Actor Prakash Raj booked in Karnataka for allegedly mocking 'Chandrayaan-3' 2
Actor Prakash Raj has been booked at a police station in Karnataka’s Bagalkot district over a social media post in which he allegedly mocked India’s ambitious third lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, police said on Tuesday.
“A complaint has been filed against actor Prakash Raj for his post on the Chandrayaan-3 mission,” police said.
“Hindu organizations leaders filed a complaint against the actor in Banahatti police station of Bagalkote district and have demanded action,” they added.
The veteran actor took to microblogging site X on Sunday, sharing a caricature of a man in a shirt and lungi pouring tea.
Sharing the picture, he wrote, “First view just arrived from Chandrayaan .. #VikramLander #justasking.”
Prakash Raj has been facing heavy backlash since then, with people saying that the Chandrayaan-3 mission is linked to the country’s pride.
Faced with social media outrage Prakash Raj clarified on X that his comments were only intended as a joke. “Hate sees only Hate…I was referring to a joke of #Armstrong times celebrating our kerala Chaiwala-which Chaiwala did the Trolls see? if you dont get a joke then the joke is on you..GROW UP #justasking” he posted.
Hate sees only Hate.. i was referring to a joke of #Armstrong times .. celebrating our kerala Chaiwala .. which Chaiwala did the TROLLS see ?? .. if you dont get a joke then the joke is on you .. GROW UP #justaskinghttps://t.co/NFHkqJy532
According to Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the Chandrayaan-3 is set to land on the moon on August 23, around 18:04 IST.
Live action will be available on the ISRO website, its YouTube channel, Facebook, and public broadcaster DD National TV from 17:27 IST on August 23, 2023.
India will be the fourth country in the world to achieve this feat after the United States, Russia, and China, but India will be the only country in the world to land on the lunar south pole.
The primary objectives of the Chandrayaan-3 mission are threefold: to demonstrate a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface; to demonstrate rover roving on the moon, and to conduct in-situ scientific experiments.
Chandrayaan-3’s development phase commenced in January 2020, with the launch planned sometime in 2021. However, the COVID-19 pandemic brought an unforeseen delay to the mission’s progress.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14, 2023, via the GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota at 2:35 PM.
Trump's decision to back out of debate tests Fox News' ability to pivot again 4
If 2023 has taught anything to the people running Fox News, it’s the importance of being able to pivot.
The decision by former President Donald Trump to skip Wednesday’s first debate of the 2024 presidential primary season likely deprives Fox of a huge late-summer audience. Even worse for the network, Trump has talked of appearing in an online interview with former Fox star Tucker Carlson at the same time.
Trump’s announcement on Sunday wasn’t necessarily a surprise. Fox debate moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum had been preparing for two events—one if he were there and one if he wasn’t.
Several Fox personalities this summer publicly urged Trump to attend the event, and Fox executives privately made the same argument to the former president. His former press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, called Trump’s decision a “huge political miscalculation” on Monday on Fox.
Despite Trump’s lead over other Republicans in polls, MacCallum cautioned potential viewers against dismissing a debate without him as a junior varsity event.
She cited a recent poll by The New York Times and Siena College, taken July 23–27, that showed nearly half of Trump backers in Iowa said they were open to other candidates.
“I don’t think as members of the media or people who watch politics, it’s our place to say, Oh, this is over, these people aren’t going to be the nominee,’” she said. “It’s way too soon to say that.” Trump’s first appearance in a GOP primary debate brought 24 million viewers to Fox in 2015. It would be next to impossible to reach those numbers again, given that his novelty has worn off and cord-cutting has diminished cable news audiences. Yet when only 12.5 million watched a January 2016 Fox debate that Trump skipped, that gave an indication of his drawing power.
This summer’s debate has been anticipated as a beacon for Fox News, which endured months of embarrassing headlines earlier this year related to Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit for the network’s coverage of bogus claims by Trump after the 2020 election.
As the trial was about to start, Fox agreed to pay USD 787.5 million to Dominion in a settlement.
The lawsuit had little discernible impact on Fox’s viewers, but when Fox fired Carlson with no explanation a week later, those fans hit back hard. The network never publicly explained why Carlson was fired, although his appearance in court papers released with the Dominion case led to several public theories being advanced.
As it has in the past, Fox relied on its bench in establishing a new lineup that debuted in July, giving prime time shows to Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld, popular panelists on “The Five”.
