National Hindu Dharmika conference in Vijayawada on July 2
In a press release on Tuesday, the organisers said that the event aims to promote Hindu unity and cultural resurgence, bringing together spiritual leaders, dharmic organisations, and the Hindu community for a day of collective reflection and action.
The conference will be presided over by Srinivasananda Saraswati Swamiji, president of the A.P. Sadhu Parishad. Other key speakers and dignitaries include Atluri Narayana Rao, honorary president of A.P. Sadhu Parishad and member of the NTR Literature Committee, and V. Venkateswarlu, president of A.P. Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Organisers have appealed to the general public, dharmic scholars, and media to attend the event.
'This is not just a spiritual meeting, it is a call to action for every Hindu to unite and protect dharma. The time has come for us to stand together,' said Mr. Narayana Rao. The conference is expected to see participation from across Andhra Pradesh and other regions, he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
33 minutes ago
- Indian Express
If the draft fake news Bill is the cure for misinformation, Karnataka may have to ban irony next
Written by Meghna Bal The Karnataka legislature recently released the Karnataka Mis-information and Fake News (Prohibition) Bill, 2025. Broadly, the Bill attempts to criminalise the spread of fake news and misinformation within Karnataka. The mechanism for enforcing this prohibition is a 'fake news on social media regulatory authority' comprising the Minister for Kannada and Culture, members of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and council, representatives of social media platforms, and an IAS officer. If any social media users are found guilty by this authority of spreading fake news, they could be imprisoned for up to seven years. The sweeping provisions of the Karnataka Bill have sparked concern about its potential chilling effect on free speech. The Bill defines 'misinformation' as any willful or reckless false or inaccurate expression of a statement of fact. The definition also excludes 'opinions, religious or philosophical sermons, satire, comedy or parody or any other form of artistic expression', provided a 'reasonable man' would not misconstrue it as a statement of fact. A reasonable man (or person) is a hypothetical individual whose behaviour and level of care in any given situation are judged according to commonly accepted standards of good judgement and societal norms. In the context of speech, the standard is typically used in cases regarding defamation or harassment, as a means of objectively understanding whether any given speech qualifies as an offending one. Yet, 'reasonableness' is an inherently vague and subjective standard, one that shifts with socio-cultural expectations. In the context of the Karnataka fake news Bill, the reasonableness standard will also possibly be informed by politics, given that half the members of the regulatory authority, including its head, are politicians. In effect, by hinging exemptions on whether a 'reasonable man' might misinterpret them as fact, the Bill leaves all expression vulnerable to being labelled fake news. It creates a potent risk for satire as people (even reasonable ones) are often fooled into believing it is true. In 2012, the satirical news website The Onion released a story stating that North Korea's Kim Jong Un was the 'Sexiest Man Alive' for that year. The story was taken seriously by China's People's Daily Online, the digital version of the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, which reprinted it in full as a legitimate event. The Onion went on to claim, in jest, that the People's Daily was their subsidiary. Under the Karnataka Bill, The Onion's story as well as its subsequent joke could be treated as an offense. Fortunately, the Karnataka fake news Bill is not even remotely constitutionally tenable. There is a wealth of constitutional precedent surrounding false information and what can and cannot be policed in its name. The courts are clear on the fact that restrictions on speech must be clear, narrowly tailored, and fall within the permissible bounds on speech, recognised under Article 19(2) of the Constitution. These include grounds like sovereignty, national security, diplomatic relations, public order, morality, decency, contempt of court, defamation, or the incitement of an offense. In Kaushal Kishor vs State of Uttar Pradesh, the Supreme Court held that these restrictions were comprehensive enough to account for any attack on an individual, groups, society, the judiciary, the state or the country. And it was not open to the state to add to these restrictions. Thus, speech cannot be restricted purely on the grounds that it is fake. In addition, any law seeking to restrict speech must be proportional. The test of proportionality ensures that there are sufficient guardrails in place to keep any restriction on a fundamental right from overstepping its bounds. Here again, the Karnataka Bill fails because it opens many forms of speech up to subjective attacks from the state. The Karnataka fake news Bill is an egregious document, not only for its constitutional failings but also the clumsy way it has been put together. Part of its Statement of Objects and Reasons, which is a part of a law that sets out the rationale for why the Bill is needed, was borrowed verbatim from the Prohibition of Fake News on Social Media Bill, 2022. Indeed, the borrowing was so faithful that even the title of the 2022 Bill was copy-pasted without correction. Adding insult to injury is the fact that it also attempts to open opinion up to scrutiny, which, at its very essence, is meant to be separate from statements of fact. The whole exercise makes a mockery of the pressing problem created by the spread of malicious falsities that are wrecking the fabric of human society, not only in India, but across the world. The problem of fake news is complex. No law offers a silver bullet, especially because any law targeting speech can be weaponised. It demands thoughtful consideration and a focus on evidence-based solutions that have been shown to protect the public from the harmful effects of deliberate misinformation. Most of all, however, it requires leaders to cast expedience aside in favour of principle. That said, if the Karnataka government believes that its fake news Bill is the cure for misinformation, it may have to ban irony next. The writer is the director of the Esya Centre, a tech policy focussed think tank based in New Delhi. Views are personal
