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‘Eradicate Sanatan Dharma’ remarks: Supreme Court orders no further FIRs against Udhayanidhi Stalin without permission

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‘Eradicate Sanatan Dharma’ remarks: Supreme Court orders no further FIRs against Udhayanidhi Stalin without permission

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered no further FIRs to be registered against Tamil Nadu minister and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin without its permission on his “eradicate Sanatan Dharma” remark in 2023.

A bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar posted the matter on April 21.

“List on April 21. Interim order to continue and shall apply to the new cases added as well. We direct no further FIR to be registered on the same cause,” the order stated.

In an interim order, Stalin was given earlier exemption from physically appearing before lower courts conducting proceedings against his ‘Sanatana Dharma’ remarks.

During the hearing, referring to Stalin’s controversial comment, the Maharashtra government, through Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, said, imagine if other state Chief Ministers had talked about “Islam eradication”.

“What would happen if the Chief Minister of another state said that Islam has to be eradicated… Merely because a community which is sought to be eradicated does not react violently, this can’t be said,” said Mehta.

“As an apex court, we will not comment. It will impact the trial,” said CJI.

The top court was hearing a plea of Stalin seeking the clubbing of multiple FIRs registered against him in several states over his remarks. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Stalin, brought the apex court’s attention to the fresh FIRs and asked that all the FIRs should be clubbed together for trial in Tamil Nadu or Karnataka.

On March 4 last year, the apex court frowned upon Stalin over his remarks calling for the eradication of ‘Sanatana Dharma’ and told him that he is “not a layman but a minister” and he should know the consequences of his remarks.

“You abuse your rights under freedom of speech and expression and right to freedom of religion and then come to Supreme Court for protection under Article 32? Do you not know the consequences of what you said?,” the bench had asked Stalin’s counsel.

Stalin sought relief from the top court to club all the FIRs, saying FIRs are registered in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, and Jammu and Kashmir and Maharashtra.

DMK leader Stalin made remarks comparing ‘Sanatana Dharma’ to diseases like ‘malaria’ and ‘dengue’ while advocating for its elimination on grounds that it was rooted in the caste system and historical discrimination.

His remarks triggered a massive political controversy across the country. It led to several criminal complaints being filed against him.

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

Shocking and wrong signal: Supreme Court criticises UP govt for demolishing properties of Atiq Ahmed’s aides in Prayagraj, says govt will have to reconstruct at its cost

OpIndia Staff
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Shocking and wrong signal: Supreme Court criticises UP govt for demolishing properties of Atiq Ahmed’s aides in Prayagraj, says govt will have to reconstruct at its cost

On 5th March the Supreme Court expressed displeasure with the Uttar Pradesh government for demolishing houses in Prayagraj without following due process of law and declared that the action gives a “shocking and wrong message.” A bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice N Kotishwar Singh objected to the “high-handed” case of demolition and ordered that the demolished properties would need to be rebuilt. The apex court made the comments in relation to the demolition of the houses of a lawyer, a professor, and three others in Prayagraj, stating that such actions send a “shocking and wrong signal.”

“Prima facie, this action sends shocking and wrong signal and this is something that needs to be corrected. You are taking such drastic action of demolishing homes. We know how to deal with such hyper technical arguments. After all, there is something like Article 21 and the right to shelter,” the bench pronounced. Justice Oka said that the court will now order the state to reconstruct the demolished structures. “Now we will order reconstruction at your cost, that is the only way to do this”, Justice Oka said.

Attorney General R Venkataramani backed the state government’s decision and pointed out that the petitioners were given an appropriate amount of time to reply to the notice of demolition.

According to him, the case need to be forwarded to the high court for review. The state government wrongfully destroyed the residences, according to the attorney of the petitioners, on the grounds that the property belonged to deceased gangster Atiq Ahmed, who was assassinated in 2023. Their appeal contesting the demolition was denied by the Allahabad High Court.

The court was hearing the plea filed by Advocate Zulfiqar Haider, Professor Ali Ahmed and others whose houses faced bulldozer action. They had approached the Supreme Court after Allahabad High Court rejected their plea. They alleged that the authorities issued demolition notices late on a Saturday night and demolished their homes the next day, leaving them no chance to challenge the action.

