Today's India

09/08/2023

On Monday, August 7th, the priests of Ujjain's Mahakaleshwar temple issued a formal legal notice to the creators of the controversial film 'Oh My God-2', which features Akshay Kumar in a leading role. They expressed their concern that the film has portrayed Lord Shiva in an inappropriate and belittling manner, causing offense. Specifically, they pointed out a scene in which Lord Shiva is depicted buying Kachori from a shop, which has deeply upset devotees of Lord Shiva.

The priests of the Mahakal Temple took legal action by serving notices to various individuals involved in the film's production, including film director Amit Rai, producers Vipul Shah and Chandraprakash Dwivedi, and actor Akshay Kumar. They also extended a legal notice to the Chairman of the Censor Board, Prasoon Kumar Joshi. The notices were sent on August 7th, facilitated by High Court lawyer Abhilash Vyas, who acted on behalf of the All India Pujari Mahasangh.

In the legal notices, they have demanded that the objectionable scenes be removed from the movie and requested a public apology. The notice specifies a 24-hour deadline from the receipt of the letter for the filmmakers to eliminate the offensive scenes from the film 'OMG-2' and issue a public apology.

09/08/2023

The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was approved by the Rajya Sabha on August 7th, with 131 members voting in favor and 102 members voting against. The bill, presented by Home Minister Amit Shah, is set to substitute the previous ordinance introduced by the central government, which pertained to the appointments and transfers of senior officials within the Delhi government. The Lok Sabha had previously passed this bill on August 3rd.

09/08/2023

The BJP central leadership has resolved to initiate five 'Jan Ashirwad Yatras' in Madhya Pradesh, which is gearing up for elections. These yatras will be spearheaded by five prominent party leaders, aiming to garner support across all 230 assembly constituencies in the state. This move by the party to appoint five leaders for leading the campaign is perceived as a significant setback to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who exclusively led the Yatra back in 2018.

Insider sources reveal that the BJP intends to commence these five yatras from different regions within the state, with the starting date set for September. In addition to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the faces of these yatras will include Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister and Convenor of Madhya Pradesh Election Management Committee Narendra Singh Tomar, BJP National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, and state BJP President V.D. Sharma.

09/08/2023

The Aam Aadmi Party's Raghav Chadha has been accused by the BJP of purported fraudulent activity within a context linked to the Delhi Services Bill. On Monday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that Raghav Chadha, a leader of the AAP, had allegedly falsified the signatures of five Members of Parliament in a motion aimed at referring the Delhi Services Bill to a select committee. Disputing these allegations, the AAP asserted that, in accordance with regulations, no signatures are required when suggesting the formation of a select committee.

08/08/2023

06/08/2023

Experts suggest that the Reserve Bank of India is likely to maintain the current pause on the key interest rate during the upcoming monetary policy review. This decision comes as a response to concerns about inflation and aims to stabilize borrowing costs to support ongoing economic growth momentum.

The six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will convene from August 8 to 10, with RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das set to announce the policy decision on August 10.

Since May of the previous year, borrowing costs have been on the rise, but the central bank has managed to stabilize them by keeping the repo rate unchanged at 6.5 per cent since February. In both the April and June bi-monthly policy reviews, the rate remained unchanged as well.

06/08/2023

Banwarilal Purohit, the governor of Punjab, has raised the ongoing dispute with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann by accusing him of making offensive remarks about him during the most recent assembly session in June. He also issued a warning that he may file a criminal complaint against the Chief Minister for tarnishing his image if similar statements continue to be made outside the assembly in the future.

The governor expressed his displeasure over Mann's defamatory speech in the assembly, where derogatory language was used, and accusations were made about him being idle and constantly writing letters. He emphasized that such behavior is unacceptable.

The governor clarified that the Chief Minister enjoys legal protections while inside the assembly, but outside the House, he could face legal action for making derogatory remarks. He cited Section 124 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with assaulting the reputation of a President or governor with intent to restrain lawful power.

He asserted that even an attempt to pressure or overawe the governor is subject to criminal action and emphasized that nobody has the right to defame the governor. He urged the Aam Aadmi Party leader to be cautious with his words, as a governor wields considerable power.

Regarding administrative information, the governor accused the state government of violating Constitutional Section 167, which mandates that the chief minister must provide any demanded administrative information to the governor. He mentioned that the Supreme Court had previously advised the state government to respect this Constitutional provision.

06/08/2023

The latest flashpoint in Haryana's Nuh involves a massive demolition drive targeting "illegal" constructions. The Nuh district administration is using bulldozers to demolish structures, with the most recent action being the Sahara Hotel on the fourth day of the drive.

The violence in Nuh started when some individuals threw stones at a religious procession from the roof of the Sahara Hotel on Monday. As a result, the participants of the procession sought refuge in a nearby temple while facing an attack by a mob throwing stones.

Earlier in the week, around a dozen shops, including medical stores, were demolished. Additionally, shanties belonging to migrants in Tauru, about 20 km away from Nuh, were also razed for encroaching on government land.

Officials have stated that some of the demolished shops and homes belonged to individuals involved in the recent clashes.

So far, approximately 50 to 60 structures in various areas have been demolished, leading many to flee the area due to fear of arrests.

This bulldozing action has been carried out for three days in different places across Nuh, and authorities claim to be targeting long-standing illegal encroachments.

The communal clashes in Nuh resulted in the deaths of six people, including two home guards and a cleric. The violence escalated throughout the evening, with a mosque being set on fire after midnight, and over a hundred vehicles were torched and vandalized as mobs wreaked havoc in Nuh and neighboring Gurugram.

Haryana's Home Minister, Anil Vij, has alleged a hidden agenda behind the violence, but he has also rejected opposition claims of intelligence failure. However, the Nuh Superintendent of Police has not found any evidence of a mastermind behind the clashes so far.

As a result of the clashes, 106 first information reports (FIRs) have been filed, and more than 216 individuals have been arrested. Among these, 24 FIRs pertain to social media posts, and four individuals have been arrested for content that may have incited violence.