Latest news with #IndianSupremeCourt
Business Recorder
4 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
PARTLY FACETIOUS: A constitution is a living document
'I would like to petition…' 'Constitutional petition or…' 'I am not sure – with all the amendments recently approved by parliament and one being drafted as we speak I thought I would wait till all the amendments are in, before I pick up a copy of the constitution and…' 'A constitution is a living document, not one that cannot be changed – all it needs is a two third majority…' 'I get it, and that is not subject to Forms 45 and…' 'Shut up now – it's been a year and a half, so 30 percent of the tenure is over and you are still harping on a dead issue.' 'Right, reminds me of what our very Honourable Current President said in 2008: an accord is not a sacred document per se, so we can equate a constitution with an accord, changeable and…' 'I would shut up if I were you. Anyway I would like to file a petition. And before I go into details I would like to share some background information. The Indian Supreme Court has ordered the Delhi authorities to relocate all stray dogs to shelters within 8 weeks and the animal rights advocates are up in arms.' 'Right and I bet the animal rights groups have denounced the…' 'Yes and this is in spite of the fact that there are more than 3.7 million reported dog bite cases in India and 54 suspected deaths in 2024, in Delhi alone there have been 26,334 reported dog bite cases and…and…wait India accounts for 36 percent of global rabies deaths and…' 'We don't have this data do we?' 'Well the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics has received a technical assistance from the IMF which began last month and will be completed by June 2026 so why don't we wait before we request data cause as the Fund said there are important shortcomings…' 'Don't be facetious but you know this is not controversial right so file a petition.' 'I go back to my earlier question – is it a matter for the constitutional court or the Chief Justice-led Supreme Court.' 'It's not controversial so anyone, but you know there is one difference between the Indian case and ours. In India the animal rights group is local in our case I heard it's some embassy or the other that filed a petition and got a stay order which explains the rising number of strays…' 'Is it a donor country or a country with…' 'Dear Lord!' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
DW
6 days ago
- Politics
- DW
India: Dozens detained for protesting top court's dog order – DW – 08/12/2025
Police in India have detained dozens of individuals protesting a Supreme Court ruling aimed at curbing New Delhi's stray dog problem. Footage from the capital showed the detainees being taken away in buses. Police in the Indian capital of New Delhi arrested dozens of animal rights protesters at the city's India Gate on Tuesday, as demonstrations continued for a second day over Monday's Indian Supreme Court decision to remove stray dogs from the city's streets, according to the Indian news media. Footage from NDTV showed police detaining protesters and buses transporting the detainees away. Protesters railed against the decision, saying the government has far more severe problems to deal with and that the policy of rounding up dogs, sterilizing them and then putting them into what they called inhumane shelters would not resolve the problem. Instead, they called on the authorities to strictly enforce the so-called animal birth control (ABC) rules. These rules prescribe the sterilization and vaccination of stray dogs before their release back into their communities. On Monday, India's Supreme Court ordered authorities to capture 5,000 dogs from "high-risk areas," sterilize them, and relocate them to shelters within six to eight weeks. This order comes after hospital records revealed that New Delhi experiences nearly 2,000 dog bites each day. It is unclear exactly how many dogs roam the streets of India's capital. The most recent data, from 2013, estimated the number to be at least 60,000, though more recent figures suggest it could be as high as one million.
Express Tribune
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
India bans 25 books in IIOJK over 'secession' claims
Listen to article Police in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) raided bookshops on Thursday after authorities banned 25 books, including one by Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy, saying the titles "excite secessionism" in the contested Muslim-majority region. The raids came after the government accused the writers of propagating "false narratives" about Kashmir, "while playing a critical role in misguiding the youth" against the Indian state. "The operation targeted materials promoting secessionist ideologies or glorifying terrorism," police said in a social media statement. "Public cooperation is solicited to uphold peace and integrity," it said. Authorities also seized Islamic literature from bookshops and homes after a similar directive in February. The order banning the books was issued on Tuesday -- the six-year anniversary of New Delhi's imposition of direct rule -- although the ban took time to be brought to wider attention. Chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said the ban "only exposes the insecurities and limited understanding of those behind such authoritarian actions". "Banning books by scholars and reputed historians will not erase historical facts and the repertoire of lived memories of people of Kashmir," Farooq said on social media platform X. Kashmir elected a new government in November, its first since it was brought under New Delhi's direct control, with voters backing opposition parties to lead its regional assembly. However, the local government has limited powers and the territory continues in practical terms to be governed by a New Delhi-appointed administrator. Read More: Indian Supreme Court to hear plea on restoration of IIOJK's special status The ban listed 25 books it said "have been identified that propagate false narrative and secessionism", including Roy's 2020 book of essays, "Azadi: Freedom, Fascism, Fiction". Roy, 63, is one of India's most famous living authors, but her writing and activism, including her trenchant criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, has made her a polarising figure at home. Other books banned include titles by academics, including one of India's foremost constitution experts A G Noorani, and Sumantra Bose, who teaches political science at the London School of Economics. Historian Siddiq Wahid said the edict contravenes the constitution, "which allows for the freedoms of speech and expression". "The list of banned books numbers several that are authored and published by individuals and institutions whose reputations depend on supplying evidence, logic and argument towards the conclusions they draw," Wahid told AFP. "Does that count for anything anymore?"
