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India to sign more logistics pacts with Russia, U.K. and Vietnam to counter China

To secure its maritime borders and play the role of a responsible power capable of standing up to China, India is working on a logistics support agreement with Russia, the U.K. and Vietnam.

India just concluded a logistics support agreement, the Reciprocal Provision of Supplies and Services with Japan early this week, and the agreement with Russia is expected to be signed in October.

At present, India now has military logistics agreements with all Quad countries, Australia, Japan and the U.S., and regular military exercises have significantly improved interoperability as they also operate several common military platforms.

The agreements with the U.K. and Vietnam are under discussion. Roman Babushkin, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Russian Embassy in India, said early this week, The agreement with Russia, the Reciprocal Logistics Support (ARLS), is expected to be signed during the bilateral summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin in mid-October,”.

The agreement will give India access to Russian facilities in the Arctic region. In the last ten years, the Arctic region has seen increased global activity as new shipping routes have opened up giving opportunities to have access to resources.

India and Australia in June signed the long-pending Mutual Logistics Support (MLSA) agreement and a Comprehensive Strategic partnership was announced in a joint declaration on a shared vision for maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

In 2016, India signed several logistics agreements with the US beginning with the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Understanding (LEMOA) with the Indian Navy has been the biggest beneficiary of them.

After India signed foundational agreement Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) with the U.S., it got access to encrypted communication systems for seamless communication. In March 2019 the Indian Navy and U.S. Navy signed a loan agreement and installed two Pacific fleet provided CENTRIXS (Combined Enterprise Regional Information Exchange System) kits at the Indian Navy headquarters.

Such logistic agreements would not only enhance India’s security concern in the vast Indian Ocean Region, it would also allow it’s navy more operational legroom.

CM B S Yediyurappa Govt to take stern action against drug peddling

In the coming week, the Karnataka Government is going to launch a major crackdown on narcotics, substance abuse and drug peddling said, State Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday (13 September).

Karnataka Government headed by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa will take certain key decisions by strengthening agencies and laws to fight the drugs and narcotics menace that has plagued Karnataka.

The State Government will be using the services of the intelligence department and will be working with Central Crime Branch (CCB) to further strengthen the crackdown, Bommai said.

Also, the Karnataka Government has instructed the police to become more vigilant in border districts against drugs coming into the State from inter-state borders. The police will be on the lookout for information from all platform which will be taken seriously and investigated for necessary further action.

Already several noted personalities are under the CCB’s investigations into drug cases that have led to the arrests actress Ragini Dwivedi, Sanjjanaa Galrani, and high-end party planner Viren Khanna among many more.

Centre directs Andhra govt to take action against rampant Christian conversions and misuse of reservation

Taking cognizance of the complaint filed by Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF) – an NGO working in the area of national security, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has directed the Andhra Pradesh government’s Department of Social Justice to initiate action against misuse of reservation provisions and rampant religious conversion by force and enticement.

The LRPF had in January 2020 exposed the way reservation provisions were being sabotaged by influential evangelists who were forcing the government authorities to issue caste/community certificate to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Communities who have converted to Christianity.

The LRPF had had given a representation with demographic details of Christians in Andhra Pradesh along with the appeasement policy of the state government and the disproportionate number of Churches in various Districts and Mandals. It asked for the need to safeguard the identity of SC/STs so that they continue to enjoy the constitutional benefits.

The LRPF had quoted from a report titled “What happened to the Christians of Andhra Pradesh?” brought out by the Centre for Policy Studies that sheds light on the demographic data of Christians in Andhra Pradesh.

The data from the report shows a sharp decline in those who declared their religion as Christianity between 1971 and 2011.

For example, while the population of Guntur district went up from 28.44 lakhs to 48.87 lakhs between 1971 and 2011, the number of Christians came down from 4.15 lakh to just 0.89 lakh in a span of 40 years.

Another investigation conducted by LRPF revealed that 70% of the 29,841 Christian pastors, who received one-time government honorarium of ₹5,000 through the Disaster Relief Fund, hold Scheduled Caste / Other Backward Caste certificates illegally.

This notice from the Union Ministry of Social Justice is seen as an important intervention as the Andhra Pradesh government will have to report on the matter to the Ministry.

LRPF has said that they will be pursuing the matter with the Andhra government as well. They said that such misuse of caste certificates by converted Christians should stop as it robs the Hindu SC/ST’s of the government benefits who are truly downtrodden.

Delhi HC adjourns petition seeking registration of same sex marriages under Hindu Marriage Act till October

The Delhi High Court on Monday heard a PIL seeking the registration of same sex marriages under the Hindu Marriage Act and has adjourned the matter till October 21.