The Prayagraj Development Authority initiated a major campaign against builders and plotters close to the mafia in Uttar Pradesh. The PDA team has cleared more than 18 bighas of land through bulldozers. The builders against whom the Prayagraj Development Authority has taken action are reportedly close to Atiq Ahmed.

On 6th March 2021, the petitioners claimed to have received notice over certain structures that were situated over a section of Nazul Plot No. 19, Lukerganj under the jurisdiction of Khuldabad police station in the Prayagraj district. The petitioners argued that in March 2021, they acquired the notifications on Saturday evening and that demolition proceeded on Sunday.

“How can the house be demolished just because he is accused? Can’t be demolished even if he’s a convict. Even after telling SC Bar, we don’t find any change in attitude,” the apex court noted during last September. Despite their opposition to unapproved development on roads or in other public spaces, the bench stressed that any demolition of property must follow the law. The court emphasized that even if someone has been found guilty, their home cannot be destroyed without first going through the judicial system.

Rajasthan HC rejects petition of man who wanted the right to have a live-in relationship with his married sister

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan HC rejects petition of man who wanted the right to have a live-in relationship with his married sister

A bizarre case came up for hearing before the Rajasthan High Court in which a man claiming to be in a live-in relationship with his sister filed a habeas corpus petition alleging that his sister was detained by her in-laws. Refusing the petition, the Jodhpur bench of the High Court noted that there was no fundamental right of a person to be in a live-in relationship with a legally married woman, particularly when she is his own sister.

The man had filed the plea on behalf of his sister, alleging that she was being subjected to physical and mental cruelty by her in-laws. He had argued that the petition should be accepted as he was in a live-in relationship with his sister.

A court cannot sanctify immorality in society

A division bench of Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Madan Gopal Vyas said that the Constitution of India does not ‘sanctify an immoral act’ and that a writ court cannot exercise its extraordinary discretionary powers in a matter that would only sanctify immorality in the society. “In our opinion, the writ Court cannot exercise its extraordinary discretionary powers in a matter which would only sanctify immorality in the society. Maybe the offence of adultery is not attracted against a woman, but the very purpose of conferring high prerogative writs to the High Courts by the framers of the Constitution would be lost if this Court entertains this habeas corpus petition on the pleas that the petitioner by living an adulterous relationship with a married woman did not commit a crime,” the High observed.

The court rejected the petition after imposing a cost of Rs 10,000 on the petitioner. “This is too well settled a proposition in law that in appropriate cases the writ court may refuse to entertain a writ petition even where some contentious issues are raised or an arguable point has been made out. Having regard to the facts so stated in this writ petition, the present DB. Habeas Corpus Petition No.467/2024 is dismissed with a cost of Rs 10,000/- to be deposited with the Government Blind School, Jodhpur within a period of four weeks, failing which the Office shall register a suo moto case against the petitioner,” the court said.

The court said that the doctrine of locus standi could be relaxed in a habeas corpus petition, but no such relaxation could be made in a case where a man is filing the petition against the husband of his married sister and is claiming a live-in relationship with her. Explaining the doctrine of locus standi the High Court said, “The expression locus-standi is a Latin term that means ‘place of standing’ and refers to the legal right of a person to bring a lawsuit or to participate in a legal proceeding. It ensures that only those with a genuine connection to the legal issues or legal rights are allowed to participate in the legal process. The writ of habeas corpus has always been looked upon as an effective means to ensure the release of the detained person and any emotional or intellectual concern shall not of itself confer a standing on a person to maintain a habeas corpus petition.”

No fundamental right, not even Article 21, can provide standing to the petitioner

The High Court said that even Article 21 of the Constitution, which has every wide ambit, cannot confer locus standi on the petitioner in the present petition. “Plainly speaking, there is no fundamental right of a person to have a live-in relationship with a woman legally married to another man and, more particularly, when the woman appears to be his own sister. In our opinion, there is no fundamental right not even the right guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India that would provide a standing for the petitioner to maintain this habeas corpus petition. The Constitution of India or any other law in India does not sanctify an immoral act,” noted the court.

