
Anti‑doping amendment introduced in Lok Sabha by Sports Minister
"The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025, seeks to enhance institutional and operational independence of the National Anti-Doping Appeal Panel and the National Anti-Doping Agency to ensure autonomy in their decisions pertaining to operations, investigations and enforcement activities," stated the bill's objectives.The Board was previously empowered to constitute the appeal panel and "oversee the activities" of NADA. This provision has been done away with in the amended bill which asserts NADA's autonomy."The Director General or any other staff member of the Agency shall have operational independence from any National Sports Federation, International Federation, National Olympic Committee, National Paralympic Committee or any Government department or agency with responsibility for sport or anti-doping," the amended bill states.A day before the bill's introduction, a sports ministry source had told PTI that amendments were necessary to ensure that India does not end up being suspended by WADA."If we had implemented the 2022 act, it would have invited a ban from WADA. Our lab would have been derecognised. So, the changes were necessary," the source had said.- EndsMust Watch

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Indian Express
a few seconds ago
- Indian Express
‘Political speeches are often exaggerated': Telangana HC quashes criminal defamation against CM Revanth Reddy
The Telangana High Court Friday quashed a criminal defamation case against Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. The case stems from remarks made by the CM against the BJP during the Lok Sabha election campaign at Kothagudem in May 2024. On Friday, the Bench of Justice Lakshman allowed the petition filed by Reddy to quash the proceedings against him in the case pending trial before a Special Judicial First Class Magistrate (JFCM) for Excise cases (designated MP-MLA court) in Hyderabad. He was booked under Section 499 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 125 (promoting enmity between classes in connection with an election) of the Representation of the People Act. The complainant, Telangana BJP unit represented by its General Secretary Kasam Venkateshwarlu, contended that the statements, such as 'the BJP, if voted to power, would change the Constitution and abolish reservations to SC/ST and BC communities', were part of a 'fake and dubious political narrative' to confuse voters and promote enmity between communities. The BJP alleged that the speech lowered the party's reputation and caused damage during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Special JFCM for excise cases in August 2024 had issued a summons to Revanth Reddy, asking him to appear personally before it. Subsequently, the chief minister approached the high court challenging the complaint and seeking to stay the proceedings initiated against him. The high court had earlier granted him an exemption from personal appearance before the trial court. The petitioner's counsel, T Niranjan Reddy, informed the court that political speeches should not be the subject of defamation, 'as elections inherently involve parties seeking to lower each other's reputation.' He said the 'alleged speech is a routine activity of a political leader to criticise the opposition and is not defamation,' and that such speeches are protected under Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution. The petitioner, among other allegations, argued that the complaint was filed with a political vendetta to harass the petitioner and constitutes an abuse of the legal process. On his part, the counsel for the respondent, Devineni Vijay Kumar, argued that the statements created mistrust and fear among voters, bringing disrepute to the BJP. After hearing both sides, the court rejected the contention of the petitioner that political parties do not enjoy reputation and cannot maintain a complaint for criminal defamation. The court also found neither the complainant (BJP Telangana) nor its representative, Kasam Venkateshwarlu, was authorised by the national unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party to file the complaint. Refraining from discussing the contents of the alleged speech and the issue of its defamatory nature, the court noted, 'Political speeches are often exaggerated. To allege that such speeches are defamatory is another exaggeration.' 'It is trite law that, power of quashing should be exercised very sparingly and circumspection and that too in the rarest of rare cases. However, where the initiation of criminal proceedings suffers from material defects or where such criminal proceedings constitute abuse of process, the inherent powers can be exercised to quash criminal proceedings,' the court stated in the order.


Time of India
19 minutes ago
- Time of India
Lok Sabha adjourned again, opposition writes to Speaker for discussion on SIR
The Opposition's relentless protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar paralysed the functioning of the Lok Sabha yet again on Friday, with two forced adjournments, even as the floor leaders of Opposition parties wrote a letter to Speaker Om Birla demanding an urgent discussion on the SIR. The protest forced the first adjournment till 2pm. When the House reassembled, the Opposition members resumed their sloganeering. They carried placards and walked into the well of the House. Krishna Prasad Tenneti, who was presiding over the proceedings, warned the members against carrying placards and asked them to return to their seats. Papers were laid on the table and matters of public importance under Rule 377 were submitted amid the din. Tenneti repeatedly appealed to the Opposition to allow the House to function. The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill 2024 was listed for consideration and passing. Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal accused the Opposition of being anti-tribals. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category MCA healthcare Technology Product Management Design Thinking CXO Management Operations Management MBA Data Science Project Management others Public Policy Leadership Artificial Intelligence Data Science Healthcare Data Analytics Degree PGDM Cybersecurity Digital Marketing Finance Others Skills you'll gain: Programming Proficiency Data Handling & Analysis Cybersecurity Awareness & Skills Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Duration: 24 Months Vellore Institute of Technology VIT Master of Computer Applications Starts on Aug 14, 2024 Get Details The House was adjourned for the day within nine minutes. In their letter to Birla, the Opposition floor leaders said, "This (SIR in Bihar) is unprecedented. ECI has indicated that similar exercises will soon be undertaken across the country. Given the widespread apprehension about the transparency, timing, and intent of this process, the matter requires the urgent attention of the House." The signatories to the letter included the leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Gaurav Gogoi (Congress), TR Baalu (DMK), Supriya Sule (NCP-SP), Lalji Verma (SP), Kakoli Ghose Dastidar (AITC), Arvind Savant (SS-UBT), Abhay Kumar (RJD) and N K Premachandran (RSP).


Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
'No formal talks yet with US on F-35 buy': Government in Lok Sabha
NEW DELHI: India has not had any formal talks with the US over the purchase of fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets, the external affairs ministry informed the Lok Sabha Friday. Responding to a written query, MoS (MEA) Kirti Vardhan Singh said the India-US joint statement following the meeting between PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump in Feb 2025 had mentioned that US will undertake a review of its policy on selling fifth-generation fighters (such as the F-35) and undersea systems to India. "No formal discussions have been held as yet on this issue," added the minister. A news agency reported on Thursday that India had told the US that it is not interested in purchasing the F-35 jets. The minister was also asked whether the govt has reviewed the dynamics relating to US military assistance proposals and India's autonomy in terms of foreign policy, given its strategic implications, especially in a conflict scenario involving third-party mediation. The minister responded by saying that the India-US partnership has benefited from growing strategic convergence & cooperation and that India closely evaluates all its external partnerships, including those in the defence and strategic domains, through the prism of its national interest and commitment to strategic autonomy. "India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership is anchored in mutual trust, shared interests, goodwill and robust engagement between our citizens," he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like San Ramon: How Much Does It Cost To Replace Old Windows? Beautiful Energy-Efficient Windows Learn More Undo As regards third-party mediation, the minister said that it has been India's longstanding position that any outstanding issue with Pakistan will be discussed only at a bilateral level. "This has been made clear to all nations, including by the PM to the US president," he said.