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RBI brings 100 tonnes of gold back home: From ‘secret sales’ in the 90s, India under Modi has come a long way. How gold reserves reflect a country’s power

Shraddha Pandey
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RBI brings 100 tonnes of gold back home: From ‘secret sales’ in the 90s, India under Modi has come a long way. How gold reserves reflect a country’s power

In a significant move, the Reserve Bank of India has brought back 100 tonnes of gold to its domestic vaults for the first time since early 1991. A similar amount of gold may be brought into the country in the following months. The move was undertaken for logistical and diversified storage purposes, TOI reported.

Currently, the RBI has 822.1 tonnes of gold, with about 413.8 tonnes held overseas. Central banks have purchased gold in recent years, with 27.5 tonnes acquired over the previous fiscal year. As per the World Gold Council data, India witnessed an increase of 18.51 tonnes in its gold reserves followed by Kazakhstan and Singapore.

Source: World Gold Council

“RBI started purchasing gold a few years ago and decided to undertake a review of where it wants to store it, something that is done from time to time. Since the stock was building up overseas, it was decided to get some of the gold to India,” TOI quoted an official as saying.

From pledging gold during the 1991 economic crisis to bringing it back: The paradigm shift

It is interesting to note that the RBI purchased 200 tonnes of gold from the International Monetary Fund 15 years ago. Recently, the Indian central bank has steadily increased its stock acquisitions. RBI bringing back chunks from its gold reserves in the Bank of England (BoE) reflects India’s economic strength and confidence.

While today there is a significant increase in India’s gold reserves and the country’s gold stocks building up overseas, the situation was not always this astoundingly positive for India. In our country, gold is an emotion, beyond fashion statement, gold jewellery especially, is the wearable wealth and financial security for Indian families.

Back in 1991, Samajwadi Janata Party leader Chandra Shekhar headed a minority government of a breakaway faction of the Janata Dal with outside support from Congress. At that time, India faced a severe balance of payments crisis, one of the worst in its post-independence history. The fiscal deficit had ballooned to unsustainable levels, driven by high government expenditure and low revenue generation. This imbalance severely strained the country’s finances. India’s external debt had increased significantly during the 1980s.

A large portion of India’s foreign exchange reserves were being consumed in debt servicing. By mid-1991, India’s foreign exchange reserves had plummeted to critically low levels, falling from $1.2 billion in January 1991 to half by June 1991. This was barely sufficient to cover two weeks of imports. This posed a threat to India’s ability to finance the import of oil and other essentials. It is also essential to note that the years 1990 and 1991 marked political instability in the country, as a weak coalition was at the helm of power led by then-Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar.

In response to the devastating economic situation, the Chandra Shekhar government decided to pledge a portion of India’s gold reserves as collateral for foreign exchange borrowing. The government promised around 47 tonnes of gold to international creditors. This gold was sent to the Bank of England and the Union Bank of Switzerland to serve as collateral for loans totalling over $405 million. The cash collected via this arrangement gave immediate relief to India’s foreign exchange problem, allowing the country to continue importing necessary items and performing fundamental economic tasks.

This brought immediate relief to the Indian economy while causing emotional trauma and a dent in India’s reputation globally. The 1991 crisis, however, acted as a catalyst for broader economic reforms like liberalisation in the subsequent PV Narasimha Rao-led government. 

Is RBI on a gold purchasing spree?

The current Modi government has taken a lesson from history and focussed on increasing India’s gold reserves to enhance the diversity of forex reserves and mitigate risks linked to inflation and foreign currencies. This is reflected in the fact that in December 2014, the RBI held 557.75 tonnes of gold and now the bank holds over 822 tonnes of gold (8.98%). In November 2023, RBI bought 9 tonnes of gold. In February this year, RBI revealed a 6-tonne increase in gold holdings.

Dependence on overseas vaults for gold reserves and how it is problematic in a changing world

It is pertinent to note that gold reserves are a stable store of value that protects against inflation and currency depreciation. If a country’s currency weakens globally, gold reserves help to protect the country’s purchasing power and economic stability. It protects the country’s balance of payments and international trade involvement.

