fatwas illegal: Supreme Court

Sharia Courts have no legal sanctity, fatwas illegal: Supreme Court
Last Updated: Monday, July 07, 2014, 12:13

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court on Monday declared that no legal status has been granted to the Sharia Courts and religious decrees or fatwas are illegal if they tread on the rights of an individual.

The apex court further objected to the Shariat Courts ordering punishments against innocent people and said that no religion permits the same.

The SC also said that 'Darul Qaza' should not pass any judgment pertaining to the rights of an individual unless asked by the concerned person.

The verdict by the apex court was given after a petition challenging the legality of the Shariat Courts was filed by a Delhi based lawyer Vishwa Lochan Madan in 2005.


In the petition, he stated that institutions like Darul Qaza and Darul-iftaa are operating like parallel courts which take decisions on the fundamental rights of the Muslim citizens.

He also reportedly said that religious clerics qazis and muftis appointed by them cannot take a call on the liberty of the Muslims by issuing fatwas and curtailing their fundamental rights.

The petitioner further argued that the Darul Qaza and Darul-iftaa operate in Muslim dominated districts where people cannot oppose the rulings.

Citing an example, the petitioner stated that a Muslim girl had to desert her husband because a fatwa directed her to live with her father-in-law who had allegedly raped her.

The apex court had reserved the judgment in the case in February earlier this year and had reportedly said that it cannot interfere with the religious decrees issued by the Muslim clerics.

The court further told the petitioner that “some fatwas may be wise and issued for the general good also,” the news report stated.

Reliance Communication and ......

RComm raises $804 million via share sale: Sources
Last Updated: Wednesday, June 25, 2014, 11:31
Zee News
   Reliance Communication, Anil Ambani, QIP, RComm Shares, Offer Price
Reliance Communications Ltd on Wednesday raised USD 804 million by selling shares, people involved in the process said, in what is the single biggest equity issue since the pro-business Narendra Modi government took office.

The proceeds will help the company`s third-largest mobile phone operator by customers cut its debt, said the people, who declined to be named as they were not authorised to speak to the media before a public announcement.

A Reliance Communications spokesman declined to comment.

The company`s share sale is likely to be followed by a raft of equity sales by Indian companies in the coming months on the back of growing demand for equities after a landslide election victory last month for new Prime Minister Modi.

Reliance Communications, headed by billionaire Anil Ambani, had net debt of Rs 401.78 billion (USD 6.7 billion) as of end-March. That was more than five times its operating profit, making it the most-leveraged among listed Indian carriers.

"There is a need for corporate India to deleverage balance sheets for growth. There is no other choice. Share sale momentum will continue," said Aneesh Srivastava, chief investment officer at IDBI Federal Life Insurance.

"Foreign investors continue to lap up Indian issues on economy and Modi-driven confidence."

An economic downturn and sluggish corporate earnings growth in Asia`s third-largest economy have deterred equity deals in the past year.

Modi`s Bharatiya Janata Party won India`s first outright parliamentary majority in three decades, spurring hopes of a revival in an economy that is witnessing its longest spell of under-5-percent growth since the late 1980s.

Reliance Communications got total bids of about Rs 120 billion, but has decided to retain about Rs 60 billion worth of bids out of which Rs 48 billion (USD 804.02 million) was via shares sold to institutional investors, said the sources.

The company`s founders also bought shares worth Rs 13 billion, they said. The company had launched the share sale worth up to USD 500 million on Tuesday.

Reliance Communications shares were last trading down 2.5 percent at Rs 148.40, while the main Mumbai market index was trading flat.

official language in india

Census dispels Hindi myth, only 25 pc in India claim Hindi is their mother tongue
D P Satish, IBNLive.com ,Jun 20, 2014 at 02:46pm IST
Follow @ibnlive

New Delhi: The newly elected BJP led NDA government's eagerness to promote Hindi on social media platforms has led to a controversy dividing the people on language lines. Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju has defended the Centre's decision to promote Hindi. BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has made a misplaced argument defending the use of Hindi saying that it will dispel the perception that only English speakers are intelligent.

