Home Blog Page 3488

‘You can’t give permission, that’s my right’, speaker Om Birla shuts up Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘You can’t give permission, that’s my right’, speaker Om Birla shuts up Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha

On Wednesday, February 2, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha Om Birla schooled Wayanad MP and Congress senior leader Rahul Gandhi for interfering with Parliamentary norms during the debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s speech in the Lok Sabha. It was when the senior Congress leader ‘permitted’ another MP to speak in between a segment of his speech, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla lambasted the Congress politician, saying, “You can’t give permission, that’s my right.”

Speaking first from the Opposition side on motion of thanks to the President’s speech in the Lok Sabha, the Congress leader, at around 25 minutes into the video, is seen taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying “The King does not listen to anybody”.

While criticising the BJP for not listening to anyone, the Gandhi scion said, “You do not listen to anybody and even not to my dear brother and sister in the BJP. I saw my Dalit colleague speak today, Paswanji. He knows the history of Dalit. He knows who has oppressed the Dalits for 3,000 years. But he is speaking with hesitancy. He is speaking without… I am proud of him. I am proud of this gentleman. He has spoken to me what is in his heart. But he is in the wrong party. Don’t worry… ghabraiye mat,” Rahul Gandhi said as he was criticising PM Modi and the BJP government.

When BJP MP Kamlesh Paswan was mentioned by Rahul Gandhi, Paswan rose up in protest, and the House descended into chaos. Paswan made a hand gesture towards the Speaker, requesting permission to speak out of turn. Om Birla retaliated by asking him to sit down. “Nahi beech mein nahi…baad main” (No… not in between..later), Om Birla tells told leader. At this point, the Congress leader very confidently asked Paswan to stop talking and turned to Om Birla and said: “Speaker sir… I am a democratic person… I will allow him to speak.”

The visibly irked Om Birla rebuked the Gandhi scion right away, informing him that giving permission to speak in the Lok Sabha is his right and not of the Congress leader. “Aap kisi ko ijazaat nahi de sakte, yeh adhikar mera hain” (You cannot give permission to anyone, this is my right), said Om Birla, leaving Rahul Gandhi completely embarrassed.

Similar to how Rahul Gandhi was schooled inside the Lok Sabha by Speaker Om Birla, many ministers also slammed Rahul Gandhi after he replied to the debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s address in Lok Sabha on Wednesday. 

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi opined: “He (Rahul Gandhi) is a confused, mindless leader. He said that India is not a country. He said China’s vision is very clear. Have you come here to support China? Tibet problem is because of Congress only”, Joshi said hitting out at Rahul Gandhi.

S Jaishankar attacked the Congress senior leader by saying: “In Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi said we could not get a foreign guest for Republic Day. Those who live in India know we were in the midst of a corona wave. The 5 Central Asian Presidents, who were to come, did hold a virtual summit on Jan 27. Did Rahul Gandhi miss that as well?

Similarly, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju slammed Rahul Gandhi by Tweeting: “Not only as India’s Law Minister but also as an ordinary citizen, I condemn what Mr Rahul Gandhi has said about India’s judiciary and EC. These are vital institutions of our democracy. Mr Rahul Gandhi should immediately apologise to the people, judiciary and EC.

Rijuju was responding to Rahul Gandhi’s remark where he had said that the “Judiciary, the Election Commission, Pegasus, these are all instruments of destroying the voice of the union of states.”

EAM Dr S Jaishankar schools Rahul Gandhi with history lessons, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju condemns him for his remarks on the judiciary, EC

OpIndia Staff
-
0
EAM Dr S Jaishankar schools Rahul Gandhi with history lessons, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju condemns him for his remarks on the judiciary, EC

Externals Affair Ministry Dr S Jaishankar on Wednesday schooled senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with history lessons after he accused the Modi government of being responsible for the closer ties between China and Pakistan

Speaking at Motion of Thanks to President’s address during Budget session 2022, Gandhi accused the central government of bringing China and Pakistan together. “The single biggest strategic goal of India’s foreign policy has been to keep Pakistan and China separate. What you have done is, you have brought them together,” he proclaimed.

Responding to this allegation, Dr Jaishankar took to Twitter and shared some historical facts about the close relationship between China and Pakistan. The External Affairs Minister said Pakistan illegally handed over the Shaksgam Valley to China in 1963 while China built the Karakoram highway through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the 1970s.

