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Madras HC stays Tamil Nadu assembly floor test till Oct 4

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TTV Dhinakaran

Court says floor test will be conducted once it disposes off petition challenging disqualification of 18 TTV Dhinakaran camp MLAs

In a decision that could potentially upset Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami’s calculations of surviving a floor test in the state assembly, the Madras High Court, on Wednesday, extended the stay on the trust vote till October 4.

The court has said that the floor test can be conducted once it disposes off a petition that challenges the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker’s decision of disqualifying 18 MLAs loyal to sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran.

The 18 legislators, who have been sequestered at a resort in Coorg for several days, had been disqualified by Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanpal, on Monday, in an apparent bid to prevent them from voting against the Palaniswami government in the floor test jointly sought by them and the AIADMK’s arch rival, DMK.

On Wednesday, though the court refused to rescind the disqualification of the 18 legislators, its stay on the trust vote and by-elections for the vacancies is being seen as a boost for Dhinakaran.

“Justice is on our side and we are confident that the final verdict will come in our favour,” Dhinakaran said after the court ruling. CR Sarsawathi, spokesperson for the Dhinakaran-led AIADMK faction, too claimed that the final judgment would come in their favour as “our MLAs did nothing wrong… They have only told the Governor that they did not have faith in the chief minister.”

Dhinakaran has been engaged in a turf-war with Palaniswami. AIADMK factions led by Palaniswami and his deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam – the two had recently united to prevent Dhinakaran’s aunt and AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala from influencing the party’s decision making – had recently convened a general council meeting of the party to formally expel the two leaders from the top two positions in the party. Dhinakaran was the party’s deputy general secretary.

Eight of the 18 MLAs disqualified by the Assembly Speaker had moved the court, on Monday, challenging the action against them under the anti-defection law. The dissident MLAs had challenged the Speaker’s order as ‘unauthorised’ and ‘illegal’ in their individual petitions. Dhinakaran had said the Speaker’s move was aimed at helping Palaniswami survive the floor test.

Justice Duraiswamy of the Madras High Court heard all the sides, on Wednesday, and gave time to all the counsels to file their replies tillOctober 4 when proceedings for the final hearing in the case will take place.

According to a report in the Hindustan Times, on Wednesday, the court room was packed with a battery of legal luminaries including Kapil Sibal who is representing DMK working president MK Stalin. Stalin has sought the court’s direction to Tamil Nadu Governor Vidyasagar Rao to order a floor test and also challenged the Speaker’s notice to 21 DMK legislators.

Besides, former Union minister and Congress leader Salman Khurshid and senior advocate Dushyant Dave are representing the Dhinakaran camp while senior Supreme Court advocate Aryaman Sundaram is pleading on behalf of Speaker P Dhanpal. The state government is being represented by former attorney general Mukul Rohtagi.

A visibly confident Dhinakaran told media persons that “the traitors will lose and be sent packing home.”

DMK spokesperson A Sarvanan has said that Wednesday’s ruling is “a consent order, which stays floor test and imposes partial stay on disqualification of 18 MLAs.”

The disqualification of the 18 MLAs had brought down the simple majority mark in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly to 110 as against 117 before the disqualification. The Palaniswami government claims support of 114 MLAs, who had attended a general council meeting that ousted jailed leader Sasikala and Dhinakaran from party posts.

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Parliament winter session: Government lists 15 bills, including Waqf bill

The session will kick off on November 25 and conclude on December 20.

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The government has listed five new ones and one to amend the contentious Waqf law out of 15 bills for the winter session of Parliament. The session will kick off on November 25 and conclude on December 20.

The government has introduced five new bills, including the Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024, which aims to promote coasting trade and increase the participation of Indian-flagged vessels owned and operated by Indian citizens for both national security and commercial purposes.

Another significant legislation that will be introduced by the government is the Indian Ports Bill, 2024. This bill is designed to implement measures for the conservation of ports, enhance security, and manage pollution, ensuring compliance with India’s international obligations and statutory requirements.

Additionally, the government plans to introduce the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024, which aims to meet India’s obligations under maritime treaties and support the development of Indian shipping while ensuring the efficient operation of the Indian mercantile marine in a way that serves national interests.

Pending legislation includes the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which is awaiting consideration and passage after the joint committee of both Houses submits its report to the Lok Sabha. The committee is expected to report by the end of the first week of the winter session.