But, the people who are opposing the 'imposition' of Hindi claim that a Hindi versus English debate has now become a Hindi versus rest of the Indian languages debate. They argue that the Centre can promote Hindi in Hindi speaking states and may even replace English with Hindi in these states. But, it must not do the same in non-Hindi speaking states.

The claims that Hindi is our national language have also attracted huge criticism. According to the Indian Constitution, all 15 major languages in the country are considered national languages and Hindi and English are the two main official languages.

The NDA government's eagerness to promote Hindi on social media platforms has led to a controversy. (Hindi, English, via Shutterstock)

Even though the supporters of Hindi are claiming that over 70 per cent of India speaks Hindi, the reality speaks of a different situation. According to 2001 Census figures, just 45 per cent people speak or know Hindi. But, just 25 per cent people in India have declared Hindi as their mother tongue. A little over 25 crore actually speak Hindi, says Census 2001.

The remaining people speak variants of Hindi like Bhojpuri, Magadhi, Maithili, Garhwali, Dogri, Rajasthani, Marwari, Haryanvi etc. All put together, the speakers of Hindi and its dialects are about 45 per cent.

It proves that remaining 55 per cent speak non-Hindi languages and the majority people in India don't even know Hindi.

According to the 2001 Census, 42 crore people speak or understand Hindi all over India. But, only 25 crore declared Hindi as their mother tongue. 8.5 crore people speak Bengali, 7.5 crore people speak Telugu, 7 crore speak Marathi and 6 crore speak Tamil.

5 crore speak Urdu, 4.6 crore speak Gujarati, 4 crore speak Kannada, 3.5 crore speak Malayalam, 3.3 crore speak Oriya, 3 crore speak Punjabi, 1.5 crore speak Assamese, 64 lakh speak Santhali and 55 lakh speak Kashmiri languages.

People in the north eastern states speak more than 50 different dialects. Tribals in non-Hindi speaking and non-north eastern states also speak different dialects. These dialects have nothing to do with Hindi or its variants. The languages like Konkani, Tulu, Kodava, Beary, which are spoken in Karnataka also have nothing to do with Hindi.

Experts argue that the Centre must carefully look into the Census data before claiming that over 70 per cent speaks or understands Hindi. Eminent modern historian and writer Ramachandra Guha in a tweet said, "One should remember that Pakistan split, and Sri Lanka plunged into civil war, because of the mistaken belief in a single national language."

With Tamil politicians who have been vehemently opposing the Hindi hegemony or imposition warning the Centre to modify its circular to promote Hindi, the issue is likely to rock the Budget Session of Parliament.

What India speaks
HINDI
Mother tongue of 25 per cent Indians
More than 41 per cent Indians claim that they know Hindi
BENGALI
Mother tongue of 8 per cent Indians
TELUGU
Mother tongue of 7 per cent Indians
MARATHI
Mother tongue of 7 per cent Indians
TAMIL
Mother tongue of 6 per cent Indians
URDU
Mother tongue of 5 per cent Indians
GUJARATI
Mother tongue of 4 per cent Indians
KANNADA
Mother tongue of 4 per cent Indians
MALAYALAM
Mother tongue of 3 per cent Indians
ORIYA
Mother tongue of 3 per cent Indians
PUNJABI
Mother tongue of 3 per cent Indians
ASSAMESE
Mother tongue of 1 per cent Indians




Hindi as social media language: Don’t provoke a sleeping tiger, Vaiko warns govt
Karthick S,TNN | Jun 20, 2014, 03.28 PM IST

CHENNAI: The PMK and the MDMK, two allies of BJP in Tamil Nadu, on Friday expressed their opposition to the Union home ministry's directive to bureaucrats to use Hindi in official social media accounts.

