QBullet: AIADMK Factions Merge in TN; Triple Talaq Verdict Today

The Quint’s roundup of headlines from national dailies.

O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami.

(Photo: The Quint)

1. AIADMK Factions Merge in Tamil Nadu: EPS and OPS Are One Again

Ending a bitter spat that saw them part ways more than six month ago following the death of their leader J Jayalalithaa, the two factions of the AIADMK announced on Monday a merger deal under which Edappadi K Palaniswami will remain the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and O Panneerselvam, his predecessor, will be Deputy Chief Minister. K Pandiarajan, a close aide of Panneerselvam, will also be in the cabinet.

The deal, reached after several rounds of negotiations with the blessings of the BJP, will lead to the formal ouster of VK Sasikala as the AIADMK general secretary — the close aide of Jayalalithaa is doing time in prison in a disproportionate assets case.

Panneerselvam has been designated coordinator of an 11-member steering committee, which will also have three joint coordinators – R Vaithilingam, KP Munuswamy and Palaniswami. Vaithilingam said the party will convene a general council meeting to remove Sasikala from the post of general secretary.

Source: Indian Express

Also Read:
With Less than 3% Vote Share in TN, BJP is Commanding AIADMK
Experts Analyse What’s Next for EPS-OPS, BJP’s Interest in AIADMK

2. Supreme Court Ruling on Triple Talaq Validity Today

A five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court is set to pronounce its verdict on the constitutional validity of triple talaq on Tuesday.

The practice of triple talaq, used by some Muslims to arbitrarily divorce their wives, has been subject to contending arguments. Some Muslim groups see the issue as a matter of religious right while others, including the Centre, term it unconstitutional.

The ruling will be keenly followed by political parties, Muslim outfits and women’s groups as well as Shayara Bano, the 35-year-old petitioner who has challenged the practice. Petitions of four other Muslim women – Aafreen Rehman, Gulshan Parveen, Ishrat Jahan and Atiya Sabri – are tagged with Bano’s plea.

Source: The Times of India

Also Read:
Demand to End Triple Talaq a Result of Muslim Women’s Empowerment
Case Files: The Making of the Landmark Judgement on Triple Talaq

3. Malegaon Blast: Purohit Gets Bail After 9 Years in Jail

The Supreme Court, on 21 August, granted bail to Lt Colonel Shrikant Prasad Purohit, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon serial blast case. A bench of Justices RK Agrawal and AM Sapre said they were setting aside the Bombay High Court order, which had denied bail to Purohit.

The apex court also said it has imposed certain conditions on Purohit while granting bail.

On 17 August, the Supreme Court reserved its order on Purohit’s bail plea hearing.

Arguing for Col Purohit, Harish Salve urged the Supreme Court bench to grant interim bail “for interest of justice”. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had, however, opposed Purohit’s bail plea, stating that there were enough evidence against him.

Read the full story on The Quint.

Also Read: Political Interference in the 2008 Malegaon Blasts Investigation

4. PLA Holding Live Fire Drills to Awe India: Chinese Media

The Chinese foreign ministry on Monday blamed India for stone-pelting near Pangong lake in Ladakh on 15 August, even as hyper nationalist newspapers Global Times and Lianhe Zaobao, quoting experts, said the People's Liberation Army (PLA) was conducting "live fire drills" in the western sector to "strike awe in India".

Chinese TV also showed a five-minute video of a military drill involving 10 PLA units, including its aviation and armoured troops, in a move calculated to try and keep the two month stand-off at Doklam in an aggravated state.

While there was no official confirmation of the fire drill, the Ladakh incident did raise tempers. Apart from stone-pelting, there was also an instance of one soldier kicking another. While their identities were unclear – China claimed the injured soldier was theirs – this marked a new low as troops had hitherto restricted themselves to shoving and pushing in the Sikkim sector over the past two months.

Source: The Times of India

Also Read:
‘Extremely Dissatisfied’ China Blames India for Border Scuffle
China Releases Another Video on Doklam, But This One is Not Racist

5. Attention Homebuyers! Top Official Says 82 Greater Noida Housing Projects Critical

The condition of 82 housing projects in Greater Noida is critical, a top official of the city said on Monday, sending alarm bells ringing for thousands of homebuyers in the wake of issues affecting the real estate sector in the national capital region.

Developers of 82 housing projects haven’t submitted their action plan as of delivery of their respective housing projects.

