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Is Govt doing away with MSP? PM Modi fact-checks Rahul Gandhi as he spreads misinformation and panic over agriculture Bills

OpIndia Staff
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Is Govt doing away with MSP? PM Modi fact-checks Rahul Gandhi as he spreads misinformation and panic over agriculture Bills

After the Rajya Sabha passed various agriculture Bills, Congress and other opposition parties took to social media to spread misinformation and spread panic. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is skipping the Monsoon session of the Parliament along with his mother Rae Bareli MP and Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, took to Twitter to attack the government and spread misinformation.

Accusing the government of being ‘anti-farmer’, Rahul Gandhi questioned that if APMC markets are removed, how will the farmers get the MSP (minimum support price). He questioned why the government is not giving guarantee of MSP.

Prime Minister Modi as well as other ministers took to social media to put out the facts and bust the misinformation being spread.

“I have said it before, I’m saying it again. MSP system will continue. Government will continue to procure agriculture produce. We are here to serve our farmers. We will do everything possible to support them and ensure a better life for their coming generations,” PM Modi said in a tweet.

PM Modi said that with changing times, farmers also need technology to make their lives better. “For decades, the Indian farmer was bound by various constraints and bullied by middlemen. The bills passed by Parliament liberate the farmers from such adversities. These bills will add impetus to the efforts to double income of farmers and ensure greater prosperity for them,” PM Modi said in a tweet.

Agriculture Bills passed in Rajya Sabha as Opposition MPs created ruckus

Opposition MPs today created a ruckus in the Rajya Sabha and even broke the mic of the Deputy Chairman as they attacked him when the Bill was presented on the table. Derek O’Brien on Sunday, entered the well and climbed the dais of the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman in an attempt to halt the proceedings of the house. The Trinamool MP also tried to tear the rule book of the house on the floor of Rajya Sabha.

The dramatic scenes occurred in the house after Rajya Sabha discussed and debated the farm bills – Farmers’ and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, that was earlier introduced by the Modi government in both the house of the parliament. The bills were already passed by the Lok Sabha.

Union Home Ministry tables FCRA amendment bill at the Lok Sabha, proposes to bring more transparency and accountability in the functioning of NGOs

OpIndia Staff
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Union Home Ministry tables FCRA amendment bill at the Lok Sabha, proposes to bring more transparency and accountability in the functioning of NGOs

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has proposed amendments to the Foreign Contributions (Amendments) Act, 2010. The bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha today afternoon by the union home minister Amit Shah.

Objectives behind the proposed amendment

The government has observed that several NGOs have not utilised the funds as declared, even though the foreign funds have doubled between 2010 and 2019. The Home Ministry has therefore cancelled the licences of over 19000 organisations and initiated criminal probe against dozens of such associations for financial impropriety. The proposed amendment is set to enhance transparency, accountability, and strengthen compliance mechanism. The amendment seeks to help genuine NGOs to work for the welfare of society.

Public servants barred from receiving foreign contributions

The proposed amendment will prevent public servants, as defined under Section 21 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), from receiving foreign donations. Moreover, the NGOs registered under FRCA cannot use more than 20% of their foreign contribution to meeting administrative expenses. As per current provisions, NGOs can use up to 50% of their foreign donations for meeting administrative expenses.

Aadhar card essential for registration/ renewal of FCRA certificate

The new amendment proposes that NGOs and individuals seeking registration or renewal of their licence will now have to mandatorily provide the Aadhar number of all directors, office bearers, or primary functionaries. If the individuals happen to be a foreigner, then, they will have to provide a copy of the passport or an OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) card. The proposed amendment will allow an NGO to surrender its FRCA certificate, following an inquiry and clearance from the Centre.

Designated SBI account for receiving foreign donations

The new amendment also requires NGOs to receive foreign contributions in a designated FCRA bank account in the State Bank of India at the National Capital. The associations, registered with the government, can also open multiple accounts in other banks for transferring or utilising funds from the FCRA account in SBI. The said SBI branch will report to the Union Home Ministry directly about the source of funds, manner of reception, and the permitted limit of foreign remittance.

Home Ministry cancels FCRA licences of evangelist organisations

In a fresh crackdown on Christian evangelical organisations, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has suspended the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licences of four Christian associations this year. As per a report in The Hindu, the four organisations whose licences were suspended are Ecreosoculis North Western Gossner Evangelical (Jharkhand), Evangelical Churches Association (Manipur), Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church (Jharkhand), and New Life Fellowship Association (Mumbai).

