The Bharatiya Janata Party has strongly condemned the decision of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance to boycott 14 news anchors. In a press release after the I.N.D.I.A. released the names of 14 anchors to be boycotted by its member parties, BJP called the alliance ‘Ghamandiya’ (arrogant) alliance, and said that it strongly criticises and condemns the decision of the opposition alliance for boycotting some journalists and issuing threats to them.
The press release issued by BJP’s national media head Anil Baluni said, “By taking such a highly deplorable decision, the “ghamandiya” alliance has once again revealed its highly repressive, dictatorial and negative mindset. The Bharatiya Janata Party severely criticises the unfortunate step of the I.N.D.I Alliance.”
It said that BJP severely opposes such “derogatory mentality which hinders freedom of expression”. Comparing the decision with press censorship during the emergency, the statement by BJP said, “The decision of political parties which are part of the “ghamandiya” alliance to boycott some journalists shows their mentality of the time of repressive Emergency, We have all seen that in a similar manner how the media was stifled and gagged during Emergency. Today also the “ghamandiya” alliance is working with the same mindset of Emergency and vengeance against the media.”
I.N.D.I Alliance giving direct threat to the media is like gagging the media for speaking the truth.
This also shows that the 'ghamandiya' alliance has no courage to face the truth.
The Bharatiya Janata Party severely criticises the unfortunate step of the I.N.D.I Alliance. pic.twitter.com/pfijp5Nlf0
It added that I.N.D.I Alliance giving direct threat to the media is like gagging the media for speaking the truth. This also shows that the “ghamandiya” alliance has no courage to face the truth. It also indicates that the “ghamandiya* alliance is working under some external pressure to hurt Indian media’s freedom of expression.
The statement adds that “there is democracy in the country, and no one will be allowed to suppress or curtail the freedom and rights of the media.”
It said, “The Bharatiya Janata Party appeals to all the media organisations and all the dedicated and honest journalists to vehemently oppose political parties with such highly derogatory thinking and keep performing their duties towards the nation and our society without any fear or favour. The BJP also urges all journalists to oppose such dictatorial attitude of the “ghamandiya” alliance and continue doing their duties by following the Indian ethos and principles strongly laid in our democratic system.”
Earlier today, I.N.D.I. Alliance released a list of 14 anchors, saying that their alliance partners will not participate in programs hosted by them. The anchors boycotted by the alliance are Aditi Tyagi of Bharat Express, Aman Chopra of News 18, Amish Devgan of News 18, Anand Narasimhan of News 18, Arnab Goswami of Republic, Ashok Shrivastav of DD News, Chitra Tripathi of Aaj Tak, Gaurav Sawant of India Today, Navika Kumar of Times Now, Prachi Parashar of India TV, Rubika Liaquat of Bharat 24, Shiv Aroor of India Today, Sudhir Chaudhary of Aaj Tak, and Sushant Sinha. The list was released by Congress leader Pawan Khera.
This came after the Coordination Committee of the I.N.D.I Alliance decided in its first meeting on 13 September to select names of anchors to be boycotted by the partner parties.
While the alliance has decided to boycott journalist and already came up with a list, they are yet to make in progress into the important question of seat sharing. The 28-party alliance is yet to commence any concrete discussion on seat sharing for the upcoming polls, with parties like AAP and Congress saying that they will not share seats in Punjab and Delhi. The alliance leaders have said that seat sharing will be negotiated at the state level.
In the last few months, you might have come across posts promoting a website named StopNCII.org, claiming the website can help remove explicit photographs from “all over the internet” that were leaked as a result of revenge porn or blackmailing. For those who are unaware, NCII stands for Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery. It basically means sexual content distributed over the internet without the consent of the people depicted in the photographs or videos.
The social media posts, reels and videos claim that if you are one of the victims, register a case on StopNCII, and they will remove the explicit content from all over the internet.
For example, a YouTuber named Rohit R Gaba published a video on 5th September claiming StopNCII can remove all explicit photographs from the internet. Interestingly, the video’s storyline made it appear as if StopNCII is a government entity as the girl in the video categorically tells the blackmailer, “I have filed a complaint with cyber security. They will reach you any moment based on your IP location.”
On 30th August, an Instagram influencer who goes by the handle revolutionaryrj shared a video claiming StopNCII will remove explicit images from all over the internet. The video gained over 13 lakh likes when we published this report. The account has 1.5 million followers. Imagine the damage such misleading information can create.
On 7th August, a website named Analytics India Magazine published an article titled ‘Combat AI-Generated Nude Photos with StopNCII‘. In the article, they played with the words cunningly in the beginning and wrote, “Once submitted, the altered image will be effectively removed from all online platforms,” which is practically impossible and misleading. However, in the article ahead, they mentioned participating companies, but the damage was done in the third paragraph. Most readers, especially those looking for a way out of a panic situation, do not read the full article.
