On 1st November (Wednesday), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that more than 97 per cent of the Rs 2,000 banknotes that had been in circulation have returned to the banking system. The Banker’s Bank noted that only Rs 10,000 crore worth of banknotes in the Rs 2000 denomination are still with the public.
In a circular, the RBI stated, “The total value of Rs 2,000 banknotes in circulation, which amounted to Rs 3.56 lakh crore as at the close of business on May 19, 2023, when the withdrawal of Rs 2,000 banknotes was announced, has declined to Rs 0.10 lakh crore as at the close of business on October 31, 2023.”
As of May 19, the circulation of Rs 2,000 denomination notes amounted to Rs 3.56 lakh crores, which has since decreased to Rs 10,000 crore as of October 31.
The RBI circular added, “Thus, more than 97 per cent of the Rs 2,000 banknotes in circulation as of May 19, 2023, have since been returned.”
However, the central bank noted that the public can deposit and/or exchange the Rs 2,000 banknotes at the 19 RBI offices across the country.
These 19 RBI offices depositing/exchanging the bank notes are in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Belapur, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna and Thiruvananthapuram.
The central bank said, “Members of the public are requested to avail the facility of sending the Rs 2,000 bank notes through post offices of India Post. This will obviate the need for travel to RBI offices for deposit/exchange of the Rs 2,000 bank notes.”
Previously, on 19th May, the RBI had announced the withdrawal of Rs 2,000 denomination banknotes from circulation stating that it was in pursuance of its ‘Clean Note Policy’. In its notification, RBI explained that about 89 per cent of the Rs 2000 denomination banknotes were issued prior to March 2017 and are at the end of their estimated life span of 4 to 5 years.
Initially, the general public and entities that were in possession of these notes were asked to either exchange or deposit them in bank accounts by 30th September. The deadline was subsequently extended to 7th October. However, both the deposit and exchange services at bank branches were halted on the same day, i.e., 7th October.
From 8th October onwards, the RBI has extended the public choice to either exchange the currency or deposit it in their bank accounts at 19 offices of the RBI.
Notably, the Rs 2,000 denomination banknotes were introduced in November 2016 following the announcement of demonetisation of the then prevailing Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 banknotes.
On 1st November (Wednesday), Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asserted that ‘Lord Hanuman’s mace’ (Bajrangbali ki gada) is the only panacea for “Talibani mindset” that has been crushing countries in the Middle East. He made this remark while addressing a public rally in poll-bound Rajasthan’s Tijara.
Stressing that terrorism is a menace, UP CM lauded Israel’s counterattack on Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Referring to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, he said, “Taliban ka upchar toh Bajrangbali ki gada hi hai.”
The Chief Minister added, “Dekh rahe hai na is samay Gaza mein Israel Talibani mansikta ko kaise kuchalne ka kaam kar raha hai. Sathik tarike se bilkul sathik nishana maar maar kar kuchal raha hai.”
Translation – Only Lord Hanuman’s mace is the panacea to solve the menace of the Talibani mindset. Have you seen how Israel has been crushing the Talibani mentality in Gaza. They are taking precisely the right measures to ensure their targets are neutralised.
'वीरभूमि' राजस्थान के तिजारा विधान सभा क्षेत्र, जनपद अलवर में आयोजित जनसभा में… https://t.co/LUnY0rPKFP
Earlier, UP CM Yogi Adityanath had reached Tijara for the nomination of Baba Balak Nath who is currently the sitting MP from Alwar. While campaigning for Baba Balak Nath who has earned the moniker Rajasthan’s Yogi Adityanath, UP CM lambasted the incumbent Congress government for doing ‘appeasement politics’.
During his public rally, he also highlighted the bulldozer action taking place in Uttar Pradesh. He assured that the Taliban mentality would be defeated and nationalism would triumph.
It is important to note that Congress has fielded a Muslim candidate Imran Khan from the Tijara constituency to contest against saffron-clad Baba Balak Nath.
UP CM Yogi Adityanath made a reference to the Israel-Hamas war while targeting the Congress candidate in Tijara. He said, “I have been told that the person whom Congress has sent to the Tijara assembly constituency makes big comparisons about himself.” The solution to the Talibani mindset is Bajrgambali’s mace, he noted, in addition to the aforementioned remarks regarding the Israel-Hamas war.
Additionally, he cornered the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan and praised the work of PM Modi.
He further highlighted that anarchy, hooliganism, and terrorism are the biggest stigmas for any civilised society. But when they get mixed with vote bank politics, it takes poor, innocent, women, businessmen, and the entire civilised society in its grip.
He cautioned the public that if Congress gets a chance, Talibani’s mentality will dominate.
Noting that sisters and daughters feel safe in stringent law and order-abiding states whenever BJP governments are formed. He said, “Remember, if Congress gets success then Talibani mentality will dominate and they will start committing atrocities on sisters and daughters, exploit businessmen, and kidnap. Will take over the properties of the poor and do cow smuggling. Will damage monasteries and temples. Will not allow any festival to be celebrated peacefully. There is a need to put an end to all this. For this, the BJP is in front of you.”
Amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, a ‘crisis actor’ from Gaza has become a viral meme on social media for his videos featuring him in various roles ranging from a singer, a radiologist, an air strike victim, a media person to whatnot. The video content creator Saleh Aljafarawi has earned the moniker “Mr FAFO” online after a video of him rejoicing over Hamas airstrikes and later crying over Israeli retaliation went viral online.
Saleh Aljafarawi claims to be a Palestinian national and a resident of Gaza. Infamous as “Mr FAFO”, the 25-year-old “Pallywood” actor is the newly created social media portmanteau combining Palestine and Hollywood to make Pallywood, often makes videos to manipulate public sentiments and garner sympathy for Palestine and Hamas. The Hamas actor is regularly peddling victimhood for Gaza to turn the narrative in favour of Palestine and justify Hamas’s onslaught against Israel.
On X (formerly Twitter), many social media users highlighted Saleh Aljafarawi alias Mr FAFO’s ‘unparalleled’ acting skills. The Palestinian YouTuber has become a war meme.
In one such X post by “King of Israel”, Mr FAFO is seen posing in an army uniform and singing a song while a Palestinian and Hamas flag is seen in the background.
The video was posted by Aljafarawi in July this year on Instagram who claims to be a singer on YouTube channel. Mr FAFO’s singing talent also caught the attention of social media users as one Eli David posted, “who was a radiologist earlier today, is now a singer.”
? Breaking: #MrFAFO who was a radiologist earlier today, is now a singer ?
The second image is the popular “F%$k around, find out” meme which got Aljafarawi the name “Mr FAFO”. In the third image, he is seen posing with a victory sign near the debris following an airstrike. In the last picture, FAFO is posing as a radiologist.
In another video, Saleh Aljafarawi alias Mr FAFO is seen posing as a media person doing ‘ground reporting’ wearing a helmet with ‘press’ written on it.
“Did you know that #MrFAFO is also a reporter extraordinaire? #Pallywood. Also, someone needs to update the Hamas Health Ministry, that it’s 7,998 deaths because they counted #MrFAFO twice,” an X user posted.
Did you know that #MrFAFO is also a reporter extraordinaire? #Pallywood
Outlining Saleh Aljafarawi’s ‘acting skills’, author Oli London posted, “Hamas Crisis actor spotted with his Film Crew in Gaza preparing for his next role. The actor, who has appeared in dozens of staged propaganda videos for the terror group has taken on various roles. • Radiologist • Singer • First Responder • Air Strike Victim • Hospital Patient • Gas attack victim • Father of airstrike victims.”
Hamas Crisis actor spotted with his Film Crew in Gaza preparing for his next role. ?
The actor, who has appeared in dozens of staged propaganda videos for the terror group has taken on various roles.
In another X post, Oli London shared a video of the Palestinian ‘crisis actor’ laughing and wrote, “Hamas Crisis Actor, who has been filming himself holding random babies today claiming they are his own children injured by air strikes, is all smiles as he laughs and jokes in an Instagram story, uploaded just 5 hours ago. His main Instagram account was suspended by META tonight but he has begun posting on his backup account, which has 32,000 followers.”
Hamas Crisis Actor, who has been filming himself holding random babies today claiming they are his own children injured by air strikes, is all smiles as he laughs and jokes in an Instagram story, uploaded just 5 hours ago.
It is worth noting that Aljafarawi’s Instagram page was suspended recently, however, the page seems to have been restored.
Mr FAFO reminds one of the “ghost of Kyiv” that gained popularity last year amidst the Ukraine-Russia war. The alleged flying hero was accredited with shooting down 40 Russian warplanes, however, it later turned out that the MiG-29 pilot aka “ghost of Kyiv” was not a real person but a mythical legend created by the Ukrainians and abetted by the Ukrainian Businessman Petro Poroshenko, who had posted a masked image of the “ghost of Kyiv” in February last year, hailing his six ‘imaginary’ victories over Russian pilots.
На фото – пілот МіГ-29. Той самий «Привид Києва».
Він викликає жах у ворогів та гордість в українців ??
На його рахунку 6 перемог над російськими пілотами!
Notably, certain claims associated with some of Mr FAFO’s videos have turned out to be misleading as well. For instance, the assertion that Saleh Aljafarawi recently became a father was misleading as in his original Instagram post, the ‘crisis actor’ did not make any such claim. Moreover, a video of an intubated patient on a hospital bed went viral online with a claim that it was Saleh Aljafarawi aka Mr FAFO posing as an airstrike victim. Although the striking similarity in looks of the person in the video confused many, he was not Aljafarawi but a Palestinian refugee at Nur Shams camp in the West Bank.
