India News

Happy to live in a country that ‘honours me to be proud of my religious identity’: Chief Justice JS Khehar

Published

9 years ago

August 15, 2017

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Chief Justice payed tribute to ‘unsung heroes’ of India’s freedom struggle in his maiden Independence speech

In his first and the last Independence Day speech as Chief Justice of India, Justice JS Khehar called upon the lawyers to pay their debt to the freedom fighters by serving the judiciary as an institution with the motto of “earn while we serve”.

In a major part of his 30-minute speech, Justice Khehar spoke of the power of Indian constitution which provides equal rights and opportunities to every citizen. He said that it is the Indian constitution that enabled a Dalit to become the president, an agriculturist to become the vice president and a tea vendor to hold the position of prime minister. He also reflected onto his own story, saying that he went on to become Chief Justice of India even when he was born as a citizen of Kenya.

The Chief Justice also emphasised that every Indian should be proud of his or her religion and ethnicity. Sharing his own story, Justice Khehar said that he was happy to be in a country that honours one to be proud of his or her religion.

“Everybody should be proud in his own religion to be an Indian”

On lawyers’ role before and after India’s freedom, Justice Khehar said that the lawyer community had played a major role in deciding the way India is to be governed as many lawyers were part of the constituent assembly which drafted the Indian constitution. Even thereafter, he said, lawyers have always remained in the forefront to ensure that India is being administered by the set principles of the constitution.

He also urged the lawyers to be honest with their litigants. “You can also discharge your debt to your litigants by being honest professionals. If there are common cases you can bring it to my notice and they can be disposed of with common orders. You might succeed or you might lose but u should not keep it back merely because you might lose.”

The Chief Justice commenced his speech by paying tributes to known and unknown freedom fighters who made great sacrifices for India’s freedom. Justice Khehar shared anecdotes of two such “largely unknown and unsung” freedom fighters, Abdullah and Sher Ali Afridi. He also recalled the sacrifices that his grandparents made during India’s freedom struggle.

“Here there are two people (Abdullah and Sher Ali Afridi) of the same community, one taking the life of acting chief justice and the another taking the life of governor general (both Britishers). Yet we dont know about them”

Ensuring full support to government’s digital inclusion program, the Chief Justice said that very soon all Supreme Court judgements with headnotes will be available for free on the website.

The Chief Justice concluded his speech by expressing gratitude to his colleagues and members of the bar association for supporting his initiative to work during the vacations.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

India News

Delhi-NCR sees second spell of rain and thunderstorms in four days

Delhi-NCR experienced another spell of rain and thunderstorms on March 18, with IMD forecasting more showers over the next few days.

Published

5 hours ago

March 18, 2026

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Delhi and parts of the National Capital Region witnessed another spell of rain, thunderstorms, and strong winds on Wednesday evening, marking the second such weather event in the past four days.

The sudden change brought relief from unusually high temperatures recorded earlier this month. According to officials, the temperature at Safdarjung — the city’s base weather station — was recorded at 24 degrees Celsius at 7 pm.

The India Meteorological Department had earlier issued an alert predicting light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning on March 18. Several areas across the capital experienced gusty winds along with brief but intense showers.

More rain likely over next two days

The weather department has forecast partly cloudy skies for March 19 and 20, with chances of light rain or thundershowers occurring once or twice during the day. On March 21, skies are expected to remain cloudy with the possibility of light showers continuing.

Conditions are likely to stabilise from March 23 onwards, with forecasts indicating a return to partly cloudy to clear skies across the region.

Weather activity across India to intensify

The IMD has also indicated widespread weather activity across multiple regions of the country in the coming days. Rainfall is expected to intensify in several states, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds.

In the northeastern region, heavy rainfall is likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Meghalaya during the early part of the week.

Meanwhile, the western Himalayan region is also set to witness a shift in weather patterns. Himachal Pradesh is likely to receive heavy rainfall on March 19 and 20, while Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir may experience heavy showers around March 20.

