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Maharashtra Cyber department warns of ‘large scale phishing attack’ by Chinese entities, issues advisory

A day after Indian security agencies and CERT-In issued an alert about a possible cyber attack by Chinese entities in the guise of free Covid-19 tests, the Maharashtra Cyber department has now issued a warning that Chinese Cyber attackers could be carrying out massive phishing attacks. The department issued an advisory on Tuesday in which it had reported that the Chinese cyber attackers are planning a massive phishing attack.

The cyber department asserted in its notice that the phishing attack is expected to impersonate government agencies, departments and trade associations who have been asked to oversee the disbursement of government fiscal aid.

State Cyber department special IG Y Yadav said, “In the last 4-5 days, resources on cyberspace of India especially related to information, infrastructure and banking have been under attack from China. At least 40,300 such cyber attacks were attempted, most of them can be traced to Chengdu area of China.”

The cyber department has pointed out some safety measures to avoid the aforementioned risks. It is mentioned to avoid opening or clicking on the attachment in an unsolicited e-mail, SMS, or messages through social media and exercise extra caution in opening attachments, even if the sender appears to be known.

The notice warns individuals to be cautious of e-mail addresses, spelling errors in the emails, websites, and unfamiliar e-mail senders and people have been advised to not submit personal financial details on unfamiliar or unknown websites/links. ‘Beware of e-mails, links providing special offers like Covid-19 testing. Aid, winning prize rewards, cashback offers’, the Maharashtra cyber department warned.

The cyber department suggested checking the integrity of URLs before providing login credentials or clicking a link. People were also urged to consider using safe browsing tools, filtering tools (anti-virus and content-based filtering) in their anti-virus, firewall, and filtering services.

Additionally, people were also requested to update spam filters with the latest spam mail contents and leverage good privacy in mail communications. Additionally, advise users have been advised to encrypt protect the sensitive documents stored in the internet-facing machines to avoid potential leakage.

Bihar: 5 MLCs from RJD resign from party ahead of Legislative Council Elections, national vice-president steps down from post

In a major setback to the Rashtriya Janata Dal, five of its members in the Bihar Legislative Council resigned from the political party right ahead of Legislative council elections in Bihar. The MLCs have reportedly joined its rival Janata Dal-United(JDU). All the 5 members of the Legislative council met the Chairman of Legislative council Avadesh Narayan Singh and handed him their resignations on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh who is a founding-member of the RJD and the party’s national vice-president stepped down from his position. He had been a Union Minister in the Manmohan Singh cabinet. However, it is not clear whether Singh has joined JDU or not as he is under treatment in AIIMS Patna due to COVID-19.

Reportedly, he was unhappy with mafia-turned politician Rama Singh joining the RJD. Rama Singh was earlier associated with the Lok Janshakti party and had defeated the veteran leader in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Vaishali constituency. Apart from Singh, Radha Charan Shah, Sanjay Prasad, Qamar Alam, Dilip Ray, and Ranvijay Singh are the five members of the legislative council who resigned from their designated positions.

As per reports, the Rashtriya Janata Dal had only eight members in the legislative council in which two-thirds of the members have resigned from their designated posts. 29 seats out of the 75 member Bihar Legislative council is vacant. After recent developments, JDU has emerged as the largest party in the state council.

The MLC elections on 9 seats are scheduled to be held on July 6. Recently, a former JDU MLC Iqbal Ansari left the party to join RJD. JDU leader Ashok Chaudhary had been making claims that RJD would face a big jolt before MLC elections.

Ten places in Nepal already encroached upon by China through increased road network in Tibet: Report

A report by the Survey Department of the Agriculture Ministry of Nepal suggests that China is occupying its territory and setting up border outposts through increased road construction in Tibet, reported ANI. The report highlighted that 10 out of 11 places in Nepal have already been encroached upon by China. The report noted that a whopping 33 hectares of land has been occupied by diverting the flow of rivers, often considered as a natural boundary.

ANI reported that by increasing the road network in Tibet, an autonomous region of China, the Communist-run country had diverted several rivers and its tributaries to Nepal. The flow of rivers is gradually receding the Nepalese territories and if it continues to remain so for some more time, it would cede the maximum portion of Nepal’s land towards Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR)”, the report noted.

Reportedly, around 10 hectares of land in the Humla district of Nepal has been occupied by China through the diversion of Karnali and Badgare Khola river. Similarly, China encroached about 6 hectares of Nepali land in Rasuwa district through the diversion of Sinjen, Bhurjuk, and Jambu Khola rivers. The report observed that owing to massive road construction work in Tibet, rivers such as Kharane Khola and Bhote Kosi have diverted to Sindhupalchowk district. As such, China now claims the 11 hectares of land in Sindhupalchowk district belongs to Tibet. Moreover, around 9 hectares of Nepali land have also been lost to China due to the diversion of Sumjung, Kam Khola and Arun rivers to Sankhuwasabha district of Nepal.