Amidst Saleh Aljafarawi alias Mr FAFO’s desperate manipulations and misleading videos and social media claims, it is worth noting that Hamas has been employing various propaganda tactics to garner sympathy and project Israel as an oppressor. One such shameful gimmick by Hamas was when it claimed that over 500 died in the Gaza Hospital, however, officials from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) were quick to point out that this was not an Israeli airstrike but rather a misfired rocket from within Gaza. Apparently, in addition to the war against Hamas, Houthis and Hezbollah, Israel has to fight the mis/disinformation war as well.
While Hamas and its propagandists are leaving no stone unturned to attract global sympathy and support against Israel, claiming to be victims of the Jewish nation’s offensive, senior Hamas terrorist official Ghazi Hamad not only justified the horrifying terror attack in Israel on October 7 killing 1,400 civilians including children and the elderly and raping women but also announced to repeat it until Israel’s annihilation.
A shocking case of molestation, assault and abuse of a Hindu girl has come to light in Noida’s Paras Tierea, Sector 142 in Uttar Pradesh where her Muslim classmate named Tanveer Ahmed along with his associates attacked her and her family members. A complaint has been lodged at Police Commissionerate Gautam Buddh Nagar regarding the instance and six individuals including the main accused have already been arrested.
थाना सेक्टर-142 पुलिस द्वारा पारस टियरा सोसाइटी में युवती से छेड़छाड़ व मारपीट करने वाला मुख्य अभियुक्त गिरफ्तार तथा घटना में शामिल अन्य 05 अभियुक्तों को पूर्व में गिरफ्तार कर आवश्यक विधिक कार्रवाई की जा चुकी है। pic.twitter.com/W13Un43WFr
— POLICE COMMISSIONERATE GAUTAM BUDDH NAGAR (@noidapolice) November 1, 2023
She informed that the perpetrator who studies with her came into her apartment on 30 October at 8:30 p.m. and tried to physically force himself on her and tortured her. The next morning he again stormed into her house with eight to ten accomplices and assaulted her and her family members as well as threatened to kill them.
She mentioned that the society security guards arrived and protected them and if they hadn’t shown up any perilous incident could have taken place with her and her family. She requested police to take immediate action against the offenders. She is presently studying in the first year of BA LLB (Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Legislative Law) Honours at a private university in Noida.
Authorities have invoked sections 147 (Punishment for rioting), 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 352( Assault or use of criminal force on any person), 354 (Assault or use of criminal force on any woman), 452 (House-trespass and causing harm, assault, restrain, or instil fear in any person) and 506 (Criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. OpIndia has a copy of the First Information Report.
Additional Deputy Commissioners of Police (ADCP) Central Noida Hirdesh Katheria conveyed, “Police station Sector-142 has arrested the main accused who molested and assaulted a girl in Paras Tierra Society and necessary legal action has been taken by arresting 5 other culprits involved in the incident earlier.”
थाना सेक्टर-142 पुलिस द्वारा पारस टियरा सोसाइटी में युवती से छेड़छाड़ व मारपीट करने वाला मुख्य अभियुक्त गिरफ्तार तथा घटना में शामिल अन्य 05 अभियुक्तों को पूर्व में गिरफ्तार कर आवश्यक विधिक कार्रवाई की जा चुकी है। उक्त संबंध में ADCP सेंट्रल नोएडा द्वारा दी गई बाइट। @Uppolicehttps://t.co/dSKniJaEVvpic.twitter.com/w9EJfxvKN1
— POLICE COMMISSIONERATE GAUTAM BUDDH NAGAR (@noidapolice) November 1, 2023
The officer proclaimed that an incident of assault took place in the neighbourhood on the 29th and 30th of October. The police were notified about the same and immediate action was taken. Both the girl and the offender are pursuing BA LLB. He sexually harassed the victim on 29 October and the next day he and his friends engaged in physical assault and chaos with her and her family. An FIR was submitted and a probe was undertaken as soon as we received the information on 30 October. Further inquiry would be initiated after he is brought before the court and appropriate action is being taken on his aides.
Rahul Gandhi’s mysterious visit to Uzbekistan has created a buzz in India. Why Uzbekistan? Why now, especially when the assembly elections fever is at its peak? We do not have the answers.
However, now that the Central Asian country is in the spotlight, let me share about someone else who was in Uzbekistan on official business. Samantha Power, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was there on October 23-24 to preside over the C5+1 Regional Connectivity Ministerial.
Activist-in-Chief
Samantha Power has an impressive resume – a war correspondent for several publications including The Economist, an author, a government official and a diplomat. Her notable work, A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, earned her a Pulitzer Prize in 2003. In that book, Power meticulously chronicled a century’s worth of American inaction in the face of massacres. The book inspired the ‘responsibility to protect’ doctrine, emphasising that the United States and other nations bear a moral obligation to safeguard persecuted or threatened populations worldwide.
