Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 21 (ANI): RSS General Secretary Dattatray Hosabale on Saturday said Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat is capable of answering on his ‘ripped jeans’ remark and added that there is no reason to link everything to the RSS.
“The person, whose name you took, is capable of answering. People express views. Whether it’s right or wrong is something which must be asked of them. No reason to link everything to RSS,” he said when asked to comment on Rawat’s ‘ripped jeans’ remark.
The newly appointed Uttarakhand chief minister recently stirred a row by saying that women wearing ripped jeans send a wrong message to society and children.
Speaking at a workshop organised by the Uttarakhand State Commission for Protection of Child Rights in Dehradun, Rawat said that he was shocked to meet a woman, who runs an NGO, wearing ripped jeans on a flight with her kids. “What kind of message are we giving out to society,” he said. (ANI)

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 21 (ANI): After Param Bir Singh alleged that he was indulged in “malpractices” and asked suspended API Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crore every month, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Saturday said he is filing a defamation suit against former Mumbai Police Commissioner.
“Param Bir Singh should prove his allegations. I am filing a defamation suit against him,” Deshmukh said.
Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh wrote to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray alleging that Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had indulged in “malpractices” and asked suspended API Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crore every month.
The allegations were made a day after Deshmukh had said that Param Bir Singh was moved out as Mumbai Police Commissioner so that cases pertaining to Waze were probed without obstruction.
In the letter, Param Bir Singh, who has now been posted as Commandant General of Home Guards, said that he has been “made a scapegoat to divert attention from the actual wrongdoers”.
He alleged that Sachin Vaze, who was heading the Crime Intelligence Unit of the Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police, was called by Deshmukh to his official residence several times in the last few months and “repeatedly instructed to assist in the collection of funds”.
“In and around mid-February and thereafter, the Home Minister had called Vaze to his official residence. At that time, one or two staff members of the Home Minister including his personal secretary Palande, were also present. The Home Minister expressed to Vaze that he had a target to accumulate Rs 100 crores a month. For achieving the target, the Home Minister told Vaze that there are about 1,750 bars, restaurants, and other establishments in Mumbai and if a sum of Rs. 2-3 lakhs each was collected from each of them, a monthly collection of Rs. 40-50 crores were achievable,” the letter said.
According to the Chief Minister’s Office, Maharashtra, letter from Param Bir Singh was received at 4:37 pm today (Saturday) via a different email address, not his official one, and was without his signature. The new email address needs to be checked. The Home Ministry is trying to contact him for the same, CMO said.