Union Ministry of Home Affairs has suspended the Foreign Contribution Regulations Act (FCRA) licences of 13 NGOs after allegations were raised against them for indulging in forced religious conversions of tribals to Christianity in tribal-dominated areas. The MHA had also frozen the bank accounts of these NGOs after intelligence inputs pointed out their conversion-related activities targeting the tribal areas of several states, including Jharkhand.

China invades Nepal, constructs eight buildings in Nepalese territory: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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China invades Nepal, constructs eight buildings in Nepalese territory: Reports

With expansionist policies in place, China has continued to invade Nepal inch by inch and constructing buildings on the captured lands. As per a report by Khabarhub, the recent images from the Lapcha-Limi region of Humla, China has built eight buildings so far in the area. However, Nepali Prime Minister Oli, who has been vocal on capturing Indian land claiming it to be part of Nepal, is silent on Chinese invasion.

PLA troops are harassing locals

Humla’s Assistant Chief District Officer Dalbanhadu Hamal was reportedly shocked to see the recent images of the area and launched an investigation into the matter. Local Nepali people have also complained about the harassment they have to face in the hands of the Chinese military. The Nepali District Officials inspected the area from 30th August to 9th September.

As per IFE News Network’s sources, the district administration alarmed PM Oli, but no reply has been received so far. The locals are fearful that the Nepali administration has made some secret deal with the Chinese military to allow them in the area. The reports suggest that the buildings are visible from a distance. However, the district officials could not get a closer look due to the heavy presence of PLA troops.

The media reports in Nepal suggest that after learning about the incident, Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) has forwarded the case to Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Khabarhub quoted a member of the monitoring team saying, “We could see the buildings from a distance. We had heard rumors about a building being constructed by China there but found eight more in our visit.” To investigate the case further, a team comprising of CDO Chiranjeevi Giri, along with heads of all four security bodies, are visiting Lapcha for a week.

Nepal raised claims on Indian land

While China’s PLA is invading Nepal, the government of Nepal under the leadership of Communist leader KP Oli is busy in making bizarre claims on Indian land. So far, Nepal has said in official statements that Indian territories including Nainital, Dehradun, Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura belong to Nepal. In June there were reports that China has taken over 10 locations in Nepal.

“Rajeev Sharma was always referred to as either a ‘scamster’ or ‘scumbag’ by people who dealt with him,” alleges Journalist Rakesh Krishnan Simha

OpIndia Staff
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“Rajeev Sharma was always referred to as either a ‘scamster’ or ‘scumbag’ by people who dealt with him,” alleges Journalist Rakesh Krishnan Simha

Rakesh Krishnan Simha, a New Zealand-based journalist for Russia Beyond the Headlines, has posted a series of tweets narrating his views on Rajeev Sharma, the freelance journalist who was arrested on the charges of passing on secret documents to China.

Simha started writing as a defence journalist for Russia Beyond in 2011. His stories got a lot of traction from the Lutyens media, but he was happy as readers loved his defence stories. He alleged that several Lutyens journalists begged RBTH for a regular column. As he was in good rapport with Russian editors, they kept informing him about the Lutyens journalists who tried to steal his job.

Simha said that some of the Lutyens journalists even alleged they have personal connections with Sonia Gandhi, defence secretary, or IAF chief and they can provide exclusives, etc. One such journalist was Rajeev Sharma. Simha, in his Twitter thread, said that the Russian editors described him as one of the shadiest writers they have ever dealt with. Sharma claimed that he had connections in the Defence Ministry. On the guarantee of four articles a month, he promised “Pulitzer stuff.”

RBTH decided to test him, and as expected, his stories were not worth it. He wrote every story based on the quotes given by a “senior defence minister bureaucrat.” When Simha inquired why RBTH allowed Sharma to write, he was informed that there was one editor who allowed such Lutyens journalists to write for the paper.

Sharma sailed in two boats

Rajeev Sharma was writing for Russian media and Chinese media at the same time. He would write a story in Russian media and then spin it for the Chinese media to match their narrative. For instance, he wrote in favour of India-Russia defence deals in RBTH but later spun the narrative to show it negatively for Global Times.

When Simha informed RBTH about his actions, the agency fired Sharma. Later, Sharma started writing for another Russian agency RT where he wrote stories again based on fake quotes. This time he used MEA’s name in place of Defence Ministry with his quotes. Simha was informed by his editor that the Russian embassy would talk to RT about Sharma.

