BILLS REPLACING CRIMINAL LAWS NEED WIDE CONSULTATIONS: CONGRESS

Days after Home Minister Amit Shah introduced three Bills in the Lok Sabha to replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act, the Congress on Sunday accused him of “misleading” Parliament by claiming that some sections related to zero-FIR, e-FIR, hate speech and mob lynching were newly added. The party argued that many such provisions already existed.

Picking holes in the Govt’s claims, the Congress also demanded that the Bills and its provisions must be thrown open for a larger public debate by judges, lawyers, jurists, criminologists, reformers, stakeholders and the public “in order to stay away from the trap of bulldozing the entire criminal law structure without discussion that is so ingrained in the DNA of the BJP govt”.

In a statement, AICC general secretary Randeep Surjewala referred to as many as 18 changes proposed by the Home Minister, who had claimed that mob lynching has been criminalised for the first time.

“Without naming mob lynching, Clause 101 of the proposed Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) provides for punishment of murder committed by a group of five or more persons…..Giving huge concession to mob-lynchers, the BJP govt has watered down the lowest punishment for mob lynching to seven years whereas the lowest punishment under the IPC for such crime was life imprisonment,” he said.

He said the Home Minister had claimed that hate speech will now be punishable with three-year jail whereas section 295A of the IPC already provides for punishment up to 3 years in such cases.

Similarly, he said, the Govt has claimed that the new law defines terrorists and terrorism for the first time. Surjewala said various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 enacted by the Indira Gandhi govt defines a terrorist act and terrorist gang.

Surjewala said the claims on zero-FIR and e-FIR are also misleading. He said the Home ministry had way back in 2013 made it mandatory for all police stations to register ‘zero FIRs’ irrespective of their territorial jurisdiction. He said it was a brainchild of the UPA govt. As far as e-FIR is concerned, he said the CCTNS (Crime & Criminals Tracking Network and Systems) system was inaugurated in 2013 by the then home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.

BJP HIGHLIGHTS POSITIVE CHANGES PROPOSED IN CRIMINAL LAWS

The mandatory video recording of search and seizure operations by police, and statutory timelines for trial in the govt’s overhaul of colonial-era criminal laws will provide speedy justice and make police more accountable, said former Union minister for law and justice Ravi Shankar Prasad.

“The compulsory video recording makes the police more accountable. Deposing on video conferencing will expedite the trial. These are tweaks that bring positive changes in the process,” he said.

“Every police station has mountains of evidence like cars and other things which are kept as case property. Now, you keep a video recording for the judge and dispose of them (case property),” Prasad added. New Bills also prescribe timelines for judges, too, to ensure speedy trial. “Apart from timelines for police to file chargesheet in 90 days, now the court also has to give a judgement 30 days from the date on which the verdict is reserved. The perennial delays will be addressed through these statutory obligations,” he said.

Lauding Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement in the Lok Sabha that the offence of sedition is repealed, Prasad said, “The law has to evolve and progress with time. Sedition is a classic example of continuing colonial legacy.”

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, tabled in the Lok Sabha on August 11 to replace the IPC, removes the word sedition but contains a provision that penalises “endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India”. Asked why a similar offence is prescribed , Prasad said: “We don’t have a law for ‘rajdroh’ but what we now have is a law for ‘deshdroh’.” “Can we deny the threat of terrorism and separatism in India? This law is targeted at forces that attempt to bifurcate India,” he added.

‘DIVERSITY DEFICIT’ IN SC, HCS: PARLIAMENTARY PANEL

Highlighting poor representation of SCs, STs, OBCs, women, and minorities in the Supreme Court and high courts, a parliamentary panel has said the higher judiciary suffered from a “diversity deficit”.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice headed by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi pointed out that out of 601 HC judges appointed since 2018, only 18, 9 and 32 judges belonged to SC, STs and minorities while 72 and 91 were from OBC and women categories, respectively. While there was no clarity about the category of 13 judges, the rest 457 belonged to the general category, it stated.