Waze, Assistant Police Inspector in the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU), who was transferred to the Citizen Facilitation Centre at Mumbai Police Headquarters after his name came up in Mansukh Hiren death case, has been sent to NIA custody till March 25, in connection with his alleged role and involvement in placing an explosives-laden vehicle. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 21 (ANI): A co-mutawalli (trustee) of the Muslim Wakf of 350-year-old “TeelyWali masjid” of Lucknow approached the Supreme Court on Saturday opposing a PIL which alleged that the government cannot make a law to curtail the right to approach the court to reclaim the religious place.
Wasif Hasan moved the top court by filing an application in the pending PIL of advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay and sought to intervene as a party in the case.
Seeking dismissal of the plea filed by Upadhyay in the apex court, Hasan said the co-mutawalli of the mosque has been fighting a case in a Lucknow court where Hindus are claiming that there existed a temple before the masjid came into being.
Earlier, the apex court had agreed to examine the controversial provisions of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 which provided that except the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri masjid dispute no similar dispute related to a religious place can be reopened in a court of law.
The main PIL has challenged provisions of the 1991 law prohibiting the filing of a lawsuit to reclaim a place of worship or seek a change in its character from what prevailed on August 15, 1947.
The petition has alleged that the 1991-law creates an “arbitrary and irrational retrospective cut-off date of August 15, 1947, for maintaining the character of the places of worship or pilgrimage against encroachment done by fundamentalist-barbaric invaders and law-breakers”. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 21 (ANI): Future Retail Ltd and Future Coupons Pvt Ltd have moved the Division Bench of Delhi High Court challenging recent order of the single bench that had upheld the Emergency Award passed against the Future-Reliance deal.
The Division Bench of Justice DN Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh on Monday will hear the petition.
While upholding the Emergency Award passed against the Future-Reliance deal, the single bench of Justice JR Midha on Thursday imposed costs of Rs 20 lakh on the Future group.
A Single-Judge Bench said that the Singapore arbitration order is enforceable.
The Court accepted Amazon’s pleas against the deal, rejected Future Group’s arguments, and said the order of emergency arbitrator valid, enforceable under Indian law.
Justice Midha also said that Future Retail Group has deliberately disobeyed the order and liable to face action under the code of civil procedure. The Court also issued show-cause notice to Future Retail and others, asking them why they should not be detained in civil prison. Further, the High Court had directed to attach properties of CEO Kishore Biyani and others related to Future Group.
The Court also directed Future Group’s Directors to appear in person before April 28, the next date fixed for hearing.
Earlier the Court had directed Future Retail Limited to maintain the status quo with respect to deal with Reliance while granting interim relief to Amazon.
The Single Bench had ordered on Amazon plea where the petitioner has submitted that the respondents including Future Coupons Private Limited have deliberately and willfully violated and are continuing further with the violation of the order dated 25th October 2020 of the Emergency Arbitrator. The petitioner has sought an immediate interim order to protect its rights till the pronouncement of the reserved order.
The respondents are objecting to the enforcement of the order dated 25th October 2020 passed by the Emergency Arbitrator on various grounds, inter alia, that the Emergency Arbitrator is not an Arbitrator/ Arbitral Tribunal; the order dated 25th October 2020 is not an order under Section 17( 1) and is not enforceable under Section 17(2) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, the respondent is not a party to the arbitration agreement and the order dated 25th October, 2020 is a nullity, the court had said.
The court, however, said that “This Court is of the prima facie view that the Emergency Arbitrator is an Arbitrator; the Emergency Arbitrator has rightly proceeded against the respondent; the order dated 25th October 2020 is not a nullity; the order dated 25th October 2020 is an order under Section 17(1) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act.”
“This Court is of the view that the order dated 25th October 2020 is appealable under Section 37 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act. This Court is of the clear view that the order dated 25th October 2020 is enforceable as an order of this Court under Section 17(2) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act. The detailed reasons shall be given in the reserved order,” the court said.
The court also directed all the concerned authorities to maintain the status quo with respect to all matters in violation of the order dated 25th October 2020 and shall file the status report with respect to the present status within ten days of the receipt of this order. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 21 (ANI): The Ministry of Education is deliberating on measures to increase the number of international students coming to India for higher studies.
In a review meeting of the Ministry’s Study in India Programme with partner institutions on Friday, Secretary Higher Education Amit Khare said that the criteria for institutions partnering under the programme will soon be revised so that more institutions that have the necessary infrastructure and academic quality can join the programme.
He also said that no distinction will be made between private and public institutions in matters of supporting internationalisation.
According to the Ministry of Education, Study in India is a programme of the Government of India that aims to attract international students to higher education institutions in India.
Select 117 institutions are partners under the programme that was launched in 2018. Admissions are merit-based and done through a common portal. Around 7500 students from over 50 countries have come to Indian institutions so far under this programme.
The Government has also recognized the importance of creating a conducive, on-campus ecosystem for international students, where they not only get quality academic inputs but can also feel safe, welcome, happy and hassle-free.
In this regard, the Secretary called upon all partner institutions to set up world-class hostels for international students. There is a provision for financial assistance for this under the Champion Services Sector Scheme that supports SII, which can be provided to some institutions. In addition, there is an urgent requirement of setting up International Students’ Offices in every institution that takes in international students. This office should work as single-window support for anything that the international students may need, right from the day they get selected to join the institution.
Besides this, avenues like networks of families, mentors etc should be developed, who can help the students to socialize so that they feel welcome in the country and have an enjoyable stay here, with memories that they can cherish, and positive experience to share with others.
In addition to this, the Ministry has also asked institutions that they should consider organizing orientation for international students when they join, as well as orientation for the faculty to sensitize them to teach using contexts that these students can relate to.
“The Ministry is also looking towards enhanced academic collaborations between Indian and international institutions under Twinning, Joint and Dual degrees with credit transfer mechanism. UGC has already brought out draft regulations in this regard that have currently been put up for stakeholder consultation. There regulations will give a boost to student exchange programmes and short programmes of one or two semesters,” read a release by the ministry.
The Ministry has plans to take up the issue of allowing internship for international students with the concerned department of the Government. Many of the partner institutions pointed out that the absence of internship for international students was a big drawback for any programme of higher studies in India. The Ministry will iron out other issues of concern for international students, for example, visa issues.
All institutions have also been asked to activate their Alumni network and use this connection to draw more students to Indian institutions. (ANI)

Kochi (Kerala) [India], March 21 (ANI): BJP leader Gopal Krishna Agarwal on Saturday said that people in Kerala are fed up with the LDF and the UDF and claimed that the NDA will form the government in the state going to polls on April 6.
Addressing a press conference here, Agarwal said people of Kerala want the change and economical development,
“People are fed up with LDF and UDF. They have seen them for several decades. This time we are very hopeful that NDA will form government in Kerala,” he said.
“We expect this time that there is a big wave of change blowing on in Kerala. The people of Kerala want the change. They want economical development, they want employment, they want industrialisation, they want agricultural growth, they want good infrastructure and the communist government can’t provide them. Because they ideologically don’t like good business and good industries etc. That shows in their policies. They believe in just the welfare of their own members and their party workers. All the money that the government spends goes to the pockets of their own workers,” he said.
Agarwal also criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his promise for a separate fisheries ministry and termed the UDF as “complete failure”.
“The UDF is a complete failure. They don’t have a vision. Rahul Gandhi doesn’t know the ground reality. He talks of the fisheries department, he doesn’t know there is a fisheries department existing. Then they are allying with the Indian Muslim League and talks of secularism in other states. They are fighting left and aligning with Left in West Bengal. Nobody is going to support them,” he said.
On Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s remark that Prime Minister Narendra Modi destroyed the economy of the country, the BJP leader said that the way West Bengal Chief Minister handled economic growth and development of the state is pathetic.
“Mamata what does she know about economics, the way she has handled West Bengal’s economic growth and development is pathetic,” he said.
“Every industrialist, every businessman, has over the past 10 years run away from West Bengal. They have basically come to Gujarat and UP. Those states have done remarkably good in attracting investment and setting up of industries,” he added.
The election for the 140-member Kerala assembly will be held on April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2. (ANI)