Under the scrapped Section 66A of the IT Act, a person posting offensive content could be imprisoned for up to three years and also fined

New Delhi, September 6

Calling a “matter of serious concern” the registration of FIRs under Section 66A of the Information Technology Act it had scrapped in 2015, The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the chief secretaries of states concerned to take back the cases within three weeks.

Under the scrapped Section 66A of the IT Act, a person posting offensive content could be imprisoned for up to three years and also fined.

Terming liberty of thought and expression “cardinal”, the top court had on March 24, 2015 done away with the provision, saying “the public’s right to know is directly affected by Section 66A of the Information Technology Act”.

Later, it took a serious note of the use of the scrapped provision by the law enforcement agencies and issued notices to states and high court registries.

“It is the matter of serious concern that despite an authoritative pronouncement of this court by which the validity of the provision was set aside, the cases are still being registered,” a bench comprising Chief justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice S Ravindra Bhat said on Tuesday.

The top court directed the chief secretaries of the states concerned to take remedial measures as early as possible and complete the exercise of taking back the cases in three weeks.

“In the circumstances, we have asked Zoheb Hossain, the counsel for the Centre, to communicate with the concerned chief secretaries of the respective states where the offences are still being registered or stand registered and impress upon them to take remedial measures as early as possible,” it said.

The court said the counsel for the Central government, who will be free to communicate with the chief secretaries for seeking relevant information, would be assisted by lawyers representing state governments.

“Let the entire exercise be completed in three weeks from today. List the matter for consideration after three weeks,” it ordered.

The bench was hearing a miscellaneous application of NGO ‘People’s Union for Civil Liberties’ (PUCL) alleging prosecution of perople under the scrapped provision.

Senior advocate Sanjay Parikh, appearing for PUCL, submitted that Jharkhand has said 40 cases under the provision are pending before courts in the state. In Madhya Pradesh, the state machinery has taken cognizance of 145 cases and out of these, 113 are pending in courts.

The top court had on July 5 last year taken note of the plea of the NGO, saying it was “amazing” and “shocking” that people are still being booked under the provision which was trashed in 2015. Later on August 2, 2021 it had issued notices to all states, Union Territories and high courts on the plea.

The NGO claimed that despite express directions of the court in 2019 that all state governments sensitise police personnel about the March 24, 2015 judgement, thousands of cases have been registered under the section.

Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, had earlier said on perusal of the IT Act it can be seen that Section 66A features in it, but in the footnote it is written that the provision has been scrapped.

The NGO said, “That, shockingly, despite the order dated February 15, 2019 and steps taken towards compliance thereof, the Applicant discovered that Section 66A of the IT Act has continued to be in use not only within police stations but also in cases before trial courts across India”.

It sought direction to the Centre to collect all data/ information regarding FIRs/investigations where Section 66A has been invoked as well as pendency of cases in the courts throughout the country where proceedings under the provision are continuing in violation of the 2015 judgment.

On February 15, 2019, the top court had directed all state governments to sensitise their police personnel about its March 24, 2015 verdict, which had scrapped Section 66A of Information Technology Act, so people are not unnecessarily arrested under the struck-down provision.

It had also asked all high courts to send copies of the verdict to all trial courts to avoid people being prosecuted under the scrapped provision.

The first PIL on the issue was filed in 2012 by a law student Shreya Singhal who sought an amendment to Section 66A of the Act after two girls – Shaheen Dhada and Rinu Shrinivasan – were arrested in Palghar in Maharashtra’s Thane district.

While one had posted a comment against the shutdown in Mumbai following Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray’s death, the other had ‘liked’ it. PUCL was also one of the petitioners in the earlier case and challenged the constitutional validity of Section 66A of the Act.

Pb Govt have called applications for a Vacancy of Brig, Director Sainik Welfare Pb and 20 Offrs Vacancies for Dy Dir Zila Sainik Boards in Pb. 30% vacancies are Reserved for Lady Offrs. Needy may contact Def Services Welfare Dept Pb, for more details, pl

• The Centre recorded a milestone by registering more than 5.6 lakh pensioners on the digital platform. Approximately ₹3,090 crore has been disbursed to these pensioners digitally during the month.

The Defence Ministry on Friday announced the record disbursement to defence pensioners via the SPARSH (System for Pensions Administration) in August month. The Centre recorded a milestone by registering more than 5.6 lakh pensioners on the digital platform. Approximately ₹3,090 crore has been disbursed to these pensioners digitally during the month.

