Israel Gaza

Gaza War Hampers Israeli Tourism Industry’s Post-COVID Recovery

Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics reported that 3.2 million foreign visitors entered the country in 2023. This was more than the 2.9 million in 2022, but still a great deal less than the 4.6 million in 2019, the year prior to the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns.

The lower figure was largely caused by the war that began with the Hamas massacre of October 7. Statistics showed that the numbers of foreign visitors had almost reached the 2019 levels as of Oct. 6, but plummeted after that.

To date, the vast majority of foreign airlines have not restarted flights to Israel that were cancelled after the conflict began.

Israel saw virtually no foreign tourism over the Christmas holiday. In December, only 53,300 arrivals were recorded in Israel, 35.3 per cent of which were visitors from the United States.

The CBS also reported that 9.05 million Israelis travelled abroad in 2023, more than the 8.43 million in 2022.

Of the 2023 departures, 8.02 million were by air and 877,100 were by land. (ANI/TPS)

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Israel

Israel Hails Lakshadweep’s Pristine And Majestic Underwater Beauty

Israel said on Monday that a team had visited Lakshadweep last year and the country is ready to commence working on a desalination programme in the islands.

The Israel Embassy said in a tweet that a team from the country was in Lakshadweep last year at the request of the Indian government to initiate a desalination programme.

The embassy also shared pictures of the Lakshadweep Islands.

“We were in #Lakshadweep last year upon the federal government’s request to initiate the desalination program. Israel is ready to commence working on this project tomorrow,” Israel in India said in a post on ‘X’.

“For those who are yet to witness the pristine and majestic underwater beauty of #lakshadweepislands, here are a few pictures showing this island’s enchanting allure,” it added.

The embassy also shared a video of the majestic beach.

Meanwhile, Indian online travel company Make My Trip on Monday said that it has observed a whopping 3,400 per cent increase in on-platform searches for beach destination Lakshadweep ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the archipelago.

This interest by potential tourists in local Indian beaches has prompted the launch of a ‘Beaches of India’ campaign on the platform, with offers and discounts to encourage Indian travellers to explore the country’s stunning beaches.

The huge spark in interest for Lakshadweep is linked to the outcome of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent overnight stay, followed by beach visits and his participation in some adventure activities.

A massive row was triggered after three Maldives deputy ministers made disparaging and unsavoury references to PM Modi’s Lakshadweep visit.

Indians, including cricketers and film celebrities, have since come out in open support in promoting local beach destinations and other tourist spots. They also voiced support for PM Modi’s call for promoting beach tourism in Lakshadweep.

Following a huge uproar and a diplomatic row, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu suspended the three ministers who had made the derogatory remarks.

The Maldives government has also distanced itself from the remarks made by its ministers. Maldivian Minister of Foreign Affairs Moosa Zameer said that these remarks against foreign leaders are “unacceptable” and do not reflect the official position of the Maldives government.

PM Modi visited the Union Territory of Lakshadweep on January 2 and shared several pictures, including an ‘exhilarating experience’ of trying his hand at snorkelling.

In a series of posts on X, PM Modi shared pictures of the white beaches, the pristine blue skies and the ocean and tagged them with a message that read, “For those who wish to embrace the adventurer in them, Lakshadweep has to be on your list.”

Maldives receives a sizeable number of tourists from India. (ANI)

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AAP leader Satyendar Jain

SC Extends Jain’s Interim Bail

The Supreme Court on Monday extended the interim bail given to AAP leader Satyendar Jain until further orders in a money laundering case.

A bench of Justice Bela M. Trivedi and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma deferred that matter after Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Jain, argued at length and later requested an adjournment. The matter will be listed tomorrow.

Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Satyendar Jain, took the court through the genesis of the case against his client.

Senior Advocate Singhvi told the court that Jain has cooperated in the matter and there is no predicate offence made against the former minister.

The lawyer said that according to the law, assets of a company can never be attributed to a shareholder or director and he asked how money can be attributed to Jain, which lies in the company.

