GOVT, JUDICIARY STANDOFF: GOVT RETURNS 19 OF 21 NAMES THAT COLLEGIUM SENT

Setting the stage for a standoff with the judiciary on appointment of judges, the government has returned 19 of the 21 pending recommendations by the Supreme Court Collegium for appointment of High Court judges. The recommendations were reportedly returned hours before the Supreme Court hearing on judicial appointments on November 28. These include 10 names that were pending after they were reiterated by the Collegium, and 9 names pending after the first recommendation.

Two recommendations, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said in a tweet Tuesday, have been accepted. These are for the appointment of advocates Santosh Govind Chapalgaonkar and Milind Manohar Sathaye as judges of the Bombay HC. The Collegium had recommended their names on September 12.

Of the 10 names returned after the Collegium’s reiteration, five were for Allahabad HC; two for Calcutta HC; two for Kerala HC; and one for Karnataka HC.

The Collegium’s September 26 decision recommending Justice Dipankar Datta, Chief Justice of Bombay HC, as a judge of the Supreme Court is also pending with the government.

A 1993 ruling and an SC opinion in 1998 evolved the Collegium system for appointments and transfer in the higher judiciary. It is this Collegium system that is now being questioned by the Law Minister and being called “opaque” and “not accountable”.

Earlier, on November 11, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, issued a “simple notice” to the Justice Secretary and the Additional Secretary (Administration and Appointment) in the Ministry of Law and Justice to respond before November 28 on why the government was dragging its feet on the Collegium recommendations.

Conventionally, the government is bound to accept the Collegium’s recommendation if the decision has been reiterated. While the Memorandum of Procedure does not specifically talk about reiteration of the Collegium recommendations, it says “the Union Minister of Law, Justice and Company Affairs, would then put up as early as possible, preferably, within 3 weeks, the recommendation of the Chief Justice of India to the Prime Minister who will advise the President in the matter of appointment.”

BENEFITS ONLY FOR THOSE WHO WORSHIP PM: RAHUL GANDHI

After offering prayers at the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at a rally on Tuesday invoked Hindu religion to attack the BJP government saying that it disrespects those who toil hard such as workers, farmers and small businessmen — the real ‘tapasvis’ akin to Hindu gods Shiva, Rama and Krishna.

With vermillion smeared on his forehead, Gandhi peppered his speech with references about Hindu Gods and Bhagawad Gita at a well-attended rally as part of his Bharat Jodo Yatra in the temple town.

Rahul said he has not done any ‘tapasya’ by walking across the country. “I will tell you who all are doing real ‘tapasya’ in India…the workers…farmers, carpenters, barbers, gardeners, electricians, small shopkeepers, labourers…they do ‘tapasya’…day in day out…their entire life. The Hindu religion teaches us to worship ‘tapasvis’…so why are they not worshipped… the government does not give them anything… it gives everything to those who do ‘puja’ of Narendra Modi,” he said.

“Those who worship Modi… they get everything they want… railways, ports, airports…roads, power, water…everything. A handful of individuals worship the PM and the country’s entire wealth is given to them,” he said.

INDIA’S RISE DEEPLY LINKED WITH RISE OF INDIAN TECH: JAISHANKAR

Underlining that India’s rise is deeply linked to the rise of Indian technology, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said India’s geopolitical positioning will be a net assessment of politics of energy; economics and technological interests.

Speaking at the Global Technology Summit in New Delhi — organised by Carnegie India and the Ministry of External Affairs — Jaishankar said, “Geopolitics ultimately comes down to partners and choices. For India, who gives access; who provides markets and who collaborates are the key criteria.”

He said that in a world of civil-military fusion, the definition of strategic technologies has changed. Building deep strengths alone will drive re-balancing, he said.

He said the rise of India was deeply linked with the rise of Indian technology and the country cannot remain agnostic to the developments in the sector that has acquired strong political connotation.

India would like to use its G20 Presidency to reflect the interests and concerns of the global south that have been sidelined over the years, he said. “The rise of India is deeply linked to the rise of Indian technology. It could be semiconductors, it could be 5G, artificial intelligence, commercial space launches, satellite fabrication,” Jaishankar said. He said technology should be given substantial weight in deciding India’s geopolitical positioning as it would play a key role in striking alliances in a multipolar world.