In a statement, the ministry said, “providing impetus to Digital India initiative, the System for Pensions Administration – RakSHa or SPARSH has disbursed more than ₹3,090 crore to Defence Pensioners digitally in the month of August 2022. In another milestone, 5,62,946 Defence Pensioners migrated successfully onto the digital platform 

Centre disburses ₹3,090 cr to defence pensioners in Aug via SPARSHA web-based system, SPARSH processes pension claims and credits the pension directly into the bank accounts of defence pensioners without any external intermediary. (iStock)1 min read. Updated: 02 Sep 2022, 07:52 PM ISTLivemint

The Defence Ministry on Friday announced the record disbursement to defence pensioners via the SPARSH (System for Pensions Administration) in August month. The Centre recorded a milestone by registering more than 5.6 lakh pensioners on the digital platform. Approximately ₹3,090 crore has been disbursed to these pensioners digitally during the month.

In a statement, the ministry said, “providing impetus to Digital India initiative, the System for Pensions Administration – RakSHa or SPARSH has disbursed more than ₹3,090 crore to Defence Pensioners digitally in the month of August 2022. In another milestone, 5,62,946 Defence Pensioners migrated successfully onto the digital platform 

UN report establishes crimes against Uyghurs

he United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. Reuters

The long-awaited United Nations report that accuses Beijing of serious human rights violations in its mass detention of Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim groups in the far-western region of Xinjiang is a powerful indictment of the suppression of ethnic minorities. While it chips away at China’s insistence of being a responsible member on the world stage, the embarrassment caused by the damning findings may not lead to any alteration of policy. China has already upped the ante by calling itself a victim of a smear campaign led by the West, and the likelihood of any concrete change would depend on the appetite of the global community to seek accountability. Given the indifferent response and curious silence over the years of even Muslim nations, including Pakistan, on the targeting of Uyghurs, any credible action on that front, too, looks remote.

The significance of the report — published after repeated delays attributed to China’s pushback tactics and denial of any ground access — lies in the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights officially recognising that horrific crimes are occurring. The recommendation of releasing individuals who have been arbitrarily deprived of their liberty on the pretext of containing terrorism and radicalism would, in all probability, go unheeded. However, the rights groups see the report as a wake-up call for international action. China has summarily dismissed the findings, but can no longer deny the existence of extrajudicial camps.Powe

Mi-35 attack helicopter squadron in service being sent for overhaul
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to formally raise its first unit of indigenous Light Combat Helicopters (LCHs) in Jodhpur in the first week of October coinciding with Air Force Day on October 8.
Ten LCHs will be inducted in the first batch completing one unit, a defence official said on Monday. The IAF is still working out the total number of LCHs to be acquired, the official stated.
The IAF operates the older Russian Mi-25 and Mi-35 attack helicopters, of which one squadron has been phased out following the induction of 22 Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters. The existing Mi-35 squadron is in the process of being sent for overhaul which will extend its life by many years, the official stated.
The Army had already raised its first LCH squadron on June 1, 2022 in Bangalore. As reported by The Hindu earlier, the unit will move to Eastern Command along the Line of Actual Control (LCH) on completion of the raising next year.
The Army plans to acquire 95 LCHs of which seven units, each having 10 helicopters, are planned to be deployed for combat role in the mountains.
In March 2022, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had approved procurement of 15 Limited Series Production (LSP) variants of the LCH at the cost of ₹3,887 crore along with infrastructure sanctions worth ₹377 crore. Of the 15 helicopters, 10 are for the IAF and five for the Army. The LCH is designed and developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
The Defence Ministry had stated earlier that the LCH LSP is an indigenously designed, developed and manufactured state-of-the-art modern combat helicopter containing approximately 45% indigenous content by value which will progressively increase to more than 55% for Series Production Version.
The LCH is the first dedicated attack helicopter of the Army, which otherwise operates 75 Rudra helicopters, the weaponised variant of the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopter. It will start receiving Apache attack helicopters from early 2024 onwards, six of which have been contracted under an estimated $800 million deal from the U.S. in February 2020. It is also in talks with Boeing for the procurement of 11 additional Apache helicopters.

New Delhi, September 3

Air Vice Marshal Arvind Dalaya (retd), the first commanding officer of the operationally deployed 114 Helicopter Unit (HU) based in Leh, died yesterday at Base Hospital, Delhi. He was 91.

