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Government is not responsible for delay in appointments of judges, it is due to Collegium: CJI Ranjan Gogoi

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The tirade by the opposition parties led by the Congress against the Union government over interference in judicial appointments has been found to be baseless as Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi has now accepted that the government is not responsible for the delay in the judges’ appointment.

Hearing a petition filed by an NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), the Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said that if at all any delay exists in the appointment of the judges it is because of the collegium and not because of Government of India, vindicating the stand of the NDA government regarding non-interference in the judicial process.

“If at all there was a delay, it was on the part of the collegium and not the Union of India,” CJI Gogoi said while hearing the petition. The petitioner had contended that the Union government was responsible for delaying the appointment of judges to High Courts.

Controversial Supreme Court lawyer, Prashant Bhushan representing the petitioner alleged that the Centre has been indefinitely sitting on names recommended by the Collegium for appointment to the country’s higher judiciary. It argued that the government cannot frustrate the process of appointment of judges to the higher judiciary in “an oblique way”, and that this amounted to interference in the due process of law and independence and integrity of the judiciary.

However, the CJI Gogoi on a bench with justice Sanjiv Khanna rejected the argument, said, “How can you say that? The appointment is happening; some of the names are pending with the Collegium. As the Chief Justice, I am telling you that whatever is pending is mostly before the collegium. There are almost 70-80 proposals pending before the Supreme Court collegium and hardly 27 before the government.”

The observations made by the Chief Justice assume huge significance as it comes at the backdrop of the fact that the opposition parties have generally blamed the Narendra Modi government for deliberately delaying appointments in the judiciary.

The Congress party has always attacked the Narendra Modi government with the “independence of the judiciary is under threat” narrative despite the fact that it was the Congress party which had moved an impeachment motion against the then Chief Justice of India Dipak Mishra allegedly for pronouncing judgments that did not suit them.

CNN News 18 spreads half truth about Indigo not allowing Kashmiri family to board flight on ‘flimsy pretext’

The Pulwama terrorist attack left the entire nation in a state of shock. The Pakistan sponsored terror attack that left 44 CRPF soldiers dead was carried out by terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohommad. In the aftermath of the terror attack, as the nation mourned the loss of our soldiers, the usual ‘liberal’ ecosystem started fearmongering about Kashmiris being under attack to change the focus from the terror attack. Now, CNN News 18 has also joined the bandwagon.

CNN News 18 reported this morning that a Kashmiri family was not allowed to board a flight by Indigo Airlines on ‘flimsy pretext’ of their surname not being mentioned. They tweeted, ‘They were not allowed even showing their Aadhar. Their tickets were cancelled and were asked to pay additional money for fresh tickets’.


The case pertains to one that was brought to the fore by the Kashmiri career protestor and JNU student Shehla Rashid.

Shehla Rashid, on 24th February, had tweeted that a Kashmiri family was not being allowed by Indigo to board the flight due to a mix up in the name on the ticket and their documents. She said, “the travel agent has missed the daughter’s middle name and only her first and last names show on the itinerary. The mother’s last name on her Aadhaar card says “Bano” but the travel agent put her husband’s last name!” She then urged the airline to ‘take a compassionate view’ because the father did not specify the full name to the travel agent.


An hour later, Shehla tweeted an ‘update’ on the ‘case’. She wrote that Indigo had offered a refund for the Banday family and that the family will buy new tickets. She said it was an ‘unfortunate incident where a family is punished for the travel agent’s error’.


Interestingly, while Shehla Rashid played up the Kashmiri victim card, Indigo responded to Shehla clarifying the entire issue. Indigo Airlines said that according to the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, the name on the ticket has to match with the name on the government ID card. Indigo tweeted that they do have a process for name rectification but this was the case of ‘name change’. Under the circumstances, Indigo said, tickets are to be cancelled and fresh tickets issued. This option was declined by the passengers but as a ‘gesture’, the airline decided to refund the money spent by the family on tickets.