Debasish Panda, Greater Noida Authority (GNA) Chief Executive Officer

“We are giving them another deadline and have scheduled a meeting with all builders, including these 82, on 25 August. If they fail to submit an action plan by then, they will face legal action,” he said.

Panda, however, refused to share the names and details of these builders or their projects.

Currently, about 203 housing projects are being constructed in Greater Noida and the crisis comes in the wake of insolvency proceedings initiated against Jaypee Infratech’s 27 housing projects for defaulting on approximately Rs 526.11 crore loan.

Source: Hindustan Times

Also Read:
Jaypee Infratech Insolvency FAQs: What Should Homebuyers Do Now?
Homebuyers May Have to Pay a Premium for Transparency

6. 'Routine Run' Kills Second IMA Cadet in 2 Days; 5 in Hospital

In the second death of a gentleman cadet of the Indian Military Academy (IMA) within a span of two days, Nabin Kumar Chhetri, 24, from Darjeeling, died after collapsing during a training schedule which had claimed the life of another cadet, Deepak Sharma.

IMA sources confirmed on Monday that seven cadets had collapsed during a “routine 10-km run” out of which five were admitted in the Military Hospital (MH) at Dehradun where their condition was reported to be “stable.” 

Chhetri passed away on Sunday night due to what sources at MH termed "multiple organ failure". The cadets were at a training camp known as 'Pahla Kadam', which is the first camp that new cadets who have joined as 'direct entry' recruits (after graduation) are taken to on joining the academy.

During the runback of the exercise, seven gentlemen cadets fell unwell due to dehydration. All the cadets were administered first-aid by the medical officer present and evacuated in specialised ambulances with paramedic support to military hospital, Dehradun.

Army Statement 

Source: The Times of India

7. RJD Calls for SC-Monitored CBI Probe Into Srijan Scam

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Monday demanded a Supreme Court-monitored CBI probe into the multi-crore Srijan scam, a day after an accused in the case died at a hospital in Bhagalpur.

The accused, Mahesh Mandal, allegedly helped the Srijan Mahila Vikas Sahyog Samiti, an NGO, siphon off government funds to the tune of ₹870 crore with the connivance of bank and government officials. Mandal who was the Bhagalpur district welfare department accountant was arrested on 13 August.

He died of kidney-related complications on Sunday night.

The RJD called for the resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and asked his deputy in the Cabinet, Sushil Kumar Modi, to ensure a “fair and impartial probe”.

Source: The Hindu

Also Read: Mahesh Mandal, a Srijan Scam Accused, Dies in Bhagalpur Hospital

8. After Gorakhpur, 3 Kids Die in Raipur Hospital; Oxygen Supplier Arrested

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh ordered a probe on Monday into allegations that three newborn children died at Raipur’s BR Ambedkar hospital after a drop in oxygen pressure.

The chief minister expressed his regret but authorities said the children – all of whom were on ventilator in the neonatal intensive care unit – died of various heart and respiratory complications. 

Families alleged that the children died of irregularities in oxygen supply and that no post-mortem examination was done.

“No one responsible for this tragic incident will be spared,” the chief minister told reporters.

Police arrested a hospital employee, Ravi Chandra, who was in charge of the oxygen supply between 2pm and 8pm after doctors found a drop in gas pressure around 5pm on Sunday. 

Hours later, Chandra was found inebriated and booked for laxity in discharging his duties. All three children died between 12.30pm and 10pm on Sunday.

Source: Hindustan Times

9. McDonald's Terminates Franchise Agreement for 169 Outlets in North, East India

McDonald’s India Pvt. Ltd (MIPL), the local unit of the American fast food chain, on Monday terminated its franchise agreement with Connaught Plaza Restaurants Pvt. Ltd (CPRL), which runs McDonald’s outlets in north and east India, and is now looking for a new partner.

CPRL is a joint venture between MIPL and Vikram Bakshi, who is managing director of CPRL.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@McDonalds)

McDonald’s cited “default in the payment of royalties by CPRL” as the primary reason for termination.

As a result, CPRL will have to “cease using the McDonald’s system (which includes proprietary rights in McDonald’s names, trademarks, designs, branding, operational and marketing practice and policies, and food recipes and specifications) and its associated intellectual property in relation to these restaurants within 15 days of the termination notice”.

Source: Hindustan Times

Also Read: Craving McDonald’s? Here Are 10 NCR Outlets That Are Still Serving

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