July 12, 1985, Forty Years Ago: Assassination foiled
The United States is rushing to Pakistan 100 AIML sidewinder air-to-air missiles and an unspecified number of shoulder-fired surface-to-air Stinger missiles worth $8.5 million. In addition, a Pakistani request for ground or airborne radar for improved detection and interception of Afghan aircraft remains under study. A state department statement said that the defence equipment is 'in response to repeated violations of Pakistan's airspace and territory by Communist aircraft approaching from Afghanistan'.
Chief Justice Y V Chandrachud retired after seven years in the post and 25 years as a judge. Justice P N Bhagwati, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, will be sworn in as the new Chief Justice. While Chandrachud had the longest term as CJI, Justice Bhagwati will have one of the shortest — one-and-a-half years.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
Big setback for Donald Trump as Federal Court strikes down birthright citizenship order across US; how will it affect Indians?
(Image: Reuters) New Delhi: A federal court in America has again stayed President Donald Trump's order which said that if a child's parents are living illegally in America, then that child will not get American citizenship. This is the third time that the court has stopped Trump's order from being implemented. The court also said that the final decision on this matter will be taken by the Supreme Court, but until any order comes from there, this rule of Trump will not be implemented. When was the order passed? Trump had banned Birthright Citizenship by signing an executive order on January 20, the day of his swearing-in. A few days after this, the US Federal Court had stayed President Donald Trump's decision to end the right to birthright citizenship for 14 days. Earlier on June 28, the US Supreme Court had given a decision in favour of President Trump. The Supreme Court had said that the judges of the lower courts cannot stop Trump's birthright citizenship order across the country. They should reconsider their order. What did the US Supreme Court say? The Supreme Court had said with a majority of 6-3 that a federal judge alone cannot decide to stop policies across the country. Now if a case like Trump's order has to be stopped, then many people will have to sue together, not just one state or person. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who wrote the decision, had said – the job of federal courts is not to monitor government orders. Their job is to resolve matters according to the powers given by Parliament. However, the court did not give any immediate decision on Trump's order and also ordered not to allow Trump's order to be implemented for 30 days i.e. till July 28. This means that for now, children born in America will continue to get citizenship, as they used to get earlier. Under which 3 situations citizenship is not granted by Trump's order? The executive order by which Trump abolished the birthright citizenship law is named 'Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship'. This order refuses to grant American citizenship in 3 situations. If the mother of a child born in America is living there illegally. At the time of the child's birth, the mother is a legal but temporary resident of America. The father should not be a US citizen or a legal permanent resident at the time of the child's birth. The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution gives the right to birthright citizenship. Through this, children of immigrants living in the US also get the right to citizenship. What will be the effect on Indians? According to the data of the US Census Bureau till 2024, about 54 lakh Indians live in America. This is about one and a half percent of the US population. Two-thirds of these people are first generation immigrants. That is, they went to America first in the family, but the rest are citizens born in America. If the Supreme Court gives an order in favour of Trump's bill, then it will become difficult for first generation immigrants to get American citizenship. However, if it gives an order against it, then citizenship will remain as before.
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Assam's Foreigners' Tribunals disregard constitutional safeguards: report
The quasi-judicial Foreigners' Tribunals (FTs) in Assam have become routine instruments of exclusion by disregarding due process and constitutional safeguards, a comprehensive study of these tribunals and the broader legal crisis of India's citizenship adjudication has found. The report by the Bengaluru-based National Law School of India University (NLSIU) and the Queen Mary University of London, to be formally released on Sunday (July 27, 2025), called for an urgent, fundamental rethinking of the legal structures governing citizenship in India given the possibility of an Assam-like exercise to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) across the country. Titled 'Unmaking Citizens: The Architecture of Rights Violations and Exclusion in India's Citizenship Trials', the report has been authored by Mohsin Alam Bhat of Queen Mary University, Arushi Gupta, and Shardul Gopujkar, with the support of researchers and law students from the NLSIU, and members of Parichay Legal Aid Clinic. 'As of 2025, Assam's tribunals have declared nearly 166,000 people as 'foreigners'. In addition to more than 85,000 pending cases, these tribunals may also soon hear more than a million appeals from those excluded from the NRC,' Mr. Bhat said. The report analyses more than 1,200 Gauhati High Court orders, key Supreme Court judgments, and extensive interviews with lawyers and litigants. It documents 'widespread arbitrariness in decision-making, including the wholesale rejection of documentary and oral evidence, and the absence of legal norms to protect individuals from wrongful targeting'. 'Citizenship adjudication engages constitutionally significant questions with profound consequences, including the risk of statelessness. Such determinations require bodies that are legally constituted, independent, impartial, and composed of competent legal officers,' the study summarises in a chapter on 'institutionalised arbitrariness'. The report argued that the FT system fails on all these counts. 