Shehla Rashid, not the one to let her Kashmiri victim card slip away alleged that the Airline was indulging in profiling. She said that Indigo was asking for additional money for the new tickets and hence the family declined the option.

She followed that up with an unsubstantiated comment that the staff ‘clearly said that they take these “extra measures” for J&K and that this was a clear case of profiling.


Shehla Rashid tried her best to play the Kashmiri victim card, however, the Airline rules are the same for everyone. If the Airline finds a gross discrepancy in the name between what is mentioned in the ticket and the name mentioned in the Government ID card, it is obvious that the Airline would take extra measures to follow the Security rules.

Also, even if the staff said that they take “extra measures” for passengers flying to J&K, one has to realise that Kashmir comes under a ‘disturbed area’ and for Airlines to take extra security measures is natural. For Shehla to turn a routine security check into a “Kashmiri in danger” narrative is sinister.

What is worse is how CNN News 18 toed the exact same propaganda line without checking the relevant facts. CNN News 18 tweeted, “A Kashmiri family was not allowed to board a plane yesterday by Indigo on a flimsy’ pretext that their surname was not mentioned. They were not allowed even showing their Aadhar. Their tickets were cancelled and were asked to pay additional money for fresh tickets”.

There are several things wrong with that assertion.

  1. The pretext of names on tickets and corresponding names on the government ID not matching is not a ‘flimsy pretext’. It is the security norm. That is exactly why there is a rule for passengers to produce their government IDs so that the Airline can ensure security.
  2. There is no evidence to prove that they were not allowed to show their Aadhaar card. In fact, as the airline mentioned already, they were given the option to change tickets but they declined and thereafter, their money was refunded.
  3. Yes, they were asked to pay additional fees for fresh tickets but CNN News 18 fails to mention that the option was declined by the passengers. In fact, it fails to mention that Indigo initiated a refund as a “gesture”.

The only question that remains now is why CNN News 18 chose to lie and obfuscate to further the faulty narrative of the entire country victimising Kashmiris when the truth had already been put out there by Indigo Airlines a day before on 24th February 2019.

Road rage or hate crime? Journalist withdraws complaint after claiming he was attacked for being a Kashmiri

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Pune-based Kashmiri journalist Jibraan Nazir had filed a complaint that he was ‘attacked’ by local youths ‘for being a Kashmiri’. However, after the police nabbed the accused, one Dattaray Lahote and one Azharuddin Shaikh, Nazir withdrew the complaint claiming that he does not believe the ‘attack’ on him was an organised one.


However, the ‘attack’ on Nazir started off as a road rage, according to reports. According to reports, Nazir was riding a bike and stopped at a red signal when two youths continuously honked at Nazir. This started an argument. As per Nazir, the duo allegedly started shouting at him because the numberplate of his bike bore a Himachal Pradesh registration number. Enraged, when he shouted back that he was not from Himachal, but from Jammu and Kashmir, the duo allegedly thrashed him and said that they will ‘send him back to Kashmir’.

As per the Indian Express report, Nazir withdrew his complaint after they apologised and promised to get his vehicle repaired. However, despite the alleged hate crime which left him with a minor fracture, Nazir chose not to pursue this further.

Read also: JNU ‘student’ who was accused of stealing funds in Kathua case found spreading rumours about Kashmiri girls trapped in Uttarakhand

As per a report in Newslaundry, the assailants also referred to him as a terrorist. “While hitting him they were repeatedly asking him to go back to Kashmir. They kept calling him a terrorist. When he made it known that he was a journalist, one of them snatched away his press card and told him to go back to his home in Kashmir and do journalism over there,” Newslaundry cites a ‘source’ close to Nazir. In fact, the Newslaundry report, describing the attack says that over and above the two, five-six bystanders had also joined in and punched him.

Why, then, has Nazir withdrawn the complaint when what happened to him is a clear case of hate crime? Was it really a hate crime as described by Nazir or it was just a road rage incident which escalated and was portrayed as a hate crime.