Their shows sandwich Sean Hannity on the schedule, offering a continuation of biting conservative commentary.
Fox’s prime-time audience averaged 2.5 million this year through Carlson’s firing, and 1.6 million for the nearly two months before the new lineup premiered. Its prime-time audience has since rebounded to 2.2 million, according to the Nielsen company.
“There has been a sense of stabilization with the new lineup,” said Steve Krakauer, publisher of the “Fourth Watch” newsletter and author of “Uncovered: How the Media Got Cozy with Power, Abandoned its Principles, and Lost the People”.
How much of Trump’s four criminal indictments will be discussed onstage in Milwaukee is an open question, in part dependent upon what his opponents want to talk about.
Even without Trump’s participation on Wednesday, “he will be on the stage even if he’s not on the stage,” Baier said in an interview.
The Siena College-Times survey suggests that it wouldn’t be a popular topic among regular Fox viewers. The poll found that 78 per cent of people who regularly get news from Fox said Trump has not committed any serious federal crimes, and that 80 per cent said that the GOP should stand behind Trump in the cases.
Krakauer said Fox would hardly be unique among the media in wanting to give its audience what it wants, and suggested there may be some “indictment fatigue” among the audience.
Even a debate that avoids the indictments as a major topic would still likely wind up being a lot about Trump, with discussions about whether or not he was successful in tackling issues like immigration or the economy, he said.
Baier said such poll findings won’t be a factor in how he and MacCallum structure the debate.
“Of course we’ll bring it up,” MacCallum said. “I expect that the candidates will bring it up in part as well. And to the extent that there’s indictment fatigue, there are so many other issues we’re going to be talking about on the stage, it’s certainly not going to be the lion’s share of the night.” The event features a live audience, which isn’t unusual. But the crowd at CNN’s Trump town hall in New Hampshire this spring proved distracting and wasn’t a high point.
“If we have to quiet them down at points, well, that’s part of what the moderator’s job is,” MacCallum said. “But I think it’s actually going to be additive to the night.” Both Baier and MacCallum have done these debates before. Baier even had the identical experience in January 2016 of preparing for Trump to possibly be there before he backed out.
Both have similar goals, familiar to moderators but often unspoken.
“If I can get out of the end of the debate and somebody says, You know what, that was tough but fair, I’d be really happy,” Baier said. “And if it’s a story that’s not about the moderators, I’m even more happy.”
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said the Centre has decided to purchase two lakh metric tonnes of onion at the rate of Rs 2,410 per quintal, and expressed hope this will provide relief to producers of the key kitchen staple in the state.
He also said special procurement centres will be set up in Nashik and Ahmednagar in the state.
The announcement comes amid protests by farmers and traders against the Centre’s decision to impose 40 per cent export duty on onions to check price rise and improve supplies in the domestic market.
The Finance Ministry through a notification on August 19 imposed the 40 per cent export duty on onions till December 31, 2023.
Fadnavis, who is currently on a visit to Japan, in a post on X said, “I spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal regarding the onion issue. The Union government would procure two lakh metric tonnes of onion at the rate of Rs 2,410 per quintal.”
“There will be special procurement centres set up in Nashik and Ahmednagar districts for the same. It would offer some relief to the onion growers in the state,” the deputy CM added. On Monday, traders decided to close onion auctions indefinitely in all the Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs) in Nashik, including at Lasalgaon, which is the largest wholesale onion market in India.
Several farmers and traders also held protests on Monday in Nashik district seeking a rollback of the export duty.
US court stays extradition of Mumbai terror attacks accused Tahawwur Rana pending his appeal 7
Overriding the Biden administration’s appeal, a US court has ordered a stay on the extradition of Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, to India where he is facing a trial for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
Rana, 62, has appealed before the Ninth Circuit Court against the order by a US District Court in the Central District of California that denied the writ of habeas corpus.
District Judge Dale S. Fischer of the US District Court in Central California in his latest order said that Rana’s “ex parte application” seeking a stay on his extradition is granted.
“The extradition of Rana to India is stayed pending the conclusion of his appeal before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit,” Judge Fischer said in the order issued on August 18.
In doing so the judge overrode the government’s recommendations that there should be no stay on Rana’s extradition.
Rana faces charges for his role in the Mumbai attacks and is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
While the Court does not find that Rana “has made a strong showing that he is likely to succeed on the merits” – otherwise the Court would have ruled in his favour in the first instance – he has certainly raised serious legal questions going to the merits, the judge wrote.