Additional Solicitor General, SV Raju, appeared for the probe agency.

Meanwhile, the hearing on Jain’s bail witnessed many twists and turns today as Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud explained why the matter was listed before a different combination of benches as there was a matter relating to the extension of bail. CJI also mentioned the communication received from Justice AS Bopanna to take up part-heard matters from him because he will not be able to hear the matter due to medical reasons.

Earlier, Jain’s bail plea was partly heard by a bench of Justices AS Bopanna and Bela M. Trivedi. Today, the matter is listed before a bench of Justice Trivedi and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma.

Jain underwent surgery on July 21. The interim bail given to Jain on medical grounds is extended from time to time.

On May 26, the top court granted interim bail to Satyendar Jain for six weeks in the money laundering case but imposed various conditions, including refusing to talk with the media nor leaving Delhi without permission.

The top court had also given Jain the right to choose any hospital of his choice for his medical treatment. The top court had made it clear that interim bail is considered in medical conditions.

Satyendar Jain has moved to the top court seeking bail in money laundering cases. He has challenged the Delhi High Court order dismissing his bail plea in the money laundering case against him.

Satyendar Jain’s lawyer had told the top court that he had lost 35 kg and turned into a skeleton due to this.

Former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain has moved the Supreme Court to challenge the Delhi High Court order dismissing his bail plea in the money laundering case against him.

On April 6, the Delhi High Court dismissed the bail plea of Satyendar Jain. The HC, while dismissing the Satyendar Jain bail plea, stated that the applicant is an influential person and has the potential to tamper with evidence. Satyender Jain/applicant, at this stage, can’t be held to clear the twin conditions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The HC had kept the order reserved for March 21 after the conclusion of the submissions made by the defence and prosecution sides after multiple hearings. During arguments in the High Court, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju appeared for the Enforcement Directorate, contented that money laundering is crystal clear against Jain and other co-accused. In his bail plea, Jain stated, “I appeared before the ED on seven occasions. I have cooperated and participated in the investigation. I was arrested five years down the line in 2022.”

On November 17, 2022, the trial court dismissed the bail petition of Satyendar Jain. He was arrested on May 30, 2022, under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the Enforcement Directorate and is presently in Judicial Custody in the case.

The ED case is based on a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) complaint registered on the allegation that Satyendar Jain had acquired movable properties in the name of various persons from February 14, 2015, to May 31, 2017, which he could not satisfactorily account for. (ANI)

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JD-U leader KC Tyagi

JD-U, RJD In Position To Counter BJP In Bihar: Tyagi

Regarding seat sharing within INDIA bloc, JD-U leader KC Tyagi on Monday said the JDU and RJD are in a position to counter the BJP in Bihar, had won 16 seats and will not compromise there.

“It is all right if Congress is seeking more seats in those states where they are in power. But it is impractical if they demand more seats in the states where they are not in a powerful position,” Tyagi told ANI.

KC Tyagi further said, “The Janata Dal-United is the organising body of the INDIA bloc. We are distressed by the preparations of the Bharatiya Janata Party. We are also concerned about the seat-sharing strategy of the INDIA bloc. We want things to be figured out as soon as possible. “

Speaking on the Prime Ministerial face of the mega alliance, he said, “Nitish Kumar is the face behind the formation of the alliance, and this post is far bigger than that of the convener.”

The JDU leader also took a dig at Congress stating that the latter is only worried about the party.

“Congress is free to decide on the convener. They are worried about their own party, and we are worried about the alliance,” Tyagi said. ‘

As the countdown to the upcoming Lok Sabha polls has begun, the INDIA bloc has begun its seat-sharing talks in earnest.

After the Trinamool Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT), it is the Janata Dal United that has been firm in its demand for 16 seats in Bihar.

The JDU currently holds 16 seats in Bihar; 17 are held by the BJP and the RJD does not have any Lok Sabha seat in the state.