The report cautioned that if the new direction of the flow of rivers continues unabated, then, hundreds of hectares of Nepali land may be annexed to Tibet. Emphasising on the need for immediate actions, the report observed, “There is a high possibility that over a period of time, China may develop Border Observation Post (BOP) of its armed police in those territories.” ANI stated that Nepal had not undertaken steps to secure its borders, following a survey in 1960s and subsequent erection of 100 pillars on the northern border with China. Interestingly, Nepal has 8,553 border pillars with India.

China annexes Rui village of Nepal to Tibet

While the landlocked country of Nepal has been at loggerheads with India over the supposed encroachment of regions such as Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura, China has reportedly occupied the Rui village in Gorkha district of Nepal. As such, the village has now been annexed to Tibet, an autonomous region of China. As reported by Nepal-based newspaper, Khabarhub, the aggressive stance of Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli towards India has been an eyewash to suppress the events in its own territory. Even though Rui is still included in the map of Nepal, China has removed the boundary pillars to legitimise its occupation

Arvind Kejriwal tries to show lack of cooperation from centre for 10,000 bed COVID facility. Amit Shah reveals the work is already being completed by the MHA

Responding to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s request of inspecting the 10,000-bedded COVID-19 care centre at Radha Soami Satsang Beas campus in Chattarpur and assigning the work to doctors and nurses from ITBP and Army, Union Home Minister Amit Shah today took to Twitter to inform the Aam Aadmi Party supremo that the decision to deploy ITBP had already been taken in a meeting 3 days back and the facility will be operational by June 26.

“Dear Kejriwal Ji, it has already been decided in our meeting 3 days back and MHA has assigned the work of operating the 10,000 bed COVID Care Centre at Radha Swami Beas in Delhi to ITBP. The work is in full swing and a large part of the facility will be operational by 26th Jun,” Amit Shah tweeted in response to Kejriwal’s demands regarding the Covid-19 facility at Radha Satsang Beas campus.

The response from Amit Shah came after Arvind Kejriwal had written to the Home Minister and invited him to visit the 10,000-bedded Covid care centre at Radha Soami Satsang Beas campus in Chhattarpur. The makeshift facility at Radha Soami Satsang Beas campus will be the largest COVID-19 facility in the national capital, having a bed capacity of about 10,000.

It appears that Arvind Kejriwal wanted to insinuate a lack of cooperation from the central government. However, Amit Shah pointed out that work was already underway at the makeshift coronavirus facility which will be operational by the 26th of this month. The Home Minister had stepped in to manage the Coronavirus situation at the capital as cases were increasing at an alarming frequency.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah assumes the charge of Delhi’s fight against coronavirus

Recently, the Union Home Minister convened an all-party meet to discuss the coronavirus situation in Delhi and later visited the LNJP hospital to take stock of the situation. He met senior doctors in the conference room of the hospital who provided him with details about the number of patients treated at the facility, deaths there and admission of people from outside Delhi.

Shah reportedly also inquired about deaths of COVID-19 patients, recovery rate and other details. Delhi is the second-worst hit state by the coronavirus outbreak after Maharashtra. The national capital’s tally of coronavirus caseloads has reached 62,655-mark and the number of fatalities has risen to 2,233.

Excruciating accounts of coronavirus patients scrambling to get a hospital bed in Delhi hospital were doing the rounds on the Internet after which Union Home Minister put himself in the saddle to stamp down the crisis which appeared to be spiralling out of control under the Kejriwal government.

Ministry of Ayush takes cognisance of Patanjali coronavirus kit, asks to refrain from publicising claims until duly examined

The Ministry of Ayush has issued a statement in which it has said that the government has taken cognisance of news in media about Ayurvedic medicines developed for COVID-19 treatment by Patanjali Ayurved Ltd. It said that the facts of the claim and details of the stated scientific study are not known to the Ministry. Until the ministry does not verify the claims, Patanjali has been asked to refrain from advertising/publicising its medicine kit.

In the notification, AYUSH Ministry has asked Patanjali to submit details of the medicine such as name and composition, research study details, Institutional Ethics Committee clearance, CTRI registration and result data.

Ministry said claims and details of the stated scientific study are not known yet

“Ministry of AYUSH has taken cognizance of the news being recently flashed in the media about Ayurvedic medicines developed for the treatment of Covid-19 by Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, Haridwar (Uttrakhand). Facts of the claim and details of the stated scientific study are not known to the ministry,” the notification said.

“In order to make this Ministry aware of the facts of the aforesaid news and verify the claims, Patanjali Ayurved Ltd has been asked to provide at the earliest details of the name and composition of the medicines being claimed for Covid treatment; site(s)/hospital(s), where the research study was conducted for Covid-19; protocol, sample size, Institutional Ethics Committee clearance, CTRI registration and result data of the study (ies) and stop advertising/publicizing such claims till the issue is duly examined,” it said.

