A view of the Supreme Court of India, in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Stay on bail should only be granted in rare cases: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on July 12 said an inclination seen among higher courts to stall bail creates a real and present danger to the rights of personal liberty and due process. A Bench of Justices A.S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said the propensity to stay reasoned bail orders passed by trial courts was “shocking”.

Oli set to return to power in Nepal as Maoist leader Prachanda weighs his options

A political drama triggered 10 days ago by the Nepali Congress (NC) and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) capped off with the ouster of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ on Friday. Prachanda, the chairman of the CPN (Maoist Centre), failed his vote of confidence, fifth in one and a half years since he was elected Prime Minister in December 2022, leading to the fall of his government. Of the 258 parliamentarians present in the 275-member Parliament, 63 voted in favour of Prachanda, while 194 voted against. One lawmaker abstained.

Centralised hiring leads to language, cultural barriers in Eklavya schools

The recent centralisation of recruitment for tribal residential schools across the country, which introduced Hindi competency as a mandatory requirement, has resulted in a flood of requests for transfers. The large numbers of staff recruited from Hindi-speaking States are protesting postings to the Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) located in southern States, where the language, food and culture is unfamiliar to them.

Doval and Sullivan hold talks amid strain in ties over Russia

Amidst a strain over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow this week, National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval spoke to U.S. NSA Jake Sullivan on Friday evening, where they agreed to “work closely” to further advance bilateral ties. They also discussed the upcoming Quad Foreign Ministers meeting to be held later this month, and a leaders’ summit that may possibly be held later this year.

West Bengal moves Supreme Court against Governor for sitting on Bills

The State of West Bengal has moved the Supreme Court against the Governor for sitting on eight crucial Bills without giving any reasons for the delay. The petition was mentioned before Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud by State counsel Astha Sharma for an early hearing.

ED cannot make arrests under PMLA on a whim, says SC

The Supreme Court on July 12 held that the power to arrest under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cannot be exercised on the “whims and fancies” of Directorate of Enforcement (ED) officers. The court wondered if the ED even had a consistent, uniform and ”one-rule-for-all” policy on when they should arrest people. It said the ED’s power to arrest must be based on objective and fair consideration of material against a person.

Bishops meet PM Modi, urge him to ensure peace in Manipur

A delegation of bishops, representing the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Friday and urged him to ensure peace in Manipur. The bishops conveyed their apprehensions on the “rumours” that the reservation for Dalit tribals will be stopped and expressed concerns about the “increasing attacks” against Christians for alleged forced conversions. They also asked Mr. Modi to expedite the process for bringing Pope Francis to India and appreciated Mr. Modi’s continued efforts to invite the Pope to India.

Net tax receipts up 19.5%, corporate tax share at 36.6%

Growth in India’s net direct tax collections slowed slightly to 19.54% by July 11, relative to a 21% rise recorded by June 17, with revenues hitting ₹5.74 lakh crore, the Income Tax department said on Friday. Personal income tax (PIT) receipts constituted 60.2% of the net collections at ₹3.46 lakh crore, rising 21.4% year-on-year, while corporate taxes yielded 36.6% of net revenues at ₹2.1 lakh crore, reflecting a 12.5% growth.

MHA amends Rules to widen the administrative role of J&K L-G

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday widened the ambit of the administrative role of the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir by amending the Transaction of Business Rules. The amendment gives the L-G more say in matters pertaining to police, public order, All India Service (AIS) which require prior concurrence of the Finance Department and also their transfers and postings.

Oppn. flags video from Gujarat, slams Modi government over ‘disease of unemployment’

Flagging a viral video of a stampede-like situation at Bharuch district in Gujarat, where over 800 people turned up for a walk-in interview held by a firm for 40 vacancies, the Opposition renewed its attack on the government over high unemployment in the country.

‘Urban Naxal’ bill is bogey to smother opposition before Maharashtra polls, say Congress, CPI(M)

Opposition parties condemned the “authoritarian” Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, 2024, on Friday and demanded its withdrawal. It has been introduced with the objective of curbing Naxalism in urban and rural areas. The Bill was tabled in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Thursday by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the Minister of Law and Judiciary.

Kanchanjunga accident: Three employees suspended, Commissioner of Railway Safety inquiry almost complete

The inquiry by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) into the accident involving Kanchanjunga Express and a goods train on June 17 in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district that claimed 10 lives has reached completion and a final report is being awaited.