The video created by Rohit has been downloaded and shared by many users on social media. One such post we found was by Hardik Bhavsar on X (formerly Twitter).
इस वीडियो को अपने आसपास की बहन-बेटियों और हर उस महिला तक पहुँचाया जाये जो सोशियल मिडिया के प्लेटफॉर्म से जुड़े है एवं जॉब करती है….!!
ताकि इस बहन के साथ जो होने जा रहा था स्कैम वो किसी और के साथ ना हो !!
On 12th September, an X user, Muneeb Ahmed, claimed StopNCII can remove photographs from all the places on the internet.
Important Must Read ?
If someone edits your photo with Al or Photoshop to create a nude photo, then you go to: https://t.co/FHF9C0eehF and submit the original photo and the edited photo, then they will remove the edited photo from all the places on the Internet.#stopncii#AI
On 11th September, a Facebook user, Ajit Jha, who calls himself a content creator, made similar claims in a video.
Unfortunately, the misleading information has been going around social media for months, and strangely, even some self-proclaimed tech experts have made similar claims about the website and services.
StopNCII denied claims that it can remove images from ‘all over the internet’
On 14th September, OpIndia contacted StopNCII and asked them if the claims made by the social media users were true. After a few hours, we received a reply from them in which they categorically said that they prevent the non-consensual sharing of intimate images online through on-device hashing technology, but “only the industry platforms listed on the website are currently able to receive hashes from StopNCII.org and remove content.”
Source: Email from StopNCII
That means StopNCII CANNOT remove the content from all over the internet, they can remove content from only those platforms which are registered on their website. Please note that StopNCII is ONLY FOR ADULT VICTIMS. They do not provide services to minors or under 18 children.
What is StopNCII, how does it work and what are the limitations
StopNCII is a UK-based initiative operated by the Revenge Porn Helpline (RPH) that is part of the South West Grid for Learning or SWGfL. It is based on the technology built by Facebook and Instagram’s NCII pilot that began in 2018.
SWGfL is a non-government organisation founded in 2000 and works with partners and stakeholders worldwide to protect people online. The RPH was established in 2015 to support the victims of non-consensual intimate image abuse. The organisation claims to have a 90 per cent removal rate and said they have successfully removed over 200,000 images from the internet.
Suppose a person is a victim of revenge porn. In that case, he or she can visit the website and generate a digital fingerprint called a hash on the website for the original and edited photographs or videos. StopNCII will share it with its partner companies, and they will remove the content from their websites. Notably, StopNCII pointed out that partner companies will get information about explicit images from the organisation.
As per the website, the partner companies include Facebook (Meta), TikTok, Reddit, Instagram (Meta), Bumble, OnlyFans, Threads (Meta) and PornHub. As you can see, there are only eight industry partners, of which three come under Meta.
Meta and over 50 non-governmental organisations worldwide support the UK Revenge porn Helpline’s StopNCII initiative. The announcement was made by Meta in 2021. Meta also said, “Tech companies participating in StopNCII.org receive the hash and can use that to detect if someone has shared or is trying to share those images on their platforms.”
To get more information on the portal, its pros and cons, and what to do in case of someone become a victim of revenge porn, we talked in detail with Dr Ananth Prabhu G, Professor and Principal Investigator – Sahyadri. He is a Cyber Law and Security Expert and works with Karnataka Judicial, Police Academy and other National Academies.
Speaking to OpIndia, Dr Ananth said StopNCII and other websites organisations have been developed to combat the problem of non-consensual intimate image abuse. These platforms can be valuable resources, but they also have limitations.
StopNCII and other similar websites help raise awareness about the issue and help educate people about the consequences and legal implications. They often provide support and resources for the victims. For example, with the help of NGO networks and social media partners worldwide, StopNCII guides how to take legal action, remove content and cope with the emotional toll. These platforms also urge local governments to form stronger laws and regulations against such image abuse.
Coming to the limitations, websites like StopNCII have limited reach. For example, on the one hand, people are not aware of such portals, and on the other hand, the participating companies are fewer in number. Furthermore, laws regarding NCI sharing vary per jurisdiction, making it hard to provide universal advice.
Perpetrators of image abuse often use anonymous accounts, making it virtually impossible for these platforms to stop them without the help of law enforcement agencies.
Furthermore, these platforms have questionable effectiveness when removing content from the internet. Dr Ananth said, “The tool uses hash technology for the intimate images and photos. Image hashing is the process of using an algorithm to assign a unique hash value to an image. The participating companies look for the images and videos for the same hash value. For certain purposes, the system can be effective, such as quickly identifying duplicate images or verifying the integrity of an image file. “However, it is ineffective for tasks like searching for similar or visually related images,” he said.
