests or the criticism of Xi, but the decision to ease at least some of the restrictions appeared to be aimed at quelling anger. Still, analysts don’t expect the government to back down on its Covid strategy and note authorities are adept at stifling dissent.

It wasn’t clear how many people were detained since protests began Friday and spread to cities including Shanghai, the country’s financial centre, and the capital, Beijing.

PAKISTAN TALIBAN END TRUCE, ORDER ATTACKS

Pakistan’s Taliban said on Monday they have called off a shaky ceasefire agreed with the government in June and ordered fighters to stage attacks across the country. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)have been responsible for hundreds of attacks since emerging in 2007. They agreed to a truce earlier this year after Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers took a prominent role in brokering peace talks. “We. . . have shown our continued patience so that the negotiation process is not sabotaged. But the army and intelligence agencies do not stop and continue the attacks, so now our retaliatory attacks will also start across the country,” the TTP said.

THE REST

=========

KHARGE HITS BACK: 'SACRIFICED TWO PMS IN FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM'

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress of playing vote bank politics over terrorism, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge yesterday said his party had sacrificed two prime ministers in the fight against terrorism.

Launching a sharp attack against the ruling BJP, Kharge also said that though the BJP “claims to have done a lot of development, but during the election campaigns its leaders’ speeches are full of hatred which divide society on communal lines”.

AAFTAB POONAWALA’S POLICE VAN COMES UNDER ATTACK FROM SWORD-WIELDING MEN

A police van carrying Aaftab Poonawala from the forensic laboratory back to Tihar jail came under attack by sword-wielding men, who attacked the vehicle even as a police personnel waved a gun at them.

According to a senior officer, police received information about men claiming to be from the Hindu Sena attacking Poonawala’s vehicle, and sent personnel to the spot. Police are yet to verify if the men are indeed from the Hindu Sena or another outfit.

Personnel guarding the van stepped in to defuse the situation and keep the prisoner from harm. Three people have been detained so far, senior officers said.

A video of the incident shows one of the armed men also managing to open the van’s rear door to find a policeman standing inside.

The Hindu Sena national president Vishnu Gupta confirmed the outfit’s members were involved in the attack. But he said his organisation does not support any such work which is against the Constitution of India.

DELHI REPORTS ANOTHER GRUESOME CASE OF BODY-CHOPPING

To ensure they could kill her husband easily, Poonam (48) and her son Deepak (25) allegedly used sleeping pills to sedate Anjan Das, and once he fell unconscious, slit his neck.

Then, they allegedly left the body for a whole day in their house so the blood could drain out. Next, they chopped the body into roughly 10 pieces and discarded those over the next few. The details were shared by the Delhi Police, soon after Poonam and Deepak were arrested for the murder, which they allegedly committed because Das did not earn and often fought with his family.

In a case that appears to share chilling similarities with the Shraddha Walkar murder, investigators say the body parts were kept in their fridge before being dumped.

WORLD'S FIRST INTRANASAL COVID SHOT CLEARED AS BOOSTER DOSE

Makers of the world’s first intranasal Covid shot, Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, yesterday announced that vaccine iNCOVACC (BBV154) had received approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) under “Restricted Use in Emergency Situation” for 18 and above as heterologous booster doses. The vaccine was earlier approved as a primary dose schedule in September.

iNCOVACC has the double benefit of enabling faster development of variant-specific vaccines and easy nasal delivery that enables mass immunisation to protect from emerging variants of concern.

It promises to become an important tool in mass vaccinations during pandemics & endemics; with the receipt of this approval, launch dates, pricing and availability will be announced in due course.

OVER RS 5,000-CR IPOS MAY HIT MKTS IN DEC

Close to half a dozen IPOs worth over Rs 5,000 crore are expected to hit the markets next month as investor sentiment perks up. Typically, December is considered a lacklustre month for fundraising activity. With markets scaling new peaks and foreign portfolio investor (FPI) flows staying buoyant, companies and investment bankers are looking to capitalise on the opportunity.

Companies projected to roll out their public offerings in December include KFin Technologies, Concord Enviro Systems, and GPT Healthcare.

November has proven to be the best month this year for IPOs with reference to deal volumes. About 10 IPOs have mobilised a collective Rs 10,566 crore this month.

HACKERS DEMAND RS 200 CRORE IN CRYPTOCURRENCY FROM AIIMS

Hackers have allegedly demanded an estimated Rs 200 crore in cryptocurrency from the AIIMS-Delhi as its server remained out of order for the sixth consecutive day, official sources said on Monday. It is feared that data of 3-4 crore patients may have been compromised due to the breach detected Wednesday morning.

The India Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IN), Delhi Police, and representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs are investigating the ransomware attack.

IFFI JURY CHIEF SLAMS INCLUSION OF ‘THE KASHMIR FILES’

Describing the controversial movie The Kashmir Files as “propaganda” and “vulgar”, Israeli filmmaker and a jury chief at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Nadav Lapid, said he was “shocked” and “disturbed” by its inclusion in the competitive section.