Sharma was often called a “scamster” or “scumbag.”

Simha, in his tweets, alleged that whoever had dealt with Rajeev mentioned him as a scamster or a scumbag. Somehow Rajeev kept on writing for several media outlets, including First Post, DailyO, The Quint, and several others. This might be the reason Chinese government intelligence agencies approached him. Though his contacts in MEA or Defence Ministry were weak, they had access to classified documents of their higher-ups.

Simha alleged that it is common for the top bureaucrats to leave classified documents on their desks while going for lunch or a meeting. Their peons often have full access to such documents in their absence. Sharma was likely in contact with a few such contacts to gain access to secret documents.

Rajeev Sharma is just the tip of the iceberg

Simha said that though Rajeev had access to secret documents, he is most likely a bottom feeder. People like Shekhar Gupta, N.Ram, Sitaram Yechury, Brinda Karat, and Rahul Gandhi are more dangerous as they have greater access to official secrets. Rakesh pointed out the Rafale document that The Hindu procured and published. He said, “It had markings and notes by a hierarchy of senior bureaucrats. You can imagine why former KGB general Oleg Kalugin once said, “India leaked like a sieve. The entire country was up for sale.””

Rakesh Simha urged to sentence spies like Rajeev Sharma for life without parole and not for 6-8 years with parole in 3 years. He said, “Like termites, traitors destroy the country from within. They pose a greater threat than external enemy.”

Arrest of Rajeev Sharma

On 14th September Rajeev Sharma, a freelance journalist, was arrested by Delhi for allegedly sharing sensitive information about Army deployment to the Chinese intelligence agencies. Sharma had written for several media outlets including DailyO, Global Times, The Quint, First Post and others. During the interrogation, police found that China paid him for the documents via shell companies. Two days later, one Chinese woman and her Nepalese associate were arrested who were working with Sharma.

Opposition parties break Deputy Chairman’s mic, disrupts audio system of Rajya Sabha, in an attempt to stop farm reform bills

OpIndia Staff
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Opposition parties break Deputy Chairman’s mic, disrupts audio system of Rajya Sabha, in an attempt to stop farm reform bills

On Sunday, the Upper House of the Parliament, Rajya Sabha witnessed violent scenes during the passage of the two farm bills after members from opposition parties resorted to intense disruptions and heckling of Deputy Chairman of the house Harivansh Narayan Singh.

In a shocking act, the members of the opposition parties snatched and threw papers from the table and even broke the chairman’s microphone which led to the disruption in the audio system of the Upper House of the Parliament.

The opposition parties were protesting against the passage of two historic farm reform bill inside the house on Sunday, The contention of the opposition MPs was that the bills be sent to a Select Committee. As the presiding officer of the House refused to send it to a select committee, the opposition parties created ruckus and stormed into the well of the House.

The opposition members demanded that the House be adjourned as per the scheduled time and not continue with the passage of the bill. As the presiding house continued with the proceedings of the House, the angry members stormed into the well and began to shout, heckle Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh.

The violent opposition MPs even attempted to climb on the dais of the Deputy Speaker and broke the microphone of the presiding officer.

Here is a video of the unruly behaviour of the opposition MPs, who not only tore the rule book of the House but also broke the microphone of the Deputy Speaker resulting in the audio disruption.

Following the ruckus by the opposition parties, the audio system in the house was damaged resulting in the house being adjourned for a few minutes to bring back the audio system live.

The dramatic scenes occurred in the house after Rajya Sabha discussed and debated the farm bills – Farmers’ and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, that was earlier introduced by the Modi government in both the house of the parliament. The bills were already passed by the Lok Sabha.

Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien tears rule book, heckles Deputy Chairman

In a shocking act, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien brazenly attempted to heckle the Deputy Chairman of the Upper House of Parliament Harivansh Narayan Singh on the floor of the Parliament during the discussion.

Derek O’Brien on Sunday entered the well and climbed the dais of the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman in an attempt to halt the proceedings of the house. The Trinamool MP also tried to tear the rule book of the house on the floor of Rajya Sabha.

Derek O’Brien, who was sitting in the front row of the Rajya Sabha, protested against the passing of the two historic bills and soon stormed into the well of the house. He started showing the rule book to the Deputy Chairman. As Harivansh Singh continued with the proceedings of the house, an angry Derek O’Brien lost his cool and attempted to climb the dais to heckle the Deputy Chairman.

The Marshals of the house stopped the aggressive Trinamool MP, who kept on storming into the well and shouting against the Deputy Chairman.