The ministry also said that Patanjali has been informed that such advertisements of drugs including Ayurvedic medicines are regulated under the provisions of Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 and the directives issued by the central government in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali launches Coronavirus treatment kit, claims 100% cure within a week

As the coronavirus outbreak rampages through the country, afflicting more than 440,000 people and killing 14,011 people till date, Patanjali Ayurved—the entity run by renowned Yoga guru Ramdev has launched an Ayurvedic medicine combination which claims to cure the Wuhan originated Coronavirus disease within 3-7 days.

The Ayurveda based pharmaceutical company launched a kit containing ‘Coronil’ tablets, Swasri tablet and Anu oil, claiming that these ayurvedic medicines have shown up to 100 per cent favourable results during the clinical trials.

What is the claim made by Patanjali Ayurved?

Patanjali Ayurved asserted that the newly developed medicines have shown a 100 per cent efficacy against coronavirus infection within 3-7 days. In addition, the clinical trials have reportedly revealed that the usage of the aforesaid medicine resulted in the reduction of hsCRP and IL-6 levels in the treatment group as compared to the placebo group. The Ayurvedic treatment also showed weaker IL-6 response causing a lesser chance of cytokine storm.

Acharya Balkrishna of the Patanjali Ayurvedic said that minerals with herbs have been added in the medicine to make it more effective in battling the coronavirus, adding that the medicine kit can be taken as prevention for coronavirus

India downgrades diplomatic relations with Pakistan, instructs Pakistan High Commission to reduce its staff presence by half within 7 days

Weeks after Pakistani diplomats working in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi were caught on the charges of espionage, the Indian government has downgraded its diplomatic ties with its western neighbour and asked Islamabad to reduce its staff strength by half in the country within the next 7 days. India would also reduce its own staff in Pakistan by the same proportion.

Imag Credit: @WIONNews/Twitter

The decision also came on the heels of the mistreatment meted out to the Indian diplomats in Pakistan, who were abducted by Pakistani security agencies before being tortured and framed in a false case of a road accident and possession of fake currency.

As reported by the Hindustan Times, the proposal to cut down the presence of Pakistani diplomats in India was floated after horrifying details of the torture of Indian diplomats in Pakistan came to light on June 16.

The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday summoned Pakistan’s Charge d’ Affaires Syed Haider Shah and informed him about India’s concerns regarding the activities of officials of his mission, who have been involved in espionage and associated with terror outfits.

Earlier, Shah was issued a demarche by the Indian government with regards to a sustained campaign to threaten and intimidate the officials of Indian High Commission in Islamabad from carrying on their legal diplomatic responsibilities.

The MEA said that the officials who had returned on Monday have provided ‘vivid details of the barbarous treatment that they were subjected to by the Pakistani security agencies’.

The Indian and Pakistani counterparts had agreed on the strength of 110 officials in their respective high commissions but the strength has been halved to 55, in the wake to the maltreatment of Indian officials by Pakistani security agencies. As both countries currently have 90 staffers, it means both the countries will have to repatriate 35 officials back.

Pakistani agencies abducted and tortured Indian diplomats in Islamabad

The two Indian High Commission staffers, who were abducted by Pakistan’s ISI and were later released on Monday, were tortured to confess that ‘they were involved in an accident’. As per sources, the two Indian staffers of the High commission working as drivers were picked up by 15-16 armed men at around 8:30-45 am from a fuel station near the high commission.

The ISI officers had blindfolded the two Indian staffers with a rucksack and took them to an unknown location. It was further reported that the sources revealed the abductors made multiple videos in which Indian High Commission officials were forced to confess under coercion that they were involved in an accident.

Armed Pakistani men also forced them to confess that there are “Intelligence officials” inside the Indian High Commission who order them to bring people from outside in their cars for a meet inside the High Commission. The Indian diplomatic officials were repeatedly beaten with rods/wooden sticks, punched and made to drink filthy water.

SC and its suo motu cognisance of the migrant crisis: An institution which is infinitely powerful yet frightfully defenceless

Of late, there has been an increasing tendency to criticise the functioning of the institutions adding to the crises of confidence in the institutions whose reputation has been assiduously built over the years. This is rather unfortunate as it leads to erosion in the levels of confidence of people in the institutions. 

Alexander Pekelis observes “the Supreme Court is infinitely powerful and at the same time frightfully defenceless”.

The Supreme Court of India with its activism has opened new vistas of jurisprudence and new principles of administrative law have been enunciated. One can say that for the first 25 years from 1950 to 1975, the Courts in India have been looking to the courts from across the frontiers for principles of administrative law. But the post-Maneka era has totally transformed the scenario and the Indian Supreme Court is now looked with awe and admiration for evolving new principles of administrative law. Its contribution in the areas of prison jurisprudence, the emancipation of bonded labour, in spreading human rights culture, in crusading the cause of environmental protection and in providing the right to live with dignity for marginalised has been seminal.

