1. Pakistan Court Sentences Ousted PM Nawaz Sharif to 10 Years Imprisonment in Corruption Case
Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by an accountability court in Pakistan Friday in one of the three corruption cases against him in the high-profile Panama Papers scandal, reported PTI. The verdict came after the court had earlier postponed it four times in the Avenfield corruption case — pertaining to the ownership of four flats in the posh Avenfield House in London.
The Avenfield case was among the three corruption cases filed against Sharif and his children by the NAB on the Supreme Court’s orders.
The ruling came weeks before the Pakistan general elections, scheduled to be held on 25 July. Accountability court judge Mohammad Bashir pronounced the verdict behind closed doors.
(Source: The Indian Express)
2. CJI ‘Master of the Roster’, Reiterates Supreme Court
The Chief Justice of India (CJI) is the “master of the roster,” the Supreme Court reaffirmed on Friday, declining to accept former law minister Shanti Bhushan’s suggestion that the CJI consult his collegium colleagues — the top four judges after him in seniority –in allocating cases to various benches.
Describing the CJI as “first among equals,” a bench of justices AK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan said although the constitution was silent on the CJI’s role as the master of the roster, his power was based on a healthy practice and “convention aimed at maintaining discipline and decorum.” The judges wrote separate but concurring verdicts.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
3. I Am Still the Boss on Transfers and Postings of Officers: LG to City Govt
Indicating that the Centre versus AAP government battle will continue to rage, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday that lieutenant governor.
Anil Baijal’s refusal to accept that the elected government had the right to carry out transfers and postings of officers was a conspiracy to paralyse the AAP government.
After a half-hour meeting with the CM, the first since Kejriwal’s nine-day dharna at LG House, Baijal wrote to Kejriwal stating that he had been advised by the Union home ministry to keep control over ‘services’ because the Supreme Court had clarified that the issue shall be taken up by its regular bench.
“So, the 21 May 2015, MHA notification which shifted services to LG continues to be valid,” he asserted.
(Source: The Times of India)
4. Malaysian PM Rules out Naik’s Extradition to India for Now
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Friday ruled out handing over controversial preacher Zakir Naik to India as long as he doesn’t create problems in Malaysia.
India made a formal request to Malaysia in January to extradite Naik, wanted by New Delhi for allegedly inciting youngsters to join terrorism and financial irregularities.
“As long as he is not creating any problem, we will not deport him because he has been given permanent resident status,” Mohamad told a news conference when he was asked about the case of Naik.
His comments followed media reports this week that the Mumbai-born televangelist, who currently lives in Putrajaya, could be deported by Malaysia.
Following these reports, Naik said he would not return to India as long as he feels he will be subjected to “unfair prosecution”.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
5. Abducted & Killed: First Soldier, Now J&K Cop
Police recovered on Friday the bullet-riddled body of constable Javid Ahmad Dar who was abducted from his village in Jammu & Kashmir’s Shopian district late Thursday evening.
Javid was the personal security guard of former Shopian SSP Shailendra Mishra and had accompanied the latter in an operation against Hizbul Mujahideen commander Sameer Tiger on 30 April. Mishra was recently transferred from Shopian.
The constable’s killing comes 20 days after Army jawan Aurangzeb was abducted and killed in a similar manner.
Aurangzeb, too, had taken part in the operation to eliminate Sameer Tiger. He was kidnapped from Pulwama district on 14 June and his body was later found in Kulgam.
(Source: The Times of India)
6. Kashmir Separatist Asiya Andrabi, Two More Associates in 10-Day NIA Custody
Asiya Andrabi, chief of the Kashmiri women’s separatist group Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DEM), and two of her associates were arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday for allegedly advocating the secession of Jammu and Kashmir and the use of violence against India.
A special NIA court in the capital subsequently remanded the three to 10 days in custody.
Government officials said on condition of anonymity that the move was among recommendations made at a security review meeting held in New Delhi on 3 March that was chaired by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and attended by home secretary Rajiv Gauba, Intelligence Bureau director Rajiv Jain, NIA director YC Modi, J&K police chief SP Vaid and additional director general (law and order) Munir Ahmed Khan.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
7. India in Talks to Run ‘World’s Emptiest Airport’ in Lanka
In a move that could spell strategic gains for India, it is negotiating a joint venture with Sri Lanka to operate Mattala airport which is loss-making but is near Hambantota port that is now controlled by China.
The Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, referred to as the world’s “emptiest airport”, may be run in collaboration with India, Sri Lankan civil aviation minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told Parliament in Colombo.
The venture for the $210 million facility will see India gain a major stake in the airport, de Silva said. “We need to revive this dying airport which caused a loss of Rs 20 billion,” the minister said.
The Chinese control of Hambantota, handed over after Sri Lanka could not repay the debt incurred in its development, was seen as a “creeping acquisition” in India’s backyard.
(Source: The Times of India)
8. Retired Managers of Bank of India Held for Rs 2,600 cr Fraud
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday arrested a retired general manager and a deputy general manager of Bank of India in its probe related to a Rs 2,654-crore bank fraud by Gujarat based Diamond Power Infrastructure Ltd (DPIL).
The arrested officials have been identified as VV Agnihotri (retired GM) and PK Srivastava (retired DGM). DPIL promoters Suresh Bhatnagar and his sons Amit Bhatnagar and Sumit Bhatnagar had allegedly cheated a consortium of 11 banks, following which CBI registered an FIR in April this year.
(Source: The Times of India)
9. FB Offers to Curb Fake News During LS Polls
Facebook has offered to deploy its fact-checking systems for all future elections in India, including the 2019 Lok Sabha poll, to check the circulation of fake news aimed at influencing and misleading voters, reports Bharti Jain.
Katie Harbath, Facebook’s global manager (politics & government outreach), had assured chief election commissioner O P Rawat two months ago that Facebook would track false campaigns and fake news mass-circulated through its network during polls by voluntarily running a fact-check.
Content found fake would be blocked. Sources said Harbath told the EC that the system was activated during the recent Karnataka polls and worked well to stem circulation of fake news.
(Source: The Times of India)
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