India News

Centre pushes states to cut levies to boost PNG adoption

The Centre has asked states to reduce local levies and streamline approvals to accelerate PNG adoption and city gas infrastructure growth.

Published

7 hours ago

March 18, 2026

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The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has urged states and Union Territories to ease local levies and procedural barriers affecting City Gas Distribution (CGD) projects, in a bid to accelerate the adoption of piped natural gas (PNG) as a cleaner fuel alternative.

In a communication sent to Chief Secretaries, Petroleum and Natural Gas Secretary Neeraj Mittal highlighted that high right-of-way charges, road cutting fees, lease rentals and other local levies imposed by urban bodies are discouraging investments in CGD infrastructure.

High costs slowing expansion

The ministry pointed out that the CGD sector, particularly PNG supply to households and commercial establishments, does not receive direct subsidies. As a result, it depends heavily on viable returns, which are being impacted by excessive and inconsistent local charges across states.

It noted that these financial and procedural hurdles are slowing down infrastructure expansion and affecting the broader adoption of natural gas.

Gap between connections and usage

According to the government, while around 12.63 crore PNG connections have been recorded, only about 1.6 crore are currently active. The ministry stressed that improving ease of doing business at state and local levels could help bridge this gap and expand the consumer base.

Officials believe that rationalising levies may initially reduce local revenues but could lead to higher long-term gains through increased gas consumption and economic activity.

LPG shortage adds urgency

The push for PNG adoption comes amid supply constraints in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), linked to ongoing tensions in the Middle East. Oil marketing companies are currently supplying only 20 per cent of normal commercial LPG demand to states.

To address this, the ministry has proposed increasing LPG allocation to 30 per cent for states that implement reforms supporting PNG and CGD expansion.

Reform-linked incentives for states

The Centre has suggested a set of measures that states can adopt to qualify for higher LPG allocations. These include:

Setting up empowered state and district-level committees for faster approvals
Introducing single-window clearance with deemed approvals within 24 hours
Implementing a dig-and-restore model using bank guarantees instead of restoration charges
Eliminating annual rental or lease charges for CGD infrastructure

The ministry said compliance with these reforms would be verified before granting additional LPG allocations.

Industry support measures

The communication also noted that GAIL and its subsidiaries have already allocated full gas supply to the commercial PNG segment to support businesses affected by reduced LPG availability.

The government reiterated that expanding natural gas usage aligns with its broader push for cleaner and domestically sourced energy.

India News

BJP seals Assam seat-sharing pact, Modi to hold 3 rallies in April

BJP has finalised its Assam seat-sharing plan with allies and is gearing up for an intense campaign led by PM Modi and Amit Shah.

Published

7 hours ago

March 18, 2026

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The Bharatiya Janata Party has finalised its seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, firming up its strategy alongside National Democratic Alliance partners as campaigning gathers pace in the state.

Under the agreement, the BJP will contest 89 seats, while its allies — Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People’s Front — will field candidates in 26 and 11 constituencies respectively. The distribution has been decided after internal deliberations, with the focus now shifting to candidate announcements and campaign execution.

Campaign push led by top leadership

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address three rallies in Assam during the final leg of the campaign. Tentative dates for the rallies are April 1, April 3 and April 6, with events likely to be held in key constituencies.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is also set to spearhead an extensive campaign across the state through March, aiming to energise party workers and strengthen voter outreach.

Candidate selection underway

The party’s Central Election Committee is currently meeting to finalise candidates. Sources indicate that approvals for most constituencies are expected soon, and the BJP may release its complete list of candidates within the next two days.

Ticket distribution remains a crucial exercise, with internal discussions highlighting its potential impact on local political dynamics. Party leaders have also touched upon the proposed delimitation exercise scheduled for 2027, which is expected to have long-term implications for Assam’s electoral landscape.