The PIL filed by Advocate Raghav Awasthi and Mukesh Sharma on behalf of the petitioners – defence and strategic affairs expert Abhijit Iyer Mitra, intersex activist Gopi Shankar Madurai, transgender activist G Oorvasi and senior women rights and lesbian activist Giti Thadani – seeks the registration of same sex marriages under Hindu Marriage Act.

Advocate Awasthi submitted before the Court that the petitioners are seeking marriage equality under the Hindu Marriage Act as the benefits available to heterosexual couples are not available to homosexual couples. The Advocate also pointed out that Section 5 of the Act does not say that marriage has to take place between a man and a woman.

The Court asked whether any homosexual couple applied for marriage registration but were denied to which Advocate Awasthi said that such marriages were not registered.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta representing the Centre stated that as per his legal opinion, the recognition of same sex marriages under the Act would be contrary to prevailing laws.

“What petitioners are seeking cannot be granted. Our legal system, society and values do not recognize marriages between same sex couples”, the Solicitor General said.

He read out section of degree of prohibited relationships under Hindu Marriage Act, saying it refers to ‘man’ and ‘woman’. He also said that “the Supreme Court only decriminalized homosexuality” and “nothing more or less”.

He said that the official stance of the Centre would be put on record before the Court soon.

The bench on its side observed that if there are any aggrieved persons, they can approach the courts and that there was no question of a PIL. The bench also asked to give the names of persons who wish to get registered but are denied.

One of the petitioners Gopi Shankar Madurai is trying to get his marriage registered.

The matter has now been adjourned till October 21.

Click here to know more about the petition.

Delhi HC to hear petition on rights of SOGIESC community to marry under Hindu Marriage Act

A petition has been filed at the Delhi High Court seeking the recognition of the right of SOGIESC (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics) community members to marry under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.

The public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed by defence and strategic affairs expert Abhijit Iyer Mitra, intersex activist Gopi Shankar Madurai, transgender activist G Oorvasi and senior women rights and lesbian activist Giti Thadani .

The petitioners have contended that Section 5 of the Hindu Marriage Act permits ‘any two Hindus’ to solemnise their marriage under the Act and nowhere does it state that the marriage must be between a cis Hindu man and cis Hindu woman and therefore allowing for members of the SOGIESC community to marry under the Act.

However, clause (iii) of Section 5 of the Act states that the marriage may be solemnized if the ‘bridegroom’ has completed 21 years and the ‘bride’ 18 years at the time of marriage though there is no explicit definition of bridegroom being a cisman and the bride to be a ciswoman.

They note that despite having no statutory bar under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and Special Marriage Act, 1956, marriage between SOGIESC members are not being recognized across the country, as a result of which benefits available to heterosexual couples are made unavailable to them.

Although section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalizes homosexual acts has been struck down, it is not possible for gay couples to get married.

The public interest litigation (PIL) filed on behalf of the petitioners by advocates Mukesh Sharma and Raghav Awasthi note that denial of the right to marry encroaches upon the fundamental rights of LGBT people enshrined in the Constitution.

“The Right to Marry is stated under Human Rights Charter within the meaning of the right to start a family. The Right to Marry is a universal right and it is available to everyone irrespective of their sexual orientation and gender identity”, the plea noted.

It is to be noted that a similar petition is pending at the Kerala High Court for the right of recognition of homosexual marriages under the Special Marriages Act.

Speaking to The Commune, Gopi Shankar Madurai said that a 2019 Madras High Court judgement upheld the marriage between a man and a transwoman where the court observed that the word ‘bride’ in the Hindu Marriage Act included a transwoman too.

Ze also said that Lord Aravan, believed to be the son of the third Pandava Arjuna and Naga princess Uloopi, married Lord Krishna as per to Aravan spiritual traditions.

Gopi said that diverse indigenous Hindu non-Agamic and Agamic Adyatmik traditions recognize the love of LGBTQI communities.

US media report: Xi Jinping in hot soup as he failed to read India’s tough stand at the LAC

xi jinping cina india tibet visit

The Newsweek, a leading US magazine has published a report that states that China’s President Xi Jinping has risked his future by escalating border tension with Indian at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

For the last four months, China has been playing a series of games against India, however, these high-profile incursions into Indian territory have “unexpectedly flopped” after the Indian Army backed by a strong leader in Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided not to back away, the report noted.

President Xi Jingping who has consolidated all the state powers in his hands has been called as the “architect” of the PLA’s aggressive moves against India. Xi has purged many important leaders within China to consolidate his position and has been called the most powerful man in China after its founder Mao Tse Tung.