HW News Network: The digital news outfit facing I-T probe with expenses eleven times the revenue and mysterious source of fund

OpIndia Staff
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HW News Network: The digital news outfit facing I-T probe with expenses eleven times the revenue and mysterious source of fund

On 16th September, the offices of Theo Connect private limited, that owns the NW News Network, were raided by the Income Tax department. According to HW News, the raid went on for more than 50 hours, and mobile phones of the journalists were seized by the officials. HW News is a little-known digital news outfit, most known for employing Vinod Dua, the controversial pro-Congress journalist who is accused of stalking and sexually harassing filmmaker Nishtha Jain.

The exact reasons for the raid, and its outcome, are not known at present. But a cursory study on the financials of Theo Connect do raise doubts about its state of affairs. The company is not performing very well, but it still seems to able raise funds with ease. The paid-up capital of the company is Rs 5 lakhs, and its directors are Ganesh Jagtap and Siddhant Jagtap. Sujit Nair is the managing director of the company, who originally owned it, but later sold it to Ganesh Jagtap. Vinod Dua is the consulting editor of the digital news network, and he runs a program called the ‘The Vinod Dua Show’ on the network.

According to the financial statement of the company accessed by OpIndia, its revenue in the financial year 2017-18 was Rs 54 lakh, which nosedived to Rs 28 lakh in the year 2018-19. The company suffered a loss of Rs 2.95 crore in that year, up from a loss of Rs 1.98 crore the previous year.

While the company’s revenue was just Rs 28 lakh in the year 2018-19, its expenses were Rs 3.23 crores. It means the expenses were more than eleven times the revenue, clearly a vey bad position. Even if one considers that revenues can’t match expenses for start-ups during initial years, the worrying fact is that the major source of fund for Theo Connect seems to be debt, not equity.

Finances of Theo Connect (amounts in Rs)

In the year 2018-19, the company managed unsecured loans amounting to Rs 3.09 crore. With the existing loans of Rs 1.87 crores, the company’s total loans at the end of the year stood at Rs 4.96 crore, a very high amount for revenue of just Rs 28 lakh.

It makes little sense as to how the company with such poor financial performance manages expenses of more than ₹3 crore, and even manages to raise funds in the form of unsecured loans. It seems the entire expense of the company is paid by raising unsecured loans, as the company earned a very meagre revenue.

Another interesting fact is that a bulk this unsecured loan of Rs 3.09 crore came from a company called Dream TAG Realty Private Limited, a company with the same directors as Theo Connect. The revenue of Dream TAG was just Rs 94 thousand in the year 2018-19, down from Rs 34.85 lakh. It reported a loss of Rs 35.78 lakh in that year. Therefore, it is a mystery how the company managed to give crores in unsecured loans when its financials are not that healthy.

Ganesh Jagtap was a was a bureaucrat from Maharashtra, and has been a Press Secretary to the Deputy Chief Minister of the State. His other company Dream Tag Realty is a Mumbai based Project Management, Real Estate and Infrastructure Company.

Therefore, it is a mystery how HW News Network is operating with expenses that is almost six times its revenues. Further, it manages unsecured loans from entities with similar financial positions. With the raids by Income Tax department in its offices, it is expected that the source of its dubious funds will be known.

Sandalwood drug case accused actress Sanjjanaa Galrani had embraced Islam two years, whistleblower alleges ‘Love Jihad’ by drug mafia

OpIndia Staff
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Sandalwood drug case accused actress Sanjjanaa Galrani had embraced Islam two years, whistleblower alleges ‘Love Jihad’ by drug mafia

Activist Prashant Sambargi, one of the whistleblowers of the Sandalwood drug mafia, has made a shocking disclosure revealing that actress Sanjjanaa Galrani, one of the main accused in the Sandalwood drug case, had converted to Islam.

Taking to Twitter, activist Prashant Sambargi said that Sanjjanaa had converted into Islam religion about two years back and changed her named to Mahira. Sambaragi also alleged that the drug mafia in the state is involved in ‘Love Jihad’ cases.

“She converted into Islam in 2018. Her name is Mahira. Love Jihad is rampant in Karnataka,” Prashanth Sambargi made a sensational disclosure.

Sanjjanaa was engaged to a Muslim man, converted to Islam in 2018

A document has gone viral on the internet, which suggests that Sanjjanaa alias Archana Galrani had converted to Islam on her own will two years ago. The letter further claims that the actress, who is accused in the drug scandal, had changed her name to Mahira in 2018. 