The court held that the alleged live-in relationship between the petitioner and his sister had no legal sanctity and it was ‘void ab initio’ (void since the beginning) as per section 23 of the Indian Contract Act. “We do not nurture a doubt even for a second that a petition seeking protection to life at the instance of any citizen of this country or even a foreign national notwithstanding his character, antecedents, etc. shall be maintainable by him or at his instance but a habeas corpus petition by a person like the petitioner seeking production of ‘X’ in the court is not maintainable,” the court said.

The court did not agree with the petitioner’s reliance on the interpretation of the Supreme Court of ‘constitutional morality’ and ‘social morality’ in Navtej Singh Johar v Union of India (2018). The court said that the case had a different context and that the observations made therein by the Supreme Court do not sanctify the relationship of the petitioner with the woman in the present case.

Muslim man says he opposes UCC because it bans cousin marriage: Here is a list of relationships that the Uttarakhand law prohibits

OpIndia Staff
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Muslim man says he opposes UCC because it bans cousin marriage: Here is a list of relationships that the Uttarakhand law prohibits

In Uttarakhand, the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) has irked Muslim clerics in the state who are opposing the implementation of UCC since it prohibits cousin marriage. Under the Uniform Civil Code, equal law will be applicable to citizens of all religions.

Speaking to journalist Aditi Tyagi, a Muslim cleric claimed that UCC has been brought to end the social status of Muslims. The Maulana expressed his discontent over the provision in UCC which bans marriages among cousins and close relatives. The Muslim cleric asserted that cousin marriages are common among the Muslim community and permitted in Shariah. Basically, the Muslim clerics opposed every provision in the UCC that prohibits regressive practices within the Muslim community.

As a prohibition on Muslim cousin marriages sparks debate, it is pertinent to find out marriage among which relationships the Uttarakhand UCC bans.

No man can marry these womenNo woman can marry these men
SisterBrother
Niece (Maternal)Nephew (Maternal)
Niece (Paternal)Nephew (Paternal)
Aunt (Maasi)Uncle
Aunt (Bua)cousin
CousinCousin brother
Cousin sistercousin
CousinMaternal cousin
Cousingranddaughter’s son-in-law
MotherFather
Stepmotherstep father
GranddaughterGrandfather
Step-GrannyStep-grandfather
great-grandmothergreat grandfather
step great grandmotherstep great-grandfather
mother’s grandmotherGreat Grandfather (Father’s Maternal Grandfather)
Mother’s grandmotherstep great grandfather
GrandmotherNana
Step-Grandmastep-maternal grandfather
Father’s maternal grandmothergreat grandfather
Father’s step-grandmotherStep-great-grandfather (mother’s step-great-grandfather)
Father’s great-grandmothermaternal grandfather
Father’s step-great-grandmotherstepfather
Great-grandmotherSon
Step-great-grandmotherSon-in-law
DaughterGrandson
Daughter-in-law (widow)son’s son-in-law
GranddaughterRelatives
Granddaughterdaughter’s son-in-law
Grandson’s widowed daughter-in-lawgreat-grandson
Great-granddaughtergrandson’s son-in-law
Great grandson’s widowson’s grandson
Widow of daughter’s grandsongranddaughter’s son-in-law
Son’s granddaughterdaughter’s grandson
Great-granddaughtergrandson’s son-in-law
Great-grandson’s widowgranddaughter’s son
Grandson’s widowmaternal grandfather

Marriages performed in all these relationships will not be considered valid under UCC. It is worth noting that these restrictions were already applicable to the majority population of the country under the Hindu Marriage Act. Now it will be applicable to the entire population within Uttarakhand.

Uttarakhand will be the first Indian state where UCC will be implemented. Till now UCC was implemented only in Goa in the country which has been in existence since the Portuguese era. The draft of this UCC law of Uttarakhand was prepared by a 5-member panel and it was submitted to the Uttarakhand government on 2nd February. After this, it also got the approval of the cabinet on 4th February 2024.

