‘Drop Official Secrets Act against Jyoti Malhotra: Father writes to President, PM
In the letter, Jyoti's father alleged that the Hisar police picked up his daughter and asked her to sign a blank page and they wrote 'fake statement' on her behalf.
'I can assure you that my daughter will never go to Pakistan and request you to cancel the FIR. The police did not get any evidence to prove that my daughter had shared some sensitive information to Pakistani operatives. The Hisar SP himself had stated that Jyoti did not share any military information with Pakistani nationals. If the central and state agencies direct to delete any video from Jyoti's social accounts, she will delete all such videos,' he added.
On his daughter's Pakistan visits, Harish wrote that his parents came to India during the Partition and his daughter desired to visit Pakistan to make videos and understand the culture, where her grandparents stayed.
'My daughter's international tours were sponsored by a few travel agencies and she made blogs there. She is patriotic and if you want to check her love for India, she is ready to undergo the polygraph test. After divorce from my wife, I had raised my daughter and my brother. She was the lone person to take care of us. We request you to cancel the FIR and release her so that she can take care of us,' he added.
Jyoti was produced in the court through video conferencing and her judicial custody was extended for 14 more days.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
24 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Now, Aadhaar mandatory to avail benefits of Delhi govt schemes
Now, having an Aadhar card is mandatory to avail the benefits of the schemes of the Delhi government. Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has approved the BJP government's proposal to make the document mandatory for the issuance of income certificates in the Capital. The income certificate is a key document for availing financial benefits under a range of government schemes in the Capital. 'The move aims at eliminating any irregularity or malpractice in issuing income certificates to the applicants and thereby ensuring that only genuine beneficiaries registered under a scheme or financial assistance get the benefit,' a statement by the Raj Niwas underlined. The proposal, endorsed by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, seeks to bring the service of issuing income certificates under Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016. This provision allows the state or Central government to make Aadhaar-based authentication compulsory for identifying individuals receiving subsidies, services, or benefits funded through the Consolidated Fund of India of the state. The income certificate issued by the Revenue department is used to determine eligibility for several welfare schemes, including tuition fee reimbursement for students from SC, ST, and OBC communities; pensions; and health-related financial assistance under the Delhi Arogya Kosh. Using Aadhaar would help simplify service delivery, improve transparency, and ensure that benefits reach only eligible individuals, officials in the Revenue Department said. It would also eliminate the need to submit multiple documents to establish identity. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on November 25, 2019, had authorised state governments to mandate Aadhaar authentication for schemes funded from the Consolidated Fund of the State. As per the notification, individuals not possessing an Aadhaar number currently but seeking benefits under the mentioned schemes will now be required to enrol for Aadhaar. In the case of minors, Aadhaar Enrolment ID or Biometric Update ID, along with a birth certificate or school ID bearing the parent's name and signed by the school principal, will be accepted. Adults without Aadhaar can furnish the enrolment slip along with a government-issued document such as a bank passbook, PAN card, passport, Kisan passbook, or driving licence. Saxena has asked the Revenue department to undertake a public awareness campaign to inform citizens about the Aadhaar requirement, so that genuine beneficiaries are not denied their entitlements.
NDTV
24 minutes ago
- NDTV
Supreme Court Upholds Environment Ministry Notification, Junks Exemption Clause For Big Projects
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the January 29 notification of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, but struck down the contentious clause exempting certain large building and construction projects from prior environmental clearance. A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran held projects with a built-up area above 20,000 square meter, whether industrial, educational, or otherwise, cannot be exempted from the environment impact assessment (EIA) 2006 regime. The court clarified that the notification would also apply to Kerala. Dictating the order, the CJI said, "It has been consistently held that natural resources are to be held in trust for the next generation. At the same time, courts have always taken note of development activities and the country cannot progress without it." Observing the supreme court had always focused on sustainable development, the CJI said, "The court while ensuring that development is permitted has also required precaution to be taken so that least damage is caused to the environment and has even ordered costs to be paid for such development activities." The order said it would not be possible for the union ministry to consider projects across the country and therefore the issue could be considered on a state-to-state basis. "If any construction activity in any area more than 20,000 sq km is carried out it will have environmental impact even if it's for industrial or educational purposes and discrimination cannot be made with similar such institutes," it said. It also said that no exemption can be granted to the education sector in this regard. "Nowadays education has also become a flourishing industry and thus no reason to exempt such projects from the 2006 notification," the CJI said. The bench upheld the notification except clause 8 of the January 29 notification which grants exemptions to industrial sheds, schools, colleges, and hostels with built-up areas up to 150,000 square meter. The bench said it was impractical for the MoEFCC to appraise every project nationwide, noting the Central Expert Appraisal Committee (CEA) could handle state-wise evaluations. On February 25, the top court stayed the notification on a PIL filed by Mumbai-based NGO Vanashakti, which argued that the exemption diluted the EIA's safeguards and threatened eco-sensitive zones. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the NGO, said similar attempts in 2014, 2016, and 2018 had been struck down or stayed by courts, including the Kerala High Court, the National Green Tribunal, and the Delhi High Court. The petition claimed that bypassing EC for projects of such magnitude, exceeding 1.6 million square feet, would cause irreversible damage to land, water, and air quality, violating the precautionary principle entrenched in Indian environmental law. Before the January 29 amendment, EIA 2006 required EC for all construction projects above 20,000 sq m The impugned notification raised the threshold to 150,000 sq m for certain categories and also removed "general conditions" applicable in eco-sensitive and polluted areas. A follow-up office memorandum on January 30 expanded the scope of exemptions to include private universities, warehouses, and industrial sheds housing machinery or raw material.
Time of India
34 minutes ago
- Time of India
Was there a ceasefire violation with Pakistan? Army rejects reports
File photo NEW DELHI: The Army on Tuesday denied reports of ceasefire violations in Jammu & Kashmir's Poonch region. "There have been some media and social media reports regarding ceasefire violation s in the Poonch region. It is clarified that there has been no ceasefire violation along the Line of Control," the Indian Army said, according to news agency ANI. Earlier, PTI, citing official sources, reported that the army had retaliated to the Pakistani ceasefire violation, with a firing exchange continuing for 15 minutes.