Ten days back a ghastly terror attack on CRPF convoy in Pulwama, Kashmir, claimed lives of over 40 soldiers. Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad took responsibility of the attack. Even as the nation mourned the loss, a few Kashmiris and the ‘liberal intellegensia’ were found celebrating the terror attack. As the nation was enraged, a parallel narrative was being built to shift the focus from the terror attack and its celebration to divert attention by claiming that the Kashmiris are under attack. Since most of the cases, these ‘attacks’ on Kashmiris have turned out to be rumours, one wonders why would Nazir, then, not take the case to its logical end, considering what allegedly happened to him fits the textbook case of hate crime, if he has not hyped it up.

Pune Police has taken suo motu cognisance and lodged an offence in the case. An offence under sections 279 (rash driving), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of IPC will be lodged against Dattaray and Azharuddin.

As Pakistan Airforce grandstands about war preparedness, its foreign minister asked by Japan to cancel scheduled visit

Amidst the environment of high tension between India and Pakistan after the Pulwama attack that killed 40 Indian soldiers, Pakistan has been displaying a wide variety of emotions.

Pakistan’s PM Imran Khan first released a highly edited video making tall claims and boasting bravado against India, then there were reports of its military mobilising troops, readying hospitals and evacuating villages along the LoC. Pakistani media has also been providing generous doses of entertainment for Indians with their dramatic and innovative ways of ‘warning’ India.

Also read: India can’t stop laughing as ‘tauba Tauba’ Pakistani journalist wants to nuke India because he loves tomatoes

As per reports, the Pakistan Air Force has now also joined in with its army to display their expertise and boast of its ‘preparedness’ and expertise to thwart any ‘misadventure’.

Pakistan’s air chief marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan reportedly visited the forward airforce bases and interacted with the combat crew. He said, “We are a peace-loving nation but if war is imposed on us we will defend the aerial frontiers of our motherland at every cost.”

Khan stated that the PAF will thwart any misadventure by the enemy and is ready to respond with full force as per the aspirations of the nation.

It is notable here that recently, Pakistanis along the Sialkot base had panicked when one of their own jets was flying low during a practice session. They had assumed it as an attack from India.

In another development, it is reported that Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has ‘postponed’ his visit to Japan scheduled this month after Japan’s suggestion.

As per a report in WION, Japan had asked Qureshi to reconsider his visit in view of the current India-Pakistan tension after the Pulwama attack. Japan has reportedly asked Qureshi to stay in his country and engage in active diplomacy to reduce tension with India. Qureshi was scheduled to depart yesterday.


Adding another example to the rapid mood swings of his nation, Imran Khan, after PM Modi’s speech recently where he had announced that this time, all scores will be settled, has released a statement. Khan has stated that Pakistan is ready to act on ‘actionable intelligence’ provided by India and has asked PM Modi to ‘give peace a chance’.

Robert Vadra hints at joining politics, posters come up urging him to contest from Moradabad, UP

Just weeks after his wife Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was parachuted to the Congress party, Robert Vadra, an accused in several multi-crore land deal irregularities, has indicated that he is ready for a “larger role in serving the people”.

In a Facebook post, Vadra wrote, “The years n months that I spent campaigning n working in different parts of the country, but mainly in UP, gave me a feeling to do more for the people n make smaller changes possible by me, in their areas n when they got to know me, the genuine love, affection n respect I earned was humbling …All these years of experience n learning cannot be just wasted and should be put to better use… once all these accusations n allegations are over, I feel I should dedicate a larger role in serving the people”

Vadra has also listed his accomplishments in this Facebook post claiming that he had helped children of a blind school along with serving at Mother Theresa’s missions and other orphanages. He added that he sustained and kept strong while learning from visiting different faiths, places of worship and feeding hungry people outside hospitals, temples.

Robert Vadra also claimed that disaster management events and sending help to Kerala, Nepal and other places were a satisfying and learning experience for him. In his post, he further claims that he has always adhered to the rules and understood that he was not above the law. He said he was a person who learnt from every event he has gone through while referring to his visits to Enforcement Directorate in Delhi and Rajasthan.