In a statement, MDMK leader Vaiko said the government's move to impose Hindi on all people would hamper the unity of the nation.

"Tamil Nadu will never accept imposition of Hindi. The state had fought against imposition of Hindi by shedding sweat and blood. The government should not indulge in activities that will provoke a sleeping tiger," he said.

In a statement, PMK leader S Ramadoss expressed his opposition to the government's move to impose Hindi on people speaking different languages. He said, "Since Hindi is the official language, it's being imposed on all people. The only solution is that the government should declare all the 22 languages in the country the official languages."

Ghulam Rasool Balyavi

Lalu, Nitish Joining Hands in a 'Good Beginning': Congress

By PTI

Published: 19th June 2014 10:14 PM

Last Updated: 19th June 2014 10:14 PM

JD-U's Pawan Kumar Verma and Ghulam Rasool Balyavi flash victory sign after they were elected to the Rajya Sabha in Patna on Thursday. (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: Congress on Thursday hailed as "good beginning" the rivals Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar shaking hands after 20 years for Rajya Sabhya bypolls in Bihar saying it will be "great if a grand alliance happens" in future.

The two parties coming together has led to the victory of two JD(U) candidates in the Rajya Sabha bypolls in Bihar despite cross voting.

Diplomat-politician Pawan Kumar Varma and Gulam Rasool Balyawi, official candidates of JD(U) defeated Independents Anil Sharma and Sabir Ali, having support of BJP and JD(U) dissidents.

The victory of JD(U) candidates came as a moral booster for Nitish Kumar's party which received severe drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections winning just two of the 40 seats.

RJD had won four Lok Sabha seats while Congress just two and NCP one in an election which saw the Narendra Modi juggernaut ensuring 31 seats for NDA.


The combined vote percentage of RJD, JDU and Congress was way ahead of that of NDA and there is a view that if any such alliance is formed, BJP's march will be halted.

scrapped four Cabinet committees

PM disbands four Cabinet panels to expedite decision-making
HT Correspondent and Agencies, Hindustan Times New Delhi, June 10, 2014
First Published: 19:29 IST(10/6/2014) | Last Updated: 10:46 IST(11/6/2014)

In the second major decision to end the UPA government's legacy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday scrapped four Cabinet committees, including one on Unique Identification Authority (UIDAI), as part of his efforts to minimise decision-making processes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes oath as the member of Parliament during the second day of First session of 16th Lok Sabha, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)

The other committees disbanded were the Cabinet Committee on Prices, the Cabinet Committee on Management of Natural Calamities and the Cabinet Committee on World Trade Organisation Matters, an official statement said.

Read: Why Modi doesn’t need ministerial groups, hallmark of coalition regimes

Modi, however, gave additional responsibilities to the all-important Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) which primarily deals with matters of high economic importance such as clearing big-ticket projects, approving FDI or deciding on food export/import.

With regard to the Cabinet Committee on UIDAI-related issues, the statement said major decisions have already been taken and the remaining issues will be brought to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.

Read: Arun Jaitley vows to resurrect economy

The functions of the Cabinet Committee on Prices will now be handled by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, it said.

The functions of the Cabinet Committee on Management of Natural Calamities will be handled by the Committee under the Cabinet Secretary whenever natural calamities occur.

The functions of the Cabinet Committee on World Trade Organisation Matters will also be handled by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs and, whenever necessary, by the full Cabinet.

This is the second major decision of the Modi government to do away with the legacy of the UPA government. Earlier, it had disbanded all the Empowered Groups of Ministers (EGoMs) and Groups of Ministers (GoMs).

Read: GoMs, EGoMs formed due to the complexities of issues: Congress

These decisions are part of Modi's endeavour to have minimum layers of decision-making.

A section of the government sees this latest development as keeping line with Modi’s mantra of minimum government and maximum governance. Another section, however, feels that the exercise is aimed at taking decisions with larger participation as CCEA has more members.