Wimbledon | Alcaraz overcomes initial jitters, powers past Medvedev

Successful sporting careers depend on three things — talent, hard work and luck. That Carlos Alcaraz was talented was never in doubt. No one who doesn’t work hard wins three Majors in a jiffy. And these last 10 days at Wimbledon have shown that he has some luck on his side too.

New Delhi:

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held a phone conversation on Friday with his American counterpart Jake Sullivan amid some indication of unease in India-US ties following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Mr Doval and Sullivan reiterated the need to work “collectively” to address global challenges to peace and security and further expand the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.

It said the two national security advisors agreed to work closely to further advance India-US relations, which are “built on shared values and common strategic and security interests”.

“They discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral, regional and international concern and forthcoming high-level engagements under the Quad framework to be held in July 2024 and later in the year,” the MEA said in a statement.

The phone conversation between the NSAs came a day after US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti appeared to be critical of India’s ties with Russia.

Garcetti, speaking at an event in Delhi on Thursday, said India and the US must uphold democratic principles when other countries go against the rules-based order.

“I know…and I respect that India likes its strategic autonomy. But in times of conflict, there is no such thing as strategic autonomy. We will, in crisis moments, need to know each other. I don’t care what title we put to it, but we will need to know that we are trusted friends, brothers and sisters, colleagues,” Garcetti said without making any reference to Prime Minister Modi’s trip to Moscow this week.

In an apparent reference to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the US envoy said “no war is distant anymore”.

“No war is distant anymore and we must not just stand for peace, we must take concrete actions to make sure those who don’t play by peaceful rules, that their war machines cannot continue unabated,” he said.

Garcetti also underlined the importance of maintaining the sanctity of borders.

“I don’t have to remind India how important borders are..That when we stand on those principles and stand together, we can show that principles are the guiding light of peace in our world and together the world’s two largest democracies can enhance the security and the stability of our region,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

In an interconnected world, “no war is distant anymore”, US envoy Eric Garcetti said on Thursday and asserted that one must not just stand for peace, but also take concrete actions to make sure those who don’t play by peaceful rules, their war machines “cannot continue unabated”.

“And that is something the US needs to know and that India needs to know together,” the ambassador said during a keynote address at an event here as he also pitched for forging a stronger partnership between New Delhi and Washington envisioning them together as an “unstoppable force for good in the world”.

His comments come in the backdrop of multiple ongoing conflicts in the world, including in Ukraine and Israel-Gaza.

In his address at a defence news conclave here, he described India-US ties as deep, ancient and increasingly broad, and said “today I think that culminates together as we look at the US-India defence partnership”.

The event was held at the Unites Services Institution (USI), Delhi, and attended by many defence experts.

“We don’t just see our future in India and India doesn’t just sees its future with the US, but the world can see great things in our relationship. In other words, there are countries on the sidelines hoping this relationship works. Because, if it works, it doesn’t just become a counterbalance, it becomes a place where we are developing our weapons together, integrating our training together,” Garcetti said.

In times of emergencies, whether that be a natural disaster or god forbid, a human-caused war, “the US and India will be a powerful ballast against the waves that will sweep over Asia and other parts of the world”, he asserted.

“And I think, we all know that we are interconnected in the world, no war is distant anymore. And we must not just stand for peace, we must take concrete actions to make sure those who don’t play by peaceful rules, that their war machines cannot continue unabated. And that is something the US needs to know and that India needs to know together,” the envoy said.

“In the past three years, we have witnessed countries which have ignored sovereign borders. I dont’ have to remind how important borders are, it’s a central principle to peace in our world,” he added.

The American ambassador to India underlined that he had come to the event not to teach, preach or lecture, but always to listen in and learn and remind of their “commonly shared values”.

“That when we stand on those principles and stand together, even in difficult times, we are friends, that we can show that principles are the guiding light of peace in our world. And together the world’s two largest democracies can enhance the security, the stability of our region,” he said.

Underlining various areas of commonalty in India-US and its potential, the envoy said, “India sees its future with America, America sees its future with India.” “Any objective observer will see that. We see it in our commerce, we see it in our people and certainly we see it in our security and future,” he added.

In his address, he also spoke of the historic state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US in June 2023.

“And a year after the prime minister came for that historic (visit), yes, one of the highlights of post-Independence India’s relations with the US, there has nothing that has died down in enthusiasm, the focus, the relationship of Americans towards India,” the envoy said.