Sharing the jury report during the closing ceremony of the 53rd edition of IFFI in Goa, Lapid said: “Usually, I don’t read from paper. This time, I want to be precise. I want to thank the director and head of the programming of the festival for its cinematic richness, the diversity and complexity…There were 15 films in the international competition — the front window of the festival. Fourteen out of them had the cinematic qualities…and evoked vivid discussions. We were, all of us, disturbed and shocked by the 15th film, The Kashmir Files. That felt to us like a propaganda, vulgar movie, inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival.”

Lapid was the jury chairman of the International Competition section of IFFI. The writer-director, whose film Synonyms won the Golden Bear award at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival in 2019, said: “I feel totally comfortable to share openly these feelings here with you on stage since the spirit that we felt in the festival can surely accept a critical discussion which is essential for art and life.”

Lapid delivered his remarks before a number of dignitaries, including Union I&B Minister Anurag Thakur.

ELON MUSK'S "GO TO WAR" POST AGAINST APPLE'S TIGHT CONTROL ON APP STORE

Twitter owner Elon Musk on Monday opened fire against Apple over its tight control of what is allowed on the App Store, saying the iPhone maker has threatened to oust his recently acquired social media platform.

Musk also joined the chorus crying foul over a 30 percent fee Apple collects on transactions via its App Store -- the sole gateway for applications to get onto its billion plus mobile devices.

A series of tweets fired off by Musk included a meme of a car with his first name on it veering onto a highway off-ramp labeled "Go to War," instead of continuing onwards towards "Pay 30%."

The billionaire CEO also tweeted that Apple has "threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won't tell us why."

FOOTBALL WORLD CUP

Cameroon 3-3 Serbia (Group G) (Points: Cameroon 1, Serbia 1)

South Korea 2-3 Ghana (Group H) (Points: South Korea 1, Ghana 3)

Brazil 1-0 Switzerland (Group G) (Points: Brazil 6, Switzerland 3)

Portugal 2-0 Uruguay (Group H) (Points: Portugal 6, Uruguay 1)

INSPIRED CAMEROON RALLY TO DRAW WITH SERBIA

Cameroon striker Vincent Aboubakar came off the bench to score one goal and set up another as the Indomitable Lions rescued a point in their 3-3 draw with Serbia on Monday that ended a run of eight successive World Cup losses for the African side.

The roller-coaster Group G fixture leaves both sides on a single point from their two games, still just in contention for a last 16 place, although Cameroon must face Brazil in their final match on Friday, while Serbia take on Switzerland.

GHANA EDGE OUT SOUTH KOREA IN THRILLER

Mohammed Kudus netted twice as Ghana edged out South Korea 3-2 in a dramatic and fluctuating World Cup Group H game on Monday to stay in contention for the next round.

Ghana led 2-0 at halftime but allowed South Korea back into the match as Cho Gue-sung netted twice in three minutes to level at 2-2, only for Kudus to earn Ghana victory in a heart-stopping contest.

BRAZIL RIDE ON CASEMIRO'S STRIKE TO BEAT SWITZERLAND 1-0

Casemiro struck a beautiful goal to give Brazil a 1-0 lead in the 83rd minute. The Manchester United midfielder's strike was enough for Brazil to edge Switzerland and qualify for the Round of 16. Earlier, Vinicius Jr. seemed to have put Brazil in front in the 65th minute but VAR intervened and saw his opener being chalked off because of an offside call in the build-up. Switzerland didn't create many big chances and were made to pay by Brazil in the end. Brazil also made it to the Round of 16, with one match to go.

PORTUGAL BEAT URUGUAY TO BECOME THIRD TEAM INTO LAST 16

A second half brace from Bruno Fernandes sent Portugal through to the last 16 of the World Cup on Monday to join France and Brazil after a 2-0 win over a lacklustre Uruguay. Fernandes scored with a cross intended for Cristiano Ronaldo that sailed fortuitously into the net on 54 minutes and converted a spot kick in stoppage time to put his side into the knockout stages with a match remaining.

INDICATORS

Sensex 62,505 (+211), Nifty 18,563 (+50), Trading Value NSE (Rs.crores) 56,235

Nasdaq 11,050 (-177) Dow 33,849 (-498), S&P 3,964 (-62)

(US$-Rs. 81.66 GBP-Rs. 98.29, Euro-Rs. 84.83, UAE Dhm-Rs. 22.23, Can$-Rs. 60.70, Aus$- Rs. 54.58

GBP 0.83 /US$, Euro 0.96 /US$, Jap.Yen 138.52 /US$, Aus$ 1.49 /US$, Sing 1.37 /US$, Bang Taka 101.34 /US$, Can$ 1.34 /US$, Mal Ring 4.47 /US$,

Pak Re 223.64 /US$, Phil Peso 56.62 /US$, Russian Rouble 60.92 /US$, NZ$ 1.61 /US$, Thai Baht 35.70 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 36.72 /US$)

Bitcoin - USD 16,172

Dollar Index 106.62 Brent Crude 82.81 BDI 1,324

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,741 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 5,298 / 4,856, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 67,500

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many - not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some. - Charles Dickens

OFF TRACK

A guy was on the kidney-transplant list. It was obviously a tense time for his family.

But one day, the phone rang and his teenage son answered. It was the hospital with good news. "Dad" he yelled excitedly. "Your parts are in!"