Dr Ananth added, “Hash values are highly sensitive to even minor changes in an image. A small modification, such as resizing, cropping, or compression, can result in a completely different hash value, even if the visual content remains similar. Even storing in different formats.” Furthermore, as the hashing algorithms condense complex image data into fixed-length strings of characters (hashes), there is a significant chance of loss of image information. “As a result, visually similar images can produce very different hash values, making it challenging to identify them accurately,” he said.
Furthermore, it gets difficult if the images shared have minor or extensive changes in terms of colours, shapes, textures and more. Hash technology also has a history of generating false positives and negatives due to its limitations.
When asked about better technology, he said, “In contrast, modern image retrieval techniques, such as content-based image retrieval (CBIR) systems, use more advanced methods, including feature extraction, machine learning, and deep learning, to analyse and compare images based on their visual content. These methods consider a broader range of image characteristics, making them more effective for tasks like finding visually similar images or performing image searches based on content.”
Experts countering claims on social media
Cyber Safety Expert and founder of Akancha Against Harassment, Akancha Srivastava, also raised the concern on social media. Sharing the video made by Rohit, she wrote, “THIS IS A LIE, FALSE CLAIM! Nobody can remove anything from “ALL PLACES ON THE INTERNET”! How is the privacy of collected data being maintained??” She added that a complaint was filed with Maharashtra Cyber against malicious claims intended to mislead.
THIS IS A LIE, FALSE CLAIM! ⛔ Nobody can remove anything from "ALL PLACES ON THE INTERNET"! How is the privacy of collected data being maintained?? Submitted complaint to @MahaCyber1, this is malicious claim intended to mislead.@Cyberdostpic.twitter.com/kwIIXJ8wSu
Questioning the intentions of the social media influencers blindly posting such information, she wrote, “These social media influencers blindly post it for money without fact-checking. Who will be responsible for any tragedy tomorrow?! Where/how are these morphed/n*de pictures being stored??”
Please take note of these TOTAL false claims to mislead young girls blatantly @MumbaiPolice@DGPMaharashtra@CPMumbaiPolice Nobody can remove anything from *all places on the internet* ⛔ Why ask for the morphed/n*de pictures to be submitted, how is data protected? pic.twitter.com/5jiypW1g8B
Notably, Akancha also raised the alarm on the misleading information on StopNCII in August when an X user (now deleted), Dheeraj Roy, shared the misleading claim that StopNCII would remove explicit images from “all the places on the internet”.
Would love to have a conversation on this especially about removing from *all the places on the internet* That's quite a promise. Secondly, how does one ensure privacy and safety of data received by you? This is not criticism, genuinely wish to understand the process. https://t.co/HbcZOF0vpQ
On 10th September, she published a video providing details about the concerning trend going on about StopNCII.
This organization running an influencer marketing campaign asking for victim's morphed pictures so that they can *remove it from all the places on the internet* is an absolutely false claim floating on #SocialMedia! Dear girls & boys, please don't fall for it! ⛔ Watch ?#AAHpic.twitter.com/77GNnMZOIY
First of all, do not panic. Inform your family and friends about the situation so they know how it got leaked or if it was fake in case they come across any such imagery. Furthermore, file a complaint to the cybercrime portal cybercrime.gov.in. It is a Government of India initiative against cyber crimes. Your complaint will reach the concerned police station. You should also call 1930, a 24×7 helpline for the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. Make sure to collect all the screenshots and call recordings (if any) and approach the cyber crime police station in your area.
You should not hide the information from your friends and family, as they are your first line of emotional support in such cases. Always stay calm and do not panic. Make sure not to send money to the blackmailers, or else there is a significant chance you will get stuck in an infinite loop of harassment.
Despite being a genuine portal, StopNCII has more limitations than it is being propagated. The right thing to do is to approach the police if you are being harassed or blackmailed.
Three days after actor Naseeruddin Shah bemoaned the overwhelming response to Hindu-centric films such as ‘The Kashmir Files’ and ‘The Kerala Story,’ Bollywood actor Aamir Khan’s ex-wife Kiran Rao went on a similar rant. Speaking to Film Companion, the filmmaker said that she feels hurt when films with ‘regressive messaging’ are raking in money at the box office.
Kiran Rao is currently in Toronto, Canada for the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) where her directorial film Laapataa Ladies was screened. Kiran Rao’s particular rant can be heard at around 16 minutes into the interview.
Without naming any film or filmmaker in particular she said, “I suppose all filmmakers set out to make good films, the intention is often great. But so much has changed in terms of the market. The audience now has so many more options and you are reaching for all kinds of attention when you’re making a film. So I suppose, when it is a really regressive sort of messaging, and it makes hundreds of crores, it hurts. Because you had the opportunity and you could have pushed the needle in some direction and you didn’t. So those are the things that sometimes bother me.”