Currently, there are eight bills, including the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, pending in the Lok Sabha, while two additional bills are in the Rajya Sabha.

Furthermore, the government has also listed the Punjab Courts (Amendment) Bill for introduction, consideration, and passage, which seeks to increase the pecuniary appellate jurisdiction of Delhi district courts from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 20 lakh.

The Merchant Shipping Bill, along with the Coastal Shipping Bill and the Indian Ports Bill, is slated for introduction and eventual passage.

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International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant against Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu over war crimes

The court accused Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defence Minister Gallant of crimes against humanity, including murder, persecution, inhumane acts, and the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare.

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International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant against Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu over war crimes

The International Criminal Court (ICC) today issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The court accused Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defence Minister Gallant of crimes against humanity, including murder, persecution, inhumane acts, and the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare. The leaders allegedly restricted essential supplies such as food, water, and medical aid to civilians in Gaza, resulting in severe humanitarian crises and deaths, including among children.

Last year in October, Israel had launched attacks on Gaza in retaliation for the surprise attack by Hamas. The Israel-Hamas war has led to the death of thousands of civilians, while lakhs have been displaced. The major infrastructures in Gaza, including hospitals and schools, were also destroyed as Israel vowed to wipe out Hamas.

The International Criminal Court stated that it found reasonable grounds to believe the accused intentionally targeted civilians and limited medical supplies, forcing unsafe medical procedures, which caused immense suffering. This ruling was based on the findings from at least October 8, 2023 until at least May 20, 2024.

The court remarked that it has assessed that there are reasonable grounds to believe that PM Netanyahu and Defence Minister Gallant bear criminal responsibility as civilian superiors for the war crime of intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population of Gaza.

Furthermore, it also noted that the lack of food, water, electricity and fuel, and medical supplies created conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the civilian population in Gaza, leading to death of civilians, including children due to malnutrition and dehydration.

Additionally, the International Criminal Court dismissed two challenges by Israel against its jurisdiction in the situation in the State of Palestine.

Notably, Israel had contested the ICC’s jurisdiction, claiming it could not be exercised without Israel’s consent. Nonetheless, the Chamber ruled that the Court has jurisdiction based on Palestine’s territorial scope, including Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. It further noted that Israel’s objections were premature, as jurisdictional challenges under the Rome Statute can only be made after an arrest warrant is issued.

Reportedly, Israel had also requested a fresh notification regarding the investigation, started in 2021. Denying the request, the court stated that Israel had earlier declined to request a deferral, making additional notifications unnecessary.

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Yogi Adityanath accords tax-free status to Sabarmati Report film in Uttar Pradesh

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have also praised this film.

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday accorded a tax-free status to ‘The Sabarmati Report’ film, based on the train burning incident at Godhra in Gujarat in 2002, in the state.

The announcement was made after Chief Minister Adityanath attended the screening of Vikrant Massey and Raashii Khanna-starrer ‘The Sabarmati Report’ in Lucknow with the film’s cast.  

Speaking to reporters, actor Vikrant Massey thanked the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister for making ‘The Sabarmati Report’ film tax-free in the state. “I want to thank Yogi Adityanath ji. This is an important film and I appeal to everyone to go and watch this film,” he said.

Chief Minister Adityanath along with many of his cabinet colleagues watched the film ‘The Sabarmati Report’ under a special screening at a cinema hall in the capital, said a spokesperson of the state government.

Several people associated with the film unit were also present on the occasion. Later the chief minister announced to make this film tax-free in UP.

The BJP-ruled states have been praising the makers of The Sabarmati Report, claiming the team has tried to bring out this truth in front of the people of the country through the film.

The saffron party is appealing to people to watch this film and try to get closer to the truth of Godhra.

Uttar Pradesh becomes the sixth BJP-ruled state after Haryana, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat to declare lead actors Vikrant Massey and Raashii Khanna’s film tax-free.

Adityanath said along with identifying the faces of those who are conspiring against the country for political gains, there is also a need to expose them. The film team has discharged its responsibilities to expose the truth, he said, adding an attempt has been made to bring the real truth in front of the country in a big way through the film.

The Sabarmati Report is said to be based on the incident of setting fire to a train full of ‘karsevaks’ in Godhra on February 27, 2002, killing 90 devotees. After this incident, communal riots broke out in Gujarat. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have also praised this film.

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