In a subsequent tweet, Dr Jaishankar added that the two countries had closer nuclear ties from the 1970s onwards. He also mentioned China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which was started in 2013, a year before PM Modi came to power at the Centre.

“So ask yourself: were China and Pakistan distant then?” EAM Jaishankar asked.

Besides, Dr Jaishankar also rebutted Gandhi for his remarks that India could not get a single dignitary for the Republic Day celebrations this year.

“Ask yourselves why you are not able to get a guest on Republic Day. Today India is completely isolated & surrounded. We are surrounded by Sri Lanka, Nepal, Burma, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China. Everywhere we are surrounded. Our opponents understand our position,” Gandhi had said.

In response to this, Dr Jaishankar said India could not get a foreign guest because the country was in the midst of a coronavirus wave. Taking a swipe at the Gandhi scion, Jaishankar tweeted, “The 5 Central Asian Presidents, who were to come, did hold a virtual summit on Jan 27. Did Rahul Gandhi miss that as well?”

Law Minister Kiren Rijiju condemns Rahul Gandhi for raising aspersions on the integrity of the judiciary, EC

Earlier, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju condemned Rahul Gandhi’s statements and asked the Wayanad MP to apologise to the nation for raising aspersions on the integrity of the judiciary and Election Commission.

Taking to Twitter, Rijiju said, “Not only as India’s Law Minister but also as an ordinary citizen, I condemn what Rahul Gandhi has said about India’s judiciary and EC. These are vital institutions of our democracy. Rahul Gandhi should immediately apologise to the people, judiciary and EC.”

At the Lok Sabha, Gandhi had said, “The Judiciary, the Election Commission, Pegasus, these are all instruments of destroying the voice of the union of states.”

Mumbai court issues summons to Mamata Banerjee for disrespecting the national anthem

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Mumbai court issues summons to Mamata Banerjee for disrespecting the national anthem

A metropolitan magistrate court at Mazgaon in Mumbai issued a summons to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday 2nd February 2022, for disrespecting the national anthem. Advocate Vivekanand Gupta, Secretary, BJP Mumbai, had filed a complaint against her on 1st December 2021 after she was seen “showing utter disrespect to the national anthem” by allegedly singing it while in a sitting position and then “abruptly stopping after 4 or 5 lines”. On 1st December 2021, Mamata Banerjee was present as a guest in a public function organized at Y B Chavan Auditorium in south Mumbai, where the incident happened.

The metropolitan magistrate has observed that Mamata Banerjee has prima facie committed an offence punishable under section 3 of the Prevention of Insult to National Honour Act, 1971. This section prescribes punishment of up to three years imprisonment or fine or both for intentionally preventing someone from singing the Indian National Anthem or causing a disturbance.

A complaint was filed in Cuffe Parade police station.

In his order, the metropolitan magistrate P I Mokashi has said “The accused was accompanied by Javed Akthar and Pawan Verma on the dais. At the end of the program, the accused started singing the national anthem in a sitting position, and later on, she stood up and sang two more verses and abruptly stopped singing and left the venue.”

The magistrate heard the case in detail before issuing the summons.

The magistrate himself watched the evidence video on a laptop and ruled that the event was not a government function or any official program, and even though she is a CM, she was not discharging her official duties. Therefore, no prior sanction is needed to proceed against her and there is no bar on the same. Advocate Gupta cited a judgment given by the Bombay High Court in February 2021 to prove that the offence is cognizable and non-bailable. The magistrate found that the evidence on record was sufficient to issue a process against the West Bengal chief minister.

The process has initiated against Mamata Banerjee under a punishable offense.

The court has now posted the matter for further hearing on March 2.

Digital Rupee will be backed by RBI, other cryptocurrencies will never be legal tenders: Finance Secretary

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Digital Rupee will be backed by RBI, other cryptocurrencies will never be legal tenders: Finance Secretary

After Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that RBI will launch a digital Rupee in her budget speech yesterday, Finance Secretary TV Somanathan has confirmed that India’s digital currency will be backed by the Reserve Bank of India which will be the only legal digital currency in the country. In a post-budget briefing in Delhi on Wednesday, the North Block official said that the money will be issued by the RBI but the nature will be ‘digital’. He also added that other digital currencies or cryptocurrencies will never become legal tender in the country.