“The proper meaning of “offence” in Article 6(1) of the extradition treaty is not clear and different jurists could come to different conclusions. Rana’s position is certainly colourable and could very well be found to be correct on appeal,” the judge noted.
“The final two factors “merge when the Government is the opposing party.” There is value in compliance with India’s extradition request, but Rana’s extradition proceedings have been going on for more than three years, which suggests that the process has not been rushed so far. Otherwise, the public interest, if anything, favours Rana,” the judge wrote.
“The public has a strong interest in the proper interpretation of extradition treaties, particularly in the interpretation of provisions that provide important individual protections like the one at issue here. Further, there is a strong public interest in definitive, binding interpretations of treaties. District courts cannot provide those rulings; courts of appeals can,” the judge wrote, throwing the legal battle to the Ninth Circuit Court now.
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has asked Rana to submit his argument before October 10 and the US Government has been asked to submit its response by November 8.
Judge Fischer wrote that Rana has shown that he is likely to suffer significant irreparable harm absent a stay.
He will be extradited to India for a trial on serious crimes with no hope for a review of his arguments or hope for his return to the United States. The government admits this, but then argues that because “this claimed irreparable harm applies categorically to any fugitive who seeks a stay of extradition pending appeal,” it does not count, the judge said.
Earlier the US attorney John J Lulejian appealed before the District Court to deny Rana’s ex parte application for a stay of extradition pending appeal and argued that the stay would cause “unwarranted delay” in the United States’ fulfilment of its obligations to India and this will damage its credibility in the international arena and impair its ability to obtain the cooperation of foreign nations in bringing United States fugitives to justice.
Rana, he argued, cannot show a likelihood of success on the merits of his claims or otherwise meet his burden of justifying a stay. “Accordingly, the United States respectfully requests that the Court deny his ex parte application,” the US attorney wrote.
Lulejian argued that the District Court should deny Rana’s request for a stay for the threshold reason that he has failed to demonstrate that he is likely to obtain a reversal of this Court’s decision in the Ninth Circuit.
In his ex parte application for a stay, Rana has made no showing whatsoever, let alone a strong showing, that he is likely to succeed on the merits of his appeal, he argued. Indeed, he simply states that he seeks a stay “to permit his non-bis in idem argument to be heard by the court of appeals.” India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) is probing Rana’s role in the 26/11 attacks carried out by terrorists of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group. The NIA has said that it is ready to initiate proceedings to bring him to India through diplomatic channels.
A total of 166 people, including six Americans, were killed in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which 10 Pakistani terrorists laid a more than 60-hour siege, attacking and killing people at iconic and vital locations of Mumbai.
Tilak Varma makes it to India's Asia Cup squad; Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul return 9
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday announced a strong 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 which will begin on August 30 with Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul returning to the squad and Tilak Verma also getting a place in the team The 2023 Asia Cup will be co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka with the tournament running from August 30 to September 17.
Asia Cup will serve as an important benchmark for India’s preparations for the World Cup starting in October and will also help selectors make choices for the marquee event. India will open their Asia Cup campaign with an iconic clash against Pakistan on September 2 in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been appointed Rohit Sharma’s deputy in Asia Cup 2023.
The squad also marks the return of Jasprit Bumrah to ODI cricket after a gap of more than one year. After proving his fitness in the ongoing T20I series against Ireland, Bumrah is set to test himself in the 50-over format heading into the World Cup. India’s pace attack will be boosted by the return of Mohammed Siraj, who was not in the team for some time due to a sore ankle. Tilak Varma made it to India’s Asia Cup squad on the back of his strong performance against the West Indies during the tour that ended this month.
A big question ahead of Team India’s selection meeting for the Asia Cup 2023 was the fitness of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. Both have made it to the squad. Bowling all-rounders Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel are also in the squad to give the captain more diversity in choices. Apart from Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja is also in the team as an all-rounder.
The tournament will kick off with a clash between Pakistan and Nepal in Multan, Pakistan. Pakistan, India, and Nepal are in Group A while Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka are in Group B. The tournament will follow a hybrid model, with Pakistan hosting four matches across two venues and Sri Lanka hosting the remaining games.
The six group-stage matches will be followed by the Super fours, beginning September 6. The final will be played by the top two teams at the end of the Super fours on September 17 in Colombo.