The statement said the Prime Minister will also be re-constituting the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs and the Cabinet Committee on Security.

encounter Fake/ True in India

U'khand fake encounter case: 17 cops get life term
PTI  13:40 HRS IST
New Delhi, Jun 9 (PTI) A Delhi court today awarded life imprisonment to 17 Uttarakhand police personnel who were convicted for gunning down a 22-year-old MBA graduate in a fake encounter in a jungle near Dehradun in 2009.

modern madrasa indian democracy

Modi govt to work to fulfill people's expectations: Pranab Mukherjee
by Ajith Vijay Kumar
Last Updated: Monday, June 09, 2014, 14:49
Zee Media Bureau/Ajith Vijay Kumar

New Delhi: Outlining the priorities of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre, President Pranab Mukherjee said 'Brand India' would be revived and that the government will work to fulfill the expectations of the citizens of the country.

Addressing a joint session of the Parliament, Monday, the President all said that the government will work for the poor of the country.

Pranab's speech - Highlights :
Brand India
Will revive 'Brand India', riding on its strengths of five 'T's -- tradition, talent, tourism, trade and technology -- and will pursue foreign policy on the basis of "enlightened nationalism" and mutually beneficial relationships.
The people of India have given a clear mandate. They want to see a vibrant, dynamic and prosperous India. They want to see a resurgent India regaining the admiration and respect of the international community.

Brimming with hope and expectation, they want quick results. With three 'D's of democracy, demography and demand on our side, ... We must rise to the occasion to fulfill these great expectations. In 60 months from now, we should be able to say with confidence and pride that we have done it.

Election of hope
This was an election of hope, the electorate transcended the boundaries of caste, creed religion to come together and vote precisely for development through good governance. The country needed a strong and stable government that could provide effective leadership. Serving the citizens the first priority.

The surge in aspirations and the belief that these could be realised through democratic processes, has been amply reflected in the record 66.4 per cent participation by voters and a clear verdict in favour4 of a single political party after a gap of nearly 30 years.

My government pledges to the principle 'sabka saath, sabka vikas. We will work to establish the credibility of the institutions of democracy and is committed to minimum government, maximum governance.

Government is dedicated to the poor, poverty has no religion, hunger has no creed and will not be satisfied with mere poverty alleviation but commits itself to the goal of poverty elimination and will focus on those who need the basic necessities of life most urgently.

Economy
Country passing through extremely difficult phase on economic front; putting economy back on track is paramount for my government. We will work together to usher our economy into high growth path, rein in inflation, reignite the investment cycle, accelerate job creation and restore the confidence of the domestic as well as international community in our economy.

The government will create a policy environment which is "predictable, transparent and fair".

Government will formulate clear rules for allocation of coal, minerals and telecom spectrum.

It will embark on rationalisation and simplification of the tax regime to make it non-adversarial and conductive to investment, enterprise and growth.

My government will make every effort to introduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST) while addressing the concerns of states. Reforms will be undertaken to enhance the ease of doing business. My government will follow a policy of encouraging investments, including through FDI, which will be allowed in sectors that help create jobs and assets.

Inflation
Containing food inflation would be the top most prioritise of the government. My government will take effective steps to prevent hoarding and black marketing. My government is aware of the possibility of a sub normal monsoon this year and contingency plan is being prepared.

Corruption
Government is determined to rid the country of the scourge of corruption and menace of black money.

Zero tolerance for violence against women

My government is committed to ensure 33 percent reservation for women in Parliament. Government will launch a "beti bachao, beti badhao" (save girl child, grow girl child) and will launch a mass campaign to save the girl child.

We will have a policy of zero tolerance of violence against women; criminal justice system will be revisited to see its effectiveness in curbing crimes against women.

Education and R&D

IIT and IIM in every state. National e-library to be launched.

Indian languages are repository of our rich history, culture and art. To preserve this, the government will launch e-Bhasha platform that will develop vernacular content and disseminate regional content.

