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Supreme Court slams another govt bid for online surveillance, this time through UIDAI

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Supreme Court slams another govt bid for online surveillance, this time through UIDAI

The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre for an explanation over a tender floated by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for creating a social media wing to counter “negative sentiments” on Aadhaar.

The UIDAI is the government agency which runs the Aadhaar scheme.

“You are trying to do indirectly what we told you cannot do directly,” a top court bench headed by CJI Dipak Misraand also comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud observed.

The remarks came from Justice Chandrachud, reported the Economic Times (ET).

The court said the UIDAI’s proposal to hire a social media agency to monitor social media platforms was contrary to its earlier submissions.

“It (monitoring) is directly against the submissions made by the UIDAI during the hearing of the Aadhaar matters,” the bench said, adding that what the UIDAI was proposing was contrary to “what it had argued while seeking validity of Aadhaar”.

The UIDAI, during the hearing of a clutch of petitions challenging the validity of the Aadhaar scheme, had told the apex court that it did not want to monitor the online activities of citizens holding Aadhaar cards.

The court was hearing a petition moved by a Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Mohua Moitra, alleging UIDAI has floated a tender to engage a private agency to track activities of people on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and GooglePlus.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Ms Moitra, told the court that the matter has serious implications as it infringes on the fundamental right to privacy of citizens, by the UIDAI.

Earlier this year, the government had to withdraw an earlier attempt to create a social media hub which would have trawled through social media accounts to give inputs to the government on how to “arouse nationalistic sentiments” and “mould public opinion”.

The top court had frowned at the move saying that it was an attempt to create a “surveillance state”. The government had then volunteered to withdraw the proposal inviting bids.

Justice DY Chandrachud, who is part of the five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra hearing petitions challenging the constitutional validity of Aadhaar, said that the concerned ministry had issued a notification for creating a media hub to monitorcontent but it was withdrawn last month as per an assurance given by the centre to the Supreme Court.

Now, Moitra has drawn the court’s attention to the UIDAI inviting a fresh bid to create a social media wing. The wing will carry out online surveillance on people’s reactions to Aadhaar and respond appropriately.

The request for proposal (RFP) was floated by the UIDAI on July 18.

“This RFP has identical clauses,” Singhvi pointed out to the court.

“Despite the fact that the constitutional validity of the entire Aadhaar scheme is under challenge and its fate is to be decided by the top court… the respondents have issued the impugned RFP to identify ‘top detractors’ and ‘neutralise negative sentiments,’” her petition said.

“It is therefore clear that the respondents have no respect or regard for the proceedings before this court.” The petition alleged that it was an attempt to infringement of the right to privacy.

“Such an intrusive action on the part of the government, is not only without the authority of law, but brazenly infringes on the fundamental right to freedom of speech. Such an action of the government also violates the right of privacy. The UIDAI has decided to go ahead with the proposal despite the fact that a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court has reserved its verdict on the constitutional validity of Aadhaar scheme,” said Moitra’s petition.

The court then sought an explanation from Attorney General KKVenugopal on the UIDAI request for proposal. The court will hear the case again on September 11.

The Attorney General for India is requested to assist the court on that day, the bench said.

2024 Lok Sabha Elections

PM Modi says Congress leaders consider themselves above Lord Ram

PM Modi slammed Congress during a rally in Chhattisgarh, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Congress party for declining to attend the pran pratishtha ritual at the Ayodhya Ram temple on January 22 this year.

The prime minister said Congress leaders consider themselves above Lord Ram and denied invitation for Pran Pratishtha at Ram Temple, while speaking at a rally in Janjgir-Champa, Chhattisgarh. The PM question the people present at the rally that is it not a disrespect of Mata Shabri? Congress leaders inclination toward appeasement politics runs in their family.

For political appeasement, they won’t think twice about stealing the rights of Adivasis, the poor, and Dalits. Poor, young, and women are BJP’s top priorities, Modi said.

PM Modi criticized the Congress again during the rally for claiming that the BJP would alter the constitution.

