4 YEARS AFTER ABROGATION OF ARTICLE 370, SC TO DECIDE ITS FATE

Was the decision taken by the Centre on August 5, 2019 to abrogate the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, which bestowed a special status on the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, constitutionally valid? The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce its verdict today on a batch of petitions challenging the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370.

The apex court reserved its verdict in the matter on September 5 after a 16-day hearing.

During the hearing, the top court heard Attorney General R Venkataramani, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, senior advocates Harish Salve, Rakesh Dwivedi, V Giri and others on behalf of the Centre and the intervenors defending the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370.

Senior advocates, including Kapil Sibal, Gopal Subramanium, Rajeev Dhavan, Zaffar Shah and Dushyant Dave, had argued on behalf of the petitioners.

During the hearing, some of the petitioners opposing the repeal of Article 370 had argued that the provision could not have been abrogated as the term of the Jammu and Kashmir constituent assembly ended in 1957 after it drafted the erstwhile state's Constitution. With the constituent Assembly having become extinct, Article 370 acquired a permanent status, they had said.

The apex court had asked who can recommend the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir when no constituent assembly, the concurrence of which is required before taking such a step, exists there. The top court had also asked how can a provision (Article 370), which was specifically mentioned as temporary in the Constitution, become permanent after the tenure of the Jammu and Kashmir constituent assembly came to an end in 1957.

The Centre had argued that there was no 'constitutional fraud' in annulling the provision that accorded the special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

TRIBAL LEADER VISHNU DEO SAI TO BE NEW CHHATTISGARH CM

The BJP on Sunday picked Vishnu Deo Sai, a prominent tribal leader, as the next chief minister of Chhattisgarh, ending the suspense over who will helm the state which the saffron party wrested from Congress in recent polls.

Sai, 59, was elected as the BJP's legislative party leader during a meeting of 54 newly-elected MLAs held at the party's state headquarters in Raipur in the afternoon, a party functionary said. After the meeting, a delegation of BJP MLAs led by Sai met governor Biswabhusan Harichandan to stake a claim to form the next govt.

The swearing-in ceremony of the new chief minister may take place on December 12 or 13 as per the availability of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a senior BJP leader said.

As a chief minister, Sai said he would try to fulfil PM Modi's 'guarantees' and sanction 18 lakh houses to the beneficiaries of the PM Awas Yojna, who were deprived of the benefits under the erstwhile Congress govt, will be the top priority.

The former Union minister who had also served as Chhattisgarh BJP chief, Sai was elected as an MLA from the Kunkuri seat in the state's Surguja division, swept by the BJP which won all 14 segments in the region. Overall, the BJP bagged 17 of the 29 seats reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates, a feat that added crucial numbers to its winning tally.

This comprehensive win in the tribal turfs contributed to the BJP's resounding victory in the Assembly polls and return to power in the state after a gap of five years.

Sai started his political career as a village sarpanch and rose to become a Union minister and a multiple-time Lok Sabha member besides getting important organisational roles.

INDIA BLOC TO CHANGE COURSE, NEXT MEET ON DEC 19

Evolving a 'core positive agenda', seat sharing and a programme to hold joint rallies are among the main challenges before the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) that will be taken up at its next meeting in the national capital on December 19.

'The 4th meeting of the leaders of INDIA parties will be held on Tuesday December 19th, 2023 in New Delhi at 3 pm,' Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X on Sunday.

The parties intend to move forward with the unity theme -- 'Main Nahin, Hum' (We, Not Me) -- as a counter to PM Narendra Modi at the meeting, a senior leader of the Congress said.

The challenge before the opposition parties now is to come out with an alternative positive agenda to counter the BJP in the next general elections, the leader said.

"Evolving the core positive agenda for the INDIA bloc is the biggest challenge for the opposition parties that would help it take on the BJP," the leader said. He added that the issues that dominated during the Bharat Jodo Yatra like 'rising' economic inequality, social polarisation and political authoritarianism besides price rise and inflation are some issues that are likely to find resonance on the ground during the Lok Sabha polls.