The government of Uttarakhand on January 23 this year notified the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) which contains clarity of legal provisions for marital conditions and protection of individual rights and social harmony, an official statement read.

According to the state government, this act applies to the entire area of the state of Uttarakhand and is also effective on the residents of the state living outside Uttarakhand.

UK almost allows attack on EAM Jaishankar: Watch how Khalistani mercenary attempts to heckle during Chatham House visit

OpIndia Staff
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UK almost allows attack on EAM Jaishankar: Watch how Khalistani mercenary attempts to heckle during Chatham House visit

On 6th March, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was heckled and attacked by Khalistani radicals in London as he drove out from a meeting at the Chatham House think tank. A man is seen tearing the Indian national flag in front of London police officers as he rushes towards Jaishankar’s car yelling “Khalistan Zindabad,” in a video that has gone viral on social media. However, the officers shockingly remained unresponsive to the vandalism. After a brief detention, the Khalistani man was reportedly released.

Long before Jaishankar reached the Chatham House, pro-Khalistani separatists were holding demonstrations outside the building. As he entered, they screamed Khalistani slogans and later attempted an assault on him.

The EAM engaged in an insightful conversation with Chatham House Director and CEO Bronwen Maddox during the program. The session was named “India’s rise and role in the world” and the topic of discussion included regional dynamics, India’s changing foreign policy and global and economic issues. S Jaishankar is an official tour to the UK and Ireland from 4th to 9th March.

Jaishankar previously talked about trafficking and extremism-related issues with Yvette Cooper, the UK’s Secretary of State for Home. According to reports, the discussions included concerns over the actions of Khalistan separatists in the UK, a topic India has frequently brought up with British officials. Two new Indian consulates are scheduled to open there and the UK declared that it would strengthen the £41 billion economic partnership and offer more assistance to the Indian community in the nation.

Jaishankar will visit Ireland after the UK. He will interact with other officials and meet with Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris. He will also engage with the Indian diaspora in Ireland, thereby enhancing India’s outreach to the international community. The security scare encountered by Jaishankar, however, brings to light the continued security issues that Indian officials confront overseas, particularly in nations where pro-Khalistan demonstrations have grown over past few years. The threat posed by Khalistan radicals in the US, UK and Canada to Indian diplomats and the diaspora has escalated in recent years.

Sambhal: UP Police to construct police posts from the stones that were pelted on them by Muslim rioters during Jama Masjid survey

OpIndia Staff
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Sambhal: UP Police to construct police posts from the stones that were pelted on them by Muslim rioters during Jama Masjid survey

In a unique gesture, the Sambhal Police have decided to use stones pelted at them by Muslim rioters during Sambhal violence to construct police posts.

Speaking to the media, Sambhal SP KK Vishnoi informed about this symbolic gesture of the Police. He said that in addition to the police posts a project named ‘Safe Sambhal’ has also been launched by the police to make the region safe. Under the project, the Sambhal Police plan to install CCTV worth Rs 3 crore across the town. Around 600 cameras have been installed so far.

“A total of 38 outposts are being built in Smabhal with the stones pelted at police on November 24…A ‘Safe Sambhal’ initiative has also been launched by the police here under which cameras worth Rs 3 crore have been installed. These cameras will help in face identification. Over 600 cameras have already been installed,” said SP Vishnoi.

In the aftermath of the violence in Sambhal last year, the police have been making every effort to restore normalcy in the area by diffusing tensions and taking action against those involved in the violence.

Sambhal Violence

On 24th November 2024, during the second round of court-mandated survey at Jama Masjid, Islamist mobsters gathered outside the mosque and engaged in violence. They pelted stones at police, opened fire at police personnel and set ablaze vehicles and shops. At least 20 police personnel were injured during violence and four mobsters were killed in the mayhem, likely from illegal guns carried by rioters.

Dozens of arrests have been made so far in the case. The Sambhal Police has been putting up posters of wanted accused caputured in CCTVs.

