Memon's execution finalised for July 30
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the final mercy plea of Mumbai 1993 serial blasts convict Yakub Memon. Memon, who will be hanged on July 30, will be the only person convicted in the serial blasts to be executed for his involvement in the incident. Officials from the Nagpur Central Jail in Maharashtra said that prepartions for Memon's executions were already being made. Memon, a former chartered accountant, was described by the apex court as the "driving force" behind the attacks and was accused of financing and helping organise the serial blasts that killed over 250 people in 1993. The other main accused in the attack, including gangster Dawood Ibrahim and Yakub's brother Ibrahim "Tiger" Memon have been on the run since the blasts. Memon has since filed a mercy petition with Maharashtra state governor Vidyasagar Rao.
First day of Parliament's monsoon session hit by protests, adjournments
The first day of the monsoon session of Parliament saw protests and adjournments as members of the opposition demanded the resignations of ministers currently facing allegations of corruption. Members of the Congress party on Tuesday shouted slogans while storming the floor of the Rajya Sabha, forcing the speaker to stop proceedings repeatedly until the house was adjourned for the day. Aiming to ease the passage of the Goods and Services Tax Bill, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to the opposition to work with the government. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that while the Bharatiya Janata Party was willing to discuss matters such as Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj's alleged links to tainted former Indian Premier League chief Lalit Modi, it would not discuss matters pertaining to BJP state leaders Vasundhara Raje and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, since they were not pertinent to Parliament. Raje and Chouhan are the chief ministers of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh respectively. While Raje has been targeted for her alleged links to Lalit Modi, Chouhan is facing a controversial education board scam.
India and Pakistan should cooperate: Abdul Basit
Speaking at an Eid function on Tuesday, Pakistan's High Commissioner Abdul Basit said that India and Pakistan should "move from confrontation to cooperation". Adding that Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was keen on normalising bilateral relations between both countries, Basit said Pakistan hoped to resolve the Kashmir dispute through dialogue. Calling for cooperation after 67 years of conflict, Basit indicated hope for dialogue between the nations in coming months. The remarks come a few days after repeated ceasefire violations on the Kashmir border have led to heightened tensions between the two countries.
Passport granted to Hurriyat Conference leader Geelani
Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani was granted a passport with a nine-month validity on Tuesday, ending a two-month controversy over the document. Geelani, who had applied for the passport to visit his ailing daughter in Saudi Arabia, had been denied it since he had left the 'Nationality' section of the application blank. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had at the time of application commented that Geelani would be granted a passport only after he had "completed the formalities". Reports suggested that Geelani was granted the document after he completed formalities and declared his nationality as "Indian" on the application form.
Centre tells SC it's too late to scrap Aadhar
Arguing for the Centre on Tuesday, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the Supreme Court that the government had spent a substantial sum of money on the implementation of the Aadhar scheme and that it was too late to consider scrapping the programme. Rohatgi asked for the matter to be referred to a five-judge Constitution bench for which the court will hear arguments tomorrow. The apex court is currently hearing a clutch of petitions against the decision to make Aadhaar cards mandatory for activities like the provision of salaries, provident funds, marriage and property registrations in certain states. In an earlier ruling, the court had ruled that possessing Aadhaar cards was not mandatory for people who wished to avail of government services and benefits.
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The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the final mercy plea of Mumbai 1993 serial blasts convict Yakub Memon. Memon, who will be hanged on July 30, will be the only person convicted in the serial blasts to be executed for his involvement in the incident. Officials from the Nagpur Central Jail in Maharashtra said that prepartions for Memon's executions were already being made. Memon, a former chartered accountant, was described by the apex court as the "driving force" behind the attacks and was accused of financing and helping organise the serial blasts that killed over 250 people in 1993. The other main accused in the attack, including gangster Dawood Ibrahim and Yakub's brother Ibrahim "Tiger" Memon have been on the run since the blasts. Memon has since filed a mercy petition with Maharashtra state governor Vidyasagar Rao.
First day of Parliament's monsoon session hit by protests, adjournments
The first day of the monsoon session of Parliament saw protests and adjournments as members of the opposition demanded the resignations of ministers currently facing allegations of corruption. Members of the Congress party on Tuesday shouted slogans while storming the floor of the Rajya Sabha, forcing the speaker to stop proceedings repeatedly until the house was adjourned for the day. Aiming to ease the passage of the Goods and Services Tax Bill, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to the opposition to work with the government. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that while the Bharatiya Janata Party was willing to discuss matters such as Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj's alleged links to tainted former Indian Premier League chief Lalit Modi, it would not discuss matters pertaining to BJP state leaders Vasundhara Raje and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, since they were not pertinent to Parliament. Raje and Chouhan are the chief ministers of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh respectively. While Raje has been targeted for her alleged links to Lalit Modi, Chouhan is facing a controversial education board scam.
India and Pakistan should cooperate: Abdul Basit
Speaking at an Eid function on Tuesday, Pakistan's High Commissioner Abdul Basit said that India and Pakistan should "move from confrontation to cooperation". Adding that Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was keen on normalising bilateral relations between both countries, Basit said Pakistan hoped to resolve the Kashmir dispute through dialogue. Calling for cooperation after 67 years of conflict, Basit indicated hope for dialogue between the nations in coming months. The remarks come a few days after repeated ceasefire violations on the Kashmir border have led to heightened tensions between the two countries.
Passport granted to Hurriyat Conference leader Geelani
Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani was granted a passport with a nine-month validity on Tuesday, ending a two-month controversy over the document. Geelani, who had applied for the passport to visit his ailing daughter in Saudi Arabia, had been denied it since he had left the 'Nationality' section of the application blank. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had at the time of application commented that Geelani would be granted a passport only after he had "completed the formalities". Reports suggested that Geelani was granted the document after he completed formalities and declared his nationality as "Indian" on the application form.
Centre tells SC it's too late to scrap Aadhar
Arguing for the Centre on Tuesday, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the Supreme Court that the government had spent a substantial sum of money on the implementation of the Aadhar scheme and that it was too late to consider scrapping the programme. Rohatgi asked for the matter to be referred to a five-judge Constitution bench for which the court will hear arguments tomorrow. The apex court is currently hearing a clutch of petitions against the decision to make Aadhaar cards mandatory for activities like the provision of salaries, provident funds, marriage and property registrations in certain states. In an earlier ruling, the court had ruled that possessing Aadhaar cards was not mandatory for people who wished to avail of government services and benefits.