Accusing different governments of trying to malign him, Vadra said his name has been used to divert from the real issues of the country. “People of the country gradually realised this Modus and knew there was no truth in any of these allegations. People reach out n show respect and wish me luck n a better future,” said Vadra.

Meanwhile, within hours after Vadra posting his intention to plunge into politics, posters have been raised in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh which requests Robert Vadra to contest elections from Moradabad Lok Sabha constituency. ‘Robert Vadra ji you are welcome to contest elections from Moradabad Lok Sabha constituency’ seen in Moradabad.

Robert Vadra is accused of money laundering case and dubious land deal cases. He was recently summoned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with these cases. He had applied for anticipatory bail in the court earlier this month after a fresh money laundering case was filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The case filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Skylight Hospitality firm owned by Vadra. The case is in relation to alleged financial irregularities in land deals in Gurgaon, Haryana in 2008.

Arvind Kejriwal winds up his Chandigarh rally within seven minutes owing to poor turnout

Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal addressed a rally in Chandigarh yesterday. However, despite starting it late by an hour and a half, he finished his address in seven minutes owing to extremely poor turnout.

In his short speech, he attacked Kirron Kher of BJP and called her a ‘film actress who had to earn money… and became an MP just to enhance her status.’ In 2014, Aam Aadmi Party had fielded model-turned-actor Gul Panag against Kher. Last year, Panag had revealed how AAP and Arvind Kejriwal dangerously flirted with Khalistanis during the 2014 elections

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Kejriwal was to originally start his rally at 1:30 pm but despite being a Sunday, AAP failed to gather a decent audience for the event. This compelled Kejriwal to first delay his address by over an hour. Kejriwal later gave an excuse that he had to go elsewhere while winding up his short address in seven minutes.

This time, AAP is expected to contest former BJP leader Harmohan Dhavan from Chandigarh.

‘Vote for anyone from Congress party, even if the candidate is from Pakistan’, Congress ally chief urges voters

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In an outrageous statement, Mahan Dal chief has asked the voters to vote for anyone who is contesting from the Congress party, even if that person is from Pakistan.

Mahan Dal is a political party in Uttar Pradesh founded by Keshav Dev Maurya, and it is an ally of the Congress party. It had allied with Congress in 2014 Lok Sabha elections also, and had contested in 3 seats.

Addressing a rally organised in Moradabad, Keshav Dev Maurya asked people to vote for the hand symbol of Congress, and not to care about the candidate. Senior Congress leaders like Raj Babbar, Rashid Alvi and Naseemuddin Siddiqui were also present in the rally.

Maurya said, “Pratyashi mat dekhna, haath ka panja dekh lena, usi pe vote de dena, pratyashi koi bhi ho, accha ho, kharab ho, Pakistan se bhi aake lade, Mahan Dal ko koi aitraaz nahi hoga” (don’t look at the candidate, look the palm of the hand (election symbol of Congress), and vote for it. Let the candidate be anyone, be it good, be it bad, outsider, insider, even if someone from Pakistan contests, Mahan Dal will have no problem).

His this comment was cheered by people present in the rally with applause. Maurya urged the voters to vote for all candidates of Congress party and allies of Congress, so that a Congress majority government can be formed in Uttar Pradesh. He was addressing a rally named Mahan Dal ki Aabhaar rally, a thanksgiving meet.

Jammu and Kashmir: DSP and Army soldier martyred, three Jaish terrorists killed in encounter

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Three Jaish‑e‑Mohammad terrorists were killed and a Deputy Superintendent of police and an Army jawan was martyred in an encounter in Kulgam district in Jammu and Kashmir today. Two other personnel from the Army were injured in the encounter.

The encounter had broken out between Jaish‑e‑Mohammad terrorists and a joint team of Indian security forces at Turigam village of Kulgam district in Jammu and Kashmir today afternoon.