“Digital rupee issued by the RBI will be a legal tender. Rest all aren’t legal tender, will not, will never become legal tender” he said in the press conference. Somanathan has advised that other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum or NFT will never become legal tenders. Instead, these cryptocurrencies will be considered as assets where investments can be made. “Crypto assets are assets whose value will be determined between two people. You can buy gold, diamond, crypto, but that will have not have the value authorization by the government” he added.

Secretary Somanathan further said, “People investing in private crypto should understand that it does not have the authorisation of the government. There is no guarantee whether your investment will be successful or not, one may suffer losses and govt is not responsible for this”. While making the government’s stance clear on the issue, the FM had announced in her budget that an RBI-issued ‘Digital Rupee’ will be introduced as a digital currency, and the government will levy a 30 per cent tax on gains made from any other private digital assets from April 1, 2021.

Taking a definite stand on the cryptocurrency issue, Central Government’s Budget 2022-23 stands out by regulating digital currencies while charging a 30% tax on income generated through it. Whilst, it has been now confirmed that other currencies will not have legal tender, the Digital rupee backed by RBI will stand as the only legal digital currency in the market.

Rajasthan: Model attempts suicide after she was blackmailed to honeytrap revenue minister, implicate him in sex scandal

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Rajasthan: Model attempts suicide after she was blackmailed to honeytrap revenue minister, implicate him in sex scandal

A model who had attempted to commit suicide by jumping from a hotel in Jodhpur in Rajasthan on Sunday, January 30, was forced to honeytrap the state’s revenue minister Ramlal Jat, revealed the Rajasthan police as they arrested Akshat Sharma alias Sagar alias Chinnu and Dipali from Udaipur for blackmailing the girl.

The police said that the duo was forcing the model, who was associating the former for modelling assignment in Udaipur, to honeytrap the minister in the Ashok Gehlot government. They also coerced her to implicate Revenue Minister Ram Lal Jat in a sex scandal, said the police.

Accused duo shot an explicit video and used it to blackmail model to implicate the minister in a sex scandal, reveals the Rajasthan police

Jodhpur DCP (East) Bhuvan Bhushan Yadav said that during the preliminary interrogation, it was revealed that the accused had recorded an explicit video of the model and used it to blackmail her to implicate the minister in a sex scandal. They reportedly took her to Bhilwara on Saturday and tried to force her to sleep with the minister, but she was able to flee Bhilwara and return to Jodhpur. When she arrived in Jodhpur, she notified her family about the situation. Instead of returning home, she went to a hotel and jumped from the top floor.

Fortunately, she landed on a car below. Her father, who hurried to the hotel after getting the news of the attempted suicide, rushed her to the hospital with several fractures and in an unconscious state. On Tuesday, after she regained consciousness, she gave her statement to the police.

“Based on her statements, we arrested Akshat and Dipali. They have a record of honey trapping rich and important persons in the past,” said Yadav.

The DCP further stated that the accused duo had recorded a video of the model bathing and used it to coerce her into honey trapping the minister. The two wanted the minister to clear some files, which he had refused to do during a meeting with them in the Bhilwara Circuit House.

State renenue minister responds after the scandal cane to light

Speaking about the incident, Revenue Minister Ram Lal Jat said on Wednesday that two ladies posing as journalists had met him in connection with some work, but he had told them it couldn’t be done because the matter was unrelated to his department. The minister stated that he was unfamiliar with the women.

“When I was in Bhilwara, two women called my PA on Friday night, seeking an appointment. As it was too late, I asked the PA to call them next morning at a public hearing,” the Rajasthan minister said.

He added that a man had also called him earlier claiming to be the head of a news channel. Later, the women introduced themselves as reporters from the channel. They met him on Saturday morning, according to Jat, and showed him a paper.

“I went through it but the matter was not related to my department and I told them that clearly. I have never met them before. After I turned them down, they left,” the minister said in Jaipur.

Meanwhile, Police said that the accused Akshat Sharma, who is from Jaipur, has a criminal background and was arrested in a case of honey trap in the past also. Both the accused are being interrogated.

Reacting to the issue, Rajasthan Minister Pratap Khachariyawas said that revenue minister Ram Lal Jat has innocent. “Honey trap cases and conspiracies have been underway since the inception of dynasties,” Khachariyawas said.