Judicial activism has been necessitated because of executive “non-action”. Justice K.M. Ahmedi, former Chief Justice of India expressed a belief that activism would be only a temporary phenomenon and that the executive and the legislative would sooner than later perform their constitutionally ordained functions. Another former Chief Justice J.S. Verma observed that judicial activism is like a sharp-edged tool which has to be used as a scalpel by a skilful surgeon, to cure the malady and not as a Rampuri knife which can kill.

The quintessence of democracy is the separation of powers. The function of the legislature is to make law, the function of the executive is to enforce the law and the function of the judiciary is to apply the law where it is clear and to make the law clear where it is not. 

The role of the three organs of the State is complimentary and never conflicting. The delicate applecart of separation of powers should never be upset. In the instant case of the migrant workers, as the executive has initiated the process in the last week of March, the Supreme Court of India with due deference to the elected representatives has been judiciously observing the action of the executive from 31st March to 26th May before taking the suo motu cognizance of the plight of migrant workers. 

Since the establishment of the Supreme Court of India, it has been working consciously and tirelessly to uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of the citizens. During these hard times of the global pandemic, the most affected section of the society is the migrant labourers. While taking the responsibility on its shoulders, the Supreme Court of India on May 26, 2020, suo moto took cognizance of the problems and miseries faced by the migrant labourers; In Ref Problems and Miseries of Migrant Labourers. At the outset, the State/UT Governments were directed to provide information on the steps taken by them pertaining to the situation of the migrant labourers.

In reply to this, Mr Tushar Mehta, the learned Solicitor General of India submitted that “from 01.05.2020, the migrant workers have been sent to their destination i.e. home town by Shramik trains and also by road. From 01.05.2020 to 27.05.2020, 3700 Shramik trains have been operated, 50 lacs migrant workers have been shifted by Shramik trains and about 41 lac migrant workers have been transported by road transport”. After hearing all concerned, the Court issued an interim direction that “No fare either by train or by bus shall be charged from any migrant workers by the States and the Railways. The migrant workers who are stranded at different places in the country shall be provided food free of cost by the concerned States/Union Territories at different places which shall be publicized and notified to them during the period they are waiting for their turn to board the train or bus.

The Court further directed that “the State shall simplify and speed up the process of registration of migrant workers and also provide a help desk for registration at the places where they are stranded. The State shall try to endeavour that after registration the workers should be asked to board the train or bus at the earliest and complete information should be publicized to all the concerned regarding the mode of transport.” And, “those migrant workers who are found walking on the highways or roads shall be immediately taken care of by the concerned State/Union Territories and they shall be provided the transport to the destination and all facilities including food and water be provided to those found walking off the road.”And “the receiving State, after the migrant workers reach his native place, shall provide transport, health screening and other facilities free of cost.”

With the decision, the Supreme Court has upheld the right of migrant labourers to move freely within the territory of India which is guaranteed under Article 19 (1)(d) of Constitution of India. The Supreme Court of India taking the middle path and balancing the fundamental right and government-imposed restrictions directed the Centre and State Governments to provide the necessary support to the hapless labourers. This step of the court was the result of many of them having lost their jobs due to the economic slowdowns faced by businesses, construction firms, etc. which has stopped the financial flow to these labourers and their sustainability has been compromised.

Consequently, these labourers were compelled to migrate from the place of work; walking for hundreds of kilometres was a scene that every citizen of this country witnessed including the State/UT governments. As public transport such as buses, trains, aeroplanes etc., were put on hold, while they were walking on the road, there has been human causality as reported by the media. In such circumstances, a lot of NGOs, private individuals besides local government machinery came out for help and provided some basic necessities to these migrant labourers. At the same time, there has been a considerably good number of public interest litigations throughout the country where the courts including the Supreme Court have taken cognizance of the vulnerability of these migrant labourers and issued directions to the governments for helping and providing transport facility, food and necessary medicine to these labourers. 

The Supreme Court of India on 9th June 2020 observed that migrant workers should not be prosecuted for trying to reach home during the national lockdown. Observing that “society as a whole was moved by their miseries and difficulties”, the Court directed the States/Union Territories to consider withdrawal of prosecutions/complaints under Section 51 of the Disaster Management Act and other related offences lodged against migrant workers. The Bench ordered the States and the Union Territories to bring the stranded migrant workers home within the next 15 days. The States and the Union Territories were directed to conduct extensive skill-mapping of returned workers. The court passed an order after suo moto taking cognizance of the migrant workers’ exodus.