The allocation of seats becomes pivotal for Congress, especially after recent electoral setbacks.

India’s political landscape is undergoing a significant transition as the 2024 Lok Sabha elections draw near. The INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) consortium is gearing up to challenge the established National Democratic Alliance. The bloc is struggling to resolve key challenges, including finalising seat-sharing arrangements and, most importantly, deciding on a PM face, while the BJP has started executing strategies it laid out in 2023 to secure victory in general elections. (ANI)

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Russia Fully Support Of India

Russia Fully Supportive Of India Becoming Permanent Member Of UN Security Council

Voicing his support, Russia’s Ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, has said that Russia is fully supportive of India’s right to become a permanent United Nations Security Council member.

He underlined that the matter was also discussed in depth among the foreign ministers of both countries in December.

“Russia is fully supportive of India’s right to become a permanent UN Security Council member. This topic was also discussed in depth between the Foreign Ministers in December,” the Russian Ambassador said, while speaking at the public talk-international turbulence: Challenges and opportunities, here in the National Capital.

“The India’s permanent membership in the UN Security Council, given its balanced and independent approach to the most topical issues, and the concurrent Indian Presidencies in the G20 and in the SCO in 2023 have given an opportunity to efficiently promote the agenda of these crucial associations for the sake of overcoming the current economic upheavals, promoting Sustainable Development Goals, digital and energy transitions to enhance benefits for all but not a few, [1.9s] we extensively collaborate within the BRICS format,” the envoy added.

The Russian envoy emphasised that there were exchanges between the heads of Security Councils, foreign Ministers met seven times last year.

He said, “Received the Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia Valentina Matviyenko. As also there were exchanges between the heads of Security Councils, foreign Ministers met seven times last year. This dynamic is a reflection of the high relevance of our dialogue in the current turbulent geopolitical scenario and is destined to remain so…”

“We stand like-minded in preserving the unbiased character of multilateral institutions, focusing on genuine democracy in international affairs and global governance based on the central role of the United Nations and international law, as opposed to the never-formulated rules-based order,” Alipov added.

“We resumed last year the work of the Intergovernmental Commission after the pandemic,” he said, adding that “Russia and India maintained steadfast bilateral relations underpinned with intensive political dialogue in 2023.”

Quite recently, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Moscow on a 5-day trip, where he not only met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov but also President Vladimir Putin.

Jaishankar held extensive discussions with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on a wide range of global issues Indo-Pacific, Ukraine conflict as well as Gaza.

The two leaders also discussed progress in economic cooperation, connectivity efforts, military-technical cooperation and people-to-people exchange.

Jaishankar appreciated the India-Russia trade, which is at an all-time high. He said that the negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement between India and the Eurasian Economic Union will resume in January next year.

The Eurasian Economic Union is an economic union of five post-Soviet states located in Eurasia. The five member nations are; Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

The EAM, in Moscow also announced that New Delhi is looking to expand its investments in oil and gas in which the two countries enjoy a very substantial relationship. Jaishankar said that amendments have been signed to take the Kudankulam nuclear power project forward.

He added that the two leaders also spoke about connectivity from the North-South Transport Corridor.

He called Russia India’s “valued and time-tested” partner, and said that India and Russia have benefited enormously from the relationship that the two nations share and added that the developments in various sectors, including trade, investment and military technical cooperation showcase a good sense of importance that New Delhi attaches to its ties with Moscow. (ANI)

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Ram Janmbhoomi Trust

Ram Janmbhoomi Trust Shares Stunning Pics Of Ram Mandir Bathed In Nightlight

The Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Monday shared stunning pictures of the Ram Temple premises in the nighttime.

Here is the panoramic view of Jatayu’s statue installed on Kuber Fort at the Ram Temple premises in Ayodhya.

The pictures show the hectic pace at which the construction of the much-awaited Prabhu Shree Ram temple at the birthplace of Lord Ram is being carried on.

The temple features exquisitely carved figures of deities, gods, and goddesses adorning the pillars and walls.