Express Tribune
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Revisiting August 5, 2019
Six years after the revocation of article 370 of the Indian constitution on August 5, 2019 which had given special status to Jammu & Kashmir, it is time to analyse to what extent New Delhi managed to get support of local Kashmiris, and how after the Pahalgam terrorist attack and Operation Sindoor, the Modi regime failed to seek international backing on its flawed narrative about Pakistan's involvement in acts of terror in the occupied territory. The recently concluded debate in the Indian parliament on Operation Sindoor featured opposition leader Rahul Gandhi lambasting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for lying over President Donald Trump's claim of brokering a ceasefire in the May 7-10 Indo-Pak war and India losing five war planes in the armed conflict. The Kashmir conflict which, according to the Modi regime, had lost its momentum and New Delhi had fully absorbed it in Indian union after August 5 is again a high-profile international issue. How did India lose its perceived edge over its absorption of J&K on August 5, 2019? Why did the Modi regime fail to provide evidence of Pakistan's alleged involvement in the Pahalgam attack on April 22, 2025 in which 26 civilians were killed? How did the failure of Operation Sindoor reverse Modi's Kashmir policy, providing Pakistan a unique opportunity to forcefully raise the Kashmir issue at the international level? Certainly, frustration and anger within the Modi regime over failing to take Operation Sindoor to its desired conclusion means that for the first time since August 5, 2019, New Delhi's confidence to firmly establish its control over occupied Kashmir has been dented. A major setback after the August 5, 2019 actions was caused when following the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, President Trump stated that he was ready to help resolve the Kashmir conflict in order to establish peace in South Asia. Since signing the Shimla Pact with Pakistan in July 1972, India has maintained a consistent position that the Kashmir issue is a bilateral matter and can only be resolved through negotiations between Islamabad and Delhi. Trump's offer of mediation on Kashmir not only antagonised India but also challenged its position that Kashmir was no more an outstanding issue in the wake of its merger with India union. The Modi regime, however, miscalculated Operation Sindoor which proved counter-productive and brought the Kashmir dispute back in the limelight. The Indian Supreme Court had, in December 2023, dismissed petitions against the revocation of article 370 and legitimised the J&K merger with the Indian union, ordering that the statehood of the disputed territory be restored by September 24, 2024. Following the Supreme Court verdict, the election to the J&K Legislative Assembly, held in September-October 2024, saw the National Conference (NC) forming a coalition government along with Congress, and Omer Abdullah became the Chief Minister. Even after the election in the occupied region, the real power rested with the Governor and New Delhi continued to undermine the authority of Chief Minister. In order to further legitimise its position on J&K after August 5, the Modi regime publicised the holding of tourism conference under G-20 in Srinagar in May 2023 and launched infrastructure road, dam and power projects. But all its efforts to strengthen its hold over J&K after August 5, 2019 suffered a setback when Operation Sindoor failed and Kashmir regained its status as a dispute between Pakistan and India. Revisiting the August 5, 2019 actions, particularly the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganization Act passed by the Indian parliament and later upheld by the Supreme Court, needs to be analysed from three angles. First is the debacle of Operation Sindoor which led to the questioning of the Indian position whereby after August 5, 2019, the target was to wrest Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan from Pakistan. Indian Defense Minister Raj Nath Singh had been threatening Pakistan that after absorbing J&K, India's next target would be Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. However, after the May 7-10 Indo-Pak war, the Modi regime is pursuing a defensive position. The recent furor in the Indian parliament in which the Modi regime was blamed by Congress and other opposition parties for mismanaging the Pahalgam episode as well as Operation Sindoor means the very stance of New Delhi after August 5 is losing credibility. On July 30, Indian opposition parties in the parliament had to stage a walkout when Prime Minister Narendra Modi avoided speaking on the floor of the assembly to respond to the allegations about the shooting down of five Indian war planes by the Pakistan Air Force and failure to provide security to tourists who were killed by terrorists in Pahalgam. Second, Pakistan lost a valuable