Samantha Power boasts a significant history of association with Barack Obama, dating back to his days as a senator. Her journey alongside him began as a foreign policy fellow in 2005-06 in his senatorial office. She further played a pivotal role as a foreign policy adviser during his 2008 presidential campaign. However, she encountered controversy during this time when she referred to Hillary Clinton as ‘a monster’ during an interview, which she thought was an off-record comment, leading to her resignation from the campaign.
In late November 2008, as the Obama administration took shape, Power was in the State Department transition team. She was appointed the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights on the National Security Council, serving from January 2009 to February 2013. She spearheaded the creation of a White House task force called the Atrocities Prevention Board – an interagency body to focus on emerging human rights crises before they escalated to the level of genocide. She was its inaugural chairperson.
Power’s long-standing association with Obama underscores her involvement in shaping the US foreign policy of the Obama era. She is considered a key figure in persuading President Obama to militarily intervene in Libya; something that Obama considers as the worst decision of his Presidency. Thanks to her unwavering belief in the United States’ responsibility to prevent or alleviate the suffering of civilians in foreign nations, she earned nicknames such as the Ivy League Joan of Arc and Activist-in-Chief.
According to The New Yorker, “When she entered the White House, at the age of thirty-eight, she had already established a reputation as a kind of Joan of Arc for humanitarian intervention.” The same article also mentions that while Obama welcomed her advocacy, she used to get on his nerves and that during a meeting to discuss Syria, Obama snapped, “We’ve all read your book, Samantha.” In February 2013, she left the National Security Council. In June of that year, Obama appointed her as the US Ambassador to the United Nations. In a 2014 article, The New Yorker stated that unlike Vice President Joe Biden, and others who had risen through the foreign-policy establishment, Power favoured aligning the United States with citizen-led movements.
Power was on TIME’s influential 100 list in 2015 (also in 2004), where she was referred to as the ‘new conscience of the US foreign policy establishment’ by Madeline Albright in a tribute titled Enemy of despots. She has been a big advocate of greater interference in the internal affairs of other nations, even military interventions, to defend humanitarianism. Given her openness to military interventions in Libya, Syria and Yemen, she has been often criticised for wanting to solve ‘problems from hell’ by using ‘solutions from hell’. In December 2014, she told The New Yorker, “As time wears on, I find myself gravitating more and more to the GSD people… (‘get shit done’, a term favoured by Susan Rice). Principles and positions only take you so far.”
In January 2021, Joe Biden nominated Power to head the USAID.
Power’s husband, Cass Robert Sunstein, is a professor and author and was also a part of the Obama administration. His views on ‘Mission LiFE’ were featured by Niti Aayog as well as included in the collection of views published by the Press Information Bureau.
The Usual Suspects
Power’s meetings with the Open Society Foundation and other left-leaning organisations during her role with USAID have raised eyebrows among the Republicans, but let us say that was a part of her job, and focus on some other interesting facts.
In a March 2011 article on Samantha Power in The New York Times, Kenneth Roth, the then-Executive Director of Human Rights Watch called her “the foremost voice for human rights within the White House, and she has Obama’s ear.” The views of Roth or HRW on India are well, not so great.
A more intriguing aspect of Power’s life is her perceived proximity to Henry Kissinger, known for his strong stance against India, as well as with the much-discussed George Soros. Both Kissinger and Soros were present at an exclusive gathering in SoHo on 31 May 2016, to celebrate the publication of a book by Cass Sunstein. A week later, on 8 June, Power received the 2016 Henry A. Kissinger Prize from the man himself. Interestingly, Power had strongly criticised Kissinger’s bloody, anti-human rights record in two of her books, including the Pulitzer Prize winner.
Three years before that, in November 2013, when Soros received the top honour at the International Rescue Committee Benefit, Bill Clinton and Samantha Power both lauded him. Samantha Power on Soros: “My first introduction to George was indirect. I met (the late humanitarian) Fred Cuny and heard him describe how he and his patron George Soros were going to single-handedly break the siege of Sarajevo. Humble guys, I thought, modest in ambition. Little did I know.”
Six years after that award night, in November 2019, Power tweeted this in response to Hungary kicking out Soros’ Central European University.
The Usual Sermons
In a September 2019 interview featured in The Guardian, Samantha Power’s new memoir, The Education of an Idealist, is described as having a broader aim: a call to action during a time of despair, as Donald Trump lays siege to what is left of the liberal order at home and abroad. She expressed her desire for readers to get a renewed sense of agency after reading her book and feel empowered to address the pressing problems around them. She also shared her plan to campaign for the Democratic cause in swing states.
Power was in India from 25-27 July 2022. On the 26th, she met with civil society representatives to discuss freedom of expression, speech, identity, and the importance of protecting the rights of minority groups and underscored the continued commitment of the US to work with civil society organisations to advance human rights and fundamental freedoms.