Therefore, the steps taken by the Apex court of the country seem to be in right direction which deserve appreciation. This is indeed an example of JUDICIOUS ACTIVISM.

Let us remember the following words of Justice Earl Warren:-

“The Supreme Court standing alone cannot ensure justice for all citizens. Such a goal will be accomplished only if all elements of the legal system, the law makers, the practising attorneys, legal scholars and judges worked in harmony to apply the principles which are fundamental to freedom.”

Another Institution that has been the target of criticism is the Bar Council of India. The Bar Council of India consists of democratically elected representatives of the Members of the Bar all over the country. Under the Advocates Act, 1961, Bar Council of India is entrusted with its responsibility of maintaining professional standards and standards in legal education. Bar Council of India is an elected statutory body imbibing the principles of democracy in its functioning. It has to its credit efforts that have yielded remarkable achievements in the field of legal education including the sponsoring of NLSIU, Bengaluru (the first Law School).

Section 7 Clause I (d) of the Advocates Act, 1961 empowers the Bar Council of India “to safeguard the rights, privileges and interest of Advocates”.  As such when an Advocate complaints to the Bar Council of India as has happened in the recent case of SCBA, the Bar Council has the onerous responsibility to act on the same. 

Hence, without allowing the Bar Council to perform its functions, to criticise the Bar Council is a bit unfortunate. 

Lastly the argument that an immediate lockdown was unconstitutional seems untenable principally because everybody wanted to lockdown without delay to pre-empt the spread of the disease. Today investigations in Britain are going on as to why lockdowns were delayed and the consensus is that delayed lockdown resulted in large scale loss of life. The court and eminent lawyers are not equipped to come to this decision. Some senior members of the bar have disregarded some very essential points during the entire debate. Firstly, there is scientific consensus that lockdowns are crucial in reducing the pandemic.

Second, there was clear scientific advice in India to pre-empt large scale deaths, it would be preferable that India went into a lockdown mode. This was discussed in-extenso in the media. In fact, at that point there was a chorus of demands from members of the opposition demanding that India immediately go under lockdown. It is, therefore, a little bit strange that this sort of idea comes in hindsight whereby, they start protesting that why lockdown has instituted in India in the first place. Lockdown is an international practice; it has been used in various different countries from the USA to the UK to Australia to Russia. In fact, every country in the world instituted some form of lockdown so as to lessen the impact of the disease. In India lockdown has been greatly effective, otherwise, the cost of going on as usual without the lockdown would have been huge in terms of economics and mortality.

Even today, there are various opposition ruled States which have demanded extension of the lockdowns. Even though the Government has asked them to open up, whether it is Punjab or whether it be West Bengal. There was even a demand in Delhi a few days back keeping in mind the increasing number of patients affected to go under 14 days lockdown. At the present Chennai has gone into 14 days lockdown to ensure that there is a cutdown of the people affected by the pandemic. 

The lockdown itself is not a vaccine, it is not a medicine but it is a sort of a social method to reduce the effect of the pandemic on the people. Strangely enough when the lockdown was declared the same members of the bar did not oppose it. In fact, there was no one who opposed the imposition of the lockdown, which was brought in terms of the National Disaster Management Act. Today when the lockdown is nearly over because we have opened up, it is strange that the same set of people want to make a case as if imposition of lockdown itself is bad, at the first instance when there has never ever been a challenge legally or even politically to the imposition of the lockdown itself. If these senior members of the bar had felt so strongly about the lockdown he should have at least put forward his views then, rather than articulating now after the process of opening up is nearly a month old.

The question of the tragic case of migrant labour was something which was incumbent upon states to take care of. Some states did an exceptional job, some failed, irrespective of political affiliation. To shift the blame on the Union in retrospect is disingenuous.

To argue that lockdown took away people’s liberty hold little water as the Government’s primary focus is and has been on protecting lives; liberty comes after that. It would have also been better had the eminent lawyers and activists looked at High Court orders before writing letters to the Supreme Court, knowing fully well that the High Courts are not subordinate. Apparently, some people are more interested in demolition, than giving constructive ideas and preserving the sanctity of institutions. In a democracy, our effort should be towards strengthening the functioning of the institutions by criticising them and not by destroying them. 

(This article has been authored by Prof. R. Venkata Rao, the Former Vice-Chancellor, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru and the Chairperson, Vivekananda School of Law, VIPS, Delhi)

After botched up ‘Monkey Christ’, another Spanish restorer botches up Virgin Mary painting despite two attempts

Conservation experts in Spain have called for stricter regulation in the rules for restoration work after a Spanish restorer botched a copy of the famous 17th-century painting Virgin Mary by the Baroque artist Bartolomé Esteban Murillo beyond recognition during a repair job.

Drawing comparisons to the viral “Monkey Christ” or “Beast Jesus” restoration failure in 2012, this latest attempt by an amateur restorer prompted experts in Spain to call for more stringent regulations.

