Delhi Riots “Didn’t Take Place In Spur Of The Moment, Pre-planned”: Court.
The Delhi riots of 2020 were planned and calculated to cause disruptions and were not triggered by any incident, the High Court said while refusing bail to one of the accused in the case on Monday.”The February 2020 riots were a conspiracy, planned and executed. They evidently did not take place in a spur of the moment,” the Delhi High Court said in strong remarks on the three-day violence that left over 50 dead and 200 injured.
The court said in the video footage submitted by the prosecution, it was clear from the conduct of the protesters that the riots were a planned attempt to disrupt normal life and the functioning of the government.”The systematic disconnection and destruction of the CCTV cameras also confirms the existence of a pre-planned and pre-meditated conspiracy to disturb law and order in the city,” said Justice Subramonium Prasad.
“This is also evident from the fact that innumerable rioters ruthlessly descended with sticks, dandas, bats etc. upon a hopelessly outnumbered cohort of police officials.”Justice Prasad made the comments while denying the bail request of an accused, Mohammad Ibrahim, who was arrested in December. Another accused, Mohammad Saleem Khan, was granted bail.
“Individual liberty” cannot be used to threaten the fabric of civilised society, the High Court said, adding that Ibrahim was seen on CCTV clips threatening the crowds with a sword.Ibrahim has been linked to the killing of Head Constable Ratan Lal on February 24 by a mob of protesters. His lawyer had argued that Ratan Lal’s death was not caused by a sword. Ibrahim also claimed that he was carrying the sword only to protect himself and his family.
The court rejected his arguments, saying the “clinching evidence that tilts the court towards extending Ibrahim’s custody” is the weapon he was carrying, which could have inflicted serious injuries and even killed. The case involves a mob attack on policemen at Chand Bagh in northeast Delhi at the peak of the riots revolving around protests over a new citizenship law. Ratan Lal, who was a part of the grossly outnumbered contingent of policemen, died of head injuries and another official was severely injured.
Twin reservoirs in Hyderabad reach FTL.
Hyderabad: Following heavy rains in the last couple of days, the water levels in twin reservoirs of the city have reached the Full Tank Level (FTL) on Tuesday.
To release the water from the reservoirs into river Musi, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) opened 10 gates of Himayath Sagar up to two feet and six gates of Osman Sagar up to three feet.
Following the IMD-Hyderabad alert for Telangana, two of the 17 gates of Himayath Sager and four of the 15 gates of Osman Sagar, were already kept open..
The HMWS&SB in a press release said the water level at Himayat Sagar was recorded at 1,763.50 ft against the FTL of 1,763.50 ft. The water level touched the reservoir capacity i.e. 2.97 TMC and officials were taking measures to release the inflows from upstream areas. While the water body was receiving 5,000 cusecs of inflow, the outflow stood at 7,700 cusecs.
Meanwhile, Osman Sagar was receiving 2,000 cusecs of inflow and the recorded outflow was 2,100 after the gates were opened. The water level in this reservoir also touched FTL of 1,790 feet. The reservoir capacity is 3.90 TMC and the water level reached maximum capacity.
- Officials of line departments went around residential clusters located in downstream areas of Himayath Sagar, Osman Sagar and the Musi catchment area and alerted people. Precautionary measures were also taken by GHMC, police and the revenue department.
- Officials of three district collectorates- Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy and Medchal-Malkajgiri – were asked for appropriate measures especially in downstream areas. Meanwhile, all the lakes in the GHMC and HMDA areas were inspected by Irrigation & CAD department engineers.As streets brim, Lake Overflow hits airport traffic.
Following Monday’s heavy rain, the route to Shamshabad and the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) via the PVNR Expressway was briefly disrupted on Tuesday after Appa Cheruvu started overflowing on National Highway 44 near Ganganpahad village. While the traffic was diverted to the Outer Ring Road (ORR), it was opened for two-way traffic around 2 pm.
Light to moderate rainfall today
Hyderabad will continue to receive light to moderate rainfall, with a few spells of heavy downpours at some places on Tuesday, according to the data by Telangana State Development Planning Society (TSDPS). The maximum temperature during the next
two days will be between 29 degree Celsius and 31 degree Celsius while minimum temperature will range from 20 degree Celsius to 22 degree Celsius.
India’s appeal to Sri Lanka to address the aspirations of its Tamil minority will certainly find resonance (impact) among the Tamil-speaking populace on both sides of the Palk Strait, but it is doubtful if it will have any effect.
REITERATION OF POLICY:
• A joint statement by both countries after a virtual summit between PM of India and his counterpart reiterated(repeated) India’s stated policy of seeking to ensure “equality, justice, peace and respect within a united Sri Lanka” for Tamils.
• It also explicitly mentioned the need to carry forward the reconciliation (reunite) process through the implementation of the 13th Amendment to Sri Lanka’s Constitution.
• It said Sri Lanka’s PM expressed confidence that SL would work towards “realising the expectations” of all ethnic groups, including Tamils.
• However, he appeared to qualify the commitment by linking it to “reconciliation nurtured as per the mandate of the people of Sri Lanka”.
• Significantly, a separate statement by Mr. Rajapaksa’s office issued later made no reference to the 13th Amendment, which envisaged power-sharing with the provinces based on the Indo-Sri Lankan Accord of 1987.
• The omission is unsurprising.
• Mr. Rajapaksa has the required two-thirds majority in Parliament to amend the Constitution as his party pleases.