The report in Newsweek states, “Unfortunately for Xi, he is the “architect” of these aggressive moves into India and his People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has unexpectedly flopped. The Chinese army’s failures on the Indian border will have consequences,”.

“More important, the failures motivate China’s aggressive ruler — who as chairman of the Party’s Central Military Commission, is the leader of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the ruling Communist Party of China — to launch another offensive against Indian positions,” the magazine warns.

Since 1975 there have no causalities in the India-China border but on June 15 20 Indian soldiers and an undisclosed number of soldiers on the Chinese side died in an ambush in the Galwan Valley.

“China is thought to have suffered at least 43 deaths in the Galwan clash,” the magazine says.

Citing Cleo Paskal of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, it says the number of Chinese killed could exceed 60. “Indian troops fought back ferociously. Beijing won’t admit the extent of the debacle,” it says.

The magazine goes not to say that China did not anticipate India would go on to occupy key heights and completely misread India’s resolve. The article reads, “China’s forces were surprised when Indian troops mounted their attempt to retake strategic high points. Stunned Chinese soldiers retreated,”.

“China’s subsequent efforts to counter the Indian moves proved ineffective. At least for the moment, India’s troops, in the southernmost of the three areas of conflict, are in control of territory once in Chinese hands,” it adds

“The Ground Force does not have a track record of success in contested situations. Its last major engagement was in 1979 when, in the effort to ‘teach Vietnam a lesson,’ the Chinese troops were repelled and humiliated by their much smaller neighbour,” the magazine notes.

“India is not giving the invaders the opportunity to improve,” it says, adding that India’s troops are displaying ‘newfound boldness’.

“The game has changed,” Paskal says. “You can say the Indians are more aggressive or more aggressively defensive, but they are in fact bolder and better.”

The strong opposition India has put at the LAC has created a lot of political problem for Xi, as questions are being asked many experts think there will be a purge in the military to ensure the failures are not on Xi’s shoulders.

China thought that it could talk peace but be militarily aggressive at the same time by getting into an agreement to resolve their border row. However, India has made it very clear that talks are futile until the status quo ante is not achieved.

Surya in soup for commenting on judges in his letter against NEET

Actor Surya Sivakumar, who of late finds himself in news more for his virtue signalling positions than for his movies, has courted trouble after he wrote an elaborate letter voicing out his opinion against the conducting of NEET exam.

In his letter Surya called NEET and other entrance exams as ‘Manu Needhi’ exams saying that such exams brought out by the government amplified inequalities in society. He said that education policies are being framed by those who do not understand ground realities.

However, in an attempt to showcase his wit and drive home his point, Surya took a jibe at the courts saying that “while the courts dispensed justice through video-conferencing for fear of infection, they order students to be fearless and write exams in person.”

This comment has not gone down well with the judges fraternity. Justice SM Subramaniam of the Madras High Court has written to Chief Justice AP Sahi to initiate suo motu criminal contempt proceedings against the actor for his unsolicited opinions on the court.  

“The Statement reveals that the Hon’ble Judges are afraid of their own life and rendering justice through video conferencing. While-so, they have no morale to pass orders directing the students to appear for NEET Exam without fear,” Justice SM Subramaniam wrote.

Noting that such comments would lead to a erosion of public confidence on the judiciary, Justice SM Subramaniam said,“The said statement in my considered opinion amounts to contempt of Court as the integrity and devotion of the Hon’ble Judges as well as the Judicial System of our Great Nation are not only undermined but criticised in a bad shape,”.

He said in his letter that that Suriya’s statement would warrant contempt proceedings as it criticised the judges and the judicial system of the country. 

Surya’s upcoming movie ‘Soorarai Potru’ is set to be released directly on Amazon Prime on October 30.

Umar Khalid slapped with UAPA by Delhi Police for his role in north-east Delhi riots

The Delhi Police arrested Umar Khalid, former student of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), for his role in the north-east Delhi riots that shook the city as US President Donald Trump touched down in India in February 2020.

The violence that followed the Shaheenbagh protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 and the National Register of Citizens (CAA-NRC) resulted in more than 50 getting killed apart from the heavy loss of property.

Umar Khalid has been booked by the Delhi Police Special Cell under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. He was reportedly interrogated for several hours before the arrest.

Earlier, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Councillor Tahir Hussain confessed to the Delhi Police during interrogation that he was introduced to Umar Khalid by Kahlid Saifi of United Against Hate at the PFI office in Shaheen Bagh.

Tahir Hussain had confessed at that time that Umar Khalid had asked him to collect acid for the riots.