“Having said that, every filmmaker has their goals and they are going to do what they do. But it would be really nice if the big films, the kind that audiences love and earn lots at the box office, were also doing some of that important work for us. Building our society in a more positive way, not stereotyping people, in fact breaking some of those regressive ideas down or in some way opening up those conversations. I am not saying that all big films are not good but it would be great if we had more success of films that have better messaging. Having said that, films are not necessarily for social change,” she added.
Talking about her relationship with her ex-husband Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao said, “Aamir is the producer of my film. I have a wonderful relationship with him. Both my family and Aamir have supported me.”
Khan’s ex-wife Kiran Rao suggested leaving India
It may be recalled that in 2015, speaking on alleged increasing intolerance in the country, Aamir Khan claimed his ex-wife Kiran Rao had suggested leaving India as she felt unsafe in the country. Six years later, in 2021, the couple had announced divorce.
Naseeruddin Shah laments box office success of ‘The Kashmir Files’, and ‘The Kerala Story’
Interestingly, only three days prior to Kiran Rao’s remark, the film industry veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah had also cried foul over the overwhelming response of the audience to Hindu-centric movies such as ‘The Kashmir Files’ and ‘The Kerala Story.’
While speaking to Free Press Journal on September 11, Monday, he claimed, “Now the more jingoist you are the more popular you become, because this is what has been ruling this country. It’s not enough to love your country but beat drums about it and you have to create imaginary enemies.”
“What these people don’t realise is that what they are doing is very harmful. In fact, films like Kerala Story and Gadar 2, I haven’t seen, but I know what they are about, it’s disturbing that films like Kashmir Files are so massively popular…” Naseeruddin Shah lamented.
“So regressive is a pretty mild word for what’s going on, it’s frightening that filmmakers are being coopted into making films which praise all the wrong things and run down other communities for no reason at all. It’s a dangerous trend,” he brazened it out.
The Supreme Court on Thursday said that it will consider whether the manufacture and use of green crackers can be permitted or not and reserved the order on the issue.
A bench of justices AS Bopanna and MM Sundresh reserved the order after hearing the matter at length.
The top court was dealing with the issue relating to firecrackers. One of the pleas was filed by BJP leader Manoj Tiwari in 2022, challenging the blanket ban on firecrackers during Diwali celebrations in Delhi.
During the hearing, the court questioned whether they could act as a superior authority over the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and also remarked that one has to trust primary institutions.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the government, during the hearing, apprised the court that it was right that Barium was banned on the government proposal, but it was for the 2018 Diwali.
The court remarked that as of now everything is banned whether it is green or others.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati also apprised the court that Delhi Police has not issued any permanent licence on the firecrackers since 2016.
She also apprised the court that all permanent firework manufacturing licenses have been revoked and police will inspect all premises of licensees.
The court remarked that only punishing the ones who fired the crackers is not enough and authorities have to go to the source of these crackers.
Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan said that rich people can burst crackers worth lakhs and then go back to their air-conditioned homes with air purifiers.
He also pointed out that no health organization has said that barium is okay and asked to look into aspects of the harmful barium on health.
Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organization (PESO), in the affidavit, apprised the court about the Green Cracker approval process and said the Fireworks may be broadly classified as Sound Emitting; Light emitting and Combination fireworks.
However, with respect to light-emitting fireworks, the variation maybe four to five varieties with slight differences. The combination of fireworks uses both light and sound-emitting fireworks composition, PESO said.
“Accordingly, manufacturers licensed by PESO or District Magistrate with CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) and obtain improved formulation or New Formulation Fireworks Composition. After obtaining the same from CSIR-NEERI the manufacturers licensed by PESO make an application with PESO for approval of the said composition along with a certificate issued by NEERI,” the affidavit read.
“Accordingly, (approved composition) applications received from the manufacturers along with a certificate from NEERI for maintaining emission standards are processed and accorded in-principle approval by the respective offices of PESO strictly adhering to the timeline stipulated by the top court,” the affidavit added.
“For expediting usage of green crackers PESO has already instructed all the Fireworks manufacturers licensed by PESO to comply with the directives passed by this Court vide its order dated 23/10/2018. Accordingly, all fireworks manufacturers are advised to obtain an emission test report for improved formulation or new formulation (Green Cracker) Composition from CSIR-NEERI,” the affidavit further said.
In the last hearing, The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) on Thursday apprised the Supreme Court that about the measures being taken by the concerned agencies and the Fireworks Manufacturers to address the concerns raised by the top court earlier.
The Ministry of Environment also urged the Supreme Court to permit it to take steps for the smooth implementation and quality control of Green Crackers.
The Ministry meanwhile apprised the court about the measures being taken by the concerned agencies and the Fireworks Manufacturers to accept and address the concerns raised by the Supreme Court earlier.
The top court was hearing a plea relating to the use of firecrackers during Diwali festivals.