These issues would become part of the common agenda of the opposition parties that will help the opposition alliance take on the BJP.

MEA DENIES 'SECRET MEMO' TARGETING SEPARATISTS ABROAD

The MEA on Sunday strongly denied existence of a “secret memo” allegedly issued by it asking the country’s consulates in north America to launch a “sophisticated crackdown” on Sikh separatist groups in Western countries.

MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, reacting to a report in ‘The Intercept’, said: “This is part of a sustained disinformation campaign against India. The outlet in question is known for propagating fake narratives peddled by Pakistani intelligence. Posts of (report’s) authors confirm this.... We strongly assert that such reports are fake and completely fabricated. There is no such memo”.

‘The Intercept’ report claimed the memo called for “concrete measures” to “hold the suspects accountable”. Terrorist Hardeep Nijjar was murdered in Vancouver in June, two months after being named as a target in the alleged document sent to Indian consulates in April. Around the same time, the US has alleged the Indian govt’s involvement in an attempt to murder another terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The memo allegedly instructs Indian consulates to cooperate with agencies to confront Sikh separatist groups.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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"IT'S OVER, SURRENDER NOW": NETANYAHU'S "BEGINNING OF END" WARNING TO HAMAS

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called for Hamas operatives to lay down their arms, saying the Palestinian group's end was near, as the war in the Gaza Strip raged more than two months after it began.

"The war is still ongoing but it is the beginning of the end of Hamas. I say to the Hamas terrorists: It's over. Don't die for (Yahya) Sinwar. Surrender now," Netanyahu said in a statement, referring to the chief of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. "In the past few days, dozens of Hamas terrorists have surrendered to our forces," Netanyahu said.

The military has, however, not released proof of operatives surrendering, and Hamas has rejected such claims.

Almost one month ago, Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Hamas had "lost control" of Gaza.

Hamas, on the other hand, warned Sunday that no hostage would leave the territory alive unless the group's demands were met. "Neither the fascist enemy and its arrogant leadership... nor its supporters... can take their prisoners alive without an exchange and negotiation and meeting the demands of the resistance," Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas's armed wing, said in a televised broadcast.

Israel on Saturday said 137 captives remained in the Palestinian territory.

Mediator Qatar said on Sunday that efforts to secure a new truce and release more hostages were ongoing but warned that the relentless Israeli bombardment was "narrowing the window" for a successful outcome.

U-PENN PREZ QUITS AFTER TESTIMONY IN CONGRESS ON ANTISEMITISM DRAWS IRE

The University of Pennsylvania’s president has resigned amid pressure from donors and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing where she was unable to say under repeated questioning that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s conduct policy. The departure of Liz Magill, in her second year as president of the Ivy League school, was announced by the school on Saturday. The statement said Magill will remain a tenured faculty member at the university’s Carey Law School.

Calls for her resignation exploded after Tuesday’s testimony in a House committee on antisemitism on college campuses, where she appeared with the presidents of Harvard University and MIT. Blowback focused on a line of questioning from Republiacn representative Elise Stefanik, who repeatedly asked whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” would violate Penn’s code of conduct. “If the speech turns into conduct it can be harassment, yes,” Pressed further, Magill told Stefanik, “It is a context-dependent decision, congresswoman.”

Criticism rained down from the White House, Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, members of Congress and donors. One donor threatened to withdraw a $100 mil lion gift because of the university’s “stance on antisemitism on campus” unless Magill was replaced. A day later, Magill addressed the criticism, saying she would consider a call for the genocide of Jewish people to be harassment or intimidation and that Penn’s policies need to be “clarified and evaluated.” She had been under fire from some donors and alumni over the university’s handling of various perceived acts of antisemitism. That included allowing a Palestinian literary arts festival to be held on its campus in September featuring speakers whose past statements about Israel had drawn accusations of antisemitism.