‘K FILES’: ENVOY CRITICISES ISRAEL DIRECTOR’S REMARKS

Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid’s disparaging comments over the inclusion of “The Kashmir Files” in the competitive section of the International Film Festival of India that concluded in Goa on Monday triggered a strong backlash with even Israel’s envoy to India, Naor Gilon, calling them “insensitive and presumptuous”.

As Lapid’s comments ballooned into a political firestorm, the Israeli mission swung into damage-control mode. Ambassador Gilon said Lapid should be “ashamed” of abusing India’s invitation to chair the panel at Iffi and the trust, respect and warm hospitality bestowed on him. He said, “I’m no film expert but I do know that it’s insensitive and presumptuous to speak about historic events before deeply studying them and which are an open wound in India. ”

At a joint conference with Anupam Kher, Israel consul general Kobbi Shoshani said the filmwas not propaganda and “carried a very strong message”.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 53rd edition of Iffi, the government’s marquee film festival, Lapid had said that he and his fellow jurors were “disturbed and shocked” by the inclusion of “The Kashmir Files” since it was “a propaganda, vulgar movie”.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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

FOR THE FIRST TIME, LESS THAN HALF OF UK'S POPULATION IS CHRISTIAN

For the first time, less than half of the population in England and Wales identifies as Christian, according to census data released Tuesday.

The 10-yearly census carried out in 2021 showed rapid growth for the Muslim population, but "no religion" was the second most common response after Christian, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

In an increasingly secular age, Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said it was no "great surprise" that the Christian proportion was declining over time. But he said that, facing a cost-of-living crisis and war in Europe, people still needed spiritual sustenance. "We will be there for them, in many cases, providing food and warmth. And at Christmas millions of people will still come to our services," said the archbishop. "At the same time, we will be looking beyond our immediate surroundings, remembering we are part of a global faith, the largest movement on Earth and its greatest hope for a peaceful, sustainable future."

The religion question was added to the UK census in 2001. It remains voluntary to answer, but fully 94.0 percent of respondents did, according to the ONS.

Some 27.5 million people or 46.2 percent in England and Wales described themselves as Christian, down 13.1 percentage points from 2011.

"No religion" rose by 12 points to 37.2 percent or 22.2 million, while Muslims stood at 3.9 million or 6.5 percent of the population, up from 4.9 percent before.

The next most common responses were Hindu (1.0 million) and Sikh 524,000), while Buddhists overtook Jewish people (273,000 to 271,000).

UNIVERSITIES EMPTIED OUT, POLICE ON PATROL AS CHINA CURBS PROTESTS

Chinese universities sent students home and police fanned out in Beijing and Shanghai to prevent more protests on Tuesday after crowds angered by severe anti-virus restrictions called for leader Xi Jinping to resign in the biggest show of public dissent in decades.

With police out in force, there was no word of protests on Tuesday in Beijing, Shanghai or other major cities that saw crowds rally over the weekend. Those widespread demonstrations were unprecedented since the army crushed the 1989 student-led prodemocracy movement centered on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. A far smaller group did gather at a university in Hong Kong on Tuesday to protest virus restrictions.

Meanwhile, Beijing’s Tsinghua University, where students rallied over the weekend, and other schools in the capital and the southern province of Guangdong said they were protecting students from Covid-19 by sending them home. But dispersing them to far-flung hometowns also reduces the likelihood of more demonstrations.

THE REST

=========

PRODDED BY PRESIDENT, SC SEEKS DETAILS OF POOR LANGUISHING IN JAILS

Days after an emotional speech of President Droupadi Murmu flagging the plight of poor tribals languishing in jails in petty offences despite bail, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed prison authorities across the country to provide details of such prisoners within 15 days to National Legal Services Authority of India for formulating a national scheme for their release.

The president had, in her maiden Constitution Day address on November 26 at the Supreme Court, highlighted the plight of poor tribals of her home state Odisha besides Jharkhand, saying they remain incarcerated despite getting bail for lack of money to furnish the bail amount or arrange sureties.

Departing from her written speech in English, Murmu had spoken in Hindi to urge the judiciary to do something for the poor tribals, noting those accused of serious offences walk out free but these poor inmates, who may have gone to jail for slapping someone, have to spend years on end before they are released.