In 2021, the Supreme Court clarified there is no blanket ban on the use of firecrackers and only those fireworks which contain barium salts are prohibited.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
The prosecution in the ongoing trial for the murder of Dr Narendra Dabholkar informed the court on 13 September that their case had reached its conclusion. The veteran rationalist was killed on 20 August 2013, and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) presented its final report on the case in a special court in Pune.
The agency also advocated for the release of the three accused, Amol Kale, Rakesh Bangera and Amit Digwekar in the absence of any “prosecutable evidence” against them. The statements would now be recorded by the court during the subsequent hearing of the case. CBI dropped the names of five accused from the case, the other two being Manish Nagori and Vikas Khandelwal, who are already out on bail.
The trial court of Additional Sessions Judge P. P. Jadhav ended the cross-examination of the final prosecution witness in the case on 5 September. He was the former Superintendent of Police of the CBI S R Singh who served as an investigating officer. They were taken into custody by the agency in September 2018 and a Pune court issued them default bail in December 2018.
Sanjeev Punalekar, Vikram Bhave, Virendra Sinh Tawde, Sachin Andure, and Sharad Kalaskar were the five defendants included in the CBI’s chargesheet. Public prosecutor Prakash Suryawanshi stated, “In the final report, we mentioned that we have not filed a chargesheet against (the other five) accused Manish Nagori, Vikas Khandelwal, Amol Kale, Rajesh Bangera and Amit Degvekar as there was no prosecutable evidence against them,” in the court on 14 September.
He further added, “Nagori and Khandelwal got the default bail as no one identified them during the test identification parade and no chargesheet was filed against them. Besides, the CBI did not file a chargesheet against Kale, Bangera and Degvekar and in the final report, we mentioned that no chargesheet was filed against these three accused as there was no evidence found against them.”
The court was requested in the final report which was submitted by CBI deputy superintendent of police Vikas Kumar Meena and countersigned by deputy inspector general of police Sadanand Date to take the same into account and permit the agency to wrap up additional probe into the matter.
According to the document, the CBI would conduct a further investigation with the court’s approval if fresh evidence emerged. It added that the agency was attempting to track down Sarang Akolkar and Vinay Pawar who were both missing and first listed as the shooters in order to examine them to uncover the greater conspiracy behind the occurrence.
Furthermore, on behalf of the CBI, special public prosecutor Prakash Suryavanshi submitted a pursis (written statement) informing the court that the evidence against “key conspirator” Virendrasinh Tawde, alleged shooters Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar and two others who were put on trial in the case had been closed. The defence counsel was directed by the court to submit their written response to the final report by 18 September when the case is scheduled to be heard again.
The investigation by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS) into the Nalasopara guns haul case and the Karnataka Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the murder of Bengaluru journalist Gauri Lankesh on 5 September 2017, brought attention to the participation of Amol Kale, Rakesh Bangera and Amit Digwekar in the case.
They were apprehended by the CBI in September 2018, but on 14 December of that year, a Pune court granted them default bail due to the agency’s failure to file a chargesheet against them within 90 days of their confinement and asked for another 90-day extension for doing it under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act which was invoked in the case.
The three are also charged as culprits in the case along with others. Amol Kale and Amit Digwekar have also been linked with the killing of seasoned Communist leader Govind Pansare on 20 February 2015 in Kolhapur. The trio is currently being held at a jail in Bengaluru.
The final report provided background information and specifics about the Dabholkar murder case as well as information about the CBI, state anti-terrorism unit and Pune police investigations. It read that the crime scene detailed by Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar had been recreated by the agency.
The part played by Amol Kale had been mentioned in the supplemental chargesheet submitted against the duo. However, the research noted that no independent witness came forward to support the statements made by the pair concerning him. The next hearing of the case is set for 18 September.
Following the other side’s response, the process to record the accused’s remarks in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) 313(C) would get underway. The court is going to query the defence whether it intends to call any witnesses during the trial after their testimonies.
The anti-superstition activist was shot dead by two bike-borne assailants on the V R Shinde bridge in Pune at 7:15 a.m. on 20 August around 10 years ago while he was on a morning walk on the Vitthal Ramji Shinde bridge near Omkareshwar temple.
An ear, nose and tongue (ENT) surgeon, Dr. Virendrasinh Tawade along with two alleged attackers named Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar were charged in September 2016 and February 2019, respectively.
Mumbai-based attorney Sanjeev Punalekar and his assistant Vikram Bhave were charge-sheeted in November 2019. All of the accused are at present standing trial for the crime. Sanatan Sanstha reportedly has ties to all of them. Five individuals were charged by a Pune special court on 15 September 2021 which kicked off the proceedings.
The Supreme Court of India on 14th September joined the National Judicial Data Grid platform which provides tracking of pendency of cases. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud announced the step saying that this will integrate the Supreme Court’s real-time case data with the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) portal.