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BJP WORRIED ABOUT VASUNDHARA'S LIKELY REVOLT

Two-time Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje, who was sidelined by the BJP’s central leadership and was not projected as the chief minister during the assembly election campaign, is on the war path. Raje, 70, is hell-bent on becoming chief minister for the third time and has picked up cudgels against the party's central leadership.

Some 45 BJP MLAs who won the Vidhan Sabha election went to her residence in Jaipur soon after the results were declared on December 3, 2023 and this led the BJP leadership in both the state and at the Centre to believe that Vasundhara Raje is lobbying to become chief minister again. Her supporters claimed that the 45 MLAs met her only to seek her blessings and her detractors should not read any meaning into it.

Her supporters also say she commands the support of 75 MLAs and these legislators will reveal their backing for Vasundhara Raje when the central observers -- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Saroj Pande and BJP national General Secretary Vinod Tawde -- meet with the MLAs on Sunday, December 10, in Jaipur.

Vasundhara Raje and her son Dushyant Singh, the Lok Sabha MP from Jhalawar in Rajasthan, met BJP national President J P Nadda this week to press her claim for the chief ministership .

The BJP's central leadership is in no mood to give her a third term as chief minister, but Narendra D Modi, Amit A Shah and Nadda understand that she may lead a revolt against the party and even form a govt with the outside support of the Congress, which has 69 MLAs in the new assembly.

Vasundhara Raje led the party to victory in 2003 and then in 2013. She was projected as the chief ministerial candidate in 2003, 2008, 2013 and 2018. But the party's current leaders feel that the party could never retain power when she was chief minister.

Never before has the BJP faced such a crisis over the nomination of a CM as it does now.

MAYAWATI DECLARES NEPHEW AS HER POLITICAL HEIR

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Sunday declared her nephew Akash Anand as her political successor, a party office-bearer said. During an all-India meeting of the BSP in Lucknow, she also asked party leaders and workers to strengthen the organisation ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, according to an official statement.

"Akash has been declared the 'uttaradhikari' by Mayawati ji," Udayveer Singh, the BSP's Shahjahanpur district unit chief, told reporters. "He has been given the responsibility to strengthen the party organisation where it is weak all over the country, except in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand," Singh said.

On his bio on X, Anand describes himself as 'a young supporter of Baba Saheb's vision' and according to BSP MLC Ambedkar, he is 27-year-old.

ODISHA I-T SEARCHES: CASH HAUL OVER RS 350 CRORE AS COUNTING ENDS

The total amount of cash seized during the Income-Tax Department’s searches at multiple properties in Odisha linked to Baldeo Sahu and Group of Companies Ltd, a distillery firm run by family members of Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand Dhiraj Sahu, has exceeded Rs 350 crore, said officials.

This is the highest-ever cash seizure by an agency in a single operation, said sources in the I-T Department. The counting of the seized currency notes took five days and concluded on Sunday.

To get into the source of the seized “unaccounted cash”, the I-T officials are examining two employees of the liquor manufacturing unit. Based on their statements, the agency will take further course of action.

In Patna, Union Home Minister Amit Shah slammed the Opposition parties, particularly its INDIA bloc, for remaining silent on the cash seizure. Shah said it is quite clear now why a campaign was being run against Prime Minister Narendra Modi that agencies are being misused. “It was run because there was fear in their mind that all the secrets of their corruption will be revealed,” he said.

“Opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi and INDI alliance leaders should answer questions on the seizure of such huge cash. BJP will take it to the grassroots and create awareness among masses. Our fight has been against corruption since 2014. PM Modi has taken several steps to curb corruption,” said Shah.

JARANGE-PATIL WARNS FADNAVIS NOT TO POISON MARATHA LEADERS’ MINDS

Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil on Sunday attacked Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis alleging that he was turning the Maratha leaders against the Maratha community. For the first time, the BJP’s Maharashtra unit has reacted to Patil’s statement and advised him to desist from targeting Fadnavis ‘or else “face the wrath of Marathas.”

