QBullet: Imran Khan Leads in Pak Polls; Maratha Stir Creates Chaos
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1. Pakistan Elections 2018: Verdict Pakistan Army Wanted – Imran Khan Surges Ahead
Twenty-six years after he won the cricket World Cup in 1992 as captain, Imran Khan, considered to be backed by his nation’s powerful army, widely referred to as “Laadla” (favourite son) – was racing ahead to become the next Prime Minister of Pakistan. In a historic turn of events, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was leading in 102 parliamentary seats – way ahead of his rivals, PML(N) at 64 and PPP at 30, according to Geo News TV channel. In the directly contested 272 seats in Pakistan’s Parliament, 137 is the halfway mark for a simple majority.
If he manages to pull through, a relatively new political party will be ahead of the two established political parties Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML (N)), led by Nawaz Sharif’s brother and former Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Pakistan People’s Party, led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
(Source: The Indian Express)
2. Maratha Stir: Mumbai Avoids Chaos, But State Tense
India’s commercial capital escaped the statewide protest on Wednesday called by the Maratha community in Maharashtra, suffering only minimal disruptions, getting off more lightly than some of its suburbs, and other parts of the state that saw sporadic violence.
The protest was called off in Mumbai by mid-afternoon, although it continued elsewhere.
Late-evening violence in Navi Mumbai resulted in lathicharge and the police firing teargas shells, after protesters set fire to a police outpost and a few vehicles in the Kopar Khairane area.
The agitators also attacked local residents and the police.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
3. Hardik Gets 2 Years in Jail for ‘Rioting’ at 2015 Gujarat Quota Rally
Three years after Hardik Patel’s maiden quota rally in Gujarat’s Visnagar, a district court on Wednesday held the Patidar agitation warrior and two others guilty of vandalising the office of a BJP MLA as the rally turned violent and handed them two years’ imprisonment. The three were later granted a month’s bail on condition they wouldn’t enter Mehsana district.
Patel, who turned 25 on 20 July and is eligible to contest polls, said he was wrongly implicated. “This conviction is an attempt by the ruling BJP to stop me from contesting 2019’s LS polls. It is an attempt to ruin my political career and social life.”
(Source: The Times of India)
4. Dalit Groups Want Justice Goel Out of NGT, Bring SC/ST Law: Paswan Writes to Rajnath
In line with his remarks on Monday that several Dalit MPs have “expressed concern” over the “wrong message” sent by the appointment of Justice (retd) AK Goel as National Green Tribunal (NGT) chairman since he is “the judge who ruled against” the SC/ST Act, Union Minister and LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan has written to Home Minister Rajnath Singh, saying the All India Ambedkar Mahasabha (AIAM), a Dalit rights coalition, has sought removal of Justice Goel from the post.
He said the AIAM has also asked the government to bring in a Bill in the ongoing session of Parliament to safeguard the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and “take immediate action in the interest of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes”.
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. Mamata May Drop up to Half of TMC MPs in Mission 2019
As West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee prepares her team for the party’s most significant Lok Sabha election next year, she has asked for a detailed review in each of the 42 parliamentary constituencies in the state before finalising candidates, a process that could prevent several sitting Members of Parliament (MPs) from getting the party’s ticket, according to Trinamool Congress (TMC) insiders.
The 2019 Lok Sabha polls will not just be a fight to maximise the party’s tally, but will also play a decisive role in any possible post-poll numbers game in national politics. The West Bengal chief minister, if her party puts up a good showing, could be among a handful of regional leaders with a chance to be prime minister.
At least three senior leaders of the TMC said on condition of anonymity that Banerjee might drop up to half its MPs to accommodate new faces with the sole aim to win the seats.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
6. Fetus Found in Toilet of Imphal-Delhi Flight
In a shocking incident, a fetus was found in the lavatory of an AirAsia flight which landed at Delhi’s IGI airport from Imphal on Wednesday. It was the cabin crew which came across the fetus while preparing to land. A medical examination revealed that it was delivered on board.
After passengers were questioned, a 19-year-old sportsperson, accompanied by a coach, was identified and taken for further tests. The flight had arrived in Delhi in the afternoon from Imphal via Guwahati. Police said they were alerted about the incident by the AirAsia flight manager and flyers were asked not to deboard until an inquiry. “After questioning, the 19-year-old admitted that she had delivered a premature baby,” said Sanjay Bhatia, DCP (IGI).
(Source: The Times of India)
7. SC Fixes Minimum Aid to Rape Survivors
The Supreme Court on Wednesday approved National Legal Services Authority (NALSA)’s scheme to provide compensation to women, who are “victims/survivors” of sexual assault and acid attacks.
A bench of justices M B Lokur and Deepak Gupta ordered the Centre and states to implement the scheme that offers minimum Rs 5 lakh as compensation.
“We expect the Union of India and States to implement the scheme in letter and spirit,” the SC said.
The judges said suitable modifications should be made to the scheme so that aid can be extended to victims of child abuse.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
8. Two Kerala Cops Get Capital Punishment for Custodial Death
In perhaps the first instance of the death penalty being awarded to police personnel in India for custodial death, two Kerala cops were given the highest punishment of the land on Wednesday for the murder of a scrap dealer who was subjected to third-degree torture.
The death penalty by a CBI court comes on a day when the killing of Rakbar Khan in Alwar continues to make headlines over the alleged role played by police. Rajasthan home minister has said that Rakbar died in police custody while the state’s DGP had admitted an error of judgment.
Scrap dealer Udayakumar, 28, was picked up in a theft case in September 2005 but released as he was innocent. However, when he demanded the return of the Rs 4,000 he had on him, the two cops took him to Fort police station in Thiruvananthapuram and tortured him.
(Source: The Times of India)
9. Change Your Mindset, Don’t Obstruct Inter-Faith Marriage: HC to Officials
Ruling on an inter-faith marriage case of a Hindu-Muslim couple, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has said that officialdom must not be seen “raising eyebrows and laying snares and landmines” in such cases. The procedure for a court marriage, it has said, “must reflect the mindset of the changed times in a secular nation promoting inter-religion marriages”.
In his 20 July order released Wednesday, Justice Rajiv Narain Raina, ruling on the plea of a couple who had approached the high court against court marriage rules framed by the Haryana government, said the Court Marriage Check List (CMCL), issued by the Haryana government, largely violates the couple’s right to privacy.
The couple – one from Gurgaon, and the other from Faridabad – wanted to legalise their marriage under the Special Marriage Act without change of religion.
(Source: The Indian Express)
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