According to reports, a joint team of Army, CRPF and Special Operation Group (SOG) of state police had launched a cordon and search operation in Turigam village after receiving specific inputs about the presence of a group of JeM operatives in the area. It was believed that two to three terrorists were hiding in the village.

As the security forces intensified search operations in the village, terrorists hiding in the area started firing on them which started an encounter.

DSP Aman Thakur

DSP Aman Thakur got seriously injured in the neck, and he succumbed to injuries while he was flown to the Army hospital. One Army major and two soldiers were also injured in the encounter. Late Havaldar Ranveer Sombir, a non-commission officer with 34 RR, succumbed to his injuries. The other Army personnel injured in the incident are out of danger, as per reports. Three civilians were also injured in the incident.


Aman Thakur was posted as the DSP (operation) in Kulgam for last two years and he had successfully carried out combat operations in the area. A 2011-batch JK Police Services officer, Thakur was leading the police team in the operation.

Prime Minister Modi formally launches PM-Kisan Yojana, 12 crore small farmers to be benefited from the scheme

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday formally launched the implementation of Rs.75,000-crore Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme and distributed the first instalment of Rs 2,000 to over one crore farmers at Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

According to the reports, Prime Minister Modi today launched the PM-KISAN scheme by electronically transferring the first instalment of Rs.2,000 to selected farmers. The NDA government led by PM Narendra Modi had announced the PM-KISAN scheme in the interim Budget 2019-20, under which Rs.6,000 per year will be given in three instalments to 12 crore small and marginal farmers holding cultivable land up to two hectares.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMlDvq89cKE]

Targetting the previous UPA government, Prime Minister Modi said, “Previous governments made farmers cry to even obtain small benefits and these governments could never work for farmer’s benefit. Our govt has worked for the poor and farmers, we have worked hard to ensure that every help is extended to farmers so that by 2022 they can double their income.”

Dedicating the flagship scheme PM-Kisan, Prime Minister Modi said he felt privileged to transfer the first instalment under PM-KISAN scheme to 1.01 crore farmers today. PM Modi said that the first instalment of the cash transfer will be directly deposited to the bank accounts of farmers in the next few weeks.

“Nearly Rs 2021 crore have been transferred to the bank accounts of these farmers today. I have been told farmers from 21 centre-ruled states will benefit from the scheme. This is just the beginning. Under the scheme, nearly 75 thousand crore rupees is directly accessible to farmers ‘ accounts every year. The 12 crore small farmers in the country who have 5 acres or less land will benefit from it,” said PM Modi.

While openly attacking opposition-ruled states, the Prime Minister issued a warning to those states who have not submitted the list of beneficiary farmers. He warned them not to indulge in politics with the implementation of PM-Kisan. “If they don’t submit the list then farmers in their states will destroy them. You may be opposition parties but why do you have to play politics with farmers,” he said.

Further attacking the opposition parties, PM Modi accused that the previous governments of remembering farmers once in 5 years, just before elections. “They get a fever of loan waiver and distribute it as ‘revari” (dole) to garner votes….they did not know that Modi will expose them this time,” he said.

Amidst huge celebrations among the farmers present at the event, Prime Minister said that for his government, PM-Kisan scheme is not just an election promise. He added that he talked about it in Parliament only after making budgetary allocations for it. 

The Prime Minister urged the farmers not to fall for any false rumours of opposition parties claiming that PM Modi will take back the money from the farmers after one year, he said, “this is your right and nobody, not even state governments can take it back”.

Criticising the politics behind the farm loan waivers announced by the Congress party, PM Modi said UPA government had promised loan waivers a decade back and failed to keep up its promise.

“For us also loan waivers would have been easy and convenient, we also could have distributed ‘rewri’ for political and election benefits, but we can’t commit such a crime. Loan waiver benefits only a select few,” said PM Narendra Modi.

