'Full Support To Any Action': Rahul, Owaisi and Others React After All Party Meet On Pahalgam Attack
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Hans India
18 minutes ago
- Hans India
MLAs defections: SC gives Speaker 3 months to decide
Hyderabad/New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday delivered a crucial verdict on the petition filed by the BRS leaders on the disqualification of 10 of its MLAs, who had joined the ruling Congress party. The apex court asked the Telangana Assembly speaker to take a decision within the next three months. In its 74-page judgement, the court struck down the orders of the division bench of the High Court and wanted the Parliament to take a decision on the time-limit for the speaker to take a decision. It observed that it cannot allow a situation of 'operation successful, but patient dead' by allowing the petition to be kept pending, which would eventually allow the MLAs to benefit. The apex court rejected the prayer by the petitioners that it should decide the disqualification petitions, referring to the precedents in Kihoto Hollahan and Subhash Desai cases of a similar nature. BRS working president K T Rama Rao and MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy had filed the petitions against the MLAs' defections. The Supreme Court observed that the MLAs should not ask for extending the process as if they persist with such a plea, the Speaker can take an adverse decision. Political defections have become a topic of discussions and if these are not stopped, these have the power to damage democracy, it held. 'We have also examined various speeches made in Parliament on this issue on various occasions. The Speaker's decision on disqualification proceedings is to avoid delay in courts. The Speaker is empowered to act against those who have changed parties. The powers of judicial review in relation to Articles 136, 226, 227 are very limited. The division bench erred in interfering with the orders of the single judge of the Telangana High Court. The Speaker, while acting as a judicial officer, acts as a tribunal subject to the jurisdiction of the High Court and the Supreme Court,' the court ruled. The Court observed that the Speaker cannot get constitutional protection by acting in such a manner. 'We are setting aside the judgment of the division bench of the Telangana High Court on November 22, 2014. Even in important decisions, Speakers of the Legislative Assembly are delaying action against defectors who pose a threat to democracy. Therefore, there was a need for Parliament to review the existing mechanism for disqualification of MLAs under the Anti-Defection Act. Such actions become meaningless after years. It is unfortunate that the Speaker has issued a notice on the issue only after the Supreme Court had issued a notice'.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Law on anvil for blue economy, government tells Lok Sabha
The Centre is taking a systematic approach towards a legislative framework for implementation of the Blue Economy policy, the ministry of earth sciences informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Law on anvil for blue economy, government tells Lok Sabha The draft national policy on blue economy, covering seven thematic areas including ocean governance and marine spatial planning, was placed in the public domain in February 2021 and revised in July 2022 after inter-ministerial and stakeholder consultations, the response said adding that the policy is aiming to harness ocean resources sustainably for economic growth while protecting marine ecosystems ensuring national security and it also provides the foundational basis for future legislation, the ministry said in response to a query, raised by MP Brijmohan Agrawal, on the major legislative steps taken by the government for Blue Economy. The deep ocean mission is a subset of the broader blue economy concept which is focused on technological development for exploring deep ocean resources, promoting climate change advisory services, conservation of deep-sea biodiversity, research on ocean biology, and harnessing energy and freshwater from the ocean. 'The current focus is on strengthening the existing environmental legal framework through targeted reforms, including amendments to existing laws and empowering the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change's umbrella legislation the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. These reforms aim to introduce specific rules to address critical challenges such as e-waste (management), plastics waste management, batteries waste management, and end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) scrapping,' said Jitendra Singh, minister of state for earth sciences. He was responding to questions by BJP MP, Brijmohan Agrawal on the 1. major legislative steps taken by the Government for the Blue Economy district from policy-based approaches such as the Deep Ocean Mission along with the draft legislation; 2. inter-ministerial consultations or projected timelines for a Blue Economy Law; 3. existing mechanism which ensures sector-specific, legally binding environmental among others. The various sectors in the blue economy are governed by different laws which include: 1. Coastal and Marine Ecosystems governed by Environment (Protection) Act, 1986; Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 2019 and Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, 2. Fisheries and Aquaculture governed by Marine Fishing Regulation Acts (State-specific); National Policy on Marine Fisheries, 2017; 3. Shipping and Ports & Security under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958; Major Port Authorities Act, 2021; International Maritime Conventions (e.g., MARPOL) (via Merchant Shipping Act); Maritime Zones Act, 1976; Recycling of Ships Act, 2019 and Island Vessels Act, 2021, 