Spanish restorer distorts face of 17th-century Virgin Mary’s potrait

An anonymous art collector had paid $1,350 to restore the renowned painting of Virgin Mary by Baroque artist Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, but, despite two attempts, the restorer failed to restore the painting to its original state. In fact, The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables, which once showed a cherubic portrait of the Virgin Mary, now features a distorted face of a woman with red lips and crooked eyes.

Bartolome Esteban Murillo’s original (left) and both restoration attempts (right), image via The National

Amateur Spanish restorer turned 120-year-old fresco- “Ecco Home” into “Monkey Christ”

This shady restoration work immediately brought back memories of the infamous “Ecce Homo” fail of 2012 which came to be known as “Beast Jesus” or “Monkey Christ”. The original ‘Ecce Homo’ (Behold The Man) painting was kept in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mercy church.

In the year 2012, an amateur art restorer, Cecilia Giménez (82) in the small village of Borja, Spain, took it upon herself to restore this 120-year-old fresco painted in 1930 by Elías García Martínez. However, her artwork completely obliterated the face of Jesus, transforming the painting into what locals described more like a beast, hedgehog or monkey than Jesus. 

The original painting Ecce Homo by 19th-century painter Elias Garcia Martinez (L), the deteriorated version (M) and the restored “Monkey Christ” version by an elderly woman in Spain (right), image via The National

500-year-old statue of St George in Navarre

In 2018, a 500-year-old statue of St George in Navarre garnered mockery after a restoration transformed the work into a cartoonish figure. The work was done by a local teacher, and the church that commissioned the work, as well as the company responsible, were fined $6,840. The statue was restored back to its original state at an additional cost of $37,000 to the church.

Now, conservation experts in Spain are of the opinion that restoration work should be left to the professionals. Fernando Carrera, a professor at the Galician School for the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage said: “We need to make sure that the people who undertake this kind of work have been trained in it.”

He added, “Can you imagine just anyone being allowed to operate on other people? Or someone being allowed to sell medicine without a pharmacist’s licence? Or someone who’s not an architect being allowed to put up a building?”

Pakistan’s attempt to list an Indian citizen as ‘global terrorist’ failed after USA terminated proposal at UNSC

Pakistan has faced a major setback at the United Nations Security Council after the UN group’s 1267 committee restricted its efforts to proscribe an Indian national working in Afghanistan as a ‘global terrorist’.

As per a report in ANI, the Islamic nation failed to provide enough evidence against the Indian citizen and later the US blocked and terminated the proposal.

The US also divulged the other Security Council members to terminate the proposal of Pakistan which it had put on a ‘technical hold’ last year. Pakistan has been insisting to put an Indian national on UN terror listing by linking and framing charges for carrying out terrorism on its soil. However, the country failed to provide enough evidence to link any terror group with the Indian national who is an engineer working with an Indian construction company active in Afghanistan, the report added.

Ever since the Pakistani terrorist and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Maulana Masood Azhar was listed as a global terrorist in 2017, Pakistan has been putting efforts to frame Indian citizens of terrorism on its soil to defame the country at the United Nations Security Council. However, the bluff is often called out by the allies of India repeatedly.

The 1267 committee of United Nations Security Council was established to oversee measures imposed on the terror groups operating in Afghanistan, such as ISI, Al-Qaida and others.

Another Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed has also been declared a global terrorist by the UN. However, Saeed freely operates charity organisations, Madarsas and even had floated a political party in Pakistan. The Pakistan government had also pleaded at the UN to allow them to grant the terrorist permission to withdraw money for meeting ‘basic expenses’.

Sympathy for The Devil? With Safoora getting uncontested bail on ‘humanitarian grounds’, Islamists win this round

A fundamentalist, specifically, a Muslim fundamentalist believes and believes with all the conviction that he can muster, that the people he seeks to victimise believe in nothing at all so passionately, so unequivocally as himself. It is this lack of faith, this shameless lack of conviction that the terrorists, the Islamists and their ideological brethren exploit. The lack of unbridled faith is open to exploitation.

Exploitation by pleas of humanity, that the terrorists don’t afford their victims. Pleas of compassion that the terrorists don’t afford their victims. Pleas of constitutionality, the very constitution that is a hindrance to the faith of the Islamists. And it is with these pleas, the exploitation of the innate lack of rock-solid faith of the ‘faithless’, do the terrorists get away – scot-free, as the ashes of those they killed become one with the ground. A similar ploy, a similarly grotesque injustice was seen today as Safoora Zargar got bail and walked out of Tihar jail.