Many countries including India store their gold reserves overseas. The United Kingdom’s central bank—the Bank of England is a storehouse of gold reserves of many countries. It is the second-largest custodian of gold in the world, after the New York Federal Reserve. While storing gold elsewhere helps diversify risk it comes with its own political, geopolitical, economic, legal and logistical risks. It is thus remarkable on the part of RBI and the Modi government to bring a significant portion of its gold reserves from BoE to India’s domestic vaults.

The case of Venezuela, Iran and Libya serves as an example of how countries face issues in repatriating their gold. In recent years, Venezuela struggled to repatriate its gold reserves due to political tensions and international sanctions.

In July 2020, the UK High Court ruled that the British government officially recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the interim president of Venezuela, rather than Nicolás Maduro who won the 2018 election which many countries deemed fraudulent. This ruling directly impacted the control over Venezuela’s 31 tonnes of gold held by the Bank of England, worth approximately $1 billion. Maduro’s government tried to access the gold to fund its measures to combat the Covid pandemic the BoE denied it since the UK government recognised Guaidó as the legitimate leader. In the UK, the two rival boards of Venezuela’s Central Bank became involved in two legal disputes over Venezuela’s gold reserves held by Deutsche Bank and the Bank of England. A legal battle continues over who will control Venezuela’s gold reserves frozen in BoE especially when Guaidó is no longer recognised as the President of Venezuela.

Nicolás Maduro (left), Juan Guaidó (right)

In Iran’s case, its gold reserves held overseas have been subject to international scrutiny and restrictions, primarily due to economic sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies. These sanctions aim to curb Iran’s nuclear program by limiting its access to global financial resources. Due to this, its gold reserves in foreign banks including the Bank of England have been frozen inflicting severe financial damage to the Islamic nation. Besides, European banks, under the influence of both EU and US sanctions, have also frozen Iranian gold reserves.

In Libya’s case, due to the prolonged conflict and political instability in Libya since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, significant portions of these reserves have been frozen. Notably, Libya holds approximately 146.65 tonnes tonnes of gold as part of its national reserves.

How gold helped Russia thrive despite the West’s sanctions

Interestingly, ever since Russia led by President Vladimir Putin launched an offensive against Ukraine, it has faced over 16,500 sanctions from the US, UK, EU and several other countries. Despite this, the Russian economy continued to grow. Alongside, seaborne crude oil, Russia’s gold strategy contributed to its growth. Russia’s $300 billion worth of reserves in the West were frozen when its foreign currency and gold reserves totalled $612 billion. While its assets invested in foreign securities, bank deposits and nostro correspondent accounts were frozen, Russia’s gold reserves were held in Russia. The country has been selling gold to countries like the UAE and Russia continues to be the second-largest producer of gold. The West’s sanctions could literally cause no damage to Russia’s gold market.

Keeping gold reserves domestically is beneficial for India

In changing times especially when several countries are engaged in violent conflicts and face the risks of sanctions and boycotts etc, it is crucial to keep a significant portion of gold reserves domestically, especially for an emerging superpower like India. Notably, increasing gold reserves is politically beneficial because it demonstrates that a country’s economy is robust and trusted by other countries and global financial organisations. Large gold reserves reflect the country’s good money management and aid planning finances for the long term. The cases of Venezuela and other countries suggest that domestic storage of gold is important for India since it allows a country autonomy thus mitigating the risk of foreign entities imposing any sort of restriction or causing delay. It also allows India to make independent policy decisions regarding its reserves without external interference or geopolitical pressures.

Furthermore, since storing gold overseas carries the risk of foreign governments seizing or freezing assets, especially in times of international disputes or sanctions, domestic storage mitigates this risk. In addition, having gold reserves in domestic vaults also cut the cost of international logistics thus providing immediate liquidity support. Thus, by focusing on these factors, India could more effectively protect its national wealth and keep more potent control over its financial stability. Bringing back 100 tonnes of gold from the UK is a significant move in this direction.