• But the gulf(division) between the sort of devolution that would fulfill Tamil aspirations and what his brother, President Gotabaya, would want to prioritize is quite large.
• India’s interest in the matter is undoubtedly related to speculation that far from implementing the 13th Amendment, Sri Lanka may heed (respond) calls to roll back the provincial council system itself.
HARDLY ANY LEVERAGE:
1. The trajectory of relations, in which India is keen on limiting Sri Lanka’s exposure to China’s sphere of influence, may not afford the country much leverage(advantage) over its smaller neighbour.
2. When India was backing Sri Lanka after the war resumed in 2005-06, it chose to ignore the de-merger of the northern and eastern provinces.
3. Now, when there is little global interest in holding SL to its past promises on ethnic reconciliation and justice for war-time excesses, there is room for considerable scepticism (doubt) about how effectual any appeal to the Sri Lankan regime would be.
4. The Rajapaksas are aware of their mandates and are unlikely to do anything that does not have the approbation (approval) of the majority Sinhala community.
5. While announcing steps on bilateral cooperation and a $15 million grant for Buddhist cultural exchanges, India held back its decision on Sri Lanka’s request for a currency swap and a deferment (suspension) of debt.
6. It would be watching developments on the legislative front, as the Rajapaksa administration plans to undo legislation that had curbed the President’s powers.
CONCLUSION:
Given Sri Lanka’s majoritarian turn, appeals to address Tamil aspirations may be ineffectual.
INDIA AND PAKISTAN:
• The Prime Minister of Pakistan in his speech made an extensive reference to Jammu and Kashmir.
• Though this is customary for Pakistani leaders, he brought a particularly uncivil tone to the discourse (discussion).
• Meanwhile, his country has slid to the 134th rank in the UN SDG index, the lowest for any country in South Asia.
• Prime Minister of India focused on UN reforms and India’s contribution to UN Peacekeeping for which we can be justly proud.
• What does the UN bring to the developing countries? It gives them greater political space.
• We need to support reform not only to expand the permanent members’ category of the Security Council but also to revitalize (strengthen) the role of the General Assembly.
The retreat from multilateralism would undermine the UN’s capacity to face diverse challenges.
RBI extends enhanced
Borrowing limit for banks till March 31
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the enhanced borrowing facility provided to banks by six months to meet liquidity shortage till March 31, 2021.
On March 27, the central bank had increased the borrowing limit for scheduled banks under the marginal standing facility (MSF) scheme from 2 per cent to 3 per cent of their net demand and time liabilities.
The facility which was initially available up to June 30 was later extended up to September 30 due to economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown.
“With a view to providing comfort to banks on their liquidity requirements as also to enable to continue to meet LCR requirements, it has been decided to continue with the MSF relaxation for a further period of six months, that is up to March 31, 2021,” the RBI said in a statement late on Monday.
This dispensation, it added, provides increased access to funds to the extent of Rs 1.49 lakh crore and also qualifies as high-quality liquid assets for the liquidity coverage ratio.
Under the MSF, banks can borrow overnight at their discretion by dipping into the statutory liquidity ratio. The marginal standing facility rate currently stands at 4.25 per cent.
Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services.
For inclusive growth and employment, expenditure on social services as a proportion of GDP and investment in social infrastructure is of paramount importance. Social sector pursues both social and economic goals and engages in the delivery of social services for disadvantaged groups and communities whether in urban or rural area. Economic Survey 2019-20 draws attention to social services which include, education, sports, art and culture; medical and public health, family welfare; water supply and sanitation; housing; urban development; the welfare of SCs, STs and OBCs, labour and labour welfare; social security and welfare, nutrition, relief on account of natural calamities etc.
Issues related to the development and management of Social Sector/Services are:
1) Fundamental changes in the design of the policies/schemes required to reach out to all sections of the society.
2) Equitable expansion of the reach through people’s participation, awareness generation, technology use, and direct benefit transfer.
3) Access to education at all levels both in rural and urban areas with necessary reforms in education system encouraging professional development.
4) Scaling up of the efforts to impart necessary skills to cope with 4th Industrial Revolution which is a blend of physical, digital and biological worlds.
5) The increase in total formal employment in the economy.
6) The challenges of providing both healthcare access and access to quality healthcare across the country.
7) Percentage of achieving houses of pucca structure in the rural and the urban areas.
8) Acceleration of progress on water conservation activities in water-stressed districts of India.
9) Endeavors required to ensure piped water supply to all rural households by 2024, and solid waste management in every village.
Stopping hate on television is essential to prevent riots: SC
What is the news?
The Supreme Court in a recent hearing has said that stopping hate on television is essential for law and order.
What was the case? A batch of petitions alleged that certain sections of the media communalized the Tablighi Jamal congregation. It linked the congregation to a spike in the spread of COVID-19 infection
Key Highlights of the Supreme Court Order:
• The Supreme Court said that the Fair and truthful reporting is not a problem. The problem arises when the reporting is used to agitate others.
• Hence, it asked the Central Government about its powers under Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act 1994. Under this act, the government can control the broadcast of content (by electronic media) that has a tendency to incite violence.
• Government Response:
o The Solicitor General said that the Government has powers to regulate or prohibit the transmission or re-transmission of any channel or programme for public order.
o There is also a group under the Ministry to monitor broadcast content for violation.
o However, the problem arises during live, discussion-based programmes, as there cannot be pre-censorship of such programmes.
