CMYK Morning India NEW JOBS FOR YOUTH BOMING SCARCE, UNEMPLOYMENT RISING OPINION Rs. 3 PATNA TUESDAY, 10 MAY, 2022 PG-12, YEAR—8, ISSUE—164 (RNI NO: BIHENG / 2014 / 59124) GUJARAT TITANS ANd LUCkNOW SUPER GIANTS FIGHT FOR IPL PLAY-OFF BERTH SPORTS Govt may ‘rethink’ sedition laws Tells SC not to invest time in examining validity AGENCIES NEW DELHI: The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court not to invest time in examining the validity of sedition law as it has decided to go for re-consideration of the provisions by a ”competent forum”. The Centre also said it was cognisant of various views, and concerns about civil liberties while being committed to protecting the “sovereignty and integrity of this great nation”. The ministry of home affairs, in an affidavit, referred to the views of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on shedding ”colonial baggage” and said he has been in favour of the protection of civil liberties and respect of human rights, and in that spirit, over 1500 outdated laws and over 25,000 compliance burdens have been scrapped. It said the prime minister has said that India, as a nation, has to work even harder to shed colonial baggage that has passed its utility which includes outdated laws and practices. A bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli on May 5 had said it would hear arguments on May 10 on the legal question of whether the pleas challenging the colonial-era penal law on sedition be referred to a larger bench for reconsidering the 1962 verdict of a five-judge Constitution bench in the Kedar Nath Singh case. The affidavit, filed by Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, additional secretary in the MHA, said there are divergences of views expressed in the public domain by various jurists, academicians, intellectuals, and citizens in general. ”The government, being fully cognisant of various views being expressed on the subject of sedition and also having considered the con- cerns of civil liberties and human rights, while committed to maintain and protect the sovereignty and integrity of this great nation, has decided to re-examine and re-consider the provisions of Section 124A of the IPC which can only be done before the competent forum,” it said. The government urged the top court that in view of the decision to reconsider the law, ”this court may not invest time in examining the validity of section 124A once again and be pleased to await the exercise of reconsideration to be undertaken by the Government of India before an appropriate forum where such reconsideration is constitutionally permitted.” The government said concerns have been raised about the application and abuse of sedition law for purposes not intended by the provisions. ”The prime minister has been cognisant of various views expressed on the subject and has also periodically, in various forums, expressed his clear and unequivocal views in favour of protection of civil liberties, respect of human rights, and giving meaning to the constitutionally cherished freedoms by the people of the country,” it said. It said the prime minister has repeatedly said one of India's strengths is the diverse thought streams that beautifully flourish here. ”The PM believes that at a time when the country is marking 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' (75 years since independence), we need to, as a nation, work even harder to shed colonial baggage that has passed its utility which includes outdated laws colonial laws and practice,” it said. Various offences which were causing mindless hindrances to people have been decriminalised, it said. It said the public at large including jurists agrees about the need for statutory provisions to deal with serious offences of divisive nature affecting the very sovereignty and integrity of the country. ”Requiring a penal provision for such purposes is generally accepted by everyone in legitimate State interest,” the affidavit said. In another writ- Zero tolerance, says Scindia over Indigo’s behaviour Cyclone Asani advancing towards Andhra the matter by myself, post which appropriate action will be taken." Directorate General of Civil Aviation chief Arun Kumar on Monday told PTI that the regulator has sought a report from IndiGo on this matter. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is probing this incident and it will take appropriate action, he said. A passenger named Manisha Gupta had detailed this incident on LinkedIn. She said that on Saturday, at the Ranchi airport, an adolescent with special needs, was in great discomfort. "The exhaustion of the drive to the airport and then the stress of security check has sent him into the throes of hunger, thirst, anxiety and confusion. His parents obviously knew how to handle his meltdown - with patience, cajoling, stern-ness, many hugs," she mentioned. By the time the boarding began, the child had been fed and given his medicines, she said. He seemed ready except for some big displays of general teenage assertiveness, she noted. PURI: Asani, the severe cyclonic storm in the Bay of Bengal, packing gale force winds up to 120 km per hour, was moving towards coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha at a speed of 25 km per hour on Monday, but expected to weaken gradually over the next two days, the weather office said.The cyclonic storm lay centred about 550 km southeast of Vishakhapatnam and 680 km south-southeast of Puri at 5:30 am on Monday, a special bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department said at 8:45 am. "It is very likely to move northwestwards till Tuesday and reach Westcentral and adjoining Northwest Bay of Bengal off North Andhra Pradesh & Odisha coasts,” the weather office said. “Thereafter, it is very likely to recurve north-northeastwards and move towards Northwest Bay of Bengal off Odisha coast. It is likely to weaken gradually into a Cyclonic Storm during the next 48 hours,” the bulletin said. The system will not make landfall either in Odisha or Andhra Pradesh, IMD DG had said on Sunday. Bars specially-abled child AGENCIES NEW DELHI: A day after it came to light that IndiGo barred a specially-abled child from boarding a flight at the Ranchi airport as he was in "a state of panic", Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Monday that no human being should have to go through this and he himself is investigating the incident. As the boy was prohibited from boarding the airline's Ranchi-Hyderabad flight on Saturday, his parents -- who were with him -- also decided to not enter the plane. The Saturday's incident came to light after other passengers posted about this incident on social media on Sunday. Commenting on one such social media post regarding this