Describing the essence of the bilateral ties as “commitment”, he said, “It is a relationship. It is true, it is trusting and it is tried and it is tested.” “Love is the only thing you can give more and receive more of it back. It is not a finite thing, it’s not a win or lose, it is not a zero-sum game. It is important for us as Americans and as Indians, the more we put into this relationship, the more we will get out (of it). The more we insist on kind of cynical calculations in the place of trusted relationships, the less we will get,” the ambassador said.

He said the US-India relationship is “wide and it is deeper than it has ever been” but it is “not yet deep enough”. But this senator or this member of the Congress concerned about an NGO, concerned about a religious group, concerned about a human rights issue, concerned about a thing that “sometimes we pretend don’t exist, but we must actually confront and find a good language to talk about”, he said.

“If you look at the circles that unite our values, they are not completely concentric, but they mostly overlap, I would say 80-90 per cent,” the envoy said. Garcetti said “our heads and hearts are aligned” but the question is can the two countries “move the feet together” and build that continued deep trust and have the outcomes that meet the security threats of this moment.

“Because if we only look inward, neither the US nor India in the Indo-Pacific will keep up with the pace of threats today,” he said, adding, “be they, state actors on your border that we are also concerned about, in this region and other regions”, be that climate change and the associated threats that US sees in this country. “The stakes for our technological innovation together, the stakes for our climate action together, the stakes for our military cooperation have never been higher because pace of change has never been faster,” Garcetti asserted.

He described the US-India defence partnership as one which stands “among the most consequential” in the world.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

A top US official said on Monday that progress in the bilateral relationship with India has finally achieved “escape velocity”, using a term from space exploration to describe the velocity required by a body to soar without the pull of gravity.

Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell was speaking on a sustainable and enduring US policy in the Indo-Pacific region at an event at the Council on Foreign Relations, a leading think tank.

He was recently in India along with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan for a much-anticipated visit that also turned out to be the first trip by senior US officials to New Delhi in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term.

Campbell also made a strong pitch for according to a higher preference to increasing the intake of Indian students in STEM fields in US universities, than to students from China, who are not trusted in high-technology fields.

“The United States and India have launched an effort to intensify defence industrial cooperation on jet engines and armoured vehicles,” Campbell said about ties with India in the context of America’s sustained engagement with the Indo-Pacific region.

“After working in India for decades, I can tell you that it is my view that finally, the use-end rate relationship has reached escape velocity. I think we have a partnership that can be sustained and there is ambition in both Delhi and Washington to take important next steps. We’ve worked together on a variety of other issues between the United States and India including announcing new initiatives where we will work together for the first time in the Indian Ocean.”

Campbell was previously the White House czar for President Joe Biden’s Indo-Pacific policy, which has seen this administration elevate the Quad platform with India, Australia, and Japan to the level leaders, the launch of the Australia, UK and US partnership called AUKUS and deepening bilateral, trilateral and multilateral ties with Indo-Pacific countries with the shared goal of managing China’s aggressive rise.

The jet engine cooperation that Campbell mentioned is the joint production of GE’s F414 jet engine with HAL that was announced during Prime Minister Modi’s state visit in June last year.

India and the US are also in talks to co-produce Stryker armoured infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs or infantry combat vehicles). India is looking to this vehicle as a replacement for its fleet of ageing Russian-made ICVs.

India and the United States cooperate on a wide suite of issues and people-to-people is one of the most important of them. Indian students in US universities are a key part of it. Indians account for the second largest cohort of foreign students and their numbers are growing rapidly.

Campbell’s strong pitch for a larger intake of Indian students came in response to a question on what needs to be done to shore up declining numbers of Chinese students. “Right now the largest increase that we need to see going forward would be much larger numbers of Indian students that come to study in American universities on a range of technology and other fields more directly,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

U.S. Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, visited the ISRO headquarters on Friday and held discussion with ISRO Chairman Somanath.
| Photo Credit: Handout E Mail

U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti has proposed to develop a “QUAD satellite” involving the partnership of India and the U.S.

During his official trip to Bengaluru on Friday, he visited the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) headquarters and met with Chairman S Somanath and discussed the ongoing cooperation between India and the U.S. in the field of space.

In a statement, the space agency said the U.S. Ambassador proposed the development of a “QUAD satellite”.

During the meeting, the ISRO chairman pointed to the opportunity to develop advanced detectors and packaging technologies with U.S.-India academic institutions.

He also emphasised the importance of building and standardising docking interfaces across human space programs to enable the utilization of space platforms by other countries and joining hands to build a navigation system on the Moon, either in orbit or on the surface.