“Earlier, kings were killed in this way. So these conspiracies will happen in politics. But what can the minister do? He didn’t know anything,” Khachariyawas added.

Madhya Pradesh honey-trap racket

It may be recalled that a major high profile honey-trap racket was uncovered in Madhya Pradesh in 2019 in which 13 IAS officers, a former Chief Minister and Governor was possibly honey-trapped by a gang. The wife of the state coordinator of Congress party’s IT Cell was also arrested for her involvement in the racket.

The Special Investigative Team (SIT) that was formed to investigate the high profile honey-trap racket, had confiscated nearly 4,000 files containing screenshots of sex chats, videos of officers in compromising positions, and audio clips have so far been recovered from laptops and mobile phones from the honeytrap ring.

The arrested women in the honey-trapping racket are identified as 39-year-old Shweta Vijay Jain, 48-year-old Shweta Swapnil Jain, 35-year-old Barkha Soni (wife of former Congress IT cell vice-president), 34-year-old Aarti Dayal and an 18-year-old college student. Omprakash Kori, 34, who drives Aarti Dayal’s car was also arrested.

Shweta, the kingpin, had reportedly confessed that she had trapped dozens of college girls and made them sleep with bureaucrats and politicians. Videos were made of these sexual escapades and these videos were then used by the gang to extort money.

‘Judiciary, Election Commission, Pegasus are instruments used by Modi govt to suppress voices of people’: Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Judiciary, Election Commission, Pegasus are instruments used by Modi govt to suppress voices of people’: Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the Modi government of using Judiciary, Election Commission, Pegasus as instruments of destroying the voice of the Union of states.

“The Judiciary, the Election Commission, Pegasus, these are all instruments of destroying the voice of the union of states,” Rahul Gandhi said in Lok Sabha while speaking on Motion of Thanks to President’s address during Budget session 2022.

However, soon after the Gandhi scion raised aspersions on the judiciary, election commission and branded them as puppets of the central government, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju condemned his statements and asked the Wayanad MP to apologise to the nation. Taking to Twitter, Rijiju said, “Not only as India’s Law Minister but also as an ordinary citizen, I condemn what Rahul Gandhi has said about India’s judiciary and EC. These are vital institutions of our democracy. Rahul Gandhi should immediately apologise to the people, judiciary and EC.”

Besides, the former Congress president also tried to corner the Centre on the issue of China and Pakistan. Stating that the Chinese have a very clear vision of what they want to do, Gandhi accused the central government of bringing China and Pakistan together. “The single biggest strategic goal of India’s foreign policy has been to keep Pakistan and China separate. What you have done is, you have brought them together,” he proclaimed.

“Do not be under any illusion, do not underestimate the force that is standing in front of you. You have brought Pakistan and China together. This is the single biggest crime that you could commit against the people of India,” Gandhi added.

Hijab row at another Karnataka college: Students turn up with saffron scarves protesting against Muslim girls wearing Hijab in classroom

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Hijab row at another Karnataka college: Students turn up with saffron scarves protesting against Muslim girls wearing Hijab in classroom

As the Hijab row in a college in Udupi in Karnataka refuses to cool down, a similar controversy has occurred in another college in the state. The latest Hijab issue from Government Junior College in Kunadapur, where Hindu boys are protesting against Muslim girls coming to the college wearing Hijab. On Wednesday, around 100 Hindu students came to the college with saffron scarves around their necks to protest against Muslim girls continuing to wear Hijab to the college.

Reportedly, 27 Muslim girls who study in the college had been coming to the campus wearing hijab, which is being protested by other students. As the girls refused to remove the Hijabs after they were asked to do so by the other students, some boys decided to come to the college with saffron scarves.

After the controversy erupted, Kundapur MLA Haladi Srinivas Shetty along with the school management held a meeting with the parents of Muslim students, but the issue could not be resolved as the parents refused to let their children come to the college without Hijab. The parents said that the Muslim girls have a right to wear hijab in the college and said that it was not fair to bring religion among the students in the educational institutions. “Our students are not wearing Burkha but are only wearing Hijab. It is not good to bring religion among the students in the educational institution,” the Muslim parents said.

“If you don’t want our students to wear Hijab in the college, let the Principal give written instructions for the same, and then we will decide whether to send our students to the college or not,” the parents further added.