The pictures of the inner sanctum, of the temple show the beauty and radiance of the Ram Temple during nighttime.

The night time illumination lights up the entire premises and the beauty of the temple gets highlighted even more so.

According to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth, the Ram Mandir is a three-storied shrine, with each floor standing at a height of 20 feet. It has a total of 392 pillars and 44 doors.

The Garbhagriha is the innermost sanctum of the temple, where the deity is to be enshrined. In the sanctum sanctorum will rest the idol depicting the child form of Lord Ram (Ram Lalla) and the first floor will have a Shri Ram Darbar.

The temple consists of five Mandaps (halls) — Nritya Mandap, Rang Mandap, Sabha Mandap, Prarthna and Kirtan Mandaps.

Preparations are underway in full swing for the Ram Temple ‘Pran Pratishtha’ on January 22, which will draw dignitaries and people from all walks of life. The Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust has decided to enthrone Ram Lalla at the sanctum-sanctorum of the Ram Temple at noon on January 22. (

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Pran Pratishta ceremony at the Ram Temple on January 22. The event has garnered significant attention, with several VVIP guests from India and abroad receiving invitations to participate in the auspicious occasion in Ayodhya. Vedic rituals for the Pran-Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya will begin on January 16, a week before the main ceremony.

A priest from Varanasi, Lakshmi Kant Dixit, will perform the main rituals of the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla on January 22. From January 14 to January 22, Ayodhya will mark the Amrit Mahotsav. A 1008 Hundi Mahayagya will also be organised, in which thousands of devotees will be fed. Several tent cities are being erected in Ayodhya to accommodate thousands of devotees, who are expected to arrive in the temple town of Uttar Pradesh for the grand consecration.According to the Sri Ram Janambhoomi Trust, arrangements will be made for 10,000-15,000 people. (ANI)

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Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC)

Delhi HC Issues Notice To ED On Sanjay Singh’s Bail Plea

The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on a regular bail plea moved by Aam Aadmi Party’s senior leader Sanjay Singh in a money laundering case related to an alleged Delhi excise policy scam case.

Sanjay Singh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the case on October 4, 2023.

The bench of Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma while seeking a response from ED, fixed January 29, 2023, for the next date of hearing.

Sanjay Singh through plea stated that he is neither an accused nor a suspect in a scheduled/predicate offence (CBI Offence), wherein, the investigation has been continuing since 17.8.2022 and despite 3 Charge-Sheets/ Supplementary Charge-Sheets having been filed, absolutely nothing has surfaced against him till date.

Bail Plea further stated that at the outset, the Applicant states that the Applicant is not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing or any violation of the provisions of the PMLA in any manner whatsoever and therefore, the Applicant’s life and liberty must be protected from unwarranted and unjustified encroachment at the hands of the DoE based on a false, malicious and motivated case without any merit.

On December 22, 2023, the trial court dismissed his bail and said, “The Court is of prima facie view that the case against him is genuine. Evidence shows his involvement in the alleged offence of money laundering. There are reasonable grounds for believing that he is guilty of the alleged offence of money laundering.”

Special Judge MK Nagpal expressed his prima facie view and said, “The evidence and material show involvement of the applicant in the commission of the alleged offence of money laundering because he is shown to have been, directly or indirectly, involved in the process or activities connected with proceeds of crime generated through the scheduled offences case of CBI.”

The court further said, ” The evidence and material are also sufficient to furnish this court reasonable grounds for believing that he is ‘guilty’ of the said offence in terms of provisions contained Under section 45 of the PMLA. It can be said that the conditions laid down by section 45 for the grant of bail are not satisfied.

While dismissing the bail application, the court had also said that it had approved by the Supreme Court that bribes in connection with the formulation of the Delhi excise policy were paid.