Sharad Pawar will continue to be our leader: NCP minister Walse-Patil after row over his remarks on party founder 11
A senior NCP minister, who joined the Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra along with Ajit Pawar last month, has expressed faith in the leadership of Sharad Pawar, a day after saying that the party founder was unable to muster a ”clear majority” to form government during his long political innings.
Under fire for his remarks on Sharad Pawar, NCP minister Dilip Walse-Patil on Monday claimed his remarks, made at a public event in Pune district, were misconstrued by the media.
He said Sharad Pawar will be his leader even in the future, and respect for the 82-year-old veteran will remain forever in his mind.
Addressing party workers at Manchar in his Assembly constituency of Ambegaon on Sunday, Walse-Patil said that the people of Maharashtra never gave Sharad Pawar power on his own or allowed him to single-handedly form the government.
Walse-Patil, state cooperation minister and former close aide of Sharad Pawar, said, “I feel the media has gotten it wrong. I never spoke ill about Pawar saheb. I was expressing regret that while other regional parties achieved power on their own, the people of Maharashtra did not give it to him. There is no question of demeaning Pawar saheb or questioning his ability,” said Walse-Patil.
“Despite being their tallest leader, the people of Maharashtra did not stand with him with full strength. I expressed my disappointment about this. This is not the first time that I spoke about it. I have said this in the past as well, including in party meetings. It is impossible that I would utter a wrong word or criticise Pawar saheb. I express regret over this misunderstanding,” he said.
Walse-Patil came under flak from Sharad Pawar loyalist and former minister Jitendra Awhad who called him an “ungrateful” person.
NCP MLA and Pawar’s grandnephew Rohit Pawar said it was people like Walse-Patil who were around Sharad Pawar during most of his political career.
“Had these people worked harder, Pawar saheb would have gained power single-handedly, Rohit Pawar said.
Manipur violence: Justice Gita Mittal panel files reports on loss of ID proofs of victims, compensation scheme to SC 13
The Supreme Court-appointed Justice Gita Mittal committee, set up to oversee relief and rehabilitation of the victims of ethnic violence in Manipur, Monday submitted three reports highlighting the need for reconstruction of identity documents, upgradation of compensation and appointment of domain experts to facilitate its functioning.
The top court, while taking note of the three reports, said it will pass “certain procedural directions” on August 25 to facilitate the functioning of the Justice Mittal panel and to deal with issues pertaining to administrative requisitions, funding to meet administrative and other expenses, and setting up a web portal to provide necessary publicity to the work being done by the panel.
On August 7, the bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra had ordered setting up of the committee of three former women high court judges to oversee relief and rehabilitation of victims and compensation to them besides asking former Maharashtra police chief Dattatray Padsalgikar to monitor the probe in criminal cases.
In a brief hearing, the top court said on Monday the copies of the three reports be given to all lawyers concerned and the counsel assisting Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the Manipur government.
It also said the suggestions will be collated by lawyer Vrinda Grover in due consultation with the committee and which shall be shared with the advocate general of Manipur, preferably by 10 am on Thursday, and fixed the pleas for passing of necessary orders on August 25.
“At this moment we will say that the expert committee constituted by this court has filed three reports namely: (1) A report highlighting the fact that several residents of Manipur may have lost their essential documentations which need to be re-constructed; (2) the Manipur victims compensation scheme needs to be upgraded to bring it in conformity with the scheme propounded by NALSA (National Legal Services Authority); 3) The proposal of the committee for the appointment of domain experts to facilitate its work.” The bench said the committee, in one of the three reports, has raised the issue of loss of ID proof including Aadhaar cards of several victims and they needed to be reconstructed.
“Certain procedural directions will be required to facilitate the work of the committee including: (1) Requisite administrative requisitions, (2) Funding to meet the administrative and other expenses of the committee and (3) Necessary publicity to the work that is being done by the committee by setting up a web portal and, (4) other infrastructural requirements,” the order said.
On logistical issues, the CJI said he will talk to Justice Mittal, the former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, and the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court on providing office space to the panel.
“Otherwise we will request the Union ministry of Home Affairs to identify a place for the panel,” the bench said, adding at the last hearing, it deliberately did not pass directions on these issues as it wanted the committee to raise the necessary points.
The CJI said Justice Mittal was also dealing with another issue relating to setting up of “vulnerable witness deposition centres” across India and is currently operating from the Delhi High Court premises.
The committee of three former women high court judges was authorised to submit their reports directly to the top court which is monitoring the cases related to ethnic strife.
