‘Disabled people entitled to due representation in elected boards'
"It is only just and proper that apart from finding a place in educational institutions and in employment, disabled persons also find a place in the elected bodies," Justices G R Swaminathan and V Lakshminarayanan said.
The court made the observations while clarifying that the high court, though being a constitutional court, cannot issue any writ of mandamus unless the petitioner shows the existence of any legal right.
However, the court added that it can certainly nudge the authorities to take appropriate steps in that direction.
The issue pertains to a plea moved by advocate B Rameshbabu, pointing out that there was no representation of PwDs in various statutory bodies such as Bar Council of India, National Medical Council, Dental Council of India, and Pharmacy Council of India. The petitioner said despite the mandates for the govt provided under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act to identify suitable posts in various govt establishments, no identification and nomination were done by the state.
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Recording the submissions, the bench said, "The Act states that the chief commissioner for persons with disabilities shall promote awareness of the rights of PwDs and safeguards available for their protection."
Now that we have brought it to the notice of the authorities that disabled persons have not given due representation, we direct the authorities to undertake appropriate steps in this regard, the court said.
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Business Standard
22 minutes ago
- Business Standard
SC says multiple documents for citizenship in Bihar SIR are voter-friendly
The Supreme Court on Wednesday observed that the availability of multiple documents to prove citizenship under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls was 'voter-friendly rather than restrictive.' Justice Joymalya Bagchi made the observation during a hearing on petitions challenging the Election Commission of India's (ECI's) June 24 directive ordering the SIR. Senior Advocate A M Singhvi, appearing for one of the petitioners, had raised concerns about the exclusionary nature of the verification exercise. A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi is hearing multiple petitions contesting the ECI's directive, which mandates that voters not listed in the 2003 electoral roll must furnish documents to prove citizenship. Individuals born after December 2004 are also required to submit citizenship proof of both parents, with additional conditions if a parent is a foreign national. The court noted that the SIR in Bihar permits any of 11 documents to be submitted to establish citizenship, whereas the earlier summary revision in Jharkhand allowed only seven documents for identity verification. While acknowledging concerns around Aadhaar exclusion, Justice Bagchi said the broader set of documents available in Bihar makes the process 'voter-friendly rather than restrictive.' Singhvi, however, questioned the "compelling need" to conduct the SIR in such a short timeframe, arguing that it could lead to mass voter exclusion. He pointed out that many women in Bihar lack matriculation or educational certificates issued by recognised boards, which are among the 11 approved documents. Legal scope of ECI's powers debated Justice Bagchi highlighted that Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People (RP) Act grants the ECI some flexibility to conduct a special revision 'in such manner as it may think fit,' subject to limitations. He posed a question to the legal counsels on whether this provision gave the ECI 'residuary discretion' to introduce additions such as enumeration forms or extra documentation for the revision process. Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, also appearing for the petitioners, countered that Section 21(3) 'cannot take away my right to adult suffrage under Article 326 at any cost,' nor the right to vote under Section 62 of the RP Act. 'This is a battle between a constitutional entitlement and a constitutional right,' Justice Bagchi remarked. Allegations of EC website changes after Rahul Gandhi's remarks Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), submitted that the ECI removed the searchable list of electoral rolls from its website after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the poll body of aiding 'vote theft' on August 4. 'The searchable list was available till August 4,' Bhushan told the court. The Bench also clarified that it would not take up matters related to the SIR in West Bengal, as the state Assembly elections are scheduled for 2026. 'Bengal can wait. Nothing is happening now,' the court said. The hearing is expected to continue on Thursday.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
'Useful idiot': Inside China's long game - How Xi is squeezing Trump over trade
Donald Trump has gone to great lengths to avoid upsetting Chinese leader Xi Jinping. (AI image for representation.) President Donald Trump has extended the US‑China tariff truce by 90 days - to November 10 - as both sides scramble to keep tensions from boiling over again. 'I have just signed an Executive Order that will extend the Tariff Suspension on China for another 90 days,' Trump posted, hours before the previous pause expired, with Beijing announcing a parallel extension. Trump said the US has been 'dealing very nicely with China,' adding, 'We'll see what happens. They've been dealing quite nicely. The relationship is very good with President Xi (Jinping) and myself.' Meanwhile, the 90-day pause gives Chinese President Xi Jinping 's policymakers additional time to strategize their next steps. Xi Jinping: The master of economic war China believes momentum is on its side because Trump has a stronger desire to sign a deal with Beijing so that he can claim victory and secure a summit with Xi in the fall. William Yang, the International Crisis Group's senior North East Asia analyst, to Bloomberg 'China beats you with trade, Russia beats you with war,' Donald Trump mused on August 11th, just hours before extending the fragile tariff truce with Beijing for another 90 days. The comment, offhand in delivery, masked a deeper truth: Xi Jinping has been refining the tools of economic coercion into a precision strike capability - one that can choke critical industries, split US alliances, and undercut Trump's leverage without firing a shot, a report in the Economist said. The $659 billion annual trade relationship between the two powers is no longer just about soybean orders or tariff rates. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like TV providers are furious: this gadget gives you access to all channels Techno Mag Learn More Undo As per the Economist, Xi's focus is not on what China buys, but on what it sells - and the global dependencies that flow from it. This is a sharp break from 2019, when Xi grudgingly promised to buy more US goods in a deal many in Beijing derided as clumsy. Back then, retaliation meant banning a foreign product - Australian wine, Lithuanian beef. Now, China aims for the industrial jugular, squeezing supply chains rather than consumer markets. Why it matters: As the Economist report says, Beijing's new playbook centers on weaponizing upstream choke points - rare earths, magnets, battery materials and precision tools - to squeeze Western (and especially US) supply chains while protecting its own. China's supply-chain choke points are not just a bargaining chip - they are a strategic weapon that can be switched on or off without warning, directly targeting US industries, military readiness, and allied economies. The 'China squeeze' reveals a shift in the balance of trade power: instead of threatening to buy less from America, Beijing is threatening to stop the world from making things it needs. For the US, that means the defense industry can't count on steady supplies of rare-earth magnets, advanced alloys, or specialty electronics - vulnerabilities China can exploit in any geopolitical flashpoint, from Taiwan to the South China Sea. For allies, it exposes how interwoven global manufacturing is with Chinese inputs - and how fragile diversification efforts remain. A single export-license slowdown can ripple from iPhone production in India to missile assembly lines in Texas. For Trump, it undercuts the premise that tariffs alone can bring Beijing to heel. For global markets, it signals a playbook that blends statecraft with market manipulation - and one that other resource-dominant nations may be tempted to copy. In short: Xi's economic arsenal isn't about winning one round of tariffs - it's about making sure China holds the valve on the parts of the global economy the US and its allies can least afford to lose. The big picture China's goal, per the Economist: build 'asymmetric dependencies' by purging foreign inputs from its own supply chains while 'tightening international production chains' dependence on China.' Xi framed these dependencies as 'a powerful countermeasure and deterrent capability against foreigners who would artificially cut off supply to China'. Since 2020, Beijing has assembled a sweeping export‑licensing regime covering 700+ products - from advanced machine tools and biotech to critical minerals - with the power to revoke licenses, track end‑users, and extend 'long‑arm jurisdiction' to goods made in third countries using Chinese inputs, the Economist notes in its report. The strategy surged this spring: China throttled rare‑earth minerals and magnets after US tariff escalations - rattling America's $1.5 trillion auto sector and pushing Europe to seek relief ahead of an EU‑China summit. What they're saying US trade representative Jamieson Greer told Bloomberg the talks are 'about halfway there' on restoring magnet flows after China's export controls, adding the aim is that magnets 'can flow as freely as it did before the control.' Xiang Lanxin (National University of Singapore) told the Economist, 'Beijing was not surprised to find it has leverage, but it must be used discreetly.' Wu Xinbo of Fudan University told CNN the flow could be dialed up or down: 'If the bilateral relationship is good, then I'll go a bit faster; if not, I'll slow down.' William Yang of the International Crisis Group cautioned that 'Beijing will be happy to keep the US‑China negotiation going, but it is unlikely to make concessions.' Zoom in: the defense squeeze According to a Wall Street Journal report, China's curbs are biting the US military‑industrial base. Beijing has limited critical minerals used in 'bullets to jet fighters,' with one supplier offered samarium 'for 60 times the standard price.' China has also restricted germanium, gallium and antimony - key to night‑vision, infrared sensors and hardened munitions. Result: delays, cost spikes, and scramble‑for‑stockpiles across drone parts, magnets and specialty alloys. The Pentagon is racing to onshore and ally‑shore supply, taking a $400 million stake in MP Materials to secure rare‑earth magnets for systems like the F‑35 and cruise missiles, the WSJ report said. By the numbers $659 billion: the two‑way annual trade in goods 90%: China's share of global rare earths supply 353 tons: US imports of Chinese rare‑earth magnets in June - up from 46 tons in May, but still below pre‑control levels. 700+: Chinese products now subject to export licenses, many essential to Western defense and clean‑tech value chains. Between the lines Trump's tactical pause gives Beijing what it values most: time. As Bloomberg's Karishma Vaswani writes, China is channeling a Mao‑era concept of 'protracted war' - absorbing short‑term pain to shape the endgame. Each round ends with an agreement to meet again, while Beijing avoids concessions on core demands and deepens self‑reliance. Even with the reprieve, Bloomberg Economics estimates China still faces average US tariffs of 40% - but Beijing is betting endurance will outlast Washington's political and business pressure. It's certainly true that Trump's policy pivot is a problem for Beijing. Bloomberg Economics calculations show tariffs at the current levels would erase more than 50% of sales to the US. But it's far from the end of China's development story. China's exports to the US equal about 3% of gross domestic product—down from a peak of 7% two decades ago, after a campaign to diversify away from American consumers