Exposed: China using fake accounts to pose as Sikhs on Facebook and Instagram, peddle pro-Khalistani propaganda and separatism

Dibakar Dutta
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Exposed: China using fake accounts to pose as Sikhs on Facebook and Instagram, peddle pro-Khalistani propaganda and separatism

Meta, the American tech company that owns Facebook, has published its ‘Adversarial Threat Report’ for the first quarter of 2024. It found that China is using bots to stir up Khalistani extremism in India.

In its 33-page report [pdf], Meta informed that it had removed 37 Facebook accounts, 9 Instagram accounts, 13 Facebook pages and 5 Groups – all of which originated in China.

One or more of these pages had 2700 followers. Some of the groups had 1,300 members and less than 100 followers were connected to the purged Instagram handles.

These accounts were at the helm of promoting Khalistani extremism and Sikh separatism in countries such as India, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Pakistan, Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

On Page 7 of the report, Meta noted that the pro-Khalistani propaganda by China was not limited to Facebook alone. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) bots also used social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram.

“This operation used compromised and fake accounts – some of which were detected and disabled by our automated systems prior to our investigation – to pose as Sikhs, post content and manage Pages and Groups,” the tech company noted in its report.

Operation K to stir pro-Khalistani activities in Australia and NewZealand

The fake accounts, which were being operated from China, attempted to create a “fictitious activist movement called Operation K” and stir Khalistani activities in Australia and New Zealand. However, the disinformation campaign was thwarted by Meta.

“We found and removed this activity early, before it was able to build an audience among authentic communities. They posted primarily in English and Hindi about news and current events, including images likely manipulated by photo editing tools or generated by artificial intelligence, in addition to posts about floods in the Punjab region, the Sikh community worldwide, the Khalistan independence movement, the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan independence activist in Canada, and criticism of the Indian government,” the report read.

The revelations were made during Meta’s internal investigation into ‘coordinated inauthentic behaviour (CIB)’ in the region.

China and its anti-India activities

China, which happens to be a strong ally of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan stands to gain from creating internal discord within India. During the Coronavirus pandemic, it sparked off a standoff at the LAC (Line of Actual Control) and created tensions at the border for years to come.

It had also declared India’s integral territory of Arunachal Pradesh as its part. China has been infamous for supporting insurgency in India’s North-East region. In cahoots with Pakistan’s ISI, China is now eyeing to fuel Sikh separatism in the Indian state of Punjab.

As part of its nefarious design, China is now trying to garner support for Khalistan in countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Pakistan, Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

While MP HC delivered a shocking judgement legitimising Sharia, Allahabad HC gave contrary verdict, said ‘no need for conversion under Special Marriage Act’

OpIndia Staff
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While MP HC delivered a shocking judgement legitimising Sharia, Allahabad HC gave contrary verdict, said ‘no need for conversion under Special Marriage Act’

In the month of May 2024, a curious case of different verdicts on interfaith marriage by two different High Courts emerged. While one High Court said that a Hindu and a Muslim can marry under the Special Marriage Act, the other High Court ruled that such marriages violate the Islamic Sharia Law and that Sharia supersedes the Special Marriage Act passed by the Indian parliament.

On 27th May, the Madhya Pradesh High Court ruled that a marriage between a Muslim boy with a Hindu girl is not a valid marriage according to the Mohammedan Law, saying that even if the marriage is registered under the special marriage act, it will be treated as irregular (or fasid) marriage under Muslim personal law.

The High Court dismissed the couple’s petition for police protection noting that they were neither willing to be in a live-in relationship without being married nor was the Hindu girl willing to convert to the boy’s religion Islam. The court implied that the Hindu girl must convert to Islam to marry the Muslim boy for the marriage to be recognised by Sharia, ignoring the plea that Special Marriage Act allows such interfaith marriages.

