The Centre on Sunday held a high-level review meeting after a 34-year-old man from the national capital with no history of foreign travel tested positive for the monkeypox virus, making it the fourth case of the disease reported in India.
Sources said the meeting was chaired by the Directorate General of Health Sciences (DGHS) and attended by officials from the Health ministry, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and ICMR among others.
The new patient who is presently recovering at a designated isolation centre at the Lok Nayak Hospital had attended a stag party in Manali in Himachal Pradesh recently, official sources told PTI.
A resident of West Delhi, the patient was isolated at the Hospital around three days ago after he showed symptoms of the disease.
His samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune on Saturday which came out positive, Union Health Ministry officials said.
The close contacts of the case have been identified and are under quarantine as per the Ministry of Health’s guidelines,” the health ministry said in a statement.
Three cases of monkeypox had earlier been reported from Kerala.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Saturday declared monkeypox a global public health emergency of international concern.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday claimed the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government was not based on a strong foundation and will collapse under its own contradictions.
“We will not give dates on loudspeaker like the BJP. But this government is surely not going to last for long,” Raut told reporters here.
Even after nearly a month of the formation of the Shinde government, no ministerial portfolios have been allocated, the Sena’s chief spokesperson noted.
Last month, Eknath Shinde and 39 other Sena legislators revolted against the party leadership, which led to the fall of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government comprising the Sena, NCP and Congress.
Shinde was on June 30 sworn in as the chief minister and BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as the deputy CM.
Fadnavis recently said the state cabinet expansion will be done soon.
However, Raut on Sunday claimed, “This double-standard government, formed by theft, will collapse under its own contradictions. It was not based on a strong foundation and will never be.” Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil on Saturday said the party decided with a heavy heart that rebel Shiv Sena leader Shinde should become the state’s chief minister instead of Fadnavis.
Later, BJP leader Ashish Shelar had said it was not the BJP’s or Patil’s own stand, but he was only articulating the feelings of ordinary workers.
Raut quipped that Patil should be congratulated for his remarks. “The feelings of party workers should have been respected,” he added.
On Fadnavis referring to Raut as a loudspeaker of which people were fed up, the Sena MP said his “loudspeaker was the voice of people of Maharashtra” and he will continue to put forth their views.
“Even Fadnavis listens to my loudspeaker. We speak fearlessly what we need to,” he said.
The Shiv Sena’s loudspeaker is blaring for 56 years and people are always eager to know what it says, Raut pointed out.
“You look after your government. How many times will you go to Delhi? There is no ministry even after nearly a month,” he said.
He hit out at Fadnavis for saying the BJP formed government with the Shiv Sena.
“Which Shiv Sena is he talking about? Can there be Shiv Sena without (party founder) Balasaheb and Uddhav Thackeray?” Raut asked.
He said there was unrest among Shiv Sainiks and people of Maharashtra as to how Balasaheb’s son was betrayed and forced to step down as chief minister.
“This government will be washed away by the anger and tears of Shiv Sainiks,” Raut said.
Raut also claimed that Sena MLA and former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray’s rallies in the state were getting a huge response from Shiv Sainiks.
From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to India’s first individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, the country on Sunday rejoiced Neeraj Chopra’s landmark silver medal at the World Athletics Championships, calling it a “special moment”.
The 24-year-old Chopra, who had entered the showpiece as a hot medal favourite in javelin throw, produced a best throw of 88.13m to finish second behind defending champion Anderson Peters of Grenada (90.54m) and become only the second Indian and first male track and field athlete to win a medal at the World Championships.
“A great accomplishment by one of our most distinguished athletes! Congratulations to @Neeraj_chopra1 on winning a historic Silver medal at the #WorldChampionships. This is a special moment for Indian sports. Best wishes to Neeraj for his upcoming endeavours,” PM Modi tweeted.
Hailing the reigning Olympic champion’s achievement, Bindra wrote on his Twitter handle, “Many congratulations @Neeraj_chopra1 for your silver at the worlds! You make us proud. Well done and the best for the rest of the season.” Legendary long jumper Anju Bobby George was the first Indian to win a medal — bronze — in the World Championships in the 2003 edition in Paris.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh too joined the country in praising Chopra and said India is elated by his “stupendous performance”.
“India is elated by the stupendous performance by Subedar @Neeraj_chopra1. Congratulations to him on winning Silver Medal at the #WorldAthleticsChampionships in Eugene, Oregon. His hard work, grit and determination have yielded outstanding results. We are proud of him.” Sports Minister Anurag Thakur was also delighted at Chopra continuing his medal-winning streak in the global arena.
“Neeraj Chopra continues his winning streak! Wins in Men’s javelin throw at @WCHoregon22 with his best throw of 88.13m, becoming the 1st Indian male and 2nd Indian to win a medal at the #WorldChampionships! Neeraj has now won medal at every Global event!” Thakur tweeted.
Even after the Corps Commander-level talks, Chinese fighter jets are continuing attempts to provoke Indian forces deployed in Eastern Ladakh as they have been flying close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on multiple occasions.