“It can also be observed by this court that the basic case of ED in the present ECIR stands approved upto the Supreme Court and it has been endorsed by the Apex Court that the bribe or kickbacks in connection with formulation of excise policy of the GNCTD for the year 2020 21 was/were paid and it was so approved by rejection of bail application of accused Manish Sisodia on merits by their Lordships of the said court,” special judge MK Nagpal said in the order.

The court had also said that even the bail applications of various other accused arrested in this case, namely Sameer Mahandru, Amit Arora, Vijay Nair, Arun Ramachandran Pillai, Amandeep Dhall and Abhishek Boinpally, have already been dismissed by this court in light of their involvement with the process and different activities relating to the said proceeds of crime and bail applications of some of these accused are now stated to be pending before the Supreme Court or before the High Court.

Thus, the observations made by this court regarding the interpretation of provisions of Section 45 and 50 of the PMLA, while dismissing the said bail application based on the legal position stated above, have yet not been overturned or set aside either by the High Court or by the Supreme Court, Special judge clarified in the order.

The special judge also noted that reliance was placed on the above order of the Supreme Court granting bail to the accused Benoy Babu in this case.

The court said that even in the said order of the Honorable Apex Court no contrary observations regarding the interpretation of the said provisions are found to have been made and even no parity can be drawn therefrom qua the applicant as the said accused was in custody in this case for the last around 13 months and his case on merits is also stated to have been different.

It was submitted by the Counsel for Sanjay Singh that no recovery of any part or portion of the amount of Rs. 2 crores allegedly paid to the applicant has been effected from his possession or even from his residence during such proceedings dated 04.10.2023. The court said that this is not material as such recovery is not always necessary to be effected.

It was also the submission of Senior Counsel that besides the above oral and documentary evidence, there is no other documentary evidence to show the trail connecting the applicant with the alleged proceeds of crime.

The court rejected the submission and said that even this submission of Senior Counsel cannot be given any weight at this stage as no such further documentary evidence constituting the trail thereof could have been possible to be collected or recovered by the investigating agencies since the alleged transactions constituting the generation of proceeds of crime were made in cash only and not through any documentary or electronic mode.

The court also rejected the submission of Senior Counsel for the applicant that the statements of the approver should not be considered as the same has been given by him under an inducement from or the influence of ED officials and on a promise of being tendered a pardon in case he gives an incriminating statement against some big politicians of AAP including the applicant.

The court said that even these submissions of Senior Counsel cannot be accepted at this stage. There is nothing to show from the record that the approver had acted under any coercion or influence of the ED officials.

The court also said that besides the evidence and material collected by ED in respect to delivery and payment of an amount of Rs 2 crores to the applicant by the approver Dinesh Arora, it has also been alleged that the applicant is even found to have played an important role towards the formulation of the excise policy of the GNCTD for the year 202021, i.e. previous to the year 2021- 22 in respect to which these cases were originally registered, and it is being stated that during the investigation, recovery of one unsigned MoU of 18.06.2020 has been effected.

The said MoU was to be executed between accused Amit Arora, approver Dinesh Arora and one Vivek Tyagi and it is alleged that through this MoU and some other related activities, an attempt was made by the applicant to generate proceeds of crime to offences committed in respect to the above said previous policy, the court noted.

It was stated that Vivek Tyagi was attempted to be inducted as a dummy partner by the applicant in the above firm named Aralias Hospitality belonging to the accused Amit Arora and a share of twenty per cent was sought to be secured for this dummy associate of the applicant.

The court observed, “It was done in lieu of extending favours to the accused Amit Arora in connection with formulation and implementation of the said policy for the previous year 2020-21, though, somehow, the said attempt could not succeed.

The statements of approver Dinesh Arora accused Amit Arora and witness Ankit Gupta, who was working as CA of approver Dinesh Arora, are being referred to this aspect along with statements of some other witnesses.

The court further said that it is also gathered from the above statements that though initially the above entity was sought to be created with only two partners, namely the approver Dinesh Arora and accused Amit Arora, the name of Vivek Tyagi was added later on and the statements of approver and the above other accused further show that it was done at the instance of this applicant only.