Justice SK Kaul was among those seated on the dais with Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, when the president narrated her experience of meeting several undertrial prisoners as an MLA in her native Odisha and later as the governor of Jharkhand.

A bench of Justices Kaul and Abhay S Oka on Tuesday directed the jail authorities to submit the details of such prisoners to the respective state governments which will forward the documents to the National Legal Service Authority within 15 days.

The bench said the jail authorities will have to submit such details as the names of undertrial prisoners, charges against them, date of the bail order, what bail conditions were not met and how much time they have spent in jail after the bail order.

VIVEK AGNIHOTRI: ‘I'LL QUIT FILMMAKING IF…'; ISRAEL ENVOY ALSO SLAMS NADAV LAPID

Kashmir Files director, Vivek Agnihotri took to his social media to share a video, where he has opened up about the remarks made against his film. He said, "This is nothing new for me because these kinds of words have been used by terrorist organisations and urban naxals, and those supporting 'Bharat ke tukde tukde'. But what is surprising is that on the stage of an event organised by the Government of India, this narrative by terrorists wanting to separate Kashmir from India was supported."

He added, "Who are these people who always stand against India? This was made after interviewing 700 people, whose family and kins were killed, gang-raped and cut in halves. Are those 700 people spreading propaganda and talking vulgar?"

He concluded by saying, "I challenge all intellectuals, urban naxals and even the Israeli filmmaker who made these remarks to prove if any scene, dialogue or event shown in the film is false. If they do it, then I will quit film-making."

GEHLOT-SACHIN SMOKE PEACE PIPE, FOR NOW

In a show of unity days after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot called his former deputy Sachin Pilot a "traitor", the two leaders seemed to put their power tussle on hold as they appeared together before the cameras.

"This is the Rajasthan Congress," the All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K C Venugopal said at a press conference where he held the hands of both leaders.

The Congress leaders were talking to reporters after participating in a meeting on preparations for the party's Bharat Jodo Yatra, scheduled to enter Congress-run Rajasthan on December 4.

ADANI GROUP WINS DHARAVI REDEVELOPMENT BID: WHAT IS THE LONG-DELAYED PROJECT

The Adani group has won the bid for the long-delayed Dharavi redevelopment project, which aims to transform a huge slum cluster — located on prime commercial land — in Mumbai.

Confirming the development, SVR Srinivas, Chief Executive officer of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project, said, “The Adani group quoted Rs 5,069 crore for this project, followed by Rs 2,025 crore quoted by the DLF group. Only Adani and DLF qualified in the final bidding. The third, Naman Group, couldn’t make it.”

The slum sprawl, spread over 2.8 sqkm, is home to an informal leather and pottery industry which employs over a lakh people. The state government had envisaged this sprawl to be transformed into a cluster of high-rises with improved urban infrastructure. It entailed resettling 68,000 people, including slum dwellers and those with commercial establishments.

The state was to provide 300-sqft houses for free to residents with proof that their slum structure was in existence before January 1, 2000, and for a price to those who settled in Dharavi between 2000 and 2011.

AIIMS CYBER ATTACK: AT LEAST FIVE SERVERS INFECTED, HAVE DATA OF 3-4 CRORE PATIENTS

At least five servers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have been infected by the cyber attack which has disabled online services at the premier hospital for a week now.

Sources said the five servers hosted data of approximately 3-4 crore patients, but added that reports of patient data being stolen had “no factual basis”.

Meanwhile, two systems analysts are learnt to have been suspended on Monday for not responding to phone calls and not attending an emergency meeting on November 23, when the cyber attack took place.

While hospital services have been operating in manual mode since the cyber attack, a team of experts from the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-in) and National Informatics Centre (NIC) are working on restoring digital services.

ADANI GROUP STAKE IN NDTV REACHES 29.18 PER CENT

News broadcaster New Delhi Television Ltd’s (NDTV’s) promoter firm RRPR Holding said on Monday that it had transferred shares constituting 99.5 per cent of its equity capital to Adani group-owned Vishvapradhan Commercial (VCPL).

The transaction was done on Monday, RRPR Holding said in a disclosure to the stock exchanges, in consonance with a conversion notice, dated August 23, 2022, issued by VCPL.