The portal will be updated in real-time and give details of all pending cases. “It is a historic day. It is a unique platform which is developed by the NIC and in house team of the Supreme Court. Now, at the click of a button, you can see real-time information on the pendency of cases, year-wise, total pendency of registered and unregistered cases, number of cases decided qoram-wise,” CJI DY Chandrachud said im the open court before starting the day’s proceedings.
“What we are doing for the High Courts and district courts should also be done for the Supreme Court,” the CJI added.
It is notable that district courts and high courts of the country are already under the National Judicial Data Grid, and with the Supreme Court joining it, the entire judiciary is now under the portal as all three tiers of the Indian judiciary are now on the NJDG portal. NJDG is recognized as a significant innovation under the ease of doing business initiative of the Government of India.
The NJDG portal is a national repository of data relating to cases instituted, pending and disposed of by the courts across the length and breadth of the country. Now with a click of a button, one may access case-related information, statistics such as institution, pendency and disposal of cases, case types, and year-wise break-up of the Supreme Court of India.
NJDG has been developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in close coordination with the in-house software development team of the Computer Cell, Registry with an interactive interface and analytics dashboard. The entire database shall be periodically updated on the NJDG portal.
NJDG is sui generis as it has brought transparency and accountability within the realm of the Indian judicial system by sharing all relevant data of cases instituted, pending and disposed of. The introduction of the portal has brought several benefits to the citizens like increased transparency, accountability and responsibility, improved efficiency, increased coordination, informed decision making, optimum deployment of resources and manpower, single source of data, and huge potential for high-quality research work.
PM Narendra Modi lauded the initiative by the Supreme Court to join the NJDG portal. He posted on X, “Laudatory step by the Supreme Court and CJI DY Chandrachud Ji. Such harnessing of technology will further transparency and enhance the justice delivery system in our country.”
Laudatory step by the Supreme Court and CJI DY Chandrachud Ji. Such harnessing of technology will further transparency and enhance the justice delivery system in our country. https://t.co/oAGZ03eOHY
The homepage NJDG portal has three different sub-portals, Supreme Court, High Courts, and District and Taluka Courts. All the portals feature a dashboard on the homepage which provides statistics of all the pending cases in all three levels of judiciary. It also has data on cases by category like criminal and civil, by age of the cases, by types of cases like original, appeal, application and execution, by stage of the case, and many other criteria.
Apart from the main dashboard, there are two more dashboards on the portals, the Pending Dashboard and the Disposed Dashboard, which provide detailed data on pending and disposed cases. The data is available for the entire country, for states, and for individual districts.
According to the portal, at present a total of 4,44,16,735 cases are pending in the district courts of India, which includes 1,10,59,799 civil cases and 3,33,56,936 criminal cases. 62.08% of the cases are over 1 year old.
The number of total pending cases in the Supreme Court is 80,501, including 62,946 civil cases and 17,555 criminal cases.
On the other hand, 60,72,047 cases are pending in the High Courts, which include 43,63,704 civil cases and 17,08,343 criminal cases.
After France ordered Apple Inc. the American multinational tech company to stop selling iPhone 12 due to above-threshold radiation levels, Belgium also said on Thursday, September 14 that it would review potential health risks linked to the iPhone model launched in 2020.
“It is my duty to make sure all citizens … are safe”, Mathieu Michel, state secretary for digitalisation, said in a statement emailed to Reuters on Thursday.
I have rapidly reached out to the IBPT-BIPT (regulator) to ask for an analysis about the potential danger of the product”, Michel said, adding that he had also asked the regulator to review all Apple smartphones, as well as devices made by other producers, at a later stage.
The German network regulator BNetzA stated that it was in close communication with French officials and may initiate similar procedures. The Dutch digital watchdog also stated that it was looking into the situation and will be requesting an explanation from the US tech giant.
France bans sales of Apple’s iPhone 12
On Tuesday, September 12, France’s radiation watchdog banned sales of Apple’s iPhone 12 after tests that it said showed the smartphone breached European radiation exposure limits.
The Agence Nationale des Frequences (ANFR) said that the model’s Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) – a measure of the rate of radiofrequency energy absorbed by the body from a piece of equipment – was higher than legally allowed.
Speaking to the local newspaper Le Parisien, Jean-Noel Barrot, France’s junior minister for the digital economy said that a software update could resolve the issue. If Apple does not remedy the issue, the ANFR said it will order a nationwide recall of the gadget.
Apple denies radiation claims
Apple, meanwhile, denied the watchdog’s findings, claiming that the iPhone 12 has been validated by various international organisations as meeting global radiation guidelines. The tech giant said it had provided ANFR multiple Apple and independent third-party lab results proving its compliance.