3. Oil, Gas & Deep-Sea Mining under Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Act, 1948 and Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 2002, 4. Tourism and Recreation under Environment (Protection) Act & CRZ Rules and Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and 5. Marine Biotechnology & Bioprospecting under Biological Diversity Act, 2002. The regulatory gaps and overlaps are being addressed through the PARIVESH portal of Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change which acts as a single window for environmental, forest, wildlife, and coastal regulation zone clearances and the National Sagarmala Apex Committee and PM Gatishakti portal also aid in integrated planning, Singh said. Further, there are dedicated laws and guidelines for investment, accountability, and liability including 100% FDI is permitted via the automatic route in sectors like sea-ports and aquaculture. Offshore mineral block auctions are open to foreign bidders with specified conditions. The Merchant Shipping Act, 1958, adopts international liability conventions and mandates compulsory insurance for pollution damage. Offshore safety is governed by the Oil Mines Regulations, 2017, and a draft Offshore Safety Directive. The 'Harit Sagar' Green Port Guidelines (2023) mandate ESG reporting for terminal operators. The Deep Ocean Mission requires Environmental and Social Due Diligence for its projects. Maritime Zones Act, 1976 along with updated rules like the Offshore Wind Energy Lease Rules, 2023, provides the legal framework for leasing and regulating offshore energy and mineral projects, the response said.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
BJP, Congress trade barbs as Rahul says economy is dead
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's claim on Thursday that mirrored US president Donald Trump's statement that the Indian economy is 'dead ' triggered a war of words with the ruling BJP, which said that the world recognizes India's achievements even as Gandhi tried to run it down. BJP, Congress trade barbs as Rahul says economy is dead 'Yes, he (Trump) is right, Everybody knows this except the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister. Everybody knows that the Indian economy is a dead economy. I am glad that President Trump has stated a fact... The entire world knows that the Indian economy is a dead economy...,' Gandhi told journalists outside Parliament. Later on, in a post on X , he listed his criteria for his view on the state of the Indian economy. Trump's overnight comments were made in the context of India and Russia's bilateral trade. After imposing a 25% tariff on Indian exports to the US and an additional penalty for buying Russian oil, Trump said on Truth Social: 'I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care…' . He also alleged that tariffs in India are 'too high' and 'among the highest in the world'. Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat slammed Gandhi for his comments. 'Contrary to your political career, Rahul Gandhi, India's economy is not dead — it is fully alive and moving forward with strong momentum,' he said. In his statement, Shekhawat said that during the tenure of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government India was counted among the 'Fragile Five' countries, and today India is now counted among the 'Robust Five'. 'India's economy is not only setting new standards of stability and growth, but it is also firmly moving towards becoming the world's third-largest economy,' he added. Sambit Patra, a Lok Sabha lawmaker of the BJP, said on X, 'Rahul Gandhi has crossed all limits—publicly endorsing Donald Trump's slur that India is a 'dead economy'. Whose side is he really on?' 'While the world recognises India's aspiration, achievement, and wellbeing, Rahul Gandhi seems intent on running it down. IMF just upgraded India's growth forecast: 6.9% for 2025, the fastest among major economies.. World Bank calls India the 'standout growth story' of the decade. Inflation is at a 6-year low. PMI is at a 17.5-year high. Rahul Gandhi is attempting to chip away at India's collective spirit of its ambition & achievements but he's simply out of sync with a nation chasing its dreams with determination. Shameful!!' Patra said. While no other senior Congress leader commented on Trump's statement, party leader Jairam Ramesh said that the Indian economy has never really recovered from the twin shocks of a 'bizarre demonetisation' and a fundamentally flawed 'GST' (goods andservices tax) . 'The growth rate of the Indian economy will simply not accelerate with current levels of private corporate investment and current levels of private consumption. The Modi government's own policies are responsible for this twin deficit,' he said Congress MP Rajiv Shukla, however, took a different position and told the media, 'It is incorrect for Trump to say that the Indian economy is dead.' Shukla added that economic reforms were ushered in by the Narsimha Rao government and the UPA government and the current government has taken more steps. 'In no way, our economy is weak,' he said Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju cited Shukla's comment and said on X, 'Now, a senior Congress leader Rajiv Shukla ji is also speaking in our country's favour! Indian economy will never be dead.' Calling the Leader of the Opposition , or LoP, an 'LoB' -- 'Leader Opposing Bharat'-- former Union minister and BJP MP Anurag Thakur said, 'Rahul Gandhi's job is only to oppose India. Anyone from around the world makes an anti-India statement, Rahul catches hold of it and starts speaking without thinking... The most popular leader in the world is PM Modi. Perhaps this is what Rahul Gandhi cannot digest, because he has only seen the 'lost decade of opportunities'. In Rahul Gandhi's language, the 'dead decade of opportunities'...'