The top court had said the committee will be headed by former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Mittal and include Justices (retd) Shalini P Joshi, a former judge of the Bombay High Court, and Asha Menon, an ex-judge of the Delhi High Court.
The bench had said its effort was to restore people’s faith in the rule of law in the strife-torn state.
The three-member panel of former women judges was constituted days after the apex court had termed as ”deeply disturbing” the video of women being paraded naked in the state.
The bench had said the committee of judges will visit the relief camps and assess the living conditions there.
The top court had ordered 11 FIRs to be transferred to the CBI for investigation.
The bench is hearing around 10 petitions related to the spiralling violence, including those seeking court-monitored probe into cases, besides measures for relief and rehabilitation.
More than 160 people have been killed and several hundred injured since ethnic violence first broke out in the state on May 3 when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the majority Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
All temporary employees of MCD will be regularised: CM Kejriwal 15
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday that all temporary employees of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will be regularized.
He was addressing a felicitation program by the MCD for the timely payment of salaries to its employees.
Kejriwal said the MCD employees were getting timely salaries for the last two months, and tax collection by the civic body has also increased as ”it is being ruled by an honest dispensation”.
On the occasion, the chief minister handed over appointment letters to 370 newly regularized employees.
Kejriwal said MCD employees and its officers will make Delhi the ”cleanest city” of the country in the next two-three years.
The people of Delhi will be associated with the ongoing cleanliness drive in the city and make it neat and clean in the next few months, he added.
Mayor of the AAP ruled-MCD Shelly Oberoi and Urban Development minister Saurabh Bhardwaj were also present in the event held at Thyagraj stadium.
Maharashtra is ruled by one Chief Minister and two deputies 17
Congress’s Nana Patole had stated that both the Deputy Chief Ministers have their eyes on the Chief Minister’s chair. There is speculation that Devendra Fadnavis is aspiring to be the CM in 2024. Well, when Nana Patole took dig at DCMs, Devendra gave a very humorous reply to Patole stating that ‘Yes, both the Deputy Chief Ministers are keeping an eye on the Chief Minister’s chair. But we have an eye to protect that chair.’ Devendra Fadnavis has given an indirect warning that if anyone looks at our Chief Minister shadily, two Deputy Chief Ministers will do the job of showing them their place. The opposition often tried to create an atmosphere of confusion by commenting on Eknath Shinde’s chief ministerial position. But every time Fadnavis took the front chair to reply to these attacks. In 2019 when Devendra lost power, he took this issue very seriously. His mission to demolish Maha Vikas Aghadi, began with the contravention of Eknath Shinde. Uddhav Thackrey had to step down from the Chief Minister post on a humiliating note.
After the split in Shiv Sena, Eknath Shinde had formed a government on June 30 with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party, whose senior leader Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as deputy CM. Recently in a melodramatic turn of events which followed months of speculation that he was cosying up to the ruling BJP, the Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar — who is also NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s nephew — led a vertical split in his party and joined hands with the National Democratic Alliance. Though he claimed to have the support of all his party’s MLAs, his uncle made it clear he did not back the move. Ajit Pawar was sworn in as deputy CM for the fifth time, while eight of his colleagues were inducted as ministers in the Eknath Shinde government. Ajit Pawar took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra for the fifth time, setting a record for the largest number of appointments to this position since it was created in 1978. He shared the post with Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds a battery of other portfolios, including Home and Finance. Ajit also took over the finance ministry from Devendra. BJP might be growing, but Devendra’s position is shrinking.
We all have seen the overconfidence among all the political leaders in BJP, their speeches and press conference just showed how easily and casually they took the Election. Many MLA ‘S from other political parties especially NCP were welcomed in BJP and given major portfolios and important Posts, it was that NCP whom BJP used to call the most corrupt party in Maharashtra. The hypocrisy of BJP leaders was seen by the whole Maharashtrians because Modi ji used to allege NCP as one of the most corrupt parties. BJP had become a washing machine; it was like before entering BJP a person was fully Immoral but after entering BJP, same corrupts became clean. Nearly 20 MLA’S were welcomed in BJP from NCP.