Speaking to reporters in Latur on Sunday, “Initially, Devendra Fadnavis showed how large-hearted he is. We started trusting him. Now, he is again trying to needle us…This is because those who are speaking against Maratha reservation include BJP leaders who belong to Maratha community. These leaders are close to Fadnavis.”

Advising Fadnavis ”not to put poison of his mind” in the minds of Maratha leaders, Jarange-Patil said, ”Maratha community is currently observing peace. I request Devendra Fadnavis to let us be. He should not try to poison the minds of Maratha leaders, and through these leaders, try to create unrest people.” Urging the Dy CM to rein in his leaders, the activist said, “Fadnavis should control his leaders or else he should declare his stand publicly. If he does not control those leaders, we will expose all his deeds.”

HOUSE PANEL RECOMMENDS PUJA, RITUALS AT ASI SITES OF ‘RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE’

A parliamentary panel has recommended the govt to explore the possibility of permitting puja and worship at monuments protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) that have religious significance. The report on ‘Issues relating to Untraceable Monuments and Protection of Monuments in India’ was presented in both Houses on Friday.

If that happens, it will open a Pandora’s Box since many of the protected monuments include dilapidated temples, dargahs, churches and other religious sites. As of now, ASI only permits worship and rituals at monuments wherein such traditions were on at the time of the monument coming to the agency’s custody.

In its recommendations, the committee — headed by YSR Congress Rajya Sabha MP V Vijaisai Reddy and including more than a dozen MPs from across political parties — said that “several historical monuments across the country hold immense religious significance to a large number of people and allowing pujas/worship/certain religious activities at such monuments can fulfil legitimate aspirations of the people”.

Of the 3,693 centrally protected monuments and archaeological sites maintained by the ASI, a little less than a fourth (820) have places of worship, while the rest are considered non-living monuments where no new religious rituals can be started or conducted.

MAKE IN INDIA: APPLE WAY AHEAD OF PLI SCHEME COMMITMENTS

In a “Make in India” success story, Apple Inc has assembled iPhones with a freight-on-board (FOB) value of more than Rs 60,000 crore in the first seven months of 2023-24 (FY24) through its three vendors in the country.

This accounts for 81 per cent of their combined target of Rs 74,000 crore, which they were required to achieve in FY24 under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for mobile devices. Seventy per cent of this is from exports of iPhones from India. 

The numbers are based on data provided by the three vendors — Foxconn, Pegatron, and Wistron (now acquired by Tatas) — to the Centre and the state govts. 

According to their current run rate, the three vendors are expected to hit an FOB value of Rs 90,000 crore to Rs 1 trillion of iPhones production by the end of FY24, which will be 20 to 35 per cent higher than what they have committed under the PLI scheme. 

If achieved, iPhone’s three vendors will easily surpass the FOB value target for FY25, pegged at Rs 92,526 crore. The target in the fifth year is to reach Rs 1.09 trillion, helping Apple accelerate its ambition to shift 18-20 per cent of its iPhone production to India by FY26.  

SA VS IND: RAIN PLAYS SPOILSPORT AS 1ST T20I CALLED OFF

India's desire to start the process of finding an ideal combination for the T20 World Cup 2024 suffered a minor dent as their first match against South Africa was abandoned without a ball being bowled after persistent rain in Durban on Sunday.

Now, the 'Men in Blue' are left with just five T20Is -- two more against the Proteas and three games against Afghanistan at home in January -- ahead of next year's T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA.

With the IPL 2024 preceding the T20 World Cup, the Indian think-tank will certainly bank on the league to identify the ideal 15 for the marquee event.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Things remain the same because it is impossible to change very much without changing most of everything. - Ted Sizer

OFF TRACK

Three weeks after her wedding day, Joanna called her minister. "Reverend," she wailed, "John and I had a DREADFUL fight!"

"Calm down, my child," said the minister, "it's not half as bad as you think. Every marriage has to have its first fight!"

"I know, I know!" said Joanna. "But what am I going to do with the BODY?"