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News18
36 minutes ago
- News18
CJI Gavai to look into issue of stray dogs in view of conflicting orders of SC
New Delhi [India], August 13 (ANI): Chief Justice of India BR Gavai on Wednesday said he would examine the ongoing issue relating to community dogs, after an advocate mentioned the matter, saying different benches of the Supreme Court have issued conflicting matter relating to stray dogs was mentioned before a bench headed by the CJI for urgent listing, to which the CJI said, 'I will look into this."Advocate Nanita Sharma said two benches of the apex court have passed different orders on the stray dogs issue.'This is with regard to the community dogs issue… There is an earlier judgment of this court, of a bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and Sanjay Karol, which says there cannot be indiscriminate killing of canines and that compassion for all living beings has to be there," the lawyer was referring to the recent order passed by a bench headed by Justice JB Pardiwala, where the court had ordered relocation of the stray dogs in Delhi to dog shelters and another order passed by a Justice JK Maheshwari-led bench in May 2024, whereby the petitions relating to the stray dog issue were relegated to the respective High Maheshwari had said, 'Under all circumstances, there cannot be any indiscriminate killings of canines and the authorities have to take action in terms of the mandate and spirit of the prevalent legislation(s) in place".Sharma today mentioned the petition filed by an organisation named Conference for Human Rights (India), challenging a Delhi High Court's order in its PIL seeking directions for sterilisation and vaccination of community dogs in Delhi as per the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) August 2023, the High Court disposed of the PIL without issuing any specific directions, after recording satisfaction with the steps taken by the NGO challenged the High Court order in July 2024, and a bench headed by Justice Gavai issued notice on the August 11, a bench of Justices Pardiwala and R Mahadevan took a stern view of the stray dog menace and ordered the Delhi-NCR to start removing stray dogs from all localities within eight weeks and house them in dedicated dog shelters to be set up by civic said that all localities should be made free of stray dogs and there should not be any compromise, while making it clear that no captured animal will be released back on the also ordered contempt proceedings against any individual or organisation that attempts to obstruct the authorities from carrying out the capture drive. The order of the top court came on a suo motu proceedings initiated by it over a media report on the growing menace of stray dog attacks leading to the news report as 'very disturbing and alarming", the bench had said that day the news report revealed that the elderly and children were the most affected by rabies from dog bite incidents. (ANI)
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First Post
41 minutes ago
- First Post
Will Pakistan go to war with India over the Indus Waters? Or are the threats hollow?
The threats continue from across the border. After Asim Munir and Bilawal Bhutto, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a warning over India's decision to pause the Indus Waters Treaty, saying it would teach the 'enemy' a 'lesson it would never forget'. But is there more to it than just words? Fishermen ride their boats in the Indus River. India's decision to pause the Indus Waters Treaty has led to several Pakistani officials to issue threats. File image/AFP In the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam attack, India took stern steps announcing that it was pausing the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating, 'Now, India's water will flow for India's benefit, it will be conserved for India's benefit, and it will be used for India's progress.' However, this move of putting the years-old treaty on hold has enraged Pakistan — with its prime minister now issuing threats to New Delhi, saying the 'enemy' would not be allowed to snatch 'even one drop' of water belonging to his country. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD His remarks come after Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and its former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto issued similar threats. But should these threats worry India? What did Sharif say on IWT? Any attempt to block water flows into Pakistan would violate the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and provoke a 'decisive response', Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday, issuing a stern warning to India yet again. Addressing an event in Islamabad, Sharif was quoted by Geo News as saying, 'The enemy cannot snatch even a single drop of water from Pakistan. If you attempt such a move, we will teach you a lesson you will never forget.' He described water as Pakistan's 'lifeline' and vowed no compromise on the nation's rights under international agreements. What about Bhutto and Asim Munir? Sharif's remarks come after former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari made similar comments, terming the Indus Waters Treaty's suspension an attack on the Indus Valley Civilisation and said Pakistan would not back down if India forced it into war. While speaking at a function on Monday, the Pakistani leader say the country is 'strong enough for war to get back all six rivers,' vowing that Pakistan 'will never bow down'. According to a report by Express Tribune, Bhutto said that the Indus is the singular major water source for the entire country and that the Indus valley civilisation has remained connected with the river for aeons. 'We have fought wars in the past, but the Indus was never attacked, and no one even thought of building dams or canals on the river.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Even Pakistan's Field Marshal Asim Munir issued threats against India over the Indus Waters Treaty. From US soil, the war-mongering general said that Islamabad would destroy any dam if it cut off water flow to Pakistan. 