Amid Trump’s calls to reclaim Panama Canal’s control from China, American financial giant buys 90% stake in ports of the canal from Hong Kong based firm

OpIndia Staff
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Amid Trump’s calls to reclaim Panama Canal’s control from China, American financial giant buys 90% stake in ports of the canal from Hong Kong based firm

In a significant development indicating a change in geopolitical dynamics, Hong Kong-based conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings has agreed to sell its controlling stake in Panama Ports Company (PPC) to a consortium led by U.S. asset management giant BlackRock. This transaction, valued at approximately $22.8 billion, includes the Balboa and Cristóbal ports on both sides of the Panama Canal and 43 other port facilities across 23 countries.

CK Hutchison is selling 90% interest in Panama Ports Company, which holds the contract to run the ports of Balboa and Cristóbal until 2047. The sale involves CK Hutchison’s 80% stake in Hutchison Ports. The rest of Hutchison Ports is owned by Singapore’s PSA International.

BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, is leading the consortium to purchase the stake and this marks its most substantial infrastructure investment to date. The consortium, comprised of BlackRock, Global Infrastructure Partners and Terminal Investment Limited will acquire 90% interests in Panama Ports Company, along with 43 ports in 23 countries including Mexico, the Netherlands, Egypt, Australia, Pakistan and other countries.

This comes amid the US President’s repeated call for the USA to reclaim control over the Panama Canal and reduce Chinese influence over it. President Trump has been vocal about reducing Chinese influence in the region, asserting intentions to “take back” the canal from Chinese control.

The deal came just a month after US Secretary of state Marco Rubio visited Panama City. After the meeting with Panamanian president José Raúl Mulino, Rubio had said that “control of the Chinese Communist party over the Panama Canal” was unacceptable and that the US would use “measures necessary to protect its rights”.

However, CK Hutchison insisted the deal was unrelated to Trump’s intentions, saying it was purely commercial in nature. The company’s co-managing director Frank Sixt said, “I would like to stress that the Transaction is purely commercial in nature and wholly unrelated to recent political news reports concerning the Panama Ports.”

However, not many people believe this, and it has been widely taken as a victory for Trump.

Donald Trump has hailed the deal, and he told the US Congress during his speech, “My administration will be reclaiming the Panama Canal, and we’ve already started doing it.” He added, “Just today, a large American company announced they are buying both ports around the Panama Canal and lots of other things having to do with the Panama Canal and a couple of other canals.”

However, Panama’s president Jose Raul Mulino rejected Trump’s claims, saying the Canal is Panamanian and will continue to be Panamanian.

The Panama Canal serves as a crucial conduit for global maritime trade, linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Approximately 4% of the world’s maritime commerce and over 40% of U.S. container traffic traverse this 51-mile waterway annually. The ports of Balboa and Cristóbal, situated at the canal’s Pacific and Atlantic entrances respectively, are integral to its operations, handling significant cargo volumes and facilitating international trade.

US: Divided Supreme Court rejects Trump administration’s plea to freeze foreign aid

ANI
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US: Divided Supreme Court rejects Trump administration’s plea to freeze foreign aid

A divided Supreme Court of the US on Wednesday rejected the Trump administration’s request to keep billions of dollars in foreign aid approved by Congress frozen, CNN reported.

The court did not immediately say when the funds must be released, allowing the White House to continue to dispute the issue in lower courts. The ruling was 5-4, as per CNN.

The majority noted that given a court-ordered deadline to spend the money last week had already passed, the lower courts should “clarify what obligations the government must fulfil to ensure compliance with the temporary restraining order.”

In a strongly worded dissent, a conservative judge wrote that he was “stunned” by the court’s decision to permit the lower-court judge to order the administration to unfreeze the foreign aid at issue in the case.

She added: “A federal court has many tools to address a party’s supposed nonfeasance. Self-aggrandizement of its jurisdiction is not one of them.”

The appeal raced to the high court within days – exceedingly fast by the federal judiciary’s standards. It is the second case to reach the justices dealing with Trump’s moves to consolidate power within the executive branch and dramatically reshape the government after taking power in January, as per CNN.