Safoora Zargar is no ordinary woman. The 27-year-old ‘faithful’ is accused of being one of the people who orchestrated one of the worst riots that Delhi has seen in a long time. A riot that left over 50 dead and was aimed at subjugating the Hindu population of the country post the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Safoora, a pregnant Islamist, was arrested under the UAPA for inciting and masterminding the Delhi riots. In fact, Safoora was explicitly mentioned in the charge sheet filed in the murder of constable Ratan Lal, who was lynched mercilessly by a Muslim mob during the riots. Safoora was named as one of the instigators of the mob and was named as one of the people, along with elements like Yogendra Yadav, AISA functionaries, DS Bindra etc who was known to and was in contact with the rioters on that fateful day.

Now, after all the evidence against her, Safoora has been granted bail by a Delhi Court. However, as many of us love to do, this time around we can’t unload our frustration against the court of the judge.

Much to the horror of those who have been advocating for the strictest comeuppance against the perpetrators of the Delhi violence, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Delhi police, submitted that without going into the merits of the plea, and without considering this as a precedent, the State has no problem with Safoora being released on bail provided she doesn’t indulge in activities she’s being investigated for.

Essentially, the Modi government, citing ‘humanitarian grounds’, allowed a terrorist to walk free simply because she was pregnant. One can go on and on talking about the history of births in Tihar Jail. Or that pregnant convicts give birth to their children behind bars almost on a daily basis.

One can point out only recently, the Delhi Police had vehemently asserted that in the last 10 years, 39 deliveries have taken place in the Delhi prison and thus, Safoora is entitled to no special treatment. However, the fact remains that the Modi government did concede special treatment to Safoora today when the Solicitor General, appearing for Delhi police which answers to the Home Ministry, said that the State had no problem if bail was given to pregnant Safoora.

The inexplicable u-turn from opposing bail in the status report just a day before and then assenting to bail on humanitarian grounds could well be a legal strategy, however, it leaves one wondering how to maintain faith in the legal system when someone who orchestrated riots that claimed the lives of over 50 people and is named in the charge sheet filed in the murder of constable Ratan Lal can walk scot-free on bail.

The spotlight of a million questions shines squarely on the central government. The Delhi government answers to the HMO and thus, bail being granted to Safoora after getting a no-objection nod from the solicitor general cannot be passed on to the inefficiency of the courts itself.

Why did the central government decide to give bail to someone who incited and instigated riots? Did the government develop cold feet? Did the government bow down to the propaganda machinery with the Islamists and Leftists working in tandem? Did the government sacrifice the investigation to avoid the global propaganda it has been facing after the riots?

Did the Modi government let the Islamists and the Leftists manipulate and exploit their lack of dogged belief in justice as the ultimate goal to be achieved, regardless of hindrances, to their own advantage? Despite taking decisive action against the perpetrators of the anti-Hindu Delhi riots, why did the Modi govt show sympathy for the devil in this case?

Why, after putting hundreds in jail for the anti-Hindu Delhi riots, did the Modi government let Safoora walk free?

These are all valid questions and questions that must be asked. The Modi government has essentially put an accused terrorist back on the streets and one has to wonder if the Islamists belief that those who oppose them essentially believe in nothing, least of all the tenets of justice and comeuppance, with as much doggedness as they believe in the employment of violence and bloodshed, actually holds true.

When sources in the know were spoken to, the author was given the impression that they truly believed that given the state of mind of Islamist Safoora, she may have ended up harming herself or her unborn child while in custody. With the Delhi riots being internationalised by the Left cabal, any harm to the child or Safoora, even if inflicted by herself, would shift the focus away from the heinous crimes perpetrated during the riots, that resulted in brutal deaths such as those of Ankit Sharma and Ratan Lal, to the perceived “injustice” by a “vindictive” government against a “pregnant woman”.

Unfortunately, the romanticism of human rights for terrorists and lure of fighting against perceived injustice (to terrorists) is such, that a decision that will only and rightly be perceived as weakness on the part of the state had to be taken keeping in view the larger picture. However, even though the Modi government seems to be stuck between a rock and crazy place, in this instance, the Islamists have won the round fair and square.

Ever since the Delhi riots, the entire global fraternity of the Islamists and the Left started furthering the incorrect narrative that the Delhi riots were a pogrom against the Muslims. They shut their eyes to the Islamist agenda that was in place ever since December first week. They shut their eyes and convinced the global community that the riots by Muslims in December and the continuous onslaught against Hindus ever since the passage of CAA played no role in the planning and execution of the anti-Hindu riots.

They ensured that the world sees the riots as a state-sponsored pogrom against Muslims instead of what it truly was – a planned conspiracy to teach Kafirs a lesson. Whether a riot is an anti-Hindu riot or an anti-Muslim one is defined by how the riots started, and not by the number of the dead on either side. How the Delhi riots started was by the Islamist ideologues fanning hate against Hindus and the Islamist mobs running riots since December.

The global narrative became such, that the Modi government found itself stuck between its Dharma to punish the perpetrators and the narrative that was running uncontrolled in the entire world.