opportunity to counter New Delhi's August 5 actions. As a result, not only India strengthened its position, particularly in the Valley, but also augmented its programme for settlement of Indian nationals. Indian authorities, following the model of the Israeli annexation of Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank, launched the policy of grabbing Kashmiris' lands under the cover of security and development. By abrogating articles 370 and 35-A, India not only ended the so-called autonomous status of the occupied region, but also got a free hand to settle non-locals in the Muslim-majority state and allowing them to vote in elections. Even then, in the September-October 2024 elections in the disputed state, the BJP failed to get a majority. Pakistan should have exerted pressure on the Modi regime for merging J&K with India as union territories in sheer violation of UNSC resolutions. Finally, Pakistan can still compel India to amend its policy on occupied Kashmir and resolve the conflict through negotiations if it is able to put its own house in order. Simply to argue that President Trump has offered to mediate is not enough. What is required of Pakistan is to better its economy, seek political stability, ensure good governance, guarantee rule of law, and eradicate extremism, corruption and nepotism. Despite revoking article 370 and absorbing J&K, India lacks legitimacy to justify its hold over the occupied Muslim-majority state. A strong Pakistan can certainly gain support of international community for Kashmiris.
Scroll.in
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Execution of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya postponed by Yemen
The Yemeni authorities on Tuesday postponed the execution of Malayali nurse Nimisha Priya. The execution was earlier scheduled for July 16. Priya, from Kerala's Palakkad, was imprisoned in Yemen for the alleged murder of Yemeni citizen Talal Abdo Mehdi in July 2017. Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, the grand mufti of India, shared a photo of the Yemeni public prosecutor's letter confirming that the execution had been postponed. No fresh date of execution has been set, according to the letter. This came a day after the Union government told the Indian Supreme Court that it cannot do much more to prevent the execution of Priya. The court was hearing a plea by the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council, a citizen-led initiative advocating for her release, which sought directions for the Union government to take diplomatic efforts to stop the execution. The petitioners had argued that there is a provision in the Islamic Sharia law for release if the victim's family accepts 'blood money', or the amount paid in compensation to the family of a person who has been killed. The Indian government had made efforts to seek more time for Priya's family to reach a mutually-agreeable solution with the other side, The Indian Express quoted unidentified officials as saying on Tuesday. Attorney General R Venkataramani had told the court on Monday: 'Looking at the sensitivity of not diplomatically money is a private a point till which the government of India can go. We have reached that.' Yemen has been locked in a civil war since 2014. New Delhi does not recognise the Houthi regime that controls the part of Yemen where Priya is jailed. 'Yemen is not like any other part of the world,' he had told the court. 'We didn't want to complicate the situation by going public, we are trying at a private level...' The petitioner had told the court that they were willing to pay higher blood money to halt the execution, Bar and Bench reported. The court will hear the matter next on Friday. The case In 2020, Priya was sentenced to death by a trial court in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. Her appeal was rejected by the Yemeni Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023. However, it kept open the option of paying 'blood money'. On December 30, news reports claimed that Rashad al-Alimi, who is the chairperson of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, had approved the death sentence handed to Priya. India's Ministry of External Affairs had said on December 31 that it was aware of the situation and was extending help to Priya and her family in the matter. Priya's mother has been negotiating with Mehdi's family to secure a waiver of the death sentence. Priya went to Yemen in 2008 to help her parents, who were daily wage labourers. She worked at hospitals in Yemen before starting her clinic in 2015. Differences came up between Priya and Mehdi, her business partner, after she questioned him about the alleged embezzlement of funds, her family has claimed. Priya's mother alleged in a plea that Mehdi tortured her daughter under the influence of drugs for years and held her at gunpoint several times. The plea also alleged that Mehdi confiscated Priya's passport so that she could not leave the country.