Lack of Leadership in the state – All the candidates of the BJP asked to vote only on the name of Narendra Modi, but this time the people in Maharashtra were completely aware and knew that the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha elections are completely different .Now they had a face for Maharashtra, which was their previously elected chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, He is a politician who is very good at his communication skills and is knowledgeable, but when it comes to leadership, he has completely failed in last five years. Excluding him, there was no other person who was capable of being the Chief Minister candidate, nor did they have a team that could lead the state. There was also no vision shown by him or the party, there was no infrastructural development done, nor any development in the Agricultural sector nor in the educational sector. In fact, we have all seen that the BJP was just busy adopting new members from other political parties and making their party strong rather than concentrating on the development of Maharashtra.
Misusing Power: The BJP has always attacked freedom of speech and expression. Unfortunately, both of these things had become a problem for the Politicians of other political parties because if they spoke anything against the government, these leaders were harassed by central agencies. All the people have seen the BJP misusing important Government agencies like the ED, CBI, or any other agency so that they can silence the voice of people who speak against them, by blackmailing them in the name of these agencies. Autocracy had just started building in Maharashtra, where people didn’t have any right to say anything against the Government.
The BJP is in politics to be in power. It will do everything that politics allows to form a government. When the opposition can stoop so low as to dupe the party, the BJP will not sit idle or keep silent. When Shiv Sena, which can use the popularity of BJP and Modi, to win 56 seats and sabotage the alliance, does everything to place itself in power, BJP is justified in doing everything to place itself in power. The BJP will certainly do so. The BJP’s moves will always be cautious while moving its pawn. The party thinks several times and safeguards itself before going full hog into it. Hence, apparently, it may look as if it is not interested in power.
New Digital Personal Data Protection Bill Introduced in Parliament 19
In a groundbreaking move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government introduced the “Digital Personal Data Protection Bill” in Parliament, marking a significant stride towards safeguarding citizens’ online privacy rights. It comes in light of the rising concerns over unauthorized data collection by various platforms, known technically as ‘data fiduciaries,’ which offer digital services to the Indian public.
In 2017, the Supreme Court ruled the right to privacy as fundamental after many perceived the UPA government’s neglectful approach to citizens’ data. Following this ruling, the Modi government undertook the responsibility to devise legislation that would prioritize the rights of Indian digital citizens while also promoting a healthy digital ecosystem for startups and innovation.
An earlier attempt to draft a data protection bill between 2019-2021 was seen as overly complicated and potentially burdensome for emerging digital businesses. Responding to these concerns, the present bill has been refined to provide clarity and simplicity, ensuring protection for citizens and fostering a compliance-friendly environment for the digital economy.
The bill’s principles revolve around the following:
1. Consent-Based Data Collection: Organizations can only gather data with the user’s consent.
2. Purpose and Storage Limitations: Data must only be used for its intended purpose and shouldn’t be stored beyond its required duration.
3. Data Minimization: Only essential service or product delivery data should be collected.
4. Data Protection and Accountability: Fiduciaries must ensure data security. Breaches could lead to hefty penalties.
5. Accuracy in Data Storage: Platforms must maintain the integrity and accuracy of collected data.
6. Mandatory Breach Reporting: Companies are legally bound to report any personal data breaches.
Furthermore, the bill clearly defines situations under which the government can access citizens’ personal data, ensuring transparency while considering national emergencies and security challenges.
Violations will be overseen by the Data Protection Board, which has the authority to impose penalties up to Rs 250 crore or even higher, depending on the nature of the breach.
Acknowledging the dynamic nature of technology, the bill is designed to evolve, accommodating changes and challenges that arise in the digital domain. This comprehensive legislation is a testament to the government’s commitment to fostering a safe and innovative digital space for all Indians.
However, the bill’s journey to approval was fraught with controversy. Central to the debates was whether the legislation should undergo further amendments or be referred to a Select Committee. One staunch supporter argued against further committee referrals, pointing to the extensive pre-existing consultations. Their primary concern was the risk of exacerbating delays, which could enable the continuous misuse of personal data by multiple platforms.
The opposition’s hesitance to participate in a meaningful discussion on the bill has baffled many. A leading voice from the government side remarked, “This bill is too crucial for political shadow plays. We are open to suggestions and constructive feedback.”
Amongst circulating rumors were whispers of the legislation being introduced as a money bill. These were promptly quashed. A government spokesperson clarified, “The priority is to facilitate an open debate, allowing all concerns to be aired, leading to an informed, collective decision.”
With the bill now passed, expectations are high. The collective hope is for the legislation to serve as a robust framework, effectively protecting individual rights while bolstering the government’s digital security efforts. Further updates on this will follow.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AFTERNOON VOICE and AFTERNOON VOICE does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