Now, it has been reported that on 14th May, Allahabad High Court delivered a contrary verdict, saying that a person need not change religion to marry a person of a different religion under the Special Marriage Act. The ruling came in a similar plea filed by an interfaith couple seeking police protection and direction to restrain opposite parties from interfering with their life, liberty and privacy.

The petitioners said that they had decided to marry under the Special Marriage Act without converting to the religion of the other, and said that they were facing opposition and threats over this decision. They submitted that they could not proceed with the marriage registration without protection. The State opposed the couple’s plea, arguing that they had already gotten married under a marriage agreement which is not legally valid and therefore, no protection could be granted.

Accepting the plea and granting protection to the couple, the bench of Justice Jyotsna Sharma of Allahabad High Court said that the law does not prevent the parties from applying for court marriage under the Special Marriage Act without conversion.  The court stated, “Marriage through agreement is definitely invalid in law. However, the law does not prevent the parties from applying for court marriage under the Special Marriage Act, without conversion.”

The court also asked the couple to “show their bonafide” by taking steps to solemnize their marriage under the provisions of the Special Marriage Act and filing documentary proof thereof with the supplementary affidavit before the next hearing on 10th July.

Notably, the Special Marriage Act, 1954 was brought to enable marriage irrespective of the religion of the concerned parties. It is the only way for an interfaith couple to legally marry without one of them requiring to convert to the religion of the other. Therefore, the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s ruling has raised questions, as the verdict places Islamic Sharia law above the Special Marriage Act. The HC said that a Hindu must convert to Islam before marrying a Muslim, directly contradicting the Special Marriage Act.

This is not the first time the high courts have given conflicting verdicts in matters related to Muslim Personal Law, with several High Court placing the Muslim Personal Law over the country’s laws like IPC and POCSO. Some courts like Kerala High Court and Karnataka High Court have dismissed marriage of minor Muslim girls as it is not allowed under POCSO and prevention of child marriage act, while others like Punjab & Haryana, Delhi and Gujarat High Courts have allowed such marriages saying it is allowed under Islamic laws.

‘She herself going to media’: Delhi HC rejects PIL against media disclosing Swati Maliwal’s identity, warns action against lawyer for ‘publicity interstate litigation’

OpIndia Staff
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‘She herself going to media’: Delhi HC rejects PIL against media disclosing Swati Maliwal’s identity, warns action against lawyer for ‘publicity interstate litigation’

The Delhi High Court on Thursday rejected a Public Interest Litigation seeking action against media houses for revealing the identity of AAP MP Swati Maliwal while reporting the alleged assault on her by Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar. The court showed its displeasure to the petitioner, advocate  Sanser Pal Singh who filed the PIL over the circulation of an FIR copy related to the case on social media, television channels and newspapers.

The petitioner said in his PIL that he was astonished to find out that the first information report (FIR) registered in Maliwal’s case was being circulated publicly through news channels and social media platforms.

The plea sought direction to social media platforms and media organizations not to disclose the name or address other identities of the victim in sensitive matters such as rape/molestation/ POCSO cases. It also sought directions to the respondents or the public at large to pay special attention while dealing/reporting such sensitive ease against victims of rape/molestation/POCSO cases.

The bench of Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora after hearing the initial submissions, termed the plea as “publicity interstate litigation” and refused to entertain the plea. The Division Bench also that there is political colour behind the plea.

The court also questioned the petitioner that when the victim was herself going to all channels and talking about it, who is he to file a PIL. “Victim is talking about it. She is going to all the channels and talking about,” the Court said.

The court later showed displeasure with a lawyer for filing a frivolous plea and warned that we would have to complain against you to the bar council.

The bench said, “It is very clear that your vision is coloured and blurred. You are not talking about victim shaming… There is a political hue in this petition. It is very very apparent. You have done this only for publicity. I want to ask the Bar Association, what are the lawyers doing today? Not fair what you are doing today.

The court also warned disciplinary action against the lawyer and said, “You are supposed to be a person trained in law. You are supposed to be a person who sees all the versions. We will have to complain about you to the bar council”.

