1. Unrest Again in Delhi, 27 Killed in Clashes Since Sunday
Reports of arson and unrest emerged from northeast Delhi's Bhajanpura, Maujpur and Karawal Nagar areas late on Wednesday, 26 February, hours after National Security Advisor Ajit Doval visited violence-affected areas of the national capital to offer personal guarantees that the government would restore peace.
At least 27 have died and over 200 have been injured after four straight days of clashes over the citizenship law. Amid the unprecedented violence, over which the Delhi High Court today issued a sharp reprimand to Delhi Police, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first public statement, calling for "peace and brotherhood".
(Source: NDTV)
2. Justice Muralidhar Transferred to Punjab & Haryana HC
On the day he pulled up the Delhi Police over its inaction in filing FIRs against the BJP leaders who made hate speeches, Justice S Muralidhar of the Delhi High Court was transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court following approval of a 12 February recommendation to the effect from the Supreme Court Collegium.
A notification from the Department of Justice in the Ministry of Law and Justice said: “In exercise of the power conferred by clause (1) of Article 222 of the Constitution of India, the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, is pleased to transfer Shri Justice S Muralidhar, Judge of the Delhi High Court, as a Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and to direct him to assume charge of his office in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.”
The notification follows the recommendation passed by the Collegium headed by Chief Justice of Indian S A Bobde.
(Source: The Indian Express)
3. RAW Ex-Chief Tried to Gauge Farooq’s Mood on New Order in J&K
The Indian spy agency’s former chief, AS Dulat, flew to Srinagar in early February on a hush-hush mission for the government — a quiet, top secret meeting with detained National Conference (NC) leader and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, multiple senior officials said on condition of anonymity.
The brief for Dulat’s secret mission was simple: to suss out Abdullah’s mood in “accepting the new reality of Jammu & Kashmir after the nullification of Article 370”, according to one of the officials. The government effectively revoked the state’s special status on 5 August last year and detained several leaders including Farooq, his son Omar Abdullah, and former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ally Mehbooba Mufti of the Peoples Democratic Party.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
4. Doval Meets Shah, Sweeping Changes Likely in Delhi Police
Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held a marathon two-hour long meeting on Wednesday evening of 26 February, to review the situation in riot-hit north-east Delhi. “The situation is under control and all efforts are being made to ensure peace and calm,” National Security Advisor Ajit Doval said after the meeting.
Earlier in the day, Doval visited the riot-affected areas for the second time in 24 hours. The National Security Advisor first visited parts of north-east Delhi on Tuesday late night after being asked to step in and manage a situation that was clearly beyond Delhi Police.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
5. Telangana Cop Caught on Video Kicking Grieving Father of Teen Who Died
Disturbing visuals have emerged from Telangana's Sanga Reddy district where a policeman is seen kicking the grieving father of a 16-year-old college student who died under suspicious circumstances on Monday, 24 February.
In a video of the incident, a group of cops can be seen hurriedly pushing a large metal coffin, containing the body of the young girl, down a pathway in broad daylight when her father rushes to block their path.
The father falls on the ground to block the cops, after which a police constable is seen kicking and trying to pull him away. The father is seen still clinging when violently pushed.
(Source: NDTV)
6. Congress is Politicising Violence: Javadekar
Union minister Prakash Javadekar Wednesday, 26 February, lashed out at Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who had held a press conference earlier in the day to attack the central government over the Delhi violence that has killed at least 27 people.
Javadekar said Sonia’s statement after the Congress working committee’s resolution was timed to politicise the violence.
The BJP also hit out at the opposition parties for raising questions on why national security advisor Ajit Doval has taken charge of the situation.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
7. Coronavirus Outbreak: Isolated on Luxury Liner for 3 Weeks, 122 Indian Crew Members Return Today
Three weeks since they were quarantined on a luxury cruise off Yokohama port in Japan after a person who disembarked in Hong Kong in January was diagnosed with coronavirus, the 122 Indian crew members on board have disembarked and are likely to be flown back on Thursday.
According to one crew member, a resident of West Bengal, they will be flown to Delhi by a special flight by 5 am Thursday, 27 February and quarantined for 14 more days.
(Source: The Indian Express)
8. Rajya Sabha Panel Recommendations Get Cabinet Nod
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday, 26 February approved recommendations made by the Select Committee on Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2020, to allow any “willing woman” to act as a surrogate instead of “near relative” as proposed earlier.
As per the revised bill, widows and divorcees will also be allowed to opt for surrogacy.
The proposed insurance cover for surrogate mothers has now been increased to 36 months from 16 months provided in the earlier draft.
The Cabinet informed that the government had accepted all recommendations made by the Rajya Sabha Select Committee, which studied an earlier version of the draft legislation that aims at banning commercial surrogacy and allowing only altruistic surrogacy in India.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
9. Elgar Parishad Case: 9 Arrested Accused Shifted From Pune to Mumbai Jails
All nine arrested accused in the Elgar Parishad case were shifted from Yerawada Central Prison in Pune to two jails in Mumbai on Wednesday, 26 February.
The seven male accused — Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Arun Ferriera, Vernon Gonsalves and P Varavara Rao — were shifted to Arthur Road jail. The female accused, Shoma Sen and Sudha Bharadwaj, were shifted to the Byculla women’s prison.
The accused, most of them prominent activists, were arrested in June and August 2018 and were lodged in Yerawada jail since then, as courts repeatedly denied their bail pleas.
(Source: The Indian Express)
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