Taking to ‘X’, Mr. Garcetti on Saturday shared how he was honoured to meet the ISRO Chairman and how they were committed to further strengthening the partnership between India and the United States in the field of space.

“Honored to meet @ISRO Chairman Dr S Somanath and team! From advancing #NISAR satellite to fostering human spaceflight and promoting commercial space endeavours, the #USIndiaSpace commitment stands strong and is advancing our shared goals within the #USIndia Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology,” he said.

According to ISRO, the discussions that followed highlighted both countries’ mutual interests and shared goals in advancing space science, technology, and the space economy.

Ongoing associations through various Joint Working Groups, Artemis Accord, NISAR, and the use of the Laser Reflectometer Array on Chandrayaan-3 also figured in the discussions.

Mr. Garcetti also inquired about the role played by the Department of Space in fostering commercial space activities.

Chairman Somanath elaborated on this, saying that for the first time, payload technology and space-bound hardware are being built in Indian facilities that are outside ISRO labs.

ISRO plans to source payloads and satellites for its programmes from Indian companies and enable them to enter the global market.

Other talks included NASA’s participation in India’s proposal for a G-20 satellite for environment and climate change, and encouragement of cooperation between commercial companies from both countries for quicker and more effective outcomes, Gaganyaan cargo module as an option for transfer of cargo to ISS.

The Ambassador expressed his admiration for ISRO’s accomplishments and its role in global space exploration.

The meeting also touched upon future programmes, including the exchange visits of both sides’ professionals, continuation of balloon experiments, and identifying milestone events.

Washington:

 Senior defence officials from India and the US have met here to discuss opportunities to strengthen space cooperation and identified potential areas for collaboration with the American industry, the Pentagon said Friday.

Meeting for the second annual US-India Advanced Domains Defence Dialogue (AD3), the officials discussed a wide range of bilateral cooperation.

The American team was led by Vipin Narang, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defence for Space Policy, and the visiting Indian delegation was led by Vishwesh Negi, India’s Joint Secretary for International Cooperation.

During this year’s Dialogue, Mr Narang and Mr Negi discussed opportunities to strengthen space cooperation and identified potential areas for collaboration with US industry, said Department of Defence Spokesperson Cmdr. Jessica Anderson.

Among a group of US and Indian defence officials, the two co-chaired the first US-India principal-level tabletop discussion that explored areas to enhance cooperation in the space domain.

They agreed to advance AD3 through regular working group discussions.

The visiting Indian Government delegation also engaged with the US Space Command, the Joint Commercial Operations Cell, and artificial intelligence experts from across the US Department of Defence, Anderson said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

White House national security communications advisor John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington on May 17, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Applauding the people of India for exercising their right to vote, the White House on May 17 said there are not too many more vibrant democracies in the world than India.

“Not too many more vibrant democracies in the world than India. And we applaud the Indian people for exercising, you know, their ability to vote, and to have a voice in their future government. And we wish them well throughout the process, of course,” White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby told reporters at a news conference in Washington.

Mr. Kirby was responding to a question on the ongoing Indian elections, wherein over 969 million people are exercising their right to franchise at one million polling stations to elect 545 members of Parliament from thousands of candidates representing as many as 2,660 registered political parties.

Responding to another question, Mr. Kirby said the India-U.S. relationship has strengthened under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in particular during the last three years of the Biden administration. “Our relationship with India is extremely close and getting closer,” he said.

“You saw it on a State visit [last visit]. We launched all kinds of new initiatives, working on critical emerging technologies together, and bolstering and expanding the relevance of the Indo-Pacific quad, of course, which India is a part of. And then, just the people to people exchanges, and the military that we share with India,” Mr. Kirby said.

“It’s a very vibrant, very active partnership. We are grateful for Prime Minister Modi’s leadership,” said the White House official.

When asked if President Joe Biden believes that India and Japan are xenophobic countries, he replied in the negative and said the President was recently making a broader point.

“I mean, the President was making a broader point here about the vibrancy of our own democracy, here in the United States, and how inclusive and participatory it is,” Mr. Kirby said.

Washington:

Applauding the people of India for exercising their right to vote, the White House on Friday said there are not too many more vibrant democracies in the world than India.

“Not too many more vibrant democracies in the world than India. And we applaud the Indian people for exercising, you know, their ability to vote, and to have a voice in their future government. And we wish them well throughout the process, of course,” White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby told reporters at a news conference here.

