1. CAA Rules: Applicants to Be Asked to Submit Proof of Religion Too
Under the rules for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, currently being drafted by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), besides proving that they came to India from Pakistan, Afghanistan or Bangladesh before 31 December 2014, applicants will also have to submit ‘proof of religion’.
According to a Home Ministry official, this can be done by producing any Indian government document — acquired before 31 December 2014 — in which the applicant has declared his/ her religion as Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Parsi, Jain or Buddhist.
“For example, if someone has enrolled his/ her children in a government school, he/ she would have declared their religion. If someone has acquired Aadhaar before 31 December 2014 and has declared his/ her religion as being from among the six mentioned in the Act, it would be acceptable… Any form of government document declaring religion will be accepted,” said the official.
(Source: The Indian Express)
2. EU Distances Itself From Its Lawmakers’ Anti-CAA Move: Not Our Official Position
With five key political groupings in the European Parliament — these range from centre-right to far-left — moving resolutions slamming India’s Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the European Union Monday said the opinions expressed by the European Parliament and its members “do not represent the official position of the European Union”.
French diplomatic sources underlined that France, a founding member of the European Union, considers the new citizenship law an “internal political matter of India” and that European Parliament is an institution “independent of member states” and the European Commission.
This distancing of the EU and France from the European Parliament, sources said, comes at a time when New Delhi has diplomatically “engaged” Brussels and European parliamentarians.
(Source: The Indian Express)
3. Rajnath Singh: What’s the Problem If NRC Brought In?
Weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured the country that there has been no discussion on the National Register of Citizens (NRC) since his government was elected in 2014, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday asked why there should be objections to NRC, as every country has the right to know how many citizens and foreigners are living within its boundaries.
Addressing a rally in Mangaluru, Singh said: “On NRC, I want to ask you: should every country not know how many citizens live and foreigners live on its soil? I want to ask, doesn’t a country have the right to know how many people are its citizens?”
As the crowd shouted yes, Singh asked: “Phir NRC ban raha hai isme kya aapatti hai (then what’s the objection to the NRC?)”
(Source: The Indian Express)
4. Minister Anurag Thakur Chants Desh Ke Gaddaron Ko, Poll Rally Crowd Completes Goli Maaro…
As campaigning in Delhi gathered steam for the Assembly elections, BJP leader and Minister of State (Finance) Anurag Thakur, addressing an election rally Monday, repeatedly chanted “Desh ke gaddaron ko” and had people responding with “goli maaro saalon ko”.
It roughly translates to “What should be done with traitors of the country? Shoot them”.
Speaking at a rally in Rithala which was to be addressed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and his cabinet colleague Giriraj Singh, Thakur led the chanting with “Desh ke gaddaron ko”, and people completed the slogan each time with “goli maaro saalon ko”.
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. Donald Trump May Visit India From 21 to 24 Feb, Trade in Focus
US President Donald Trump is set to visit India between 21 February and 24 February , with a day devoted to a joint public function with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, possibly in Ahmedabad although the final programme is yet to be sealed, according to people familiar with the matter.
Officials with direct knowledge of the arrangements told HT that the US government has booked Delhi’s ITC Maurya Hotel for the forthcoming presidential visit from 21-24 Feb, including the hotel’s presidential suite. The ITC Maurya has hosted other US Presidents, including Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
6. Political Rivals Use the Court to Settle Scores, Says CJI Bobde
Political parties are using courts as platforms to wage political battles and settle political scores, rued Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde.
“We are cognizant of the fact that opposing parties use court as a forum to [settle political scores], both sides”, said CJI Bobde.
His remarks came during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by advocate and Bharatiya Janata Party Spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the death of a BJP worker Dulal Kumar in Purulia, West Bengal.
Kumar was found hanging from a power transmission tower in June 2018.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
7. Indians Remain Stuck in Coronavirus-Hit Wuhan as Govt Preps to Evacuate Them
China on Monday briefed a group of foreign diplomats including Indian officials in Beijing about the containment measures being taken to stop the spread of the novel Coronavirus and the situation of foreigners in the central Chinese province of Hubei and the provincial capital of Wuhan, which is at the epicentre of the outbreak.
In a message circulated among Indian residents who remain in Wuhan, the embassy said that the Chinese authorities had briefed them on the steps taken by them to contain the spread of the virus.
Various options for evacuating foreign nationals from Wuhan and Hubei province were also discussed, the statement added.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
8. ‘Inappropriate’: LS Speaker on European Parliament’s Resolutions on CAA
Ahead of the European Parliament taking up six resolutions on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act which the two largest groups of its members fear can potentially create a “statelessness crisis”, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday said it is “inappropriate for one legislature to pass judgement on another and the practice can be misused by vested interests”.
“I understand that Joint Motion for Resolution has been introduced in the European Parliament on the Indian Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. This act provides for easier citizenship to those who have been subjected to religious persecution in our immediate neighbourhood,” Birla wrote in a letter to European Parliament President David Maria Sassoli, according to PTI.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
9. Supreme Court to Hear Nirbhaya Convict’s Plea Today
A three-judge Bench led by Justice R. Banumathi is scheduled to hear on Tuesday a plea by Nirbhaya case convict Mukesh Singh challenging the President’s rejection of his mercy petition on 17 January.
Chief Justice of India Sharad A Bobde on Monday asked counsel for Nirbhaya gang rape convict Mukesh Singh to approach the Supreme Court registry for urgent listing of the condemned man’s plea against the President's rejection of his mercy petition on 17 January.
The Chief Justice orally observed that the plea of a man, whose execution is scheduled for 1 February, ought to be given top priority.
(Source: The Hindu)
More Stories on The Quint
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)