Further, a registration certificate dated October 9, 2018, procured from a mosque Darul Uloom Shah Valiullah declares that Sanjjanaa had embraced Islam out of volition and henceforth would be called Mahira. Interestingly, in the affidavit, she has also declared that she was attracted to Islam after studying the religion for over 10 years.

Image Source: Suvarna News

In another picture, Sanjjanaa was seen with a person identified as Dr Azeez Pasha, a Bengaluru-based cardiovascular surgeon. It is being reported that Sanjjanaa and Azeez were in a relationship that allegedly culminated in marriage recently.

Image Source: Suvarna News

The mother of accused Sanjjanaa, speaking to a news channel had admitted that Sanjjanaa was engaged to Dr Azeez Pasha. She added that the couple was to get married this year, but the wedding had to be postponed because of the pandemic. Meanwhile, Dr Azeez Pasha too admitted to a news channel that the photograph was from a ceremony akin to the marriage”.

Sanjjanaa Galrani was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) authorities on September for her alleged involvement in the Sandalwood drug case. Along with Galrani, another actress Ragini Dwivedi is also arrested by the authorities in the drug case. More than 10 people have been arrested in connection with the Sandalwood drug racket.  

Watch: TMC MP Derek O’Brien heckles and attacks Deputy Chairman Harivansh as Rajya Sabha passes agriculture Bills

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: TMC MP Derek O’Brien heckles and attacks Deputy Chairman Harivansh as Rajya Sabha passes agriculture Bills

In a shocking act, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien on Sunday brazenly attempted to heckle the Deputy Chairman of the Upper House of Parliament Harivansh Narayan Singh on the floor of the Parliament during the discussion on a bill.

Derek O’Brien on Sunday, entered the well and climbed the dais of the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman in an attempt to halt the proceedings of the house. The Trinamool MP also tried to tear the rule book of the house on the floor of Rajya Sabha.

On Sunday, Rajya Sabha discussed and debated the farm bills – Farmers’ and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, that was earlier introduced by the Modi government in both the house of the parliament.

As the discussion progressed, DMK member Tiruchi Siva proposed an amendment to one of the bills. The amendments to the bill moved by the DMK bill were put to motion by the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha that was rejected by the members of the house in a voice vote.

Derek O’Brien, who was sitting in the front row of the Rajya Sabha, soon stormed into the well of the house and started showing the rule book to the Deputy Chairman. As Harivansh Singh continued with the proceedings of the house, an angry Derek O’Brien lost his cool and attempted to climb the dais to heckle the Deputy Chairman.

The Marshals of the house stopped the aggressive Trinamool MP, who kept on storming into the well and shouting against the Deputy Chairman.

Rajya Sabha passes the Bill

Rajya Sabha passed the Farmers’ and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 through voice vote. The House has now been adjourned.

Modi government defends farm reforms, introduces bills in parliament

Earlier in the day, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar defended the Bills in Rajya Sabha and asserted that MSP mechanism will continue and will not be impacted by the two legislations.

Union Minister Tomar had also assured that these new legislations would not encroach upon the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Acts of the states.

“These two bills will ensure that farmers get better prices for their produce. They will not be subject to the regulations of mandis and they will be free to sell their products to anyone. They will also not have to pay any taxes,” Tomar said.

“These bills will increase competition and promote private investment which will help in the development of farm infrastructure and generate employment,” Tomar added.

Customer orders jhatka chicken, BigBasket sends parcel with both jhatka and halal labels, refunds money

OpIndia Staff
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Customer orders jhatka chicken, BigBasket sends parcel with both jhatka and halal labels, refunds money

Gurgaon based customer Mr. Kumar on Sunday was shocked to receive a packet of cut chicken meat that read both jhatka and halal on its pack from online grocery store BigBasket. While on the front of the packet, it said ‘halal cetified’ while the product detail sticker said ‘jhatka chicken’.

The video of the product was shared on social media by Twitter user @Ruchhan.

As one can see, the product label read ‘jhatka’ chicken while the box label reads as ‘halal’ certified. Jhatka and halal are methods of slaughtering the animal for food consumption.

When contacted, the BigBasket customer care clarified to Mr Kumar that it was jhatka chicken only and probably was put in a wrong packet that by default read ‘halal certified’, however they refunded the money.