Noting the adverse remarks from the judges, the petitioner Sanser Pal Singh withdrew the petition.

Notably, Swati Maliwal has not filed any rape or molestation case against Baibhav Kumar, she has filed an assault case. The name of victims can’t be disclosed only in rape and other sexual harassment cases, there is no such bar on regular assault allegations

Karnataka Shocker: Enraged man kills wife for not serving him dinner, beheads and skins the body

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka Shocker: Enraged man kills wife for not serving him dinner, beheads and skins the body

On the night of 27th May a man named Shivarama from Tumkur, Karnataka, was arrested for killing his wife because she had refused to serve him food. He not only ended her life but also severed her head and removed all of her skin. The corpse of 35-year-old Pushpalatha was discovered in the kitchen of the home she stayed with him in the village of Huliyurudurga in the district.

The couple, who had been together for more than ten years, had an eight-year-old boy and lived in a rented house. The woman’s skin had been peeled off by the accused, exposing her veins and intestines as her body lay in a pool of blood next to the decapitated head in the house.

According to the police, the couple had a fight after Shivaram who is employed at a sawmill got home from work on Monday night. His job was a frequent point of contention for them. Afterwards, she refused to offer him dinner and the argument escalated to the point where he stabbed the victim in a bit of rage and then chopped off portions of her body with a machete. He then continued to skin the corpse until the wee hours of 28th May. Their son who was present inside the residence was asleep during this time.

He proceeded to disclose his horrifying act in front of his landlord and his employer the next morning. The employer informed the police immediately, after which police reached the spot.

“A 35-year-old female’s body was found at the spot. Her husband was also at the spot. During questioning, he confessed to the murder,” mentioned Ashok Venkat, Tumkur Superintendent of Police. He added, “We have secured the accused. Shivaram and Pushpa were married for 10 years in an intercaste marriage. They had minor fights. Yesterday they had a fight over employment issues. He killed his wife and informed his employer. They immediately informed us. We have sent the body for post-mortem.”

Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar claims Kerala Aghoris are performing ‘black magic’ rituals, sacrificing goats, pigs to destabilise Congress govt

ANI
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Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar claims Kerala Aghoris are performing ‘black magic’ rituals, sacrificing goats, pigs to destabilise Congress govt

 In a shocking revelation, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister, DK Shivakumar on Thursday said that Kerala tantriks were being used to carry out black magic against him and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to destabilise the Congress government in the state.

Speaking to reporters at his Sadashivanagar residence, he said, “Kerala tantriks are being used to carry out ‘Shatru Bairavi Yajna’ against us. We have strong faith that God and people’s blessings will protect us.”

Shivakumar claimed that he had credible information that the black magic rituals are being carried out in an isolated place near Raja Rajeshwari temple in Kerala to destabilise our government in Karnataka.

“They are using tantriks to carry out ‘Raja Kantaka’ and ‘Marana Mohana Sthambana’ yajna. The people who were privy to the black magic rituals have given us all the information,” he said.

Shivakumar said that the yajnas are being conducted by ‘Aghoris’ and 21 red goats, three buffaloes, 21 black sheep, and five pigs are being sacrificed for black magic.

“These yajnas are being conducted through Aghoris, and we have information that pancha bali – 21 red goats, 3 buffaloes, 21 black sheep and 5 pigs – is being sacrificed for the black magic,” he added.

The Dy CM further said that despite their attempts and experiments to cause harm, the force that he believes in will protect him.

“Let them do black magic, it is their belief, the force that we believe in will protect us. I always pray to God before leaving home,” he added.

On being asked if the magic was being carried out by the BJPs or the JD (S) he maintained that politicians from Karnataka are responsible.

“We know who is getting it done. Politically active people are targeted frequently. I know who is conducting this ritual. Let them continue their efforts; I don’t bother,” added Shivakumar.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Bangladesh: Muslim students brutally thrash Hindu boy over ‘blasphemy’, victim in critical state

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh: Muslim students brutally thrash Hindu boy over ‘blasphemy’, victim in critical state

A Hindu student named Utsab Kumar Gian, studying at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University in Bangladesh, was thrashed by a Muslim mob on accusations of blasphemy.