Kirby was responding to a question on the ongoing Indian elections, wherein over 969 million people are exercising their right to franchise at one million polling stations to elect 545 members of parliament from thousands of candidates representing as many as 2,660 registered political parties.

Responding to another question, Kirby said the India-US relationship has strengthened under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in particular during the last three years of the Biden administration. “Our relationship with India is extremely close and getting closer,” he said.

“You saw it on a State visit (last visit). We launched all kinds of new initiatives, working on critical emerging technologies together, and bolstering and expanding the relevance of the Indo-Pacific quad, of course, which India is a part of. And then, just the people to people exchanges, and the military that we share with India,” Kirby said.

“It’s a very vibrant, very active partnership. We are grateful for Prime Minister Modi’s leadership,” said the White House official.

When asked if President Joe Biden believes that India and Japan are xenophobic countries, he replied in the negative and said the president was recently making a broader point.

“I mean, the president was making a broader point here about the vibrancy of our own democracy, here in the United States, and how inclusive and participatory it is,” Kirby said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Shortly after India signed a 10-year contract to operate Iran’s Chabahar port, the US has warned that its sanctions on Tehran remain in place and anyone considering business deals with them needs to be “aware of the potential risk”.

New Delhi yesterday signed the contract to operate Chabahar port to expand trade with Central Asia. The port on the Gulf of Oman will provide Indian goods a gateway to reach landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asia using a road and rail project called International North-South Transport Corridor. This route bypasses Pakistan. India had first proposed this plan back in 2003, but US sanctions on Iran over its suspected nuclear programme slowed down the port’s development.

Responding to a question on India’s pact with Iran, deputy spokesperson of US Department of State Vedant Patel told the media, “We’re aware of these reports that Iran and India have signed a deal concerning the Chabahar port. I will let the government of India speak to its own foreign policy goals vis-a-vis the Chabahar port as well as its own bilateral relationship with Iran. I will just say, as it relates to the United States, US sanctions on Iran remain in place and we will continue to enforce them.

He added that “anyone considering business deals with Iran, they need to be aware of the potential risk that they are opening themselves up to and the potential risk of sanctions”. When a reporter asked if there’s any exemption for this, Mr Patel responded, “No”.

What Is The Port Plan

A long-term agreement to develop the Chabahar port was signed by Indian Ports Global Limited and the Port and Maritime Organisation of Iran, an official statement has said. IPGL will invest about $120 million and another $250 million will be raised as debt.

The ceremony for the signing of the pact was signed was attended by Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and Iran’s Transport and Urban Development Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash in Tehran.

The new pact replaces a 2016 agreement, which covered India’s operations at Shahid Beheshti terminal in Chabahar port and was renewed annually.

This is the first time India takes over the management of an overseas port that is expected to boost exponentially trade among India, Iran and Afghanistan.

The Ministry of External Affairs has allocated Rs 100 crore for the Chabahar Port for 2024-25.

“This 10 years long term lease agreement further strengthens the bilateral ties between the two countries while bolstering confidence and boosting trust of trading communities from the region,” the statement added.

“With the signature of this contract, we have laid the foundations of India’s long-term involvement at Chabahar,” Union Minister Sonowal said on the occasion.

The Chabahar port is being projected as a key hub for the International North-South Transport Corridor project — a 7,200-km-long multimode transport project for moving freight between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.

Discussions on developing Chabahar Port were first held in 2003 during then Iranian President Muhammad Khatami’s visit to India. In 2013, India committed to investing $100 million towards its development. A Memorandum of Understanding to develop the port was signed in May 2015. The contract was executed in 2016 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to Iran.

The Kandla port in Gujarat is the closest to Chabahar port at 550 Nautical Miles. The distance between Chabahar and Mumbai is 786 Nautical Miles.

Washington:

The United States will continue to foster a stronger defence partnership with India, the Pentagon said on Friday.

“We very much appreciate our relationship with India on a defence level. We continue to foster a stronger defence partnership with India and that is something that I think you’ll continue to see us do going forward,” Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder told reporters at a news conference here.

In 1997, defence trade between India and the US was almost negligible, today it stands above USD 20 billion.

Responding to a question, Ryder said China remains the “pacing challenge” for the Department of Defense.

“We do appreciate the partnership that we have with India and other countries in the Indo-Pacific region when it comes to preserving individual nations’ sovereignty and abiding by the international rules-based order that has preserved peace and stability for many years,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)