A central university of Himalayan studies will be established.

Will build world class research centres for research in nanotechnology, stem cell and brain. An institute of technology for rural development will be established.

100 new cities and pucca houses for all by 2022

By the time the nation completes 75 years of Independence (2022), every family will have a pucca house with water connection, toilet facilities, 24x7 electricity supply.

100 new cities to be developed focused on specialised domains with world class infrastructure.

Soon 50% of India's population will reside in urban areas. Today urban infrastructure is under severe stress but soon the youth will look at urbanization as an opportunity

Infrastructure

Govt will chalk out an ambitious infrastructure development program, revamping railways on top of agenda. Expansion of railways in hilly states and the northeastwill be prime focus, will encourage R&D. Freight corridors with specialised agri-rail networks for perishable farm products

Diamond quadrilateral network of high speed trains to be developed.

Time-bound programme for national highways network.

Sagar Mala Project to connect sea ports with hinterland through road and rail. Existing ports to be modernised, new ports to be developed.

Low cost airports will be developed to promote air connectivity to smaller towns. A port-led development model will be evolved.

Mission Ganga

My government will work to clean the Ganga river, and ensure perennial flow in the river. Ganga is a symbol of faith of Indians.

Conservation of the Himalayas is also a priority area. A central university of Himalayan studies will be established

Defence

Government to encourage private investments in defence production. Will liberalise FDI in defence production. With available human resources, India can emerge as global platform for defence.

The armed forces will be modernised and manpower shortages addressed on priority. Recognizing the importance of coastal authority, my government will set up national maritime security authority.

National war memorial to be built. Government to appoint a Veterans Commission to address grievances.

Health

National Health Assurance mission will be put in place. AIIMS-like institutes to be set up in every state:

Tourism

India has a vast untapped potential for tourism which can play a special role in our socio-economic progress. The government will initiate a mission mode project to create 50 tourist circuits that are built around specific themes.

With a view to encouraging pilgrimage tourism, a national mission for beautifying and improving the amenities and infrastructure at pilgrimage centres of all faiths will be launched.

Minority Welfare

Government is committed to make all minorities equal partners in the developmental of the country.

Unfortunate that despite several decades after independence several minority communities continued to suffer from neglect.

Youth of minority communities would be provided technical education and the government would initiate steps for modernisation of madrassas.

Foreign Policy

My government was committed to work towards building a peaceful, stable and economically inter-linked neighbourhood and we will never shy away from raising issues of concern to us at a bilateral level.

We emphasise that the future of shared prosperity can only be built on the foundation of stability in the region, which requires sensitivity to security concerns and an end to export of terrorism to neighbours.

Will work with South Asian leaders to revitalize Saarc. Won't shy away from raising issues of terrorism.

Energy

My government will come out with a comprehensive National Energy Policy and focus on development of energy related infrastructure, human resource and technology. Will substantially augment electricity generation capacity through a judicious mix of conventional and non-conventional sources.

The government will also work towards expanding the National Solar Mission.

The international civil nuclear agreements will be operationalised and nuclear power projects for civilian purposes will be developed.

Cleaner fuels will be promoted to bring down pollution levels in our cities. The government will take up mitigation works to meet the challenges posed by climate change and will work with the global community in this regard.

Others

Government will try to end rural-urban divide and is committed to reverse trend of hopelessness among farmers that leads to suicides.

My government is committed to see that the SC/ST can avail all opportunities.

My government will launch a national sports talent search mission.

Will take steps to provide dignity of life to facilitate their participation in all walks of life. The government will take steps to identify the special needs of disabled people and provide institutional help.

Special efforts to be made to ensure that Kashmiri pandits return to the land of their ancestors.

Social media will be used as a tool for participative governance.

Government will work for the digitisation of government records and is committed to e-governance to bring equity and efficiency.

Critical public areas will be made wi-fi zones; will also establish broadband highway in rural areas.

First Published: Monday, June 09, 2014, 09:05