It is alleged by the agency that Vivek Tyagi is the current Personal Assistant of the applicant, the court noted in the order. (ANI)

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Lakshadweep Modi

Google Searches For Beach Destination Lakshadweep Skyrocket After Modi’s Visit

Worldwide, Google searches for Lakshadweep are at their highest in the last 20 years, that too by a huge margin reflecting a hockey stick graph.

This huge spark in interest for Lakshadweep could be linked to the outcome of PM Modi’s overnight stay, followed by beach visits and some adventure activities he partook in the form of snorkelling.

A massive row that is triggered after Maldives deputy minister, along with other cabinet members and government officials, made disparaging and unsavoury references to PM Modi’s Lakshadweep visit, also is likely to have raised people’s interest in the archipelago.

Indians, including cricketers and film celebrities, have since come out in open support in promoting local beach destinations and other tourist spots. They also voiced support for PM Modi’s call for promoting beach tourism in Lakshadweep.

On January 2, PM Modi visited the Union Territory of Lakshadweep and shared several pictures, including an ‘exhilarating experience’ of him trying his hand at snorkelling.

In a series of posts on X, PM Modi shared pictures of the white beaches, the pristine blue skies and the ocean and tagged them with a message that read, “For those who wish to embrace the adventurer in them, Lakshadweep has to be on your list.”

It is to be noted a large part of Maldives inbound tourists are Indians.

Amid the Lakshadweep row, Maldives Envoy to India, Ibrahim Shaheeb was on Monday morning at the Ministry of External Affairs in the national capital’s South Block.

In a post that has now been deleted, the Maldivian Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Shiuna, made a mocking and disrespectful reference to PM Modi.

The Maldives government has, however, distanced itself from the remarks made by its ministers. Maldivian Minister of Foreign Affairs Moosa Zameer said that these remarks against foreign leaders are “unacceptable” and do not reflect the official position of the Maldives government.

He stated that the Maldives remains committed to fostering a “positive and constructive dialogue” with all its partners, particularly its neighbours.

In a post shared on X, Moosa Zameer stated, “The recent remarks against foreign leaders and our close neighbours are unacceptable and do not reflect the official position of the Government of #Maldives. We remain committed to fostering a positive and constructive dialogue with all our partners, especially our neighbours, based on mutual respect and understanding.” (ANI)

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Kolkata Dr rape-murder Case

Bilkis Bano Case: SC Asks 11 Convicts To Surrender

The Supreme Court on Monday struck down the Gujarat government’s order granting remission to 11 convicts who had gangraped Bilkis Bano and murdered her family members during the 2002 Godhra riots.

A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan quashed the Gujarat government’s remission order by which convicts were released pre-maturely.

It asked all 11 convicts to surrender before jail authorities within two weeks.

The bench held that the Gujarat government was not competent to pass the remission orders but the Maharashtra government. It said the appropriate government to decide the remission was the state within whose territorial limits the accused are sentenced, not where the crime is committed or the accused are imprisoned.

The top court held that the judgement of May 13, 2022, by which another bench of the apex court had directed the Gujarat government to consider remission of convicts as per the 1992 policy, was obtained by “playing fraud” on the court and by suppressing material facts.

The Gujarat government usurped the powers of the Maharashtra government acting in furtherance of the judgement dated May 13, 2022, which, in our opinion, is a “nullity,” said the bench.

The convicts had not approached the court with clean hands, said the bench, adding that proceedings before this court were due to “suppression of facts,” and that is why it is fraud played on this court.

The apex court questioned why the Gujarat government had not filed any application seeking a review of the May 13, 2022, order, as it was not the appropriate government.

It was a classic case where the order of the Supreme Court has been used for violating the rule of law for passing orders for remission, the top court said.

The exercise of power by the State of Gujarat is an instance of “usurpation and abuse of power,” said the bench while reprimanding the State government for not filing a petition to review the convicts’ release.