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
ICMAI National Students' Convocation 2025: President of India highlights the role of cost accountants in nation-building
Advertorial Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Popular in India recently addressed the National Students' Convocation of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI), highlighting the critical role of cost accountants in India's economic progress and its journey towards a sustainable underscored the historical reverence for accountants in Indian society, stating, 'Throughout our history, accountants have enjoyed high esteem in our society. The reason for that, I believe, is that accounting and accountability are deeply connected. We value accountability; therefore, we attach special significance to accounting.' She even referenced Mahatma Gandhi's early experience with bookkeeping, emphasising his commitment to cost-efficiency not just for financial savings but for the preservation of invaluable President acknowledged ICMAI's significant contribution since its establishment in 1944, for the regulation and development of the profession of cost and management accountancy in the country. 'It has played its role away from the limelight, but experts in economic and corporate history appreciate the significance of the inputs of cost and management accountants in our industrial growth,' she stated. CMAs, she added, have meanwhile seen their functions growing from cost accounting in factories to management accounting in boardrooms. They now work in fields such as direct and indirect taxation, corporate laws, arbitration, insolvency, valuation, social auditing, independent directorship, banking, and the graduating students to recognise their expansive responsibilities beyond financial accounting, he expressed her confidence in ICMAI education, stating that it would equip them to be not just successful professionals but also nation-builders contributing to the vision of a Viksit Bharat by the Convocation, she also awarded certificates to the toppers of the CMA Final and Intermediate Examinations, including Tejaswini Kothapeta and Rishab Ostwal R from Andhra Pradesh, as well as Nikita Bansal and Krutika Singhal from Gujarat. In total, 247 students received the Gaur Mukerjee, Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India, also addressed the gathering, encouraging cost and management accountants to embrace technology, innovation, and agility, highlighting their pivotal role in India's journey towards becoming a $30 trillion Bibhuti Bhusan Nayak, President of ICMAI, CMA TCA Srinivasa Prasad, Vice President of ICMAI, CMA M.K. Anand, Convener, National Students' Convocation – 2025, CMA Vinayaranjan P, Chairman, National Students' Convocation – 2025, and other council members of ICMAI and esteemed guests from the corporate, also graced the event was attended by over 1,200 students, professionals, corporate leaders, and government officials, and was live-streamed to over 100,000 members and 600,000 students globally.
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
Sambhal temple-mosque row: Court to hear plea for ban on namaz at disputed site on July 21
A Chandausi court in Sambhal district on Thursday (July 3, 2025) set July 21 to hear a plea seeking ban on offering of namaz at the disputed Shahi Jama Masjid, which is claimed to be Harihar Temple. The petition sought the ban on offering of Islamic prayers citing its 'disputed status'. Civil Judge (Senior Division) Aditya Singh took on record the plea filed by one Simran Gupta. The dispute had previously reached the Allahabad High Court, where the Muslim side challenged the subordinate court's order for a survey of the mosque premises. On May 19, however, the High Court upheld the trial court's decision and directed that proceedings continue there. The petitioner argued that since the site was deemed disputed by the court, Muslims too should be barred from offering prayers, just as Hindus were restricted from worship. The plea requested that the mosque be sealed and placed under the custody of the Sambhal District Magistrate. Ms. Gupta also sought to be made a petitioner on behalf of the Hindu side. Both matters will come up on July 21. The original suit was filed on November 19, 2023, by eight Hindu petitioners, including advocates Hari Shankar Jain and Vishnu Shankar Jain. On that day, a court-ordered survey was conducted at the mosque. A second round of survey was carried out on November 24, after which the matter was placed before the Chandausi Civil Court. The last hearing was held on April 28. Advocate Sri Gopal Sharma, representing the Hindu side, told PTI that the High Court's order rejecting the Muslim side plea was submitted in court as part of the record. On the other hand, advocate Qasim Jamal, representing the Shahi Jama Masjid, acknowledged that the opposing side had submitted the High Court's ruling and said the mosque's legal team would abide by whatever order the court issues. Advocate Babu Lal Saxena, who filed the petition seeking a stay on namaz, told PTI that his client Ms. Gupta believes religious activity by any group should be restricted at the disputed site until a final judgment is passed. The case saw violent clashes in Sambhal on November 24, 2024, during the second survey at the mosque site. The unrest led to the deaths of four individuals and injuries to 29 police personnel. Following the violence, police named Samajwadi Party MP Ziaur Rahman Barq and Shahi Jama Masjid president Zafar Ali in FIRs, along with 2,750 unidentified individuals. To date, 96 people including Zafar Ali and several advocates have been sent to jail in connection with the incident.