“The headwinds against democratic rule are strong the world over. Within the United States and India, there are forces who seek to sow division, who seek to pit ethnicities and religions against one another, who wish to bend laws, abuse institutions and wield violence against those who stand in their way; we saw this, of course, on January 6 in the United States last year…”
“But ultimately, what has positioned India as a future development leader has not been its assets but its values… It has been India’s multi-ethnic, multi-party democracy that has allowed it to withstand the challenges… It has been its support for free expression over decades that has allowed injustices to come to light. It has been its tolerance for diversity and dissent that has allowed reforms to take hold and institutions to progress. India’s trajectory has been so strong because – not in spite of – its democracy.”
The Telegrapheditorial on the 29th read: “While referencing Nehru and M.K. Gandhi, she (Power) did not mention Mr Modi even once. This was no oversight. Instead, it was a nudge to India to clear the shadow hovering over its commitment to its historical values. But a friend can only hold up a mirror. It is New Delhi that needs to look within.”
On the 27th, Samantha Power also granted an interview to the NDTV’s Maha Siddiqui. Towards the interview’s conclusion, Siddiqui cited Power’s journalistic background to inquire about her perspective on the declining state of press freedom in India, even referencing a case involving a ‘fact checker.’ While Power refrained from explicit criticism, she expressed her viewpoint in a rather verbose manner by highlighting that India’s strength is rooted in healthy debate and criticism and emphasising that President Biden staunchly supports the cause of press freedom.
Uncle Sam
Rewind to November 2010. During his visit to India, President Obama visited the first-ever Expo on Democracy and Open Government on the 7th in Mumbai. The event also marked the launch of the United States-India Open Government Dialogue, aimed at promoting government transparency and greater citizen engagement. It was led by the United States Chief Technology Officer, Aneesh Chopra, and the Adviser to the Prime Minister of India, Sam Pitroda.
Incidentally, Chopra considers Pitroda, his father’s peer, as his inspiration. In November 2020, Chopra was named a member of one of the Joe Biden Presidential Transition Agency Review Teams to support transition efforts.
Apart from Pitroda and Chopra, other Americans present for the event were Tom Vilsack (Agriculture Secretary, then and now), Samantha Power and Rajiv Shah (then Administrator USAID, now President of the Rockefeller group). At the end of the expo, Samantha Power read out a statement that ended with, “…we announced at today’s expo an initial commitment of approximately $1m to support the work of Indian civil society in sharing their best practices abroad, with a matching commitment of in-kind assistance by Sam Pitroda that will harness India’s technical expertise to assist governments in harnessing technology, improving services, and enhancing democratic accountability. This is precisely the kind of “partnership built on shared values” that President Obama has hailed during his visit to India.”
Democracy in Danger
Sunita Vishwanath (Hindus for Human Rights) was a panellist in the ‘India on the Brink: Preventing Genocide’conference, a three-day virtual event organised from 26-28 February 2022 to ‘condemn looming genocide of Indian Muslims’. The participants’ list was big, and the conference was duly covered by The Wire. On a side note, Vishwanath was awarded a ‘Champions of Change’ award in July 2015, by the Obama Administration.
There has been a consistent rise in the media article titles that talk about India being on the brink.
Not to mention, the Gandhi dynasty scion, who never misses an opportunity to talk about erosion or collapse of Indian democracy when abroad.
‘Power’ful Intervention?
India ranks 8th among the countries that are at the highest risk for mass killing in a ranking given by the America-based Early Warning Project (EWP). The EWP has consistently assessed India as high risk since 2017–18, including second rank in 2021-22. Imagine the world’s largest democracy is assessed to have a higher chance of mass killings than Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Zimbabwe, … EWP, by the way, uses the V-Dem dataset, and V-dem is funded by Soros. (Damn!)
Now, amidst the democracy in danger and genocide cries, consider these:
Samantha Power, the powerful activist-in-chief, holds firm convictions regarding intervention in a country’s internal matters over perceived humanitarian concerns.
She has connections, if not friendships, with the usual suspects.
She created a White House body to identify emerging human rights crises and proactively address them to prevent them from escalating into full-blown genocides.
She, apart from having a long professional relationship with former President Obama, is also his friend. Obama created a furore in India over his unsolicited advice in June this year: “If the President (Biden) meets with Prime Minister Modi, then the protection of the Muslim minority in a majority Hindu India – that’s something worth mentioning.”
In the lead-up to India’s 2024 general election, the spectre of foreign interference is undeniable. India’s pivotal role in the United States’ Indo-Pacific strategy is well-established. However, it becomes complicated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resolute stand in safeguarding Indian strategic interests and his refusal to succumb to Western pressure. The United States would rather support a candidate who has expressed implicit or explicit openness to Western intervention. There is a realisation that Modi and the BJP are going to win, but that will not deter external players from attempting to weaken Modi, even if there is no chance of defeating him. Against this backdrop, the timing of Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Uzbekistan coinciding with Samantha Power’s visit raises intriguing questions. Is it a mere coincidence, or is it a ‘power’ful signal of what may be on the horizon?
This article was first published on the author’s blog and has been reproduced here with the author’s permission.