incident, Scindia on Monday said on Twitter, "There is zero tolerance towards such behaviour. No human being should have to go through this! Investigating Several K'taka temples play Hanuman Chalisa at 5am "Then we witnessed the full display of brute authority and power. The IndiGo (InterGlobe Aviation Ltd) staff declared that the child would not be allowed to take the flight because he was a risk to other passengers," she mentioned. "The Indigo manager also said something on lines of 'behaviours such as this, and that of drunk passengers, deems them unfit to travel'," she said. The other passengers opposed him resolutely and they demanded that the child and his parents board the flight as soon as possible, she mentioned. Several challenged the Indigo staff to calibrate his decision with corresponding statements in the rule book, she said. "They held up their mobile phones with news articles, and Twitter posts on supreme court judgements on how no airline could discriminate against passengers with disabilities.There was a delegation of doctors that was taking the same flight. They offered to provide full support to the child and his parents, if any health episode were to occur mid-air," she noted. AGENCIES India reports 3,207 new Covid cases, 29 deaths AGENCIES AGENCIES BENGALURU: Hanuman Chalisa, Suprabhata, Omkara and devotional songs were played at temples in different parts of Karnataka on Monday morning as part of a campaign by Hindu groups including Sri Rama Sene, alleging failure on part of the state government to take action against loudspeakers installed at mosques. Recorded versions or bhajans being recited by those present at the temples were played out at around 5 AM to counter the morning Azaan being recited on loudspeakers at mosques. NEW DELHI: India logged 3,207 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 4,31,05,401, while the active cases dipped to 20,403, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Monday. The death toll climbed to 5,24,093 with 29 fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated. The active cases comprise 0.05 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was 98.74 per cent, the ministry said. A decrease of 232 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The daily positivity rate was recorded as 0.95 per cent and the weekly positivity rate as 0.82 per cent, according to the ministry. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,25,60,905, while the case fatality rate was recorded as 1.22 per cent. The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive has exceeded 190.34 crore. ten submission, filed earlier, the Centre defended the penal law and the 1962 verdict of a constitution bench upholding its validity, saying they have withstood "the test of time" about six decades and the instances of its abuse would never be a justification of reconsideration. "Instances of the abuse of provision would never be a justification to reconsider a binding judgment of the Constitution bench. The remedy would lie in preventing such abuse on a case-to-case basis rather than doubting a long-standing settled law declared by a constitution bench for about six decades," the earlier written submission said. The reply also raised the issue of Corum and opposed the submissions of senior advocate Kapil Sibal that in a changed fact situation a bench of three judges can also test the validity of the sedition law, saying ”no reference, therefore, would be necessary nor can the three-judge bench once again examine the constitutional validity of the very same provision". The top court, in 1962, upheld the validity of the sedition law while attempting to restrict its scope for misuse. The top court has been hearing a clutch of pleas challenging the validity of the law Mahinda quits as Sri Lanka PM, nationwide curfew imposed AGENCIES COLOMBO: Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned on Monday amid unprecedented economic turmoil, hours after his supporters attacked anti-government protesters outside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's office, leaving at least 130 people injured and prompting authorities to impose a nationwide curfew and deploy army troops in the capital. Prime Minister Mahinda, 76, sent his resignation letter to the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa after violent scenes were witnessed in Colombo. "Effective immediately I have tendered my resignation as Prime Minister to the President," Mahinda tweeted. At least two cabinet ministers have also announced their resignations. The violence occurred as pressure mounted on the embattled government led by his younger brother and President Gotabaya to form an interim administration to overcome the worst economic crisis facing the country. Curfew was imposed islandwide with immediate effect until further notice, a police spokesperson was quoted as saying by the local media. A military contingent was deployed to the protest site to assist law enforcement after clashes between pro-government and protestors at MynaGoGama and GotaGoGama protest sites left around 130 people injured. The defence secretary has urged public support to maintain peace in the country, while three-armed forces have been called in to assist police for public security. Leave for all police personnel was cancelled until further notice. Sri Lanka is currently in the throes of unprecedented economic turmoil since its independence from Britain in 1948. The crisis is caused in part by a lack of foreign currency, which has meant that the country cannot afford to pay for imports of staple foods and fuel, leading to acute shortages and very high prices. 2 new SC judges sworn in, strength back to 34 AGENCIES NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday regained its full strength of 34 judges as chief justice of Gauhati high court Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Gujarat high court judge Justice Jamshed B Pardiwala took oath as apex court judges. Chief Justice of India N V Ramana administered the oath of office to justices Dhulia and Pardiwala during a function at the newly-built auditorium of the additional building complex of the apex court. With the appointment of Justice Dhulia and Justice Pardiwala, the top court regained its full strength of 34 judges, which had come down to 32 after the retirement of Justice R Subhash Reddy on January 4 this year. Justice Pardiwala will go on to serve as the CJI for over two years, sources aware of the procedure to appoint members of the higher judiciary said. Justice Dhulia, who will be the second judge to be elevated from Uttarakhand, is the sibling of national award-winning film director and actor Tigmanshu Dhulia. He will have a tenure of a little over three years.