The Chinese aircraft have been regularly flying close to the LAC in the last three to four weeks which is seen as an attempt to probe the Indian defence mechanism in the area. The Indian Air Force is responding to the situation responsibly and taking no chances to tackle the threat and not let the matter escalate in any way.
“The Chinese fighter jets including the J-11 continue to fly close to the Line of Actual Control. There have been instances of violation of the 10 Km Confidence Building Measure (CBM) line in the region in recent times,” the government sources told ANI. The Indian Air Force has taken strong measures to respond to these provocations as it has moved forward its most potent fighters including the MiG-29 and Mirage 2000 to advanced bases from where they can respond to the Chinese activities within minutes, they said.
The IAF has been scrambling its fighter jets to tackle the threat from Chinese aircraft but it seems the People’s Liberation Army is tense about the upgrade of IAF infrastructure in the Ladakh sector through which they can monitor Chinese activities deep within areas controlled by them, the sources said. The IAF has been responding to these actions in a calibrated manner and also keeping a very close watch on the Chinese flying pattern in the area where they are flying at both low and high altitudes, the sources said.
India has also been working very fast to upgrade its military infrastructure in Ladakh after the Chinese tried to unilaterally change the status quo on the LAC in April-May 2020 timeframe. The provocations by Chinese fighter aircraft started around June 24-25 when a Chinese fighter aircraft flew very close to a friction point in eastern Ladakh.
After that, multiple violations of CBMs between the two sides took place along the LAC near the Chumar sector and since then, they said it has been going on. The IAF has also been carrying out extensive flying in the Eastern Ladakh sector including its Rafale fighter jets which can reach Ladakh in a very short timeframe from their home base in Ambala near northern borders, the sources said.
The matter was also reportedly taken up for discussion during the Corps Commander talks held on July 17 at the Chushul Moldo border meeting point, the sources said. IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari recently told ANI in an interview that “Whenever we find that Chinese aircraft or remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) are coming a little too close to the LAC, we take appropriate measures by scrambling our fighters or putting our systems on high alert. This has deterred them to quite an extent.”
Partha Chatterjee, West Bengal education minister, was arrested by ED (Enforcement Directorate). ED has seized 20 crores from the residence of Arpita Mukherjee, a close associate of the minister in connection with SSC and teacher recruitment cases. They have seized approximately 20 crores from the associate’s residence and this money seems to be coming from the SSC (School Service Commission) and the recruitments of the teachers issued in West Bengal.
ED also conducted raids at many locations. Partha Chatterjee, who is also a part of TMC (Trinamool Congress) party and the associate, whose residence was seized in connection with this case, was working as an actress in Bengal, Tamil and Telugu film industry for minor roles.
As per the report, when ED was conducting its searches and asking questions to Chatterjee, he was not willing to cooperate with the ED team. The team is still conducting its searches in other locations of Chatterjee and the actress linked to this case.
On Friday two persons were arrested in possession of three pistols and 14 cartridges at Mankhurd. The police filed a complaint and they were able to catch two people in the Shivaji Nagar area.
The people who were arrested in this case were Haquiullah Khan (33) and Arif Sayyed (34) working as an owner in a garment shop at Dharavi.
The police received the information of these people and their consignment delivery through an auto- rickshaw driver after which police arrested them.
The consignment delivery was done at Rafique nagar to deliver the consignment to the Sayyed and both were been nabbed by the police. The weapons were brought from Jaunpur via Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh.
As per the report stated to agencies ”More arrests are likely in the case, as we are trying to track down people to whom the accused had delivered weapons in the past. The duo has been arrested under the Arms Act,” assistant police inspector (API) Navnath Kale of Shivaji Nagar police station said.
Eknath Shinde had adequate security during MVA gov: Walse-Patil 8
Former Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil on Saturday denied the allegation that Eknath Shinde wasn’t provided adequate security when the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government was in power.
Then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray never gave any instruction not to upgrade Shinde’s security, he said, speaking to reporters in Pune.
Rebel Shiv Sena MLAs from Shinde’s camp, including former Minister of State for Home Shambhuraj Desai, claimed on Friday that despite Shinde getting a threat from naxals, he was not given the highest ‘Z-plus’ security cover as Thackeray did not allow it.
“The decision about security cover is taken by a special committee. A Z-level security had been provided to then deputy Chief Minister, Home Minister and Eknath Shinde,” Walse-Patil said.
“When Shinde received a threatening letter, strict orders were given to the police department as well as Thane Police (to take necessary action). So this controversy about Shinde’s security is unnecessary,” the Nationalist Congress Party leader added.
Shinde, now Maharashtra chief minister, was ‘guardian minister’ for the naxal-affected Gadchiroli district besides being minister for Urban Development in the Thackeray government.
“Chief minister Thackeray never instructed us that Eknath Shinde should not be given security. In fact the police department took utmost care of Shinde’s security,” Walse-Patil added.
He also said that while Shinde never asked for additional security, his son had submitted a letter requesting Z-plus security for the senior Sena leader.