The transfer of shares will give the Adani group control over a 29.18 per cent stake in NDTV.

The port-to-power conglomerate is also conducting an open offer for another 26 per cent stake in the media firm.

Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani group, in an interview with the Financial Times, recently said the NDTV purchase was a “responsibility” rather than a “business opportunity” for him, and invited NDTV owner-founder Prannoy Roy to remain its head.

FOOTBALL WORLD CUP

Netherlands 2-0 Qatar (Group A) (Points: Netherlands 7, Qatar 0)

Ecuador 1-2 Senegal (Group A) (Points: Ecuador 4, Senegal 6)

Wales 0-3. England (Group B) (Points: Wales 1, England 7)

Iran 0-1 United States (Group B) (Points: Iran 3, US 5)

DUTCH DOWN QATAR TO TOP GROUP A

Netherlands eased past already eliminated Qatar 2-0 to top Group A and reach the knockout stages on Tuesday after Cody Gakpo netted his third goal in three games, bringing the curtain down on the World Cup hosts with their third straight defeat.

For Qatar, the tournament ended as it started with a loss at the Al Bayt Stadium, and the Gulf state will now have to focus on its role as host as it seeks to plot a future for football in the country after paying billions to stage the World Cup.

SENEGAL THROUGH TO ROUND OF 16

A change of tactics by Senegal to bypass Ecuador's sturdy midfield allowed them to capitalize on their rivals' indecisiveness between defending and attacking in a 2-1 win that sent the African nation into the knockout stage of the World Cup.

In their final Group A match on Tuesday and needing a win to progress, Senegal opted to play a lone target man, with their wingers wider than they have so far in the tournament.

With wingers Ismaila Sarr and Iliman Ndiaye at times marauding near the touchline, Senegal avoided being stopped by Moises Caicedo, a lynchpin of the Ecuadorean team. The pair stimulated the Senegalese attack with seven completed crosses and 15 attempts at goal.

ENGLAND MARCH INTO ROUND OF 16

England marched into the last 16 of the World Cup as Group B winners after Marcus Rashford's double and a Phil Foden strike justified their first starts of the tournament in a 3-0 hammering of an outclassed Wales on Tuesday.

ONE US GOAL CRUSHES IRAN'S DREAM

Christian Pulisic bundled the ball home at a cacophonous Al Thumama Stadium as the United States stormed into the World Cup last 16 on Tuesday by beating Iran 1-0 in a Group B contest shrouded by decades of enmity between the two nations.

Pulisic's 38th-minute goal proved enough for the Americans to advance at the expense of their geopolitical rivals.

The U.S. finished two points behind Group B winners England to reach the last 16 for the fifth time since 1994. Iran finished third with three points, with Wales bottom with one point.

INDICATORS

Sensex 62,682 (+177), Nifty 18,618 (+55), Trading Value NSE (Rs.crores) 50,953

Nasdaq 10,984 (-66) Dow 33,853 (+3), S&P 3,958 (-6)

(US$-Rs. 81.64 GBP-Rs. 97.86, Euro-Rs. 84.53, UAE Dhm-Rs. 22.22, Can$-Rs. 60.43, Aus$- Rs. 54.69

GBP 0.83 /US$, Euro 0.96 /US$, Jap.Yen 138.48 /US$, Aus$ 1.49 /US$, Sing 1.37 /US$, Bang Taka 101.51 /US$, Can$ 1.35 /US$, Mal Ring 4.50 /US$,

Pak Re 224.42 /US$, Phil Peso 56.53 /US$, Russian Rouble 60.88 /US$, NZ$ 1.61 /US$, Thai Baht 35.47 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 36.73 /US$)

Bitcoin - USD 16,854

Dollar Index 106.56 Brent Crude 83.70 BDI 1,347

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,753 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 5,288 / 4,846, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 68,000

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

A lot of people approach risk as if it's the enemy when it's really fortune's accomplice. - Gordon Matthew Sumner

OFF TRACK

A man approached his family physician and said, "Doc, I'm afraid you'll have to remove my wife's tonsils one of these days."

The doctor pulled out the family's medical file and exclaimed, "Why, I removed them six years ago! Did you ever hear of a woman having two sets of tonsils?"

"No," the husband retorted, "but you've heard of a man having two wives, haven't you?"