“The exercise of power by the State of Gujarat is an instance of usurpation of power and abuse of power. This is a classic case where the order of this court was used to violate the rule of law by granting remission. On that ground also, the remission orders deserve to be quashed,” it said.

The judgement of the top court came on a petition filed by Bilkis Bano and others challenging the pre-mature release of 11 convicts.

Pronouncing the verdict, the bench said, “We hold that writ proceeding before this court was due to suppression of facts and that is why it is fraud played on this court…”

Earlier, the Gujarat government, in its affidavit had defended the remission granted to convicts, saying they had completed a 14-year sentence in prison and their “behaviour was found to be good”.

The State government had said it has considered the cases of all 11 convicts as per the policy of 1992 and remission was granted on August 10, 2022 and the central government government also approved the release of convicts.

It is pertinent to note that the remission was not granted under the circular governing the grant of remission to prisoners as part of the celebration of “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.”

The pleas filed before the top court had said they have challenged the order of competent authority of the government of Gujarat by way of which 11 persons who were accused in a set of heinous offences committed in Gujarat were allowed to walk free on August 15, 2022, pursuant to remission being extended to them.

The remission in this heinous case would be entirely against public interest and would shock the collective public conscience, as also be entirely against the interests of the victim (whose family has publicly made statements worrying for her safety), pleas stated.

The Gujarat government had released the 11 convicts, who were sentenced to life imprisonment, on August 15, 2022. All 11 life-term convicts in the case were released as per the remission policy prevalent in Gujarat at the time of their conviction in 2008.

In March 2002, during the post-Godhra riots, Bano was allegedly gang-raped and left to die with 14 members of her family, including her three-year-old daughter. She was five months pregnant when rioters attacked her family in Vadodara. (ANI)

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Maldives’ Ex-Prez Solih Condemns Use Of Hateful Language

Former Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Sunday condemned the use of ‘hateful language’ against India by government officials on social media, saying New Delhi has always been a good friend to the island nation.

Taking to his official handle on social media platform X, Solih posted, “I condemn the use of hateful language against India by Maldivian government officials on social media.”

He stressed that “India has always been a good friend to the Maldives and we must not allow such callous remarks to negatively impact the age-old friendship between our two countries”.

A massive uproar broke after a Maldivian deputy minister and some other government officials shared derogatory posts about PM Modi’s recent visit to Lakshadweep.

PM Modi visited the Union Territory of Lakshadweep on January 2 and shared several pictures, including an ‘exhilarating experience’ of him trying his hand at snorkelling.

In a series of posts on X, PM Modi shared pictures of the white beaches and the pristine blue skies and the ocean, and tagged them with a message that read, “For those who wish to embrace the adventurer in them, Lakshadweep has to be on your list.”

In a post that has now been deleted, the Maldivian Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Shiuna, made a mocking and disrespectful reference to PM Modi over his visit to the Indian island cluster.

Her post even featured images of PM Modi from his visit to Lakshadweep.

A section of India’s film fraternity, too, came out in support of PM Modi and strongly criticised the derogatory remarks by Maldivian leaders against the country and its leader.

They also voiced support for PM Modi’s call for promoting beach tourism in Lakshadweep.

In a series of posts on X, PM Modi shared pictures of the white beaches and the pristine blue skies and the ocean, and tagged them with a message that read, “For those who wish to embrace the adventurer in them, Lakshadweep has to be on your list.”

“Recently, I had the opportunity to be among the people of Lakshadweep. I am still in awe of the stunning beauty of its islands and the incredible warmth of its people. I had the opportunity to interact with people in Agatti, Bangaram and Kavaratti. I thank the people of the islands for their hospitality. Here are some glimpses, including aerial glimpses from Lakshadweep…During my stay, I also tried snorkelling – what an exhilarating experience it was! For those who wish to embrace the adventurer in them, Lakshadweep has to be on your list,” PM Modi posted on X.

He also laid the foundation stone for development projects worth over Rs 1,150 crore in Agatti on Tuesday. (ANI)

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