On 1st November (Wednesday), a review petition was filed before the Supreme Court challenging its 17th October verdict. Udit Sood, one of the petitioners, has filed a review petition before the top court pertaining to the same-sex marriage case, as per media reports.
Challenging the top court’s ruling, Sood describes the Supreme Court verdict as “self-contradictory and manifestly unjust”.
The review petition reads, “The discrimination faced by the queer community is acknowledged in the verdict but the cause of the discrimination is not removed. The legislative choices see same-sex couples as less than human by denying them equal rights.”
The petitioners in the review petition claim that the government’s stand shows that the respondents believe LGBTQ people are “a problem”.
The petitioner further states, “The majority judgement overlooks that marriage, at its core, is an enforceable social contract. The right to this contract is available to anyone capable of consenting. Adults of any faith or no faith may engage in it. No one group of people may define for another what ‘marriage’ means.”
Meanwhile, hours after the pronouncement of the verdict, several petitioners in the case had expressed their strong dissatisfaction with the Supreme Court ruling. According to some petitioners, the apex court verdict was ‘Full of sound and fury signifying nothing’.
A fortnight earlier, on 17th October, the apex court had refused to grant recognition to same-sex marriages or civil unions. It had asserted that it was up to Parliament to make laws to enable it. A five-judge constitution bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, S Ravindra Bhat, Hima Kohli, and PS Narasimha had ruled against recognising same-sex marriages.
The five-judge constitution bench, in a unanimous decision, ruled that there is no unqualified right to marriage and same-sex couples cannot claim that as a fundamental right.
However, the five-judge bench disagreed on adoption, civil union, and recognition of queer couples. It gave a 3:2 verdict against adoption in four separate judgements. Justices Bhat, Kohli, and Narasimha jointly issued the majority opinion, while Justice Narasimha provided a separate concurring opinion. Whereas CJI Chandrachud and Justice Kaul had delivered separate dissenting judgments.
In the minority opinion, CJI Chandrachud and Justice Kaul advocated for the recognition of same-sex partnerships. They also pushed for anti-discrimination laws to safeguard the rights of LGBTQIA+ individuals.
However, in its verdict, the Supreme Court directed the Union government to constitute a committee that would examine the rights and entitlements of persons in the queer unions, without legal recognition of their relationship as a “marriage”.
The hearing before the apex court went on for a total of 10 days, following which they reserved their verdict on 11th May this year. Although the petitioners initially challenged the Hindu Marriage Act, the Foreign Marriage Act and the Special Marriage Act (SMA), the apex court decided to not touch the personal laws and confine the case to the inclusion and recognition of same-sex marriages under the SMA [pdf].
Click here to read all about the 4 fundamental issues that were touched on during the course of the hearing and what each judge said.
As such, the all-out effort to legalise ‘same-sex marriage’ and its inclusion within the ambit of the Special Marriage Act was turned down by a 3-2 verdict.
On 17th March 2016, a young boy named Vivek left his home for school in Chandigarh, but he never returned. Eight years passed, and he was finally found in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, living as Mohammad Umar. A case has been filed in the matter against four people, including a Maulvi, a Maulana and a village head, on 14th October 2023. One of the accused has been granted bail while the rest of them are still on the run. Vivek has been handed over to his family.
It has come to light that Vivek underwent a religious conversion at a Madarsa in district Saharanpur of Uttar Pradesh. He was circumcised, and his name was changed from Vivek to Mohammad Umar. Media reports suggest that the case is under the jurisdiction of the Charthawal police station area of Muzaffarnagar.
Vivek’s father, Veerndra, worked as a labourer in Chandigarh. He originally hails from district Hardoi of Uttar Pradesh. As per reports, Vivek went missing after he left for school in March 2016 from the Raipur Kalan area in Chandigarh. A missing person report was filed at the Mauli Jagran Police Station in Chandigarh. At that time, Vivek was studying in 4th class.
On 4th October, a person named Matloob, a resident of Nagla Rai village of Charthawal police station area of Muzaffarnagar, approached an Aadhar card centre in Muzaffarnagar requesting to change the name and the address on the Aadhar card of the boy, claiming that the boy was his son Mohammad Umar. However, when the boy’s biometric was run through the Aadhaar system, the person at the centre noticed that the child’s name was registered as Vivek and his father’s name was Veerendra Kumar, with a Chandigarh address. He suspected foul play and refused to change the address. He also informed the village head Jaiki Saini of Luhari Khurd.
The matter was then reported to the police, and Vivek was rescued from Matloob. His relatives were informed about the matter. During the questioning, it came to light that Vivek went through a forceful religious conversion at Madarsa named Jamia Usmania Rahmania in Ramapur Maniharan in Saharanpur district. A Maulvi from Muzaffarnagar and village head of Naglarai in Muzaffarnagar were involved in the conversion. A person named Maulana Mukarram Jamal has been named as the fourth accused.