At the centre of the case are billions in foreign aid from the State Department and the US Agency for International Development that Trump froze in January as he sought to clamp down on spending and bring those agencies in line with his agenda. Several non-profit groups that rely on the funding for global health and other programs sued, asserting that the administration’s moves usurped the power of Congress to control government spending and violated a federal law that dictates how agencies make decisions, CNN reported.

In a brief on Friday, the groups described the administration’s actions as having a “devastating” impact.

They told the court that the funding “advances US interests abroad and improves – and, in many cases, literally saves – the lives of millions of people across the globe.”

“In doing so, it helps stop problems like disease and instability overseas before they reach our shores,” the groups said, as per CNN.

US District Judge Amir Ali on February 13 ordered that much of the money continue to flow on a temporary basis while he reviewed the case. Days later, the plaintiffs argued that the administration was defying that order and continuing to block the spending and Ali then ordered the Trump administration to spend the money at issue by midnight Wednesday. Ali was named to the bench by Former US President Joe Biden, as per CNN.

The Trump administration rushed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court hours before that deadline, urging the court to at least pause it for a few days. The administration is making “substantial efforts” to review payment requests and spend the money, the government argued, but it couldn’t turn meet Ali’s timeline.

The groups that sued ridiculed that explanation, arguing that a small number of political appointees within the administration “are refusing to authorize essentially any payments.”

“The government has not taken ‘any meaningful steps’ to come into compliance,” the groups said a Supreme Court filing earlier on Friday.

Among the groups challenging the freeze are the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, a New York-based organization working to speed HIV prevention and the Global Health Council, based in Washington, DC, which represents other groups that administer health programs.

The Trump administration revealed in court filings in the case that it is attempting to terminate more than 90 per cent of the USAID foreign aid awards.

“In total, nearly 5,800 USAID awards were terminated, and more than 500 USAID awards were retained,” a filing from the administration said.

“The total ceiling value of the retained awards is approximately USD 57 billion,” the filing said.

In addition to the USAID award terminations, “approximately 4,100 State awards were terminated, and approximately 2,700 State awards were retained,” the government told a lower court, referring to the State Department.

Aid programs around the world have ground to a halt due to the sweeping funding freeze and review of billions of dollars of assistance. It also comes as the Trump administration has either placed the majority of USAID’s workforce on leave or terminated them.

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

Biden administration paid climate NGOs created just months ago billions of dollars ahead of elections

OpIndia Staff
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Biden administration paid climate NGOs created just months ago billions of dollars ahead of elections

After the revelations of now-defunct USAID and other US federal agencies funding dubious organisations, including leftist media and individuals across the world, it has emerged that the Biden administration paid over $20 billion to various environmental groups. Most of these NGOs were founded just months before the Presidential elections last year.

The New York Post reported that in one such case, former Vice President Kamala Harris gave a cheque of $7 billion to Maryland-based group Climate United Fund in April 2024. This outfit was founded in December 2023, however, it does not appear in the IRS’s charities database and has no federal filings. While the  Climate United Fund announced that it secured a $6.97 billion cheque from Kamala Harris, there was no publicly published accounting of how it plans to spend the $7 billion, the NY Post reported.

Climate United Fund did announce a few projects including a $10.8 million “pre-development loan” solar project on Tribal lands in eastern Oregon and Idaho and a $32m solar energy project at the University of Arkansas, however, the funds allocated to these projects is minuscule in front of the vast funding the group secured from the former Vice President.

Speaking about this, Laurie Styron, CEO of Charity Watch, an independent charity watchdog group, told the NY Post, “Ethically speaking, it’s concerning. What was the purpose of creating middlemen entities when there are so many established groups in the climate space with good track records? What was the value-added in [by] doing it this way, especially with such large sums of taxpayer funds?”

The NY Post report stated that cash for the charity came from a huge $370 billion climate slush fund of taxpayer money overseen by political consultant John Podesta. He was the chair of Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 bid for president and White House chief of staff to Bill Clinton. Back in 2022, then-President Joe Biden appointed John Podesta as the US climate envoy. He served as the Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy.

In December 2024, US’s Environment Protection Agency (EPA) advisor Brent Efron was caught revealing how the agency hastily parcelled out a related $20 billion climate fund that was held by Citibank before the end of the Biden administration and Trump assuming office.