“The representation of SCs, STs, OBCs, women, and minorities in the higher judiciary is far below the desired levels and does not reflect the social diversity of the country. In recent years, there has been a declining trend in representation from all marginalised sections of Indian society,” the report of the committee said.

“Though there is no provision for reservation in the judicial appointments at High Courts and Supreme Court level, the committee feels that adequate representation of various sections of Indian society will further strengthen the trust, credibility, and acceptability of the Judiciary among the citizens,” it stated.

RAHUL GANDHI: PERVERTED LOGIC BEHIND ‘VANVASI’ TERM USED BY BJP FOR TRIBALS

Taking strong exception to the ‘vanvasi’ term used by the BJP to describe the tribal community, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said there is a ‘perverted logic’ behind the word (vanvasi).

On his second day of visit to his constituency, Wayanad, since being reinstated as an MP, Rahul was speaking after inaugurating a power line commissioned using the MPLAD funds, at a govt-run hospital meant for tribals in the district.

Referring to the BJP concept of ‘vanvasi’, Rahul said there were two ideologies fighting in the country. “We say ‘adivasi’, the other side says ‘vanvasi’. There is a perverted logic behind the word ‘vanvasi’. It denies that you are the original owners of India and it restricts you to the jungle. The idea behind ‘vanvasi’ is that you belong to the jungle and you should never leave the jungle. This is not acceptable to us and we don’t accept this word. This is a distortion of your history and your tradition. It is an attack on your relationship with this country,’’ he said.

Rahul said the word ‘adivasi’ implied original owners, “who should be given rights over land, over forests and should be allowed an imagination to do whatever they want. As the owners of the land, you should be able to have your children study engineering, learn computers, become doctors and do business. You should also get the rights to land and the forest produce. You should not be restricted and categorised. The entire planet should be open to you,’’ he said.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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NIGER ANOTHER FLASHPOINT FOR RUSSIA, WEST

A group of countries in West Africa with abundant mineral wealth have become the latest flashpoint in the tussle between the West and Russia.

Leaders from Niger, which has had the latest coup in West Africa, met with coup leaders of Mali and Burkina Faso to discuss the possibility of a rapid deployment of Wagner forces to the country in case the West-influenced 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) tried to dislodge them by military force.

Mali, where the coup took place in 2021, has expelled the French army fighting an insurgency and has recruited fighters from Russia’s private military company, the Wagner Group, to replace them. Rallies by the ruling military junta’s civilian supporters tend to have a sea of Russian flags.

Burkina Faso, which witnessed a coup in November last year, has also expelled Western military advisors and has recruited the Wagner group. At stake are mines and reserves of critical minerals ranging from cobalt to uranium. Mali and Burkina Faso have warned that any military intervention in Niger would be considered as a declaration of war against them and would lead to their withdrawal from ECOWAS.

Mali and Burkina Faso have warned that any military intervention in Niger, which has had the latest coup in West Africa, would be considered as a declaration of war against them and would lead to their withdrawal from West-influenced ECOWAS.

MAUI WILDFIRE TOLL 93, MAKING IT DEADLIEST IN US IN 100 YEARS

The death toll from the Maui wildfires in Hawaii reached 93 on Saturday, according to the Maui county website, making it the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century, with the total likely to rise as cadaver dogs sift through the ruins of Lahaina.

The scale of the damage came into sharper focus four days after a fast-moving blaze levelled the historic resort town, obliterating buildings and melting cars. The cost to rebuild Lahaina was estimated at $5.5 billion, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), with more than 2,200 structures damaged or destroyed and more than 2,100 acres (850 hectares) burned.

Hawaii Governor Josh Green warned at a press conference on Saturday afternoon the death toll would continue to increase as more victims were discovered. Dogs trained to detect bodies have covered only 3% of the search area,

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EDUCATION IN MOTHER TONGUE KEY TO NATION-BUILDING: AMIT SHAH

Educating children in their mother tongue plays an important role in nation-building, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday while addressing the sixth convocation event at the Indian Institute of Teacher Education (IITE) at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.