'We will wait for India to build a dam, and when it does so, phir 10 missile sey faarigh kar dengey [we will destroy it with 10 missiles],' he was quoted as saying by The Print. India's decision to pause the Indus Waters Treaty in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, enraged many in Pakistan. File image/Reuters Do these threats hold any water? However, it seems that these remarks are part of just empty rhetoric. The treaty has a redressal system in which disputes are first taken up at the level of the Indus Commissioners of India and Pakistan, then escalated to the World Bank-appointed Neutral Expert, and finally to the International Court of Arbitration (CoA) in The Hague. The World Bank itself has no jurisdiction in the matter with President Ajay Banga stating that the said that the agency has no role to play beyond a facilitator in the Indus Waters Treaty signed between India and Pakistan in 1960 for sharing of waters of Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab. 'We have no role to play beyond a facilitator. There's a lot of speculation in the media about how the World Bank will step in and fix the problem, but it's all bunk. The World Bank's role is merely as a facilitator,' World Bank President, Ajay Banga, was quoted as saying earlier. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Moreover, India has also rejected the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague in this matter. New Delhi has maintained that it does not recognise this body and had earlier insisted that a neutral expert should handle the matter. However, the PCA proceeded, resulting in India boycotting the proceedings, terming them as 'illegal'. In fact, on August 11, the PCA ruled that India must adhere to the Indus Waters Treaty in the design of new hydro-electric power stations on rivers that flow west to Pakistan endorsing Islamabad's position. In its ruling, it noted that it 'does not permit India to generate hydro-electric power on the Western Rivers based on what might be the ideal or best practices approach for engineering' of these projects. However, India has rejected this, maintaining that the arbitration process was unilaterally initiated by Pakistan, violating the treaty's dispute resolution mechanism and undermining bilateral dialogue. The Indus Waters Treaty is very crucial to Pakistan, as it lays down terms for the waters of the Indus River, a crucial lifeline for both countries. File image/Reuters Why is the Indus Waters so important to Pakistan? But why all of this hoopla over pact signed way back in 1960? Pakistan gets around 80 per cent of the Indus basin water, making it one of the largest irrigation systems in the world. About 80 per cent of Pakistan's farmland or nearly 16 million hectares, depends on this water, and 90 per cent of it goes into irrigation. Now, if the water was to dry up here as a result of India holding back water in its reservoirs, Pakistan's farmers might struggle to sow key crops like cotton and paddy on time. This would eventually hurt the country's economy. There's also the matter of power; the lack of water could squeeze power generation, hit factory production and drive electricity prices even higher. And that's bad news because Pakistan's power sector is already drowning in $9 billion of circular debt. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Only time will tell if Pakistan resorts to military solutions on the Indus Waters Treaty. For now, it's a wait and watch game? With inputs from agencies
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
DRDO Guesthouse Manager Arrested On Espionage Charges For Alleged Pakistan Intelligence Links
Authorities in Rajasthan have detained Mahendra Prasad, who served as the manager of a Defence Research and Development Organisation facility in Jaisalmer, on allegations of espionage activities benefiting Pakistan's intelligence services. Prasad, originally from Almora in Uttarakhand, held the position of contractual manager at the DRDO accommodation facility located in the Chandan area of Jaisalmer district. His arrest occurred on Monday following investigations that revealed suspicious communications with foreign intelligence operatives. The detention comes as law enforcement agencies have heightened security measures in anticipation of Independence Day celebrations. According to Superintendent of Police Abhishek Shivhare, a comprehensive interrogation involving multiple agencies was scheduled to take place following the arrest. Inspector General Vishnukant of the CID Security division explained that enhanced surveillance operations were implemented to prevent potential anti-national activities by foreign operatives during the national holiday period. During these monitoring efforts, investigators discovered Prasad's alleged connections to Pakistani intelligence through various social media platforms. The DRDO facility where Prasad worked plays a crucial role in India's defense testing operations, as the organization conducts missile and weapons trials at the nearby Pokharan firing range. Scientists, researchers, and military personnel involved in these sensitive operations regularly stay at the guesthouse during their assignments. Investigators allege that Prasad exploited his position to gather and transmit classified information about the movements and schedules of DRDO scientists. He is also accused of sharing details regarding Indian Army officers who visited the testing range for missile and weapons evaluation programs. Additional charges include the unauthorized disclosure of other confidential defense-related intelligence. The accused allegedly used his strategic position at the accommodation facility, which regularly hosts scientists and military personnel during testing phases, to monitor activities and relay sensitive information to foreign contacts. Technical analysis of Prasad's mobile device reportedly uncovered evidence of espionage-related communications and data transfers to Pakistan. Law enforcement officials have filed charges against Prasad under the Official Secrets Act of 1923, which addresses crimes related to national security and the unauthorized sharing of classified government information. The Jaisalmer region holds significant importance for India's defense capabilities, with the Pokharan range serving as a primary location for testing advanced weaponry and missile systems. The security breach at such a sensitive facility has raised concerns about the vulnerability of defense installations to foreign intelligence operations. This incident highlights the ongoing challenges faced by Indian security agencies in protecting classified defense information from foreign espionage activities, particularly in areas where sensitive military testing and research operations are conducted.