The Prime Minister said his government was working with utmost honesty to provide all possible resources to help farmers double their incomes by 2022. Prime Minister Modi further added that there was no place for middlemen in h+is government. He highlighted the efforts of the NDA government to bring benefits to the farmers and stated that many irrigation projects have been planned along with increasing MSP for the agricultural produce to help the farmers.

“It is our government which meets the years old demand of farmers at MSP. More than 50% of the support price cost of 22 Rabi and Kharif crops has been fixed.  Prime crop insurance scheme to save farmers from weathering has also been created,” said Modi.

PM Modi also said that a number of efforts are being made to the farmers to get fair prices of produce and lower their costs. The e-NAM platform is working to connect hundreds of markets across the country and will give the farmers the option to sell their produce online in any market in the country directly, said PM Modi.

“Earlier farmers could only take a loan of Rs one lakh without guarantee using the ‘kisan credit card’, they can now take a loan of Rs. 1,60,000 using the card. 17 lakh solar pumps will be provided for the help of farmers. They will not have to spend extra on irrigation,” he added.

PM Modi later visited the ongoing Kumbh at Prayagraj. At the Kumbh, he participated in the Swachh Kumbh Swachh Aabhaar event, organized by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. The Prime Minister distributed the Swachh Kumbh Swachh Aabhaar awards to ‘Safai karmacharis’ (sanitation employees), ‘swachhagrahis’, police personnel and boatmen. PM Modi also addressed the public gathered at Prayagraj later in the evening.

Pakistan takes a U-turn on its previous claim, says Bahawalpur ‘seminary’ not linked to Jaish e Mohammad

Pakistan government, who are habitual liars, have taken a U-turn yet again, dismissing its own previously made claim that it had taken over the control of the Jaish‑e‑Mohammad (JeM) headquarters. They have now said that the complex has no link with the terror outfit, which claimed responsibility for the terror attack in Pulwama in which nearly 40 CRPF soldiers were killed.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, in a video message on social media, previously had declared that the Punjab government took administrative control of Madrassatul Sabir and Jamia‑e‑Masjid Subhanallah in Bahawalpur, in line with the decisions taken during their National Security Council meeting held on Thursday.

However, going by its proneness to deceive, Chaudhry rejected his earlier announcement that the complex was the terror outfit’s headquarters, and said, “This is the madrassa (seminary). Calling it Jaish headquarters is India’s propaganda.

On Friday, 22nd of February, Chaudhary had told news agency PTI that the Punjab government has “taken over the control of the Jaish headquarters in Bahawalpur”, about 400 km from Lahore. Incidentally, this was the first time in years that the campus had been acknowledged by Pakistan to be the headquarters of the terror outfit JeM led by Masood Azhar.

The statement also read that the crackdown on Jaish “has been taken in line with the decision of the National Security Committee meeting held on Thursday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Imran Khan”.

“The Islamic seminaries in the campus have a faculty of 70 teachers and 600 students were studying there. Punjab police is providing security and protection to the campus,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, on 23rd February, Saturday, police took a group of local journalists to the place in Bahawalpur and claimed that it is a “routine seminary having no link with JeM”.

“Some 600 students are studying here and none of them is associated with any banned organisation or involved in any terror activity,” police said.

A local journalist, who visited the seminary and spoke to some students and teachers there claimed that “perhaps they were briefed before our visit” since, “When asked about the JeM and Masood Azhar, they showed complete ignorance about them.

Pakistan has been facing India’s umbrage over the ghastly Pulwama attack which consumed the life of 44 CRPF jawans and left several critically injured. Pakistan has been facing immense pressure as India this time decides to even the score with Pakistan.

India stands steadfast in its quest to retribute to the constant security breach and the cowardly attacks Pakistan has been administrating. On one hand, it has created an international pressure by trying to get Pakistan isolated globally, including withdrawal of Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status conferred on Pakistan, hiking customs duty on Pakistani goods exported to India by 200%, vowing to divert water of 3 rivers flowing into Pakistan into the Yamuna and on the other hand India has given a free hand to its army to seek revenge.