“Get the money out as fast as possible before they [Trump Administration] come in … it’s like we’re on the Titanic and we’re throwing gold bars off the edge,” Efron said.

On Monday (3rd March), the new EPA head Lee Zeldin said that he would bring back the money apported to the climate fund. Zeldin has directed the agency’s inspector general to investigate.

Much like the Climate United Fund, there is one NGO named Justice Climate Fund which was founded in 2023 and has yet to submit tax filings with IRS. However, this NGO has received $940 million from the EPA. It lists its aims as working with “community partners” to “drive transformative investments, focused on reducing pollution,” among other goals, the NY Post reported.

Similarly, Power Forward Communities Inc., was registered in 2023 and shows a total of just $100 in revenue in its tax filing for that year and yet it managed to receive $2 billion from the EPA fund.

Notably, while Power Forward Communities said that it is a part of a coalition of charities including United Way World Wide and Rewiring America which has links to Democrat representative Stacey Abrams, was registered as a corporate entity a year later in Delaware in December 2024.

As the details of the Biden administration funding newly-created climate groups emerged, the FBI and the Justice Department under the Trump administration have launched an investigation and frozen the linked bank accounts wherein billions of dollars of EPA-allocated funds are kept.

White House rejects Arab plan to rebuild Gaza, sticks to Trump’s vision of reconstructing it into a beach destination after depopulating it

OpIndia Staff
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White House rejects Arab plan to rebuild Gaza, sticks to Trump’s vision of reconstructing it into a beach destination after depopulating it

The United States has rejected the Egyptian plan for the reconstruction of Gaza, which was approved by Arab countries on Tuesday (4th March) at a summit held in Cairo. The plan was prepared as a counterproposal to US President Donald Trump’s proposal to temporarily remove the entire population of Gaza and develop the territory into a beach destination. The Egyptian plan is estimated to cost $53 million and does not require depopulating the territory.

US National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes dismissed the plan, saying it “does not address the reality that Gaza is currently uninhabitable and residents cannot humanely live in a territory covered in debris and unexploded ordnance”. He added, “President Trump stands by his vision to rebuild Gaza free from Hamas. We look forward to further talks to bring peace and prosperity to the region.”

Last month, US President Trump shared an Artificial Intelligence (AI) video showcasing his plans for converting strife-torn Gaza into a paradise—a riviera of the Middle East, as he likes to call it. Trump’s plan for Gaza involves relocating Palestinians to neighbouring countries such as Egypt and Jordan, where they will be provided with stable living conditions. This will be followed by the US-led reconstruction work after the removal of ordnance and debris and, ultimately, the development of infrastructure to create jobs and housing to prevent the region from falling back into conflict.

What is the Egyptian plan?

The Egyptian plan for the redevelopment of Gaza includes three phases- Interim measures, reconstruction and governance. The first phase will take about six months and the remaining two phases are estimated to take around 4-5 years to complete.

The first phase of Interim measures will be carried out by a committee of Palestinian technocrats operating under the Palestinian Authority. This will include the removal of debris from Salah al-Din Street, which is the main north-south highway in the Gaza Strip. This will be followed by the construction of temporary housing to accommodate 1.2 million people. Damaged buildings will also be restored in this phase. This phase is estimated to cost $3 billion.

After the interim measures are complete, the second phase of reconstruction will start, which will cost $20 billion. In this phase, around 400,000 permanent houses will be built, and services like water, waste, telecom and electricity will be restored. An industrial zone, fishing port, commercial port and airport will also be constructed.

In the third and last phase of Governance, which will cost $30 billion, humanitarian and governance work will be carried out under the watch of a government of ‘independent Palestinian technocrats’. A Steering and Management Council will be set up to provide funds to the interim government in Gaza. The funding for the entire plan is supposed to some from a variety of sources including the UN, international financial organisations and foreign and private sector investments.

However, with the Trump administration rejecting the Arab proposal, it will be difficult to implement. Notably, Israel has already supported the Trump’s plan on Gaza.

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