Delhi: Section of party calls for Lokpal to chair meeting
More cracks emerged in the Aam Aadmi Party over the choice of chairperson for its National Council meeting to be held next Saturday. A section of the AAP has been calling for the party’s Lokpal, Admiral Ramdas, to chair the meeting. However, supporters of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal have said that the party’s constitution does not allow the Lokpal to chair meetings. “By definition of what the Lokpal is, Admiral Ramdas is not a member of the party’s NC,” said a leader of the party. “For a change in the constitution, there needs to be a two-thirds majority.” Supporters of Ramdas, meanwhile, have begun a campaign on social media, describing him a “neutral chair”. But some leaders have alleged that Ramdas is tilting towards Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, who were removed from the party’s Political Affairs Committee earlier this month.
Kerala: State law similar to 66A struck down by SC
The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a law in Kerala similar to Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. Section 118(d) of the Kerala Police Act was declared to be unconstitutional by the apex court for going against the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression. The law allowed state police to arrest anyone for causing an “annoyance” to others in an “indecent manner” through various forms of communication.
Jammu and Kashmir: Civilian deaths rose 86% in 2014, says MHA
Civilian deaths in Jammu and Kashmir rose by 86.6% in 2014, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said on Tuesday. Twenty-eight civilians lost their lives in 2014, as compared to 15 deaths in 2013. The state also a saw a 30.5% increase in terror incidents in the same year. The ministry’s annual report stated that 224 incidents of violence took place in 2014, with a total of a 110 terrorists being killed. The rise in violence and deaths were attributed to an increase in cross-border infiltration by militants. “The ongoing militancy in Jammu and Kashmir is intrinsically linked with infiltration of terrorists from across the border,” said the report.
Maharashtra: Police arrest four for attack on Mumbai Church
Four people were arrested on Tuesday in connection with an attack on a Church in Mumbai that took place on Saturday. The arrests came a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis gave a 48-hour deadline to the police to catch those responsible for the attack. Fadnavis said that investigations had revealed that one of the four arrested ran an illegal gambling den in the vicinity of the Church. After the police raided the den on March 19, the four attacked the Church, since they believed that its officials had tipped off the police about the den. The four were charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Bihar: BJP criticises government over Mahadalit land scheme
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday criticised the Bihar government for failing to provide land to 20,000 Mahadalits despite a scheme being formulated in 2009 for this same purpose. The party alleged that while 2.3 lakh beneficiaries had been allotted land under the scheme, which had been launched five years ago, the remaining 20,000 were yet to receive their benefits. BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav said that the Nitish Kumar-led government was delaying the allocations in order to prevent members of other communities demanding land for themselves.
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More cracks emerged in the Aam Aadmi Party over the choice of chairperson for its National Council meeting to be held next Saturday. A section of the AAP has been calling for the party’s Lokpal, Admiral Ramdas, to chair the meeting. However, supporters of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal have said that the party’s constitution does not allow the Lokpal to chair meetings. “By definition of what the Lokpal is, Admiral Ramdas is not a member of the party’s NC,” said a leader of the party. “For a change in the constitution, there needs to be a two-thirds majority.” Supporters of Ramdas, meanwhile, have begun a campaign on social media, describing him a “neutral chair”. But some leaders have alleged that Ramdas is tilting towards Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, who were removed from the party’s Political Affairs Committee earlier this month.
Kerala: State law similar to 66A struck down by SC
The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a law in Kerala similar to Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. Section 118(d) of the Kerala Police Act was declared to be unconstitutional by the apex court for going against the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression. The law allowed state police to arrest anyone for causing an “annoyance” to others in an “indecent manner” through various forms of communication.
Jammu and Kashmir: Civilian deaths rose 86% in 2014, says MHA
Civilian deaths in Jammu and Kashmir rose by 86.6% in 2014, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said on Tuesday. Twenty-eight civilians lost their lives in 2014, as compared to 15 deaths in 2013. The state also a saw a 30.5% increase in terror incidents in the same year. The ministry’s annual report stated that 224 incidents of violence took place in 2014, with a total of a 110 terrorists being killed. The rise in violence and deaths were attributed to an increase in cross-border infiltration by militants. “The ongoing militancy in Jammu and Kashmir is intrinsically linked with infiltration of terrorists from across the border,” said the report.
Maharashtra: Police arrest four for attack on Mumbai Church
Four people were arrested on Tuesday in connection with an attack on a Church in Mumbai that took place on Saturday. The arrests came a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis gave a 48-hour deadline to the police to catch those responsible for the attack. Fadnavis said that investigations had revealed that one of the four arrested ran an illegal gambling den in the vicinity of the Church. After the police raided the den on March 19, the four attacked the Church, since they believed that its officials had tipped off the police about the den. The four were charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Bihar: BJP criticises government over Mahadalit land scheme
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday criticised the Bihar government for failing to provide land to 20,000 Mahadalits despite a scheme being formulated in 2009 for this same purpose. The party alleged that while 2.3 lakh beneficiaries had been allotted land under the scheme, which had been launched five years ago, the remaining 20,000 were yet to receive their benefits. BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav said that the Nitish Kumar-led government was delaying the allocations in order to prevent members of other communities demanding land for themselves.