Based on Vivek’s father Veerendra’s complaint, the police filed a case under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code and the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act. The complaint names Nagla Rai head Afsarun, a Maulvi of Jamia Osmania Islamia, Matloob and Maulana Mukarram Jamal. OpIndia accessed the copy of the FIR.
Notably, one of the accused was granted bail even before the investigation into the matter was over. Village head Afzal, Jamia Usmania Islamiya madrasa’s Maulvi and Maulana Mukarram Jamal are reportedly absconding.
After verifying all details through Aadhaar cards, Vivek was handed over to his parents Virendra and Saroj in the presence of the Child Welfare Committee. The family then took the boy back to their native village Goswa in Baghauli police station area.
Speaking to OpIndia, Vivek said he did not remember who brought him from Chandigarh and how. The only thing he remembered were the events that took place in Saharanpur. He told OpIndia that he now eats buffalo meat. Furthermore, a bride was also being considered for his marriage.
On Tuesday (31st October), Bolivia became the first Latin American country to sever its diplomatic ties with the Jewish state Israel amid its ongoing war against Hamas terrorists. Apparently, the latest move by Bolivia has triggered a coercive response against Israel from several leftist governments around the world prompting the Israeli government to condemn its move. After Bolivia’s announcement to cut ties, Chile and Columbia also declared that they were recalling their ambassadors from Israel.
Bolivia’s decision ‘a surrender to terrorism’, says Israel
Retorting to Bolivia’s decision to cut diplomatic ties, Israel likened it to “a surrender to terrorism and to the Ayatollah’s regime in Iran.”
The spokesperson for Israeli Foreign Minister Lior Haiat tweeted, “By taking this step the Bolivian government is aligning itself with the Hamas terrorist organisation, which slaughtered over 1,400 Israelis and abducted 240 people, including children, women, babies, and the elderly.”
The government of Bolivia's decision to cut diplomatic ties with Israel is a surrender to terrorism and to the Ayatollah’s regime in Iran. By taking this step, the Bolivian government is aligning itself with the Hamas terrorist organization, which slaughtered over 1,400 Israelis… pic.twitter.com/gqTdq58VUC
He added, “Israel condemns Bolivia’s ‘support of terrorism’ and its submission to the Iranian regime, which attest to the values the government of Bolivia represents.”
However, he noted that bilateral relations had been “devoid of content” anyway since the current government came into power.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday (31st October), Hamas hailed Bolivia’s decision stating, “it holds it in high esteem”. It also urged Arab countries that have normalised their relations with Israel to do the same.
Bolivia accuses Israel of committing “crimes against humanity in Gaza’, refrains from condemning 7th October Hamas terror attacks
Earlier, the Bolivian government announced that it is cutting off diplomatic ties with Israel accusing it of carrying out “crimes against humanity” in Gaza. The Bolivian officials rationalised their response citing a large number of Palestinian casualties in Gaza as a result of Israeli airstrikes and ground offensive in the Palestinian enclave. However, their response made no mention of the deadly 7th October terror attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists that triggered this latest cycle of war in the region.
At a news conference, Bolivia’s deputy foreign minister, Freddy Mamani said, “Bolivia decided to break diplomatic relations with the State of Israel in repudiation and condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive taking place in the Gaza Strip.”
Additionally, Bolivia’s minister of the presidency who is acting foreign minister, María Nela Prada accused Israel of “committing crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip against the Palestinian people.” She called on Israel to “cease attacks in the Gaza Strip that have already resulted in thousands of civilian casualties and the forced displacement of Palestinians.”
Prada added that Bolivia “rejects the Israeli hostile treatment of international actors providing humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.” Subsequently, she announced that Bolivia would send aid to the Gaza Strip without elaborating details about what that could entail.
Continuing with a pattern for the Bolivian government that never condemned the 7th October Hamas assault, neither Prada nor Mamani mentioned the Hamas terror attacks on Israel, the Times of Israel reported.
The Israeli media reports highlight that on 7th October, the Bolivian Foreign Ministry said only that it had “deep concern over the violent events that occurred in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Palestine.” Later, on 18th October, it condemned Israeli attacks and emphasised its “solidarity and unwavering support for the Palestinian people.”
The Bolivian now led by leftist President Luis Arce, has long been critical of Israel. Previously in 2009, it severed diplomatic ties with Israel over a war against Hamas in Gaza which was later reestablished in 2020.
Following a meeting with Palestinian Ambassador to Bolivia Mahmoud Elalwani, Bolivian President Arce expressed his solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Taking to X, he said, “We cannot remain silent and continue to allow the suffering of the Palestinian people, especially of the children, who have the right to live in peace. We condemn the war crimes being committed in Gaza.”
(Screenshot of translated version of the tweet)
Chile, China, and Columbia: Leftists governments add woes to Israel
Apart from Bolivia’s announcement, Chile and Colombia informed that they have recalled their ambassadors to the Jewish state as they criticised offensive retaliation by the Israeli military against Hamas terrorists.