It is an undeniable and indisputable fact that the Modi government has failed miserably in controlling the narrative and furthering facts of the matter that are as apparent as day. The Islamist nexus in India and its Left ideologues who have their teeth firmly in planted on the jugular of the Western Media have furthered their own version of events that are laden with lies and deceit.

One has to realise that the Modi government is dealing with a cabal that kept quiet when their own were being physically exploited simply because speaking up would “hamper” their fight against “fascists”. One has to recall that the Modi government is dealing with a cabal that rejoiced when infants died during the Shaheen Bagh protests due to weather conditions and called it “a sacrifice for the cause”. One has to realise that the Modi government is dealing with a cabal that uses women and children as human shields, using their blood to paint the symbol of “revolution”. That their sheer monstrosity and shamelessness in furthering a motivated agenda sans fact was a consideration in giving bail to Safoora comes as no surprise. It is entirely possible, that as confirmed by our sources, this could be a tactical retreat to ensure that the Left does not create an opportunity to tarnish the entire investigation with their propaganda.

However, what is tragic is that despite being in power for 6 years, now in their 7th year, the Modi government has failed to put in mechanisms in place that would impose punitive costs on those who compromise national security and integrity. On those who peddle bald-faced lies to further their agenda. On those whose ecosystem is so strong, that they can make a government let an accused terrorist walk free while holding them to ransom.

The government at the centre needs to realise that the will of the people give them the legitimacy to rule, the opinions of the liberal class have nothing to do with it. To a large extent, the Modi government recognises that perfectly and that realisation is reflected in hundreds responsible for the Delhi riots being in jail, the abrogation of Article 370, the Ram Mandir fanfare, their stand in the Sabrimala issue and several other instances where the Modi govt has proved beyond doubt that the “liberal” ratification means nothing to them. In fact, even when the entire global Left coterie was trying to pin the blame of Islamist aggression on Kapil Mishra, the Modi government did not bow down. It realised that their propaganda means paltry little when it comes to the truth. They knew that the Islamist agenda started in December and Kapil Mishra had nothing to do with it. They did not bow down. That is exactly why the bail to Safoora Zargar stands out like a sore thumb in the entire Delhi riots investigation and in the track-record of the Modi government.

One also has to remember here that the support towards Safoora Zargar by the Leftist establishment has very little to do with principles. If principles were of any concern here, then one would have expected them to be similarly considerate towards Sadhvi Pragya but that hasn’t been the case at all. Safoora Zargar has been turned into a poster-boy for the Liberal establishment because she fits the bill perfectly. She ticks all the right boxes. She is from the minority community, which means she has an automatic claim to victimhood that other mere mortals do not have.

She is well educated, studies in a university that has a great reputation among liberal intellectuals. But most importantly, despite being a ‘modern’ woman, she is fiercely an identitarian. Moreover, she is pregnant currently, and human societies value are innately sympathetic to pregnant women. Thus, she is almost tailor-made to serve as the propaganda tool for the liberal establishment.

The danger here is that the bail to Safoora Zargar will only boost her credentials in the propaganda war and undoubtedly, it will be used by propagandists to target the government further and the more radical sections will interpret it as a victory for Islam. The extremists will interpret the bail as further confirmation of their delusion that Allah protects them as they wage war against Kaafirs. And that is dangerous.

Having said that, it has to be conceded that Islamists have won this round, as has been said before, and there is really no other way to admit it.

This round goes to the Islamists. Their propaganda won. Their lies won. This round was theirs. And it will continue to be theirs unless the government in power can believe in justice just as much as Islamists believe in the dominance over Kafirs. The commitment to that faith will be tested when elements like Safoora have to bought to justice for their crimes because the propaganda machinery will use such cases to further their propaganda and paint the government as monsters.

Hundreds of those who have been arrested for the anti-Hindu Delhi riots are currently in jail and for the most part, the Modi government has done a commendable job in ensuring that those responsible for the carnage face the law. However, the sanctity of their dogged pursuit of justice will be tested in cases like these.

The Modi government’s commitment is being tested. What remains to be seen is whether the government realises its follies in letting the shameless propagandists run amuck and take corrective actions before the last round is played. The central government here needs to realise that it does not need the approval of the echo-chambers of the liberal establishment.

The Islamists train and use women and children because it is far easier to exploit the lack of dogged faith in justice by amplifying pleas of “humanity”. It is easier to paint the aggressor as the victim when the aggressor is a woman. Far easier when the woman is pregnant and a walk-over when that woman or her child is harmed.

One can only hope now that the Court will not award her a light sentence if found guilty on account of her motherhood. Regardless, today’s verdict busts the narrative for the nth time that equality before the law is a mythical concept. Those on favourable terms with the liberal establishment do enjoy special privileges that the rest of us mere mortals do not.