It was alleged that Utsab initially posted a ‘derogatory message’ against Prophet Muhammad in a social media group and then deleted it later. When the news spread that the victim allegedly committed ‘blasphemy’, Muslim students of the university gheraoed him on Sunday (26th May).

They brutally thrashed Utsab and coerced him to confess about ‘mocking’ Prophet Muhammad. The frenzied mob of Muslim students then took the victim to the proctor Md. Kamruzzaman’s office, where he was forced to provide a written confession.

Utsab was again beaten mercilessly by the same mob and was later handed over to the Gopalganj Sadar police station in Dhaka Division of Bangladesh.

Due to the serious nature of his injuries, Utsab was admitted to the Gopalganj Sadar Hospital. After his condition worsened, the victim was rushed to the Khulna Medical College Hospital, followed by the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

In the meantime, the accused who assaulted Utsab demanded strict legal punishment against him and permanent expulsion from the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University.

An injured Utsab Kumar Gian (left), Muslim mob demand punishment for the victim

At the time of writing, the victim was said to be unconscious. While speaking about the matter, Gopalganj Sadar Police Station OC said, “We have admitted him to the hospital. Let him get well first. Following that, we will take appropriate legal action.”

In the meantime, the university’s proctor Md. Kamruzzaman remarked, “He (Utsab Kumar Gian) confessed to blasphemy. He has been remanded in police custody and legal action will be taken.”

“The Vice-Chancellor and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the university are absent. I have communicated the matter to them over the phone. Necessary measures will be taken against Utsab after their return.

Earlier this month, a Bangladeshi court sentenced a Hindu girl named Tithy Sarkar to 5 years in prison A former student of Jagannath University, Sarkar was booked by the police on 2nd November 2020. She was also the convenor of World Hindu Struggle Council and office secretary of the Students Protection Council of Jagannath University.

Kerala: Air India Express crew member Surabhi Khatun arrested from Kannur Airport after 1 kg gold found in rectum

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: Air India Express crew member Surabhi Khatun arrested from Kannur Airport after 1 kg gold found in rectum

An Air India Express crew member identified as Surabhi Khatun was arrested for purportedly smuggling nearly one kilogram of gold from Muscat to Kannur by hiding it in her rectum. On the 28th of May, the DRI at Kannur International Airport intercepted Surabhi Khatun, a cabin crew member from Kolkata, who had arrived from Muscat. During the search, 960 grams of gold in compound form was recovered.

After being interrogated and completing all formalities, she was brought before the court and sentenced to 14 days in Kannur’s women’s prison. This is the first time in India that an airline crew member has been arrested for smuggling gold by concealing it in the rectum.

Meanwhile, an investigation is now underway and the information obtained thus far indicates that Khatun smuggled gold multiple times. The role of Kerala-based persons in the smuggling gang is also being probed.

Earlier this week, a similar incident was reported involving a Air India Express passenger. A Kottayam native woman who arrived at Kochi International Airport from Dubai in an Air India Express flight with illegal gold worth Rs 20 lakh was arrested by customs officials. The officials recovered gold biscuits weighing 261 grams tucked in her socks.

Big question on US ‘democracy’ as Biden’s main opponent Donald Trump declared ‘guilty’ in finance case

ANI
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Big question on US ‘democracy’ as Biden’s main opponent Donald Trump declared ‘guilty’ in finance case

Following a New York jury’s verdict, former President Donald Trump stands convicted on all 34 felony charges of falsifying business records, raising pertinent questions about his future political endeavours and voting rights, CNN reported.

As the verdict reverberates across political circles, one of the most pressing inquiries emerges: Can a convicted felon run for president? The answer, unequivocally, is yes.

The US Constitution outlines three prerequisites for presidential candidates: natural-born citizenship, a minimum age of 35, and at least 14 years of US residency – criteria that Trump satisfies. Although the 14th Amendment imposes restrictions on individuals engaged in insurrection, a special law invocation by Congress remains necessary, an unlikely scenario in the current political landscape, according to the CNN report.