In the videos from the meeting that went viral on social media, Muslim parents argued that they never discriminated against any religion and sent their children to the college during all Hindu festivals. “When it comes to Hijab it is mandatory. We have to do it. Don’t discriminate between them. They come here to study,” said a parent in the video.

Responding to the stand taken by Muslim students and their parents, Hindu students said that they will continue to wear saffron scarves until the Hijab is banned on the campus.

According to the reports, the MLA has said that he will initiate action against those wearing Hijab and Saffron scarfs to the college as the meeting ended without any conclusive decision. This is a day after students of the girl’s pre-university college in Udupi district moved to the Karnataka High Court seeking to allow the right to wear a hijab inside the classroom.

The petition stated that the student’s right to wear a hijab is a fundamental right guaranteed under Article 14 and 25 of the Constitution and is an essential practice of Islam. The petition also sought to permit students to attend classes wearing hijab without any interference from the college administration.

The controversy has been raging since early January that has forced the state to call for a committee to look into the matter and take a call on pre-university college uniforms across the state. Management under the new state guidelines has asked girl students to skip wearing hijab while in the college. Eight girl students have constantly refused to the guideline in practice of the Islamic faith.

The actions of the college administration are unconstitutional, arbitrary and exclusionary in nature, the petition claims as the college in Udupi denied entry to eight students wearing hijab. The first hearing in the case is expected to be held by the end of this week.

1,700 Kashmiri Pandits appointed by the J&K government since the abrogation of article 370: Centre in Rajya Sabha

OpIndia Staff
-
0
1,700 Kashmiri Pandits appointed by the J&K government since the abrogation of article 370: Centre in Rajya Sabha

Since 5th August 2019 when article 370 was abrogated and the state was converted into two separate union territories, nearly 1700 Kashmiri Pandits were appointed by the Jammu and Kashmir government in various departments. This information was provided in Rajya Sabha by Nityanand Rai, the Union Minister of States for home affairs, on Wednesday. He has further said that as per the data provided by the government of Jammu and Kashmir, 44,684 Kashmiri migrant families were registered with the Office of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner (Migrants), Jammu. These families comprise 1,54,712 individuals.

Nityanand Rai, while answering a written question, has said “In order to rehabilitate Kashmiri migrant families, the government of Jammu and Kashmir has appointed 1,697 such persons since August 5, 2019, and selected additional 1,140 persons in this regard.”

During the winter session of the parliament, the Union Ministry of home affairs had informed that no Kashmiri Pandits had been displaced from the Kashmir valley since 5th August 2019 when Union Home Minister Amit Shah had moved a bill to abolish article 370 and article 35a in the upper house of the Indian parliament. With President’s assent, Article 370, which granted a special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir was scrapped from the Indian constitution, and consequently, the state was divided into two Union territories—Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Nityanand Rai also said 439 terrorists were killed after the repeal of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. 98 civilians & 109 security personnel also lost their lives & 541 incidents of terror were reported during this period.

It is also notable that after the abrogation of article 370, the stone-pelting protests have also been reduced to zero and NIA has cracked down to seize terror funding trails and separatist leaders in the valley.

After protest from Hindu activists, illegal mosque at Bengaluru railway station converted back to the porters’ restroom

OpIndia Staff
-
0
After protest from Hindu activists, illegal mosque at Bengaluru railway station converted back to the porters’ restroom

The illegal mosque inside the Krantiveera Sangoli Rayanna railway station on platform number five has been converted back to a porters’ restroom on 2nd February 2022. The action was taken after Hindu activists protested against the mosque and urged the South Western railways’ officials to take legal action against the unauthorized place of worship.

A report published in Indian Express said that after a protest by Hindu Janajagruti Vedike members, South-Western railways officials have restored the mosque back to the porters’ restroom as it earlier was. According to the report, an SWR officer has said “The restroom is the porter’s place and even today they are the ones who take care of it. We have never interfered in their restroom and they have never complained about their colleagues performing prayers. The issue will be solved in consultation.”

Porters’ restroom’s exterior is painted blue again. Earlier, when converted to a mosque, it was painted green.