“It is the moral responsibility of all of us to protect and promote our languages. Therefore, every citizen should take a decision to teach their children in their mother tongue. The perceptive, reasoning, and decision-making power of children who study in their mother tongue become extremely strong, which plays an important role in nation-building. If our resolve to teach our children in the mother tongue is realised, then no one can stop the country from progressing,” Shah said.

Taking special note of the fact that Sanskrit is taught as a compulsory subject in the IITE curriculum, Shah told teachers the language is “a treasure of knowledge and that is why its study is very necessary”.

KHARGE SENDS BJP POLL MESSAGE, TEARS INTO PM MODI

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday sent BJP a message for the state elections scheduled in Chhattisgarh later this year, hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP and listing the Bhupesh Baghel-led state govt’s achievements. Kharge, who was speaking at an event in Janjgir Champa district, said the prime minister had insulted the people of Chhattisgarh by comparing the violence in Manipur to the law-and-order situation in the state.

On Manipur, Kharge said, “So many people have died, or are injured and displaced in Manipur and lakhs are going hungry there. We wanted PM Modi to open his mouth but he did not. Rahul ji went and met the people in Manipur. Modi ji says he is the representative of 140 crore people, but he kept mum on Manipur. PM Modi insulted the people of Chhattisgarh by comparing the violence in Manipur to the state. Was the PM correct in comparing Manipur to Chhattisgarh? The PM is responsible for what is happening in Manipur. Here you (Modi) are going to states like Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, or going around the world like to Egypt, but not to Manipur.”

SHARAD PAWAR SAYS SOME TRYING TO PERSUADE HIM, BUT WILL NEVER ALIGN WITH BJP

NCP founder Sharad Pawar on Sunday said some well wishers were trying to nudge him to go with the BJP, but he won’t do that.

“As the national president of the NCP, I am making it clear that my party will not go with the BJP. Any association with the BJP does not fit into the NCP’s political policy and philosophy,” Pawar said addressing reporters at Sangola in Solapur district of Maharashtra yester

He said, “Some well wishers are trying to persuade me to join BJP.” He was alluding to his nephew Ajit Pawar who broke ranks to join the Shiv Sena and the BJP govt in Maharashtra recently.

Asked about a secret meeting with Ajit, Dy CM in Maharashtra, Pawar said, “He is my nephew. What is wrong in my meeting my nephew?”

ADEQUATE SAFEGUARDS IN DATA PROTECTION LAW: ASHWINI VAISHNAW

Allaying fears over wide-ranging exemptions to the Centre and its agencies under the data protection law, Union Minister for Communications and Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said the law has adequate safeguards for citizens, and that the “fear against the govt’s power” comes from citizens’ experience with previous govts.

“The way we have prepared the law, it has adequate safeguards for citizens. A lot of the fear against the govt’s power comes from citizens’ experience with previous govts. But that is not the case today. People have a lot of trust in our govt,” Vaishnaw says.

Vaishnaw said India’s law has fewer govt-related exemptions than the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is widely held to be the most stringent privacy law of anywhere in the world.

NUH: MAHAPANCHAYAT TAKRES A DEFIANT STANCE

Hindu outfits Sunday held a mahapanchayat in Haryana’s Palwal district where they announced that they would resume the VHP's Braj Mandal Yatra on August 28 in Nuh district after it was disrupted by July’s communal violence.

While Nuh police had denied permission to the ‘Sarva Jatiye Mahapanchayat’, police in adjoining Palwal had given it clearance with conditions, including no hate speech and weapons. But Sunday’s event, held under heavy police deployment in Pondri village, saw some speakers challenging the administration “to stop them”, demanding lenient gun licences for “self-defence” and calling for the removal of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. One of these speakers even exhorted people to buy rifles, “as they shoot farther”.

Palwal’s former MLA Subhash Chaudhary, referring to an FIR filed by police in Gurugram after a mahapanchayat was held there last week, said: “How dare a police official do this? Police have no right to stop us.”

QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENT, IN NUMBERS

Around the time the country gained independence, an average Indian could only expect to live to their early thirties, and more than 80 per cent of the population was illiterate. The period since then has seen average life expectancy increase to around 70 years. Nearly four out of five Indians are literate, according to govt data.

Much of this has coincided with higher economic growth, aided by democratic accountability. The per capita net national income, broadly a measure of an average Indian’s earnings, has increased from Rs. 12,493 in 1950-51 to Rs. 98,374 in 2022-23 after adjusting for inflation. It was Rs. 34,107 in the 50th year of freedom from the British. Nevertheless, this only translates into a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.9 per cent. The size of India’s economy is now 3.4 per cent of global gross domestic product. It was 2.7 per cent in 1960 and had declined to nearly 1.1 per cent in the early 1990s before the benefits of liberalisation kicked in.

One key reason for India’s low growth is said to be low merchandise exports, which helped propel countries such as China and South Korea to prosperity. India’s share of global merchandise exports dropped to less than 0.5 per cent in the early 1980s. The pick-up since then has taken it to 1.8 per cent in 2022. This is still below the 2.2 per cent seen in 1948.

Economic growth has helped improve the availability of food grains and energy. The net availability of food grains had increased from 52.4 million tonnes in 1951 to 259.1 million tonnes in 2022 though malnourishment remained a problem.

The annual per capita availability of electricity was up from 18 kilowatt-hours to 1,255 kilowatt-hours in 2022

"TIME TO MOVE ON": MARK ZUCKERBERG CALLS OFF CAGE FIGHT WITH ELON MUSK

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms Inc., said it's "time to move on" from speculation that there will be a cage fight match between him and Elon Musk.

"I think we can all agree Elon isn't serious and it's time to move on. I offered a real date. Dana White offered to make this a legit competition for charity. Elon won't confirm a date, then says he needs surgery, and now asks to do a practice round in my backyard instead. If Elon ever gets serious about a real date and official event, he knows how to reach me. Otherwise, time to move on. I'm going to focus on competing with people who take the sport seriously," Zuckerberg posted on Threads.

Public rivalry between Musk, 52, and Zuckerberg, 39, intensified after the initial success of Meta's Threads social media platform in July. Threads, which allows users to post short blurbs in a similar fashion to X, the Musk-owned platform formerly known as Twitter, reached 100 million users within a week of its launch.

Musk talked up possibilities of a fight between him and Zuckerberg for weeks. Musk then posted last week that he will receive an MRI of his neck and upper back, which may require surgery.

INDIA LOSE FINAL T20I, WEST INDIES TAKE SERIES 3-2

The Indian batters fluffed their lines when it mattered most as a determined West Indies handed captain Hardik Pandya his first bilateral series defeat by comfortably winning the fifth and final T20 International by eight wickets in Lauderhill, Florida, on Sunday.

West Indies won the five-match series 3-2 with opener Brandon King's swashbuckling 85 not out off 55 balls paving the way for a 18-over cakewalk.

Within 24 hours of producing a batting master-class on a featherbed, the Indian batters, save Suryakumar Yadav's scratchy yet effective 61 off 45 balls, posted a sub-par score of 165 for nine after opting to bat on a used track that had become slower.

In reply, India's nemesis Nicholas Pooran (47 not out off 35 balls) looked way more fluent but was overshadowed by opener King as they added 107 runs for the second wicket to put West Indies on course despite three weather related interruptions.

On the same track where the Caribbean bowlers put the Indian batters under a tight leash, the Indian bowling attack looked horribly out of depth barring Kuldeep Yadav (0/18), who delivered yet another steady performance.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Business opportunities are like buses: there’s always another one coming. - Richard Branson

OFF TRACK

A knight returned to his castle bleeding and emaciated, his armour dented, his horse staggering under him.

"What hast befallen thee, O goodly knight?" asked his lord.

"Verily, my lord, I have been robbing, burning and pillaging thy enemies in the West."

"But, good knight, I have no enemies in the West!"

"Thou dost now."