Russian Ministry bans iPhones and iPads for work over fear of espionage
Notably, the Russian Ministry of Digital Development, last month, prohibited employees from using Apple iPhones and iPads for professional use. Russian Minister Maksut Shadaev said that the ban will be enforced on usage of Apple devices for accessing work applications and email exchanges, however, the employees will be allowed to use Apple iPhones and iPads for personal use.
The ban came two months after the Russian main Federal Security Service or the FSB, claimed that thousands of Apple devices had been infiltrated as a result of a US espionage operation. The accusations, however, were refuted by Apple saying that it does not work with any government to make backdoors into any of the Apple products.
It was reported in March of this year that the Kremlin had instructed officials engaged in the preparations for Russia’s presidential election in 2024 to refrain from using iPhones.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has released the provisional Wholesale Price Index (WPI) figures for August, indicating that India’s annual wholesale price inflation rate stood at (-)0.52 per cent.
This represents a notable improvement compared to the (-)1.36 per cent recorded in July 2023, read the Ministry of Commerce and Industry press release.
The primary reason behind this negative inflation rate is the decline in prices across various sectors, including mineral oils, basic metals, chemical & chemical products, textiles, and food products, when compared to the same month last year, read the press release.
The WPI index for all commodities was 152.4, with an inflation rate of (-)0.52 per cent, primary articles category witnessed an inflation rate of 6.34 per cent, with a WPI index of 189.6, the inflation rate for fuel and power was at 2.96 per cent, with a WPI index of 149.6, manufactured products category recorded a WPI index of 139.8 and an inflation rate of (-)2.37 per cent, read the press release.
The food index reported an inflation rate of 5.62 per cent, with a WPI index of 186.1.
In terms of month-over-month changes, the WPI index increased by 0.33 per cent in August 2023 compared to July 2023, read the release
Notable changes were observed in various categories, including primary articles, fuel & power, and manufactured products.
Prices of Crude Petroleum and Natural Gas (5.25 per cent), Minerals (3.56 per cent), and Non-food Articles (0.25 per cent) increased in August 2023 compared to July 2023. However, prices of Food Articles (-1.52 per cent) declined during the same period, read the release.
Fuel and Power category saw a significant increase of 2.96 per cent in August 2023, primarily due to higher prices of Mineral Oils (4.02 per cent) and Electricity (1.79 per cent).
Out of 22 National Informatics Centre.(NIC) two-digit groups for manufactured products, 15 groups witnessed price increases, with food products, electrical equipment, and other manufacturing contributing to the rise.
On the other hand, 6 groups, including chemical & chemical products, paper & paper products, and machinery & equipment, experienced price decreases in August 2023.
The WPI Food Index, which accounts for 24.38% of the WPI, decreased from 187.7 in July 2023 to 186.1 in August 2023. The rate of inflation based on the WPI Food Index also declined from 7.75% in July 2023 to 5.62% in August 2023, read the press release.
These WPI figures indicate a mixed economic landscape, with inflation rates varying across sectors. The Ministry of Commerce & Industry will release the WPI for September 2023 on October 16, 2023, providing further insights into the country’s economic trends.
For more detailed information and the complete dataset, you can visit the Ministry of Commerce & Industry’s official website at http://eaindustry.nic.in.
Please note that these figures are provisional and subject to revision based on the final revision policy of WPI.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
New and strange dimensions are being given by the Opposition to the “eradicate Sanatana Dharma” call given by Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin. Now, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and DMK ally in the I.N.D.I Alliance has said that it is the BJP that is playing politics on the issue.
AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj defended the DMK saying that the party’s ideology was always athiesm. He used this logic to say that the BJP was in alliance with the DMK in 1999 despite knowing that it was an atheist party, asking why BJP is questioning them now.
“What right does the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have now that it is questioning the DMK? Why did you run the government with them when they were following the same ideology?” the Delhi minister asked.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh too took his attack up a notch saying that it is the BJP and PM Modi who have harmed the Hindu faith the most of all. This comes two days after AAP leader Raghav Chadha said that Udhayanidhi Stalin’s comments cannot be considered the official stand of the Opposition alliance.
Chadha said, “I am from Sanatan Dharma. I condemn and oppose such statements. Such kind of statements should not be made. One should stay away from making such remarks on any religion. We should respect all religions.”
Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Modi while addressing a gathering in Bina, Madhya Pradesh, said that the I.N.D.I Alliance wants to erase Sanatana Dharma and push the country back into slavery for 1,000 years. Terming the opposition bloc as ‘ghamandiya’ (arrogant) the PM said that they have decided on a “hidden agenda” to destroy ‘Sanatan Dharma’ which gave inspiration to Swami Vivekananda and Lokmanya Tilak.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on 13 September said that Sanatan Dharma is the national religion of Bharat. “Unfortunately, some people are trying to put the Hindu identity within a narrow ambit. When Muslims from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh go to Mecca for Hajj (holy Muslim pilgrimage) they are addressed as Hindus in Saudi Arabia because it’s not a caste-related word, but a sign of cultural salutation of Bharat,” the UP CM said.
