OVER 300 VICTIMS OF DELHI RIOTS AWAIT PROPER COMPENSATION
While on the face of it the disbursement of Rs 26 crore to 2,221 victims of the North East Delhi communal violence of February 2020 appears meagre, even reaching this level has taken a lot of effort from the sub-committee which was constituted by the Delhi Legislative Assembly’s Minorities Welfare Committee in August last year. At the time of the constitution of this panel, compensation of only Rs 6.32 crore had been paid in 47 cases. Since the process of evaluation of loss and payment of compensation was slow in the beginning and many complaints were filed regarding inaccurate assessment of loss or injury, the minorities panel chairperson and Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Okhla, Amanatullah Khan, had announced the constitution of the sub-committee to gather “correct information” about the compensation paid to the victims. However, since then, hundreds of complainants approached the Compensation Claims Commission and the Minorities Welfare Committee of the Delhi assembly, claiming that they have not been paid proper compensation.
CITIZENS CAN’T BE JAILED FOR DISAGREEING WITH STATE POLICIES
Twenty-two-year-old activist Disha Ravi, who was arrested in connection with a toolkit on the farmer protests that was tweeted by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, was granted bail by a Sessions Court in Delhi on February 23. The court order comes as a blow to the Delhi Police, which had alleged that the activist was the “key conspirator” in the formulation and dissemination of the document and that she collaborated with pro-Khalistani group Poetic Justice Foundation (PJF) to “spread disaffection against Indian state”. In the bail order, Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana noted that the accused had “absolutely no criminal antecedents”. “In my considered opinion, Citizens are conscience keepers of government in any democratic Nation. They cannot be put behind the bars simply because they choose to disagree with the State policies. The offence of sedition cannot be invoked to minister to the wounded vanity of the governments,” said the Judge.
MOSQUE VANDALISED IN UP VILLAGE
There was heavy deployment of police personnel at the Lona Sonbarsa village in Uttar Pradesh, after a mosque was found vandalised on February 19. The village falls under the jurisdiction of Jhangha Police Station in Gorakhpur district, the former constituency of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath. Station House Officer, BB Rajbhar reportedly said, “Some miscreants burnt religious books and a case against unidentified people was registered.” Additional Superintendent of Police (North) Manoj Kumar Awasthi said, “We found that someone had removed the mike from the holder and kept it on the floor. When we fixed the mike found it was working. Few religious books were found burnt.”
HC UPHOLDS DAUGHTER’S CUSTODY WITH MOTHER
The Punjab & Haryana High Court last week upheld a daughter’s custody with her mother and observed that there are so many things that a daughter can’t discuss with her father and as such mother is the best person to take care of her daughter at growing age. The Bench of Justice Ashok Kumar Verma and Justice Augustine George Masih also opined that during her teen years, a daughter looks for mother/a female companion with whom she can share and discuss certain issues comfortably. The Father of a 13-year-old daughter challenged the Judgment passed by the Family Court, Gurugram allowing her wife to take over the custody of the minor girl from her Father. The Civil Reference arose out the applications led by the father-Rajat Agarwal for interim custody of the girl child before the Court of District Judge, Family Court, Gurugram, which were transferred to the High Court from the Family Court vide order dated 5th April 2018.
ONE MORE PETITION FILED SEEKING RECOGNITION OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE!
The Division Bench comprising Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw and Justice Amit Bansal on February 27 issued notice in the matter titled as “Udit Sood and Ors. v. Union of India & Anr.” in the Delhi High Court. The Petitioners has led a Writ Petition praying for inter alia declaration that Section 4 (c) and any other provisions of the Special Marriage Act, 1954, or the rules or regulations framed thereunder, are construed as requiring one “male” and one “female” for the solemnisation of a marriage, those provisions be declared unconstitutional unless read as neutral to gender identity and sexual orientation. Since the issue involved in the Writ Petition is already pending before the High Court, the matter has been tagged with other Writ Petitions where similar relief has been claimed.
ANTI-MINORITY BIAS HAS SEEPED INTO GOVERNMENT POLICIES: HRW
Anti-minority bias in India has spread to the courts and the police, Human Rights Watch said February 19, amid months-long protests by farmers that authorities vilify and brand as Sikh separatist demonstrations. The watchdog said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had adopted policies that systematically discriminate against minorities in the country of 1.34 billion people. In a statement, issued ahead of the first anniversary of the Delhi communal riots, HRW said the authorities had not conducted fair probe into the riots instigated allegedly by ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders.
POLICE NAB ILLEGAL BANGLADESHI IMMIGRANT WORKING FOR BJP
The Anti-Terrorism Squad of Mumbai has arrested a 24-year-old illegal Bangladeshi immigrant on 31 January 2021 who was allegedly working as the youth president of Bharatiya Janata Party’s North Mumbai Minority Cell, a report said on February 20. The accused has been identified as Rubel Sheikh. Responding to the arrest, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Spokesperson Sachin Sawant said that while the BJP is scaring people away by insisting on the implementation of the CAA, illegal immigrants in the country are also being given a place by the party. “Is this BJP’s ‘Sangh Jihad’? Some BJP leaders are found smuggling Gaumata and some are proved to be ISI agents. Now Rubel Sheikh, the president of the minority cell of BJP, turned out to be Bangladeshi. Is there a provision given in the CAA for BJP?” he said. According to the report citing police officials, Sheikh was residing in the Malad area of Mumbai with fake Aadhaar and PAN cards.
IMA OBJECTS TO PATANJALI AYURVED’S CLAIM ON CORONIL
Indian Medical Association (IMA) on February 22 took strong objection against Yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved’s announcement that Coronil is very effective in boosting immunity and controlling COVID-19. In a statement, IMA said: “Indian Medical Association is shocked to note the blatant lie of WHO certification for a secret medicine launched by Yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved in the presence of Hon’ble Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.” Ramdev, yoga guru and co-founder of Patanjali, on Friday released a scientific research paper prepared by the Patanjali Research Institute. But, the World Health Organisation (WHO) later issued a clarification saying it has not reviewed or certified any traditional medicine to treat or prevent COVID-19.
NEW DIGITAL RULES SEEM TO ‘GO AGAINST PRINCIPLE OF NEWS’
DigiPub News India Foundation, an 11-member digital-only news association, on Friday wrote to the Centre raising concerns about some provisions of the new rules to regulate social media companies, streaming platforms and digital news content. The rules, issued by the government on February 25, virtually bring any and every news website in the country under its ambit, and seeks to regulate them under a “Code Of Ethics And Procedure And Safeguards In Relation To Digital/Online Media”. In a letter addressed to Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, the association said that self regulation of all media, including those in the digital news space, was a welcome move, but pointed out that the rules in “some places appear to go against the fundamental principle of news and its role in a democracy”.