Calling for “an immediate end to hostilities”, Chile condemned Israel’s operations arguing that they “constitute collective punishment against the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza.”
Just like Bolivia, Chile also made no mention of the 7th October Hamas terror attacks on Israel.
In a statement, the South American country’s Foreign Ministry said that Chile has decided to recall its ambassador “in the face of the unacceptable violations of international humanitarian law committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip.” The statement was also shared on X by its President Gabriel Boric.
(Translated version of the tweet by President of Chile)
Similarly, Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, also announced that he was recalling his country’s ambassador to Israel. Taking to X, Petro tweeted, “If Israel does not stop the massacre of the Palestinian people, we cannot remain there.”
(Tweet by Colombian President Gustavo Petro)
It is important to note that all the three nations – Bolivia, Chile, and Colombia, that have recently taken coercive steps against Israel have leftist governments.
Meanwhile, on 31st October, the communist country in Asia, China also joined in taking anti-Israel steps. Evidently, several top Chinese tech companies including Alibaba and Baidu dropped Israel’s official name from their digital maps that are available online.
???? China has REMOVED ISRAEL from its online maps, including Baidu and Alibaba! pic.twitter.com/UwcD86N3Pz
The development comes at a time when the Chinese internet is flooded with antisemitism content amidst the war between the Jewish country – Israel, and the Islamist terror outfit Hamas. On Monday (30th October), US media outlet, Wall Street Journal first reported that Baidu and Alibaba no longer referred to Israel by name.
The WSJ reported, “Baidu’s Chinese language online maps demarcate the internationally recognized borders of Israel, as well as the Palestinian territories, plus key cities, but don’t clearly identify the country by name.”
Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad recently justified the October 7 terror attack in Israel and vowed to repeat it again and again until the Jewish nation is destroyed.
“We will repeat October 7 again and again until Israel is annihilated,” Hamad said remorselessly over an attack that killed over 1,400 Israelis, including women, children, and the elderly after multitudes of Hamas terrorists intruded the southern border with Israel and went on a murderous spree in Jewish villages.
“Israel is a country that has no place on our land. We must remove that country because it constitutes a security, military, and political catastrophe to the Islamic and Arab nations, and, therefore, must be finished. We are not ashamed to say this, with full force,” Hamad said.
“We must teach Israel a lesson, and we will do this again and again. The Al-Aqsa flood is just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth, because we have the determination, the resolve, and the capabilities to fight…We are called a nation of martyrs, and we are proud to sacrifice martyrs,” Hamad added.
Hamas Official Ghazi Hamad: We Will Repeat the October 7 Attack Time and Again Until Israel Is Annihilated; We Are Victims – Everything We Do Is Justified #Hamas#Gaza#Palestinianspic.twitter.com/kXu3U0BtAP
Defending attacks against civilians in Israel, Hamad said, “We did not want to harm civilians, but there were complications on the ground. And there was a party in the area with a civilian population. It was a large area, across 40 kilometres…the occupation must come to an end, not just in Gaza but in the entire Palestinian lands.”
“The existence of Israel is illogical. The existence of Israel is what causes all pain, blood, and tears. We are victims of occupation, so therefore, nobody should blame us for things we do. October 7, October 10, October 100,000—everything we do is justified,” Hamad said.
On Wednesday (1st November) Malayalam television actress identified as Dr Priya died of a heart attack in a private hospital while eight months pregnant. Notably, the actress had just had a regular pregnancy examination at the hospital before suffering a heart attack. Her newborn has been admitted to the intensive care unit as of now.
Actor Kishor Satya broke the devastating news to her fans via his social media account. “One more unexpected death in the Malayalam television sector. Dr Priya died of cardiac arrest yesterday. She was 8 months pregnant. The baby is in the ICU. There were no other health issues,” he wrote.
This comes days after Malayalam actress Renjusha Menon, 35 died at her flat in Thiruvananthapuram by committing suicide. Last month, another Malayalam actress Aparna Nair died of suicide. She was 33 and was found hanging inside her residence.
The Instagram post by Kishore Satya breaking the death news of Dr Priya added, “The mother is devastated at her only daughter’s passing away. The suffering of Nanna, Priya’s loving spouse, who stayed home for six months with her is painful. I was struck down by the thought of sadness last night as I was traveling to the hospital. There is no way we can console them. Why did God treat those naive and devout minds so cruelly?”
“The questions in my mind kept coming up unanswered. Next one more before the shocking news of Ranjusha’s passing fades…The mind is unable to express sympathy for the death of a person who is only 35 years old. How will Priya’s mother and husband bounce back from this setback? Not sure…Give their minds the capacity to do that,” he prayed.
After getting married, Dr Priya, who was well-known in Malayalam television for the role she played in “Karuthamuthu,” decided to take a break from acting. Furthermore, she was a doctor. In addition to working at the PRS hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, she was reportedly pursuing an MD.