On 13th September 2023, Colonel Manpreet Singh, Major Ashish Dhonchak, and DSP Humayun Bhat made supreme sacrifices for the nation while fighting against terrorists in Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir. Amid this backdrop, Shaurya Chakra winner Major Pawan Kumar (Retired) shared a post on X in which he criticised Indian cricket fans, especially those of batter Virat Kohli for enjoying a cricket match against Pakistan when the brave officers were fighting against the terrorists. Following this, Virat Kohli’s fans on X attacked the retired military veteran and insulted him and the Indian army through their replies.
Major Pawan Kumar shared Colonel Manpreet Singh’s photograph in his post and said, “Remember this face who got killed in action fighting against the Pakistani-sponsored terrorists. Remember this face once when you enjoy the next match with Pakistan Remember his family when you say that all Pakistanis are not terrorists. To hell with Virat Kohli and his fans who love Pakistanis, who hug Pakistanis and who lols with the Pakistani Terrorists Bharat should immediately stop all extracurricular activities with Pakistan, and kick their diplomats back. We don’t want a seat in UNSC. Care for thy soldiers. Don’t take their lives for granted.”
Remember this face who got killed in action fighting against the Pakistani sponsored terrorists.
Remember this face once when you enjoy the next match with Pakistan
Remember his family when you say that all Pakistanis are not terrorists
— Major Pawan Kumar, Shaurya Chakra (Retd) ?? (@major_pawan) September 13, 2023
Major Pawan Kumar also shared a few more posts of other X users who staunchly opposed the cricket matches between India and Pakistan. Major Pawan Kumar was attacked by the online fans of Virat Kohli who replied to Major Pawan Kumar’s post and the posts of other X users he shared.
One Stuud posted, “You deserve belt treatment from terrorists for making derogatory marks on Virat Kohli. I am sorry I am using these words. But the type of person you are, you deserve the worst things possible.”
Another X handle @Retired_hurt posted, “Virat’s 82 is greater than fluke Shaurya Chakra.”
One Shmsher Ahmed wrote, “Why Virat Kohli Sir? The blame lies at the top. Why did BCCI agree to play with Pakistan? We should ask the question to BCCI officials, not to players. He is serving the Nation at his best.”
Why @imVkohli Sir? The blame lies at the top. Why did BCCI agree to play with Pakistan? We should ask the question to BCCI officials, not to players. He is serving the Nation at his best.
Pradeep Rawat posted, “Why blame the player?? Height of hypocrisy! Blame BCCI! Blame Govt! Why were they allowed to play with Pakistan? Kohli is not to be blamed, He is a modern-day great and the power of playing or not is not with him!”
Why blame the player?? Height of hypocrisy ! Blame BCCI ! Blame Govt ! Why did they allow to play with Pakistan? Kohli is not to be blamed, He is a modern day great and power of playing or not is not with him!
One Vedant posted, “What’s your issue with Virat? He represents the country on the international level and A person should be polite when he represents the whole country in front of the world. You should ask to BCCI and ICC to arrange things such that both teams don’t play with each other.”
What's your issue with Virat. He Represents country on international level and A person should be polite when he represents whole country in front of the world. You should ask it to @BCCI and @ICC to arrange things such that both teams don't play with each other. (1)
It is notable that Major Pawan Kumar (Retired) is a Shaurya Chakra winner. He was in the 34th Battalion of the Jat Regiment of the Indian Army. He worked in the Rashtriya Rifles. In September 2017, a prominent terrorist, the longest-surviving in the valley, made an attempt to infiltrate from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir under the cover of darkness, thick foliage, boulders, and terrain folds. He engaged the Indian troops effectively with lethal gunfire. Dealing with such a formidable adversary required precise indirect fire. Major Pawan, fully aware of the critical circumstances and the threat to our troops, exhibited remarkable courage. Despite facing a barrage of enemy fire, he fearlessly crawled through the terrain folds to approach the terrorist.
Those who are attacking major pawan just watch this ? and ask ur self who u are trolling have some shame stop attacking our real heroes because of some celebrity pic.twitter.com/AsfKeRyIVd
Major Pawan took action by throwing a grenade at the terrorist, compelling the enemy to reveal himself. In a fierce confrontation at close quarters, he successfully neutralised the threat by eliminating the terrorists. This act not only preserved the lives of our troops but also thwarted the resurgence of terrorism in the valley. Major Pawan Kumar’s unwavering determination, commitment to duty, extraordinary bravery, and sheer courage in eliminating the hardcore terrorist were truly commendable. He was awarded with Shaurya Chakra by former President Ramnath Kovind. Now, Virat Kohli fans on social media platform X are abusing him for his opinion that no cricket match should be played with Pakistan when Pakistani terrorists are killing our soldiers.
