Morning Digest: April 13, 2023

Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha leader, three aides arrested in Agra cow slaughter case

The Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday arrested Sanjay Jat, national spokesperson of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, and three of his aides in connection with a case of cow slaughter in Agra on March 30. “Sanjay Jat, Jitendra Kushwaha, Brajesh Bhadoria and Saurabh Sharma have been arrested and produced in court. It has come to light during the investigation that they had enmity with four persons and wanted to implicate them in the case,” Rakesh Kumar Singh, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Chhatta, said.

Maulana Azad reference omitted in NCERT textbook

He was a freedom fighter and India’s first Education Minister, but any mention of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad has been deleted from a revised political science textbook published by the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT). The authors of the revised Class 11 textbook have also deleted the fact that Jammu and Kashmir had acceded to India on the basis of a promise that the State would remain autonomous. These are the latest in a spate of controversial deletions from new NCERT textbooks as part of the process of rationalising the syllabus. More glaring is the fact that NCERT failed to declare either of these revisions in the public domain.

Karnataka elections | Six more MLAs miss the ticket as BJP announces second list of 23 names

The BJP on Wednesday released the second list of candidates comprising 23 names, a day after releasing the first list of 189 candidates. The highlight of the second list is that the party has denied the ticket to six more MLAs, including Madal Virupakshappa, who is facing a corruption probe by the Lokayukta and is currently in custody. With this, the total number of incumbent MLAs who have been denied the ticket has touched 17.

India concerned over misuse of U.K.’s asylum status by pro-Khalistan elements

The Indian delegation, during the 5 th India-United Kingdom Home Affairs Dialogue on Wednesday, conveyed its concerns over misuse of the U.K.’s asylum status by the pro-Khalistan elements in aiding and abetting terrorist activities in India and sought appropriate proactive action.

COVID-19 cases will rise for eight-10 days but with below average severity: Health Ministry

Omicron XBB and its variants are responsible for the current surge in COVID-19 cases, but this is not a cause for worry as the severity of this variant is currently below average, with less hospitalisation, a senior Health Ministry official said on April 12. India has been registering a steady surge in COVID-19 cases for over two weeks now. The official added that there will be a further rise in cases for the next 8-10 days, after which a decline is expected. “Caution and not panic is the way out,” he said.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot side-steps question on Sachin Pilot’s fast, Delhi leadership remains mum

The leadership in Delhi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot both maintained studied silence on former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot’s day-long fast demanding action in cases of alleged corruption under the previous Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government in the State. Late on Monday night, party’s Rajasthan in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa had issued a statement appealing for “calm dialogue” and asserting that the “day-long fast” will be deemed as “anti-party activity”.

IPL 2023 | Dhoni’s 17-ball 32 in vain as Rajasthan Royals beats Chennai Super Kings by three runs in another last ball thriller

Mahendra Singh Dhoni gave a glimpse of the good old days of thrilling finishes but unheralded Rajasthan Royals seamer Sandeep Sharma nailed a couple of perfect block-hole deliveries to earn a three-run victory for Rajasthan Royals over Chennai Super Kings in a close IPL encounter, in Chennai on Wednesday. Chasing a target of 176, Dhoni (32 off 17 balls) and Ravindra Jadeja (25 off 15 balls), veterans of many such tantalising finishes were on course as 21 was needed off the last over. CSK’s final score was 172 for 6 as Dhoni didn’t end his 200th game for CSK in a manner he would have liked in his spiritual home with 30,000 plus spectators rooting for him.

Never conducted written test for in-house constable recruitment in regional languages, says CRPF

The developmet comes after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah urging that recruitment examination for 9,212 constable (technical and tradesmen) posts be held in Tamil and other regional languages too

Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification case a litmus test for the Indian judiciary, says Congress

Rahul Gandhi’s conviction and disqualification from the Lok Sabha is “deeply flawed” in law and is a “litmus test” for the Indian judiciary, Congress leader Anand Sharma said on April 12 as he expressed hope “it will be corrected”. A sessions court in Surat is scheduled to hear Mr. Gandhi’s appeal on Thursday for a stay on his conviction in the criminal defamation case that led to his disqualification from the Lok Sabha.

Supreme Court to study whether Justice Ranganath Mishra panel can be used to decide on quota for Dalit converts

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that a 2007 report of the Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities, which recommended Scheduled Caste reservation for Dalit converts to Christianity and Islam, is not all that “perfunctory”, adding that the government may need to “re-check” its stance on the report.

SC Collegium recommends 7 names for appointment as judges in Madhya Pradesh HC

The Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud on Wednesday (April 12) recommended the names of seven district judges for appointment as judges of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The Collegium, which also includes Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and K.M. Joseph, recommended the names of Roopesh Chandra Varshney, Anuradha Shukla, Sanjeev Sudhakar Kalgaonkar, Prem Narayan Singh, Achal Kumar Paliwal, Hirdesh, and Avnindra Kumar Singh.

Health Ministry revises package rates for Central Government Health Scheme beneficiaries

The Health Ministry on Wednesday announced that it has revised the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) package rates for all CGHS beneficiaries and simplified the referral process under CGHS for the benefit of its employees by offering a video call facility. There’s not been a revision in the rates since 2014.

Supreme Court initiates steps for inclusive infrastructure and sexuality sensitisation for LGBTQIA+ community at its court

The Supreme Court has initiated steps towards inclusive infrastructure and sexuality sensitisation for LGBTQIA+ community at its court. A statement said the court under the guidance of Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud had taken the lead for the inclusion of the LGBTQIA+ community to create nine universal rest rooms at different locations in the main building as well as the additional building complex of the Supreme Court.

U.S. aviation watchdog retains India’s safety category after review

The aviation safety regulator of the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration, has retained the “Category 1” status for India’s aviation safety oversight following a review, it informed the country’s watchdog on Wednesday. The International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) programme of the FAA determines whether a country’s oversight of its airlines that operate or wish to operate to the U.S. or enter into codeshare partnerships with U.S. carriers comply with safety standards established by the UN aviation watchdog, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Opposition unity is a confederacy of corrupt parties: Anurag Thakur

“When parties immersed in the quagmire of corruption come together, a ‘thugbandhan’ is formed. People know that they have no policy, no intention, no leadership. These gimmicks will not hide their corruption,” Mr. Thakur said, speaking to the media even as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and other Opposition leaders met with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi for talks on a unified grouping.

North Korea fires missile, prompting Japan to issue warning for Hokkaido

North Korea fired a missile on Thursday, South Korea and Japan said, prompting a warning for some Japanese residents to take cover. The Japanese government warned residents of the northernmost main island of Hokkaido to take immediate cover, saying a missile was likely to fall near the island around 8 a.m. Japan time (2300 GMT).