“When he received a threat letter, adequate security was provided to Shinde,” the former home minister added.
Elsewhere, NCP chief Sharad Pawar too told reporters that Shinde had Z-level security cover which continues.
“Providing security does not come under the cabinet’s purview. A committee headed by the chief secretary, home secretary and other senior officials takes decisions,” said Pawar whose party was part of the Thackeray-led coalition government.
“Walse Patil told me that Shinde had Z-level security and also additional police protection as he was guardian minister of Gadchiroli,” he added.
The court has rejected the bail plea of a man arrested who was arrested in the year 2021 for the fake currency of Rs 2000 denomination. The plea was requested by Kamlesh Bishnoi on Thursday and order copy of the case was sent on Saturday.
The judgement was given by the sessions court in which judge Rajesh J Katariya denied the bail plea in the fake currency case. The complaint was made by the shopkeeper who informed the police about the crime.
The complainer informed the police that Kamlesh Bishnoi first went to a shop to get some groceries for which he gave Rs 2000 the fake currency note after which another time a man named Omprakash Bishnoi came to his shop with another Rs 2000 fake currency note but after looking the serial numbers of the notes it seemed fake to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper informed the police about the fake currency notes. The bail plea was rejected by the court second time on Thursday and it was also denied for the first time aswell when the plea was requested by the Bishnoi.
China’s Tianwen-1 probe beamed back high-resolution images of Mars’ natural satellite Phobos on Saturday, marking the second anniversary of the launch. Phobos and Deimos are two natural satellites of the red planet.
Phobos is the larger one with an irregular shape with no atmosphere and the closest satellite to the main star in the solar system.
The Tianwen-1 operation team seized the timing when the orbiter was close to Phobos and obtained clear images of the satellite in its “full moon” state, said the China National Space Administration.
It is China’s first time conducting Phobos imaging exploration and obtaining first-hand scientific data at close range. It provides valuable data for scientists to research Phobos’ topography and operation laws and accumulates experience for China’s planetary exploration program, said experts from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
The Tianwen-1 probe consists of an orbiter, a lander, and a rover. On May 15, 2021, it touched down on its pre-selected landing area in Utopia Planitia, a vast Martian plain, marking China’s maiden probe voyage on the planet.
Ill-informed and agenda-driven kangaroo courts on television debates and social media on issues involving justice delivery are proving to be detrimental to the health of democracy, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana said on Saturday.
“Of late, we see media running kangaroo courts, at times on issues even experienced judges find difficult to decide.
Ill-informed and agenda-driven debates on issues involving justice delivery are proving to be detrimental to the health of democracy,” said the CJI while delivering the Justice SB Sinha Memorial Inaugural Lecture in Ranchi.
On the issue of the rising number of media trials, CJI Ramana said, “It cannot be a guiding factor in deciding cases”. He said, “New media tools have the enormous amplifying ability but appear to be incapable of distinguishing between the right and the wrong, the good and the bad and the real and the fake.”
Chief Justice Ramana also cautioned that the judges may not react immediately and this should not be mistaken for weakness or helplessness. “Biased views being propagated by media are affecting the people, weakening democracy, and harming the system.
In this process, justice delivery gets adversely affected,” the CJI added. “By overstepping and breaching your responsibility, you are taking our democracy two steps backward.
Print media still has a certain degree of accountability. Whereas, electronic media has zero accountability as what it shows vanishes into thin air. Still, worse is social media,” he said.
The CJI also highlighted that these days, there is an increasing number of physical attacks on judges. “Can you imagine, a judge who has served on the bench for decades, putting hardened criminals behind the bar, once he retires, loses all the protection that came with the tenure? Judges have to live in the same society as the people that they have convicted, without any security or assurance of safety,” the CJI pointed out.
The CJI also commented on the long-standing matter of contention of the judicial review of legislative and executive actions. “One gets to hear that judges, being unelected, should not get into legislative and executive arenas.
But this ignores the Constitutional responsibilities that is placed on the judiciary. Judicial review of legislative and executive actions is an integral part of the Constitutional scheme.
I would go as far as to state that it is the heart and soul of the Indian Constitution. In my humble view, in the absence of judicial review, people’s faith in our Constitution would have diminished,” he said.
“Only a flourishing and vibrant democracy can lead our country on the path of peace, progress, and global leadership. A strong judiciary is the ultimate guarantee for the rule of law and democracy,” CJI Ramana said.
The Chief Justice also stressed that it becomes a challenge to accept the false narrative surrounding the supposed easy life of a judge. “There exists a misconception in the minds of the people that Judges stay in ultimate comfort, work only from 10 am to 4 pm and enjoy their holidays.
Such a narrative is untrue. When false narratives are created about the supposed easy life led by Judges, it is difficult to swallow,” Justice Ramana further stated. Justice NV Ramana also congratulated the judiciary of Jharkhand for marking the golden jubilee of setting up of the Circuit Bench of Patna and extended wishes to the children who received scholarship under Project Shishu.