Delhi Police in the chargesheet it filed in July in connection with the Chand Bagh violence, had claimed that Tahir Hussain and Umar Khalid hatched a conspiracy ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to India to defame the Modi government. The police had noted that Umar had assured Khalid and Tahir Hussain that Popular Front of India (PFI) would “provide funds and facilities”.

Tahir Hussain is now behind bars.

Umar Khalid is the son of Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas who was a member of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), a radical Islamist organization banned in India.

Earlier on Saturday (September 12), the Delhi Police named Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPI-M) General Secretary Sitharam Yechury, Swaraj Abhiyan President Yogendra Yadav, Delhi University Professor Apoorvananda, economist Jayati Ghosh and documentary film maker Rahul Roy as co-conspirators of the riot, in a supplementary charge sheet.

Massive irregularities in PMAY and Swachh Bharat schemes emerge in Thiruvarur district

Following the PM KISAN scam in Tamil Nadu in which about 5 lakh ineligible people were enrolled under the scheme leading to the siphoning off of around ₹110 crore from the exchequer, many reports of local officials indulging in corruption in other Central government schemes have emerged.

Earlier, it was reported that documents of 60 beneficiaries belonging to Devendrapuram village under Karnavur panchayat near Mannargudi were forged showing that houses and toilets have been built while without actually building them.

The District Collector of Thiruvarur had ordered for a probe in the matter and a special investigating team under Ponniyil Selvan, Rural Development Agency Assistant Project Officer was formed to go on a door-to-door survey in all the villages of Karnavur panchayat to check if the toilets and houses have been built for the eligible beneficiaries.

Now, reports of further irregularities have emerged where in the panchayat secretary of the Karnavur panchayat and the local government officials have forged documents to show 274 houses under PMAY (PM housing scheme) and 890 toilets under Swacch Bharat scheme as having been built without building them.These residents have  reportedly received a congratulatory letter from the Prime Minister for successfully getting their houses and toilets built while in actual no houses or toilets have been built.

The scam came to light only after the District Collector went there for inspection.

In another similar instance, residents of Motilal street in Mannargudi have also received congratulatory letter from the Prime Minister for building their houses under PMAY scheme. They say that local government officials had come and collected their details and photocopies of ration card, Aadhar card, etc but never took any action after that.

Earlier in July 2020, residents of Thalayamangalam village near Mannargudi in Thiruvarur district lodged police complaints about misappropriation of funds in which around 140 houses under the PMAY were shown on paper as built by forging documents of beneficiaries, without building them. 4 officers were dismissed from service in this regard.

Sitting DMK MP Jagathrakshakan caught by ED for violating FEMA, Properties worth ₹89.9 crores seized

Properties worth ₹89.19 crore belonging to S Jagathrakshakan an MP from Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was seized by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Jagathrakshakan and his family members had acquired foreign securities in a Singapore based company in violation of Section 4 of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

During the UPA regime, Jagathrakshakan was a Minister of State for Commerce and Industry under the then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.

Jagathrakshakan is a sitting Member of Parliament elected from Arakkonam Lok Sabha seat during the 2019 Lok General Elections. He is a businessman who gyrated towards politics and has won four times from the Arakkonam seat.

The ED has launched an investigation against Jagathrakshakan over charges of acquiring foreign securities by violating the provisions of FEMA.

Investigations revealed that on 15 June 2017, Jagathrakshakan and his son Sundeep Aanand had subscribed to 70,00,000 shares and 20,00,000 shares respectively (valued at Singapore $ 1/- per share) of Silver Park International Pte. Ltd., Singapore, without obtaining the approval of the Reserve Bank of India.

Jagathrakshakan has various business interests from oil refineries, educational institutions and Elite Distilleries Pvt Ltd which is owned by his family.

The DMK MP who controlled the Singapore company Silver Park International Pvt Ltd along with Oman Oil Ministry owned by India’s Accord Group had agreed to build a $3.9 billion, 200,000 barrel per day oil refinery next to the Chinese-controlled Hambantota port.

Three of the four directors in Silver Park International, which is registered with Singapore’s national regulator Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA), are Jagathrakshakan Sundeep Anand (son), Jagathrakshakan Sri Nisha (daughter) and Jagathrakshakan Anusuya (wife).

The investigation into his mega oil refinery deal has also revealed that he has embarrassed the Sri Lankan government when reports emerged that Oman’s Oil Ministry denied being part of a $3.9 billion plan.

This is not the first time Jagathrakshakan‘s name had figured is a scam. Under the UPA regime, his name was prominent in the Coalgate scam which shook the then Manmohan Singh Government.