1. SC to Hear Ayodhya Case in January
The Supreme Court on Monday, 29 October, turned down requests for an early hearing in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi title dispute and said the top court will decide the course of hearings in the first week of January.
In a hearing that barely lasted five minutes, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi dismissed requests by additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the Uttar Pradesh government, and senior advocate CS Vaidyanathan, who represented the deity Ram Lalla, that the court take up the dispute after the Diwali break.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
2. India, Japan Sign $75 Billion Currency Swap Agreement
India and Japan signed a currency swap agreement worth $75 billion during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan, the government announced on Monday, 29 October.
“This swap arrangement particularly reflects the depth of mutual trust and understanding, personal relationship and warmth between the two leaders built over many years,” the statement added.
The currency swap agreement, the government said, was an important measure in improving the confidence in the Indian market and that it would not only enable the agreed amount of capital being available to India, but it will also bring down the cost of capital for Indian entities while accessing the foreign capital market.
(Source: The Hindu)
3. Delhi Pilot in Lion Air Plane Crash Was Expected Home for Diwali
Captain Bhavye Suneja, a 31-year-old Indian with 6,000 hours of flying experience, was at the controls of the Lion Air jet that crashed into the sea with 189 people on board after a sudden and sharp dive on Monday, 29 October, just minutes after taking off from Jakarta.
Assisted by co-pilot Harvino, who went by only one name, Suneja was flying the nearly new Boeing 737 MAX 8 when it lost contact with ground officials, 13 minutes after departing from the Indonesian capital.
From Delhi’s Mayur Vihar, Suneja studied at the Ahlcon Public School till 2005. Neighbours said his family was expecting Suneja home this Diwali.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
4. Chhattisgarh Polls: BJP Releases 3rd List, 1st Seat Yet to Be Finalised
The BJP has released its third list of 11 candidates for the Chhattisgarh election, taking the party’s total number of declared candidates to 89 of the 90 seats. Raipur North, currently held by the BJP’s Shrichand Sundrani, is still to be decided.
The third list of the BJP has seen wholesale changes, with eight of 11 candidates that contested the elections last time not getting a ticket on this occasion.
Of the 11 seats, the BJP has three sitting candidates, Ramlal Chauhan in Saraipali, Rupkumari Choudhary in Basna, and Vidyaratan Bhasin in Vaishali Nagar. Bhasin won the election in 2013 by a 24,000 vote margin. Of the candidates that lost the last election, only Kashi Ram Sahu from Kota and Dr Kailash Sahu from Jaijaipur have been repeated.
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. CBI Row: HC Pulls up Agency for Delay
The Delhi High Court on Monday, 29 October, pulled up the CBI for not filing its reply to a plea by the agency’s Special Director Rakesh Asthana and said that it should abide by its earlier order on maintaining “status quo” on proceedings in the FIR lodged against the officer on alleged bribery charges.
“CBI shall maintain status quo till the next date of hearing, 1 November,” Justice Najmi Wazari said. The court asked the agency to file its response before the next hearing. On 23 October, the court had asked the CBI to maintain “status quo” on the proceedings initiated against Asthana who had sought in a plea that no coercive action be taken against him while the probe into the matter was underway.
(Source: The Indian Express)
6. Amit Shah Expresses Desire to Visit Sabarimala Temple
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah has expressed a desire to visit Sabarimala next month when the shrine re-opens, news agency PTI quoted an unnamed state leader of the party as saying.
The BJP, whose state president PS Sreedharan Pillai has announced a rath (chariot) yatra starting on 8 November from Kasargod to Sabarimala, has come out strongly in support of people protesting the entry of women in the 10-50 age group into the temple. So far, the state government has detained around 3500 protestors.
Sensing an opportunity Shah has reportedly instructed party cadres to organise all movements with the participation of NDA partners and ensure unity of Nair Service Society (NSS), a powerful organisation of the Nair community and Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP), a socio-cultural body of backward Ezhavas.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
7. Hindus, Sikhs Were Safe in Kashmir till It Had a Hindu King: Yogi
Addressing a gathering of Sikhs in Lucknow on Monday, 29 October, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath claimed that Hindus and Sikhs were safe in Kashmir till it was ruled by a Hindu king, but that was not the case today.
Speaking at the ‘Sikh Samagam’ organised by the state BJP unit, Adityanath said, “…Jaise hi Hindu raja ka patan hua, Hinduon ka bhi patan hona shuru hogaya… Aaj wahan ki sthiti kya hai? Koi apne ko surakshit bol sakta hai? Nahi bol sakta (The downfall of Hindus began with the downfall of the Hindu king… what is the situation there today? Can anyone say they are safe? They cannot).”
(Source: The Indian Express)
8. Collegium Clears 4 Names for Elevation as Supreme Court Judges
The Supreme Court collegium on Monday, 29 October, cleared names of justice R Subhash Reddy, justice Hemant Gupta, justice M R Shah, and justice Ajay Rastogi for elevation as Supreme Court judges.
According to two people familiar with the collegium proceedings, Gujarat High Court Chief Justice Reddy, Madhya Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Gupta, Patna High Court Chief Justice M R Shah, and Tripura High Court Chief Justice Ajay Rastogi’s elevation was recommended unanimously.
The collegium is a body of the five top judges, which is responsible for all appointments to the top court. Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi heads it and also includes justice MB Lokur, justice Kurien Joseph, justice A K Sikri and justice S A Bobde.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
9. J&K is on Fire Because of Modi’s Mistakes: Rahul Gandhi
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday, 29 October, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made “mistakes” on Jammu and Kashmir, as a result of which the state is “on fire”.
Addressing a public meeting here in Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi also alleged that the ‘One-Rank, One-Pension’ (OROP) scheme has not been implemented so far and the prime minister was telling “lies” on the issue. He said a couple of days back, a delegation of ex-servicemen met him and said they had trusted Modi over OROP but were “disappointed” now.
The Prime Minister “claims that OROP has been implemented. He speaks lies,” the Congress leader said.
(Source: The Indian Express)
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