Judge Juan Merchan has slated Trump’s sentencing for July 11, strategically coinciding with the Republican National Convention’s commencement in Milwaukee, just four days later. Speculation looms over the possibility of a prison sentence for Trump, despite the likelihood of a non-incarceration outcome for most Class E felony convictions in New York, according to CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig.

Notably, Trump’s status as a former president entitles him to lifetime Secret Service protection, ensuring security regardless of his legal predicament.

However, the prospect of a presidential campaign from a prison cell is not unprecedented. Eugene Debs, the socialist leader, mounted a presidential bid from a federal prison in Atlanta during his 10-year sentence for sedition in 1920.

While Trump’s eligibility to run for president remains intact, questions regarding his voting rights post-conviction linger. State regulations dictate felons’ voting privileges, with Vermont and Maine permitting voting from prison.

Trump’s residency in Florida introduces additional complexities, as the state’s referendum to re-enfranchise convicted felons in 2018 was accompanied by stipulations mandating the payment of fines and fees associated with sentences.

Neil Volz, deputy director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, predicts minimal obstacles for Trump’s voting rights restoration, given Florida’s deference to felony conviction jurisdiction.

Despite the state’s ongoing efforts to streamline eligibility confirmation for formerly incarcerated individuals, confusion persists regarding fee requirements, hindering many from exercising their right to vote, CNN reported.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Sexual harassment case: JDS MP Prajwal Revanna arrested after landing in Bengaluru airport, to be produced in court today

ANI
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Sexual harassment case: JDS MP Prajwal Revanna arrested after landing in Bengaluru airport, to be produced in court today

Suspended MP Prajwal Revanna, who was arrested in the obscene video case at the Bengaluru Airport soon after he landed, is expected to be taken out for medical examination soon, following which he will be produced before the court.

Revanna was brought to the CID office in Bengaluru after he landed at Kempegowda International Airport. He is likely to face a probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) over allegations of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation following a complaint by a woman who worked in his household.

He returned to India from Berlin, Germany, nearly a month after leaving the country on a diplomatic passport and was immediately taken into custody.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Karnataka government detained Revanna on his arrival at Bengaluru airport. According to officials, Revanna will be produced in court later today in connection with the alleged obscene video case.

The SIT team confiscated two of his check-in bags and took them away in a separate car. Security was stepped up outside the CID office in Bengaluru, and barricades were put outside the office ahead of Revanna’s arrival.

Revanna is facing a probe by the SIT over allegations of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation following a complaint by a woman who worked in his household. He returned to India from Berlin, Germany, nearly a month after leaving the country on a diplomatic passport and was immediately taken into custody.

Prajwal Revanna, in a self-made video released on May 27, said that he will appear before the SIT on May 31 for questioning. Revanna said that his trip was pre-planned as there was no case against him when the voting was held in Karnataka on April 26 for the general elections. He also alleged political conspiracy against him as he was “growing in politics.”

The anticipatory bail plea filed by Revanna on May 29 is still pending in court. Revanna’s anticipatory bail plea was filed hours after the SIT arrested two prime accused in connection with the case. The arrested have been identified as Naveen Gowda and Chetan, the police said on Wednesday.

According to police sources, the accused were arrested when they appeared before the High Court seeking anticipatory bail. Arrested Chetan Gowda and Naveen Gowda allegedly distributed pen drives containing videos of Prajwal Revanna sexually assaulting women.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Thursday said that a show cause notice was issued against Revanna on May 23 and action to revoke his diplomatic passport was initiated.

“MEA has initiated action under provisions in the Passport Act 1967 for revocation of the diplomatic passport of Prajwal Revanna. A show cause notice was issued to the passport holder on May 23, giving him 10 working days to respond to our notice. We are waiting for his response and accordingly, we will take things forward once we hear from him or once the 10-day period expires,” he said. 

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

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