that's been every bit as deliberate as US efforts to reduce reliance on Chinese supply chains. That means even if half of China's exports to the US get wiped out, the blow to the overall economy is just 1.5%. Not good news, to be sure, but far from a disaster. An article in Bloomberg Domestically, China's economy is slowing - 5.2% growth in the April‑June quarter, youth joblessness at 14.5% - yet Xi can frame the contest as national fortitude against external pressure. Internationally, per MSNBC's Anthony L Fisher, Chinese nationalists see Trump as 'an entertaining, useful idiot' and even nickname him 'Chuan Jianguo, meaning 'Trump the Nation Builder'... he is making China stronger by undermining America.' He cites The Economist's reporting on such nationalist sentiment. How Trump's tariffs are rewriting India's alliances Some of Trump's policies have inadvertently strengthened Beijing's position. Blanket 'reciprocal' tariffs alienated allies such as India, a potential counterweight to China. Emerging markets in South America and Africa have moved closer to Beijing. China has overtaken the US as South America's top trading partner. Trump's tariff escalation and public insults have pushed India toward the BRICS bloc (China, Russia, Brazil). Shared grievances over US tariffs are fostering a possible Global South alignment that could reshape trade, energy, and security. Henry Wang (Center for China and Globalization, Beijing) says India–China ties are in an 'up cycle.' Wang argues that as Global South leaders, India and China 'have to really speak to each other.' Reality check Interestingly, weaponized interdependence cuts both ways. The more China uses its controls, the more it incentivizes diversification. Stanford's Matteo Maggiori told the Economist that sanctioning power is 'non‑linear' - the difference between controlling 95% and 85% of a market is the difference between a chokehold and an opening for rivals to invest. Europe, Japan and the US are already de‑risking, and Washington is throwing subsidy muscle at magnets, chips, batteries and mineral processing . Still, it will take years to stand up alternative mines, refineries and magnet plants. Meanwhile, China's licensing rules let officials pinpoint and pinch specific Western defense primes - slowing a missile program here, raising a jet‑engine cost there - while resuming broader flows to keep headline trade calm. The bottom line The Economist rightly says that Beijing has mastered the dark arts of the trade war by shifting the battleground upstream. Rather than haggling over soybean buys or headline tariffs, Xi's team is exploiting the places where China's grip is tightest - rare earths, magnets, specialty metals, critical machine tools - to force concessions without making many. Whether Trump realizes it or not, Beijing is already winning the tempo war. Rare earths, minerals, and machine tools may not grab headlines like aircraft carriers, but in a world wired together by supply chains, they are weapons in their own right. The more Trump tries to squeeze China with tariffs, the more Beijing refines its ability to squeeze back - with more precision, less noise, and a longer view. Right now, Xi is betting that Trump will be the first to blink. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays , public holidays , current gold rate and silver price .
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Tejashwi again threatens poll boycott over voter list row
Patna: Amid raging controversy over the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, leader of opposition in the state assembly, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, on Wednesday reiterated that the INDIA bloc could boycott the upcoming assembly elections. He said it was a matter of grave concern that the names of lakhs of poor voters were deleted from the electoral rolls, while BJP leaders allegedly managed to "procure" two voter ID cards—a lapse the Election Commission (EC) failed to detect during the SIR drive. Talking to reporters here on Wednesday, Tejashwi said they would go to the masses in the course of the "Vote Adhikar Yatra" and assess the prevailing situation in the countryside before deciding whether they should join the poll process. "After the yatra, we will seriously consider whether to participate in the assembly elections or not. When the EC has already decided everything, it can also be considered that we do not participate," Tejashwi said, adding it was strange that the EC is yet to reply to the issues flagged by them. "The overall situation in the country is very strange. Neither PM Narendra Modi and CM Nitish Kumar nor the chief election commissioner comes before the media to address the issues. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Flexible MBA by SRM—Apply Now! SRM Online Apply Now Undo This is a very dangerous situation for democracy in the country," he said, wondering if they should repeatedly rush to the court for every single issue. "The EC is behaving like Mauni Baba (a silent spectator)," he alleged. Alleging the EC is "robbing votes" at the behest of the BJP, the RJD leader issued documents to highlight how senior BJP leader-cum-Muzaffarpur mayor Nirmala Devi also possesses two separate EPICs, quite like her two brothers-in-law. "She has two EPIC numbers with different ages and her name figures in the electoral rolls at two different booths in the same assembly constituency in Muzaffarpur district. The EC is clearly working to help the BJP. How did this happen? What kind of SIR is this?" Tejashwi asked. Meanwhile, the electoral registration officer of the Muzaffarpur assembly constituency on Wednesday issued notices to Nirmala Devi and her two brothers-in-law, Manoj Kumar and Dilip Kumar, asking them to send their responses by Aug 16 before further action could be taken against them. Tejashwi also rejected the "charisma" of the PM, alleging the BJP has clung to power by "stealing votes" of the people. "Earlier, the BJP used agencies like the ED, CBI, and IT to get votes, but now when these agencies have failed in their mission, the BJP has now indulged in 'dacoity of votes' with the help of the BJP," he alleged. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