The issue was actually raised by a social media user who had made a video of this illegally converted mosque wherein it was clearly shown that it earlier used to be a porters’ restroom and still the interiors of the room were painted and made up like that of a mosque. The South Western Railways (SWR) repainted the walls of the room on Tuesday and deployed personnel of the Railway Police Force (RPF) after locking it.

illegal mosque at porters' restroom
This is how a porters’ restroom was converted to a mosque at Bengaluru.

The colour code used by the railways for the original construction was white and blue. The Muslims painted it green to underline the exclusivity as non-Muslim porters were not allowed to enter the porters’ restroom as it was converted to a mosque.

illegal mosque at porters' restroom
The porters’ restroom is now restored.

The mosque was not only converted back to the restroom but all the paraphernalia related to the mosque were also removed. The interior and exterior of this room are again painted blue as before.

illegal mosque at porters' restroom
A photo frame comprising of different religious symbols is also fixed on the inner wall of the room.

A photo frame comprising of different religious symbols put together is also fixed on the wall to emphasize that this is a public place and does not belong to any particular religion.

Hindu activists protest against alleged illegal mosque at Bengaluru railway station

A controversy had erupted in Bengaluru after Hindu activists in the city protested against the illegal conversion of public property inside the Krantiveera Sangoli Rayanna railway station to a mosque.

A video had gone viral on the internet a few days ago, in which it was alleged that a mosque was unlawfully set up by converting a porters’ restroom on platform number 5 of KSR railway station in Bengaluru. A social media user had released a video on Twitter alleging that the porters’ restroom at a platform in KSR railway station in Bengaluru was converted into a mosque.

The videos stoked massive controversy in the state, leading to which the civilians in the city protested against the illegal conversion of public property into a mosque. On Monday, the members of Hindu Janajagruti Vedike also protested against the South Western Railway officials for allowing the unlawful conversion of porters’ rooms inside the railway station

Licence of Kerala TV channel MediaOne revoked due to national security concerns flagged by Home Ministry: Centre to Kerala HC

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Licence of Kerala TV channel MediaOne revoked due to national security concerns flagged by Home Ministry: Centre to Kerala HC

The Central Government on Wednesday informed the Kerala High Court that its decision to revoke the licence of the Malayalam news channel MediaOne was based on credible national security concerns flagged by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). On Monday, The Kerala based news channel went off the air after Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry suspended its licence over security concerns. After that, the channel had approached the Kerala High court challenging the order.

During a hearing in the matter at the High Court today, in a statement filed through Assistant Solicitor General S Manu, the Central government said that going by the decision of the Supreme Court for the case in a situation of national security, a party cannot insist on the strict observance of the principles of natural justice. Earlier On January 31, after the channel MediaOne went off the air, The Kerala High Court had deferred the Central Government’s order for two days until the hearing which happened today.

The Central Government while opposing any grant of reliefs to the operation of the channel has said that doing so would defeat the purpose of the guidelines that are set in place for granting security clearance. The Ministry of Home Affairs has refused to state details on the concerns raised by MHA against MediaOne as of now. The statement filed by the Central Government read, “The MHA has informed that denial of security clearance in the case on hand are based on intelligence inputs, which are sensitive and secret in nature, therefore, as a matter of policy and in the interest of national security, MHA does not disclose reasons for denial. It is submitted that the interim order passed by this Hon’ble Court if continued is defeating the purpose of the relevant guidelines and objective of obtaining the security clearance of MHA”

Further stating that while the Ministry of Home Affairs does not directly communicate with media companies, the Centre rejected the petitioner’s claim that the company had written to the ministry for security clearance but received no reply from the MHA. “In this connection, it is clarified that the applications for renewal is first examined in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and then Ministry sends the proposal to the MHA for security clearance,” the reply stated.

The Centre had clarified that a show-cause notice was also sent to the company in 2016 when the MHA had denied security clearances to the permission of opening additional TV channels by the Media house M/s Madhyamam Broadcasting Limited. In 2012, The Media House had sought permission from the centre to uplink and downlink “of a Non-News TV channel “Media One Life” and News TV Channel “Media One Global”.

However, In reply to the above clarification by the Centre, the media company has said that they were unaware of the denial of security clearances since they were never communicated for the same. According to the Central Government, the permission for uplinking and downlinking “Media One Life” was cancelled on September 11, 2019, while denying the security clearance.

1...3,4873,4883,489...7,576Page 3,488 of 7,576