The leaders of Congress recite the same old phrases whenever an election is about to happen, the PM said. He also said they claim that if the BJP wins power, it will renounce the constitution and abolish reservations. For how long will you continue selling lies?” he asked.

The prime minister continued saying that nobody can change the Constitution, even if Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar were to come and insist on it, it wouldn’t happen.

Those in the Congress threaten to break Modi’s head. Nobody can harm Modi as long as the mothers and sisters of this county stands by him. These mothers and sisters are Raksha Kavach, Modi remarked.

The prime minister further attacked the Congress after Viriato Fernandes, the party’s candidate for South Goa, asserted that Goa was forced to adopt the Indian Constitution.

Referring to his conversation with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Fernandes said he had told him, when Goa was liberated in the year 1961, the Indian Constitution was forced upon us.

The prime minister said, Congress candidate from Goa says Constitution was forced upon Goans; is this not an insult of Ambedkar and Constitution.

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2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Amit Shah says neither Congress nor Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee can interfere with CAA

Amit Shah revealed the BJP’s target for West Bengal and said they have set a target of winning 35 Lok Sabha seats from West Bengal.

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Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said neither Congress nor Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee can interfere with the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). He was speaking at the Karandighi rally in West Bengal where he also made the prediction as to how many seats BJP will win in the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal.

The union home minister asked the masses to cut the money culture. Amit Shah revealed the BJP’s target for West Bengal and said they have set a target of winning 35 Lok Sabha seats from West Bengal. In 2019 Lok Sabha elections the BJP had won 18 out of 42 seats in West Bengal. He asked Mamata Banerjee, what problem will she have if the Buddhist and Hindu refugees from Bangladesh get citizenship in India?

Shah further added if the people of West Bengal want to stop infiltration in the state, then they will have to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister of India again. He said if the people of West Bengal want to free Bengal of violence, stop infiltration in the state, give citizenship to refugees, to stop disrespecting mothers and sisters of the state as it happened in Sandeshkhali, then  only way is to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister.

Amit Shah said that PM Modi had sent Rs 7 lakh crore to West Bengal but the TMC indulged in corruption. He said one can see the houses of Trinamool Congress leaders; 10 years ago they used to live in a hut, moved on cycle and now all of them have 4-storey houses and move around in big cars. He added this is the money of people of West Bengal.

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), will make it easier for non-Muslim refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh to get Indian citizenship, was enacted in 2019. But the rules were notified in March this year by the Centre.

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2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Prime Minister Narendra Modi says listening to Hanuman Chalisa under Congress rule is a crime

PM Modi was addressing an election rally in Rajasthan’s Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, on a day as India celebrates Hanuman Jayanti.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hit out at the Congress and said even listening to Hanuman Chalisa has become a crime under the party’s rule. The Prime Minister also said it was difficult to follow one’s faith under the party and accused it of hatching a deep conspiracy to snatch people’s wealth and distribute it among selected few people in the society. PM Modi was addressing an election rally in Rajasthan’s Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, on a day as India celebrates Hanuman Jayanti.

PM Modi said in a state like Rajasthan where people chant Ram-Ram, Congress banned Ram Navami. He reffered to the redistribution of wealth remarks he had made during a rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara on Sunday and said it has angered the Congress and INDI Alliance so much that they have started throwing abuses at Modi everywhere.

The Prime Minister said that Congress has written in their manifesto that they will survey the wealth. He said the Congress leadership had said in a speech that an X-ray of wealth will be done. He added when Modi exposed the secret then the hidden agenda came out and this has left the people trembling. PM Modi further added that the Congress party has played with the Constitution of the India.

He said when the Constitution was drafted, reservations based on religion were opposed, so that Scheduled Casts (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) could get protection. He said former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had said that Muslims have the first right to the country’s resources.  The prime minister further added Congress’s ideology has always been of appeasement and vote bank politics. He said stones would still be pelted in Jammu and Kashmir, and enemies would still be cutting off the heads of India’s soldiers had Congress been in power.

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