'It lacks a secure legal foundation, is vulnerable to executive interference, and is staffed by inadequately qualified adjudicators. It thus stands in stark violation of the rule of law and the right to an effective remedy under both domestic and international law,' it said, adding that the FTs have become routine instruments of exclusion and violate the right to a fair trial. 'Lowering standards' Assam currently has 100 FTs, each headed by a judge-like member, which were formed after the Supreme Court scrapped the controversial Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act of 1983 in 2005. Of these 100 tribunals, 36 are permanent and 54 require periodic extension of terms from the Ministry of Home Affairs. The study further highlights that the appointment process for FT members is opaque, with no guaranteed tenure. Advertisements by the Gauhati High Court and notifications from the Assam Government's Political Department specify terms of one or two years, varying by executive whim, and extendable at the State's discretion, it says. 'This tenure is governed by no legislation or by-laws and depends entirely on executive whim, despite being an essential legislative function. Moreover, it is violative of the Supreme Court's judgments holding that a tenure of less than 5 years threatens to compromise the quality of adjudication by tribunals,' it said. 'The qualifications for FT members have progressively weakened. In 2011, only retired judicial officers from the Assam Judicial Service, experienced in procedural law, were eligible. They could serve until age 67, with salaries based on last drawn pay plus allowances. This ensured appointments of individuals with judicial expertise. By 2015, eligibility expanded to include advocates with at least 10 years of practice, lowering the standard,' the report said. Appointments became two-year contracts with fixed monthly pay, enabling lawyers without judicial experience to decide critical citizenship matters. The 2019 revisions diluted requirements further; minimum practice dropped to seven years, minimum age to 35, and appointments became more flexible, allowing less experienced candidates to adjudicate complex citizenship issues, thereby compromising the quality of justice,' it stated. A Gauhati High Court notification added criteria of 'fair knowledge of the official language of Assam' and 'Assam's historical background giving rise to foreigners' issues.' Yet, no requirement exists for expertise in immigration or citizenship law, the report pointed out. The authors noted with concern that citizenship determination under the FTs has remained unchanged even after Parliament enacted the Immigration and Foreigners Act of 2025. 'The stakes for legal violations have become unprecedented, with the prospects of a nationwide NRC exercise and the recent spree of 'pushback' deportations in Assam,' they said, calling for an overhaul of the legal structures governing citizenship in India.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Navy's covert Op X during Bangla War dealt biggest damage in naval history: Rtd Vice Admiral Abhay Karve
1 2 Nagpur: Indian Navy 's vice admiral (retd) Abhay Karve on Saturday shared experiences of Operation X, a covert naval mission during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, at an event organised by Prahar Samaj Jagruti Sanstha to mark Kargil Vijay Diwas. Under the operation, Mukti Bahini divers, armed only with magnetic mines and flippers, swam beneath enemy ships to plant explosives. "The mission was extremely successful. Not even World War II or the Vietnam War witnessed such massive naval destruction," he said. Karve, who last served as the flag officer commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command, said the Indian Navy trained members of the Bangladeshi rebel faction Mukti Bahini, including 400 personnel as "assault swimmers." "Captain M.N.R. Samant, a non-diver himself, led the training at Plassey and revealed the strategic importance of East Pakistan's massive riverine geography. At that time, Bangladesh barely had any roads, and boats were the primary mode of transport," Karve said. Reflecting on the state of the Navy post-partition, Karve said India was left with only six warships, all remnants of World War II. Today, he noted, the Indian Navy commands one of the most modern fleets in the region. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Swelling and internal bleeding in the brain, help this baby Donate For Health Donate Now Undo "From early indigenous ships like INS Ajay and INS Nilgiri to current initiatives, the Navy has led the way in indigenization under the 'Make in India' program," he said. Karve highlighted the Navy's decisive role in several military operations, including the Goa Liberation in 1961, spearheaded by ships like INS Mysore, Betwa, Beas, and Trishul. Lieutenant Arun Auditto led the capture of Anjadiv Island, defeating Portuguese forces and securing the surrender of the vessel Albuquerque—Portugal's only line of communication with Goa. "The 1971 Indo-Pak war remains the most comprehensive display of India's naval capabilities," Karve emphasized. "Within days, India blockaded Pakistani ports and launched precision attacks using missile boats. Operation Trident on December 4—now celebrated as Navy Day—destroyed Karachi's oil reserves and key infrastructure. Operation Python followed, with a single ship attack crippling more Pakistani assets. " He added that the Navy's use of surface-to-surface missiles and towed missile boats for fuel efficiency stunned even its Soviet allies. "On the eastern front, INS Vikrant led operations in the Bay of Bengal despite technical setbacks. The sinking of PNS Ghazi, Pakistan's leased submarine, was achieved through strategic deception and became a turning point," he said. While victories were significant, sacrifices were equally profound. INS Khukri, deployed near Diu, was lost to a submarine attack, killing 195 sailors, including Captain M.N. Mulla. The tragedy prompted the Indian Navy to adopt advanced anti-submarine technology and strengthen its R&D focus, he added. Vice Admiral Karve was felicitated by the organization's secretary, Flight Lieutenant Shivalee Deshpande. Inputs by N Soumya & Nimishka Saluja