“I appreciate their quick support and resolution, but this is a problem that should be solved. An element of trust must be there. I am willing to trust that BigBasket made a genuine mistake and maybe they didn’t want to cheat the customer, but it’s high time a proper Jhatka certification agency comes up,” Kumar told OpIndia.

Jhatka Vs Halal debate

BigBasket had earlier come under fire for selling discriminatory ‘halal’ only products. However, after online backlash, the online grocery store had made jhatka meat available as well. It is pertinent to note that nowadays many food products are label as ‘Halal’ certified, which means not only that the products are manufactured according to Islamic practices, but many times it also means that only Muslims are employed in the entire production and packaging chain of such Halal certified products.

For example, the guidelines for preparing Halal certified meat make it abundantly clear that only Muslim employees are allowed to participate in the entire process at every stage from slaughtering to packaging, and if any non-Muslim is involved in the process, the product becomes Haram, or not allowed as per Islam.

Moreover, ‘halal only’ meat is also discriminatory for those people whose religion forbids them from consuming halal meat. Example, Sikhism forbids consumption of halal meat. Only jhatka meat is allowed. Official Khalsa code of conduct categorically forbids consumption of halal meat.

After severe backlash, BigBasket made ‘jhatka’ meat available on its website.

Meet Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s likely nominee to fill the US Supreme Court vacancy left behind by Ruth Bader Ginsburg

OpIndia Staff
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Meet Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s likely nominee to fill the US Supreme Court vacancy left behind by Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Following the demise of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg due to prolonged illness, the US political sphere is abuzz with speculations regarding her replacement in the United States Supreme Court. The name of Amy Coney Barrett, who is a US Court of Appeals Judge, has emerged as a front-runner in the race to succeed Ginsburg. Her nomination makes a lot of sense as due to her gender, it is unlikely that sexual harassment allegations will surface against her at the last minute as they did against Justice Kavanaugh.

Barrett was nominated to the Seventh Circuit Courts of Appeal by President Trump in 2017. Thereafter, she was considered by President Trump to fill the vacancy in the Supreme Court left by Justice Anthony Kennedy as she made it to the list of potential nominees. Before being appointed as a judge in the Court of Appeals, she was a professor at Notre Dame School of Law where she has been a student as well. Amy Coney Barrett is a Catholic and her faith was a subject of scrutiny among liberals after her nomination to the court of appeals.

During her confirmation process to the federal bench, Barrett was subjected to a lot of scrutiny regarding her faith and her opinions on abortion and overruling the Supreme Court precedents. On the question of whether she would put her personal opinions above law while deciding matters, Barrett had made it clear that a judge should not be driven by his personal convictions whether they arose from religion or anything else and that he should always as per the law in deciding a matter.

Views on Abortion

Apparently, Amy Coney Barrett has the support of social conservatives but she is not a favourite of Democrats which became quite clear from the questions raised by Democrats on her faith during her confirmation hearing. Her views against abortion have also earned her the dislike of the Democrats. However, she had reportedly remarked in 2013 at her law school that the 1973 judgement in Roe v Wade that established a legal right of women to abortion in the US was not likely to be overturned by the Supreme Court ever.

She said that the judgement had become a super- precedent like Marbury v Madison and thus no court would overturn it. Barrett had said that the basic element if the judgement that women have a right to choose abortion is likely to stand.

Views on Stare Decisis

Her critics might also target her for her views on the principle of precedent. Amy Coney Barrett had reportedly advocated for flexibility in the application of the principle of stare decisis. She had said that the duty of a judge is to constitution and that it was more legitimate for her to enforce her best understanding of the Constitution instead of a precedent that in her understanding was in conflict with the it.

Liberals interpret Barrett’s views on precedent as a threat to the law established in Roe v Wade. They fear that she might overturn the ruling on abortion if she is on the Bench.

Views on Second Amendment

In Kanter v Barr, Barrett had given a dissenting opinion on the right of felons to gun-ownership. She had written in favour of gun-ownership rights of felons stating that the limitations on gun-ownership rights of felons convicted of violent crimes was in violation of the second amendment that protected individual’s right to bear arms.

Views on LGBT Rights

Barrett’s confirmation to the Court of Appeals was opposed by several civil and human rights organisations who were sceptical of the her views on LGBT rights. Barrett’s opinions on gay marriages and LGBTQ rights are not expressly found but she was reportedly a signatory to a letter addressed to Synod Fathers from Catholic Women. In the letter the Church’s teachings on marriage and family founded on the indissoluble commitment were hailed as sure guide to Christian life.

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