Dalaya was born in Murree, now in Pakistan.

The 114 HU was set up in 1964 and 20 years later in 1984, it was tasked with conducting Operation Meghdoot.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 29

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday visited an important radar station of the Indian Air Force, where he witnessed the functioning of the IAF structure on how a picture of the battle space is acquired and how the information is passed on in real time to pilots and air bases.

The system is known as the Integrated Air Command & Control System (IACCS). It is the backbone of IAF’s network centricity and is a key enabler in operations. The system’s capabilities allow situational awareness that reduces IAF’s reaction time. The system has redundancies built into its functioning which enable seamless operations between its assets across the country.

Suva: Indian warship INS Satpura departed from the Port of Suva in Fiji in the South Pacific Ocean on Saturday. The warship reached Fiji on September 1. The visit, which is the first by an Indian warship in four years, was aimed at strengthening the friendship and cooperation between the two nations.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, Aug 30

The Indian Navy will get a new ensign – the flag that is hoisted atop all Naval warships, ground stations and naval air bases.

This is the fourth time since 1950 that the Naval ensign would undergo a change.

The new one would be unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 2 when the first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant is commissioned at the Cochin Shipyard Limited Kochi, Kerala.

“During the event, the Prime Minister will also unveil the new Naval Ensign (Nishaan), doing away with the colonial past and befitting the rich Indian maritime heritage,” The Prime Minister’s Office said in statement on Tuesday.

On 26 January 1950, when India became a republic, the Navy Crest and flags were duly changed to represent an independent India. Part of the flag retained the British legacy — the Red St. George’s Cross. The Union Jack was replaced by the Tricolour on the left top corner of the flag.

The Red St George’s Cross was retained till Aug 15, 2001, when the Cross made its way out and the Navy blue colour Indian Navy crest was added.

In 2004, the St George’s Cross was back with the addition of the Ashoka emblem in the intersection of the cross. And the Naval crest was dropped. In 2014, acting on directive of the Union Home Ministry, the national motto “Satyameva Jayate” was added under the Ashok Emblem.

The one adopted in 2014 is the current ensign of the Navy. A white flag with horizontal and vertical red stripes, symbolising the Cross of Saint George, with the Ashoka emblem and the words ‘Satyameva Jayate”. The tricolour is placed in the right top corner.

Possible additions to be unveiled by Modi include reverting to the 2001 status when the cross was removed. Possibly the naval crest depicting an anchor would be added.

The Vikrant is named after her illustrious predecessor, India’s first Aircraft Carrier which had played a vital role in the 1971 war. It has a large number of indigenous equipment and machinery, involving major industrial houses in the country as well as over 100 MSMEs.

Singh will visit Mongolia from September 5 to 7 and Japan from September 8-9

PTI

New Delhi, September 4

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will embark on a five-day visit to Mongolia and Japan beginning Monday with an aim to expand India’s defence and security ties with the two countries.

Singh will visit Mongolia from September 5 to 7, while his tour of Japan will be from September 8-9.

It is learnt that the ‘2+2’ dialogue is planned for September 8

The dialogue is taking place over five months after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited India for the annual India-Japan summit.

At the summit in New Delhi, Kishida announced an investment target of five trillion Yen (Rs 3,20,000 crore) in India over the next five years.

In the 2+2 dialogue, the two sides are expected to deliberate on ways to further expand bilateral cooperation in the areas of defence and security besides taking stock of the developments in the Indo-Pacific, the people cited above said.

The Japanese delegation will be headed at the talks by Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada.

The dialogue is scheduled around three weeks ahead of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s state funeral on September 27 in Tokyo.

The ‘2+2’ dialogue with Japan was initiated in 2019 to deepen bilateral security and defence cooperation further and bring greater depth to the special strategic and global partnership between the two countries.

India has the ‘2+2’ ministerial format of dialogue with very few countries including the US, Japan, Australia and Russia. India’s defence and security ties with Mongolia are also on an upswing.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to Mongolia in May 2015, bringing a renewed vigour to the ties in diverse areas including defence and security.

During the visit, India announced a USD 1 billion line of credit to Mongolia for infrastructure development and upgraded their ties to the strategic partnership.

Joint India-Mongolia military exercise ‘Nomadic Elephant’ is held annually.

The last two editions of the exercise were held at Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) in September 2018 and in October 2019 at Himachal Pradesh.