1. SIMI's Rise as Source of Recruits for Terror Outfits Keeps Agencies on Edge
Since its shift towards radical beliefs became more pronounced in the 1990s, the Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), banned in 2001, has become a major concern for security agencies for supplying recruits to Indian Mujahideen and Pakistan-based terrorist organisations.
Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Were SIMI Men ‘Caught' in Bhopal Jail Before Encounter?
Over the years, SIMI leaders radicalised Muslim youths and formed networks to train, plot and execute terrorist attacks, often in close collaboration with Pakistan's covert agencies that have directed violence against India.
The Indian government banned SIMI as a “terrorist organisation” after 9/11 but the real problem surfaced in 2006, when Nagori, who has been in jail since 2008, shed all pretence of student mobilisation and took to terrorist activities.
(Source: The Times of India)
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Encounter of 8 SIMI Suspects Genuine: MP Police's Initial Probe
SIMI ‘Encounter': 11 Questions That Were Raised but Not Answered
2. HC Directs J&K Govt to Protect Schools as More Buildings Burn in Unrest
Schools are going up in flames in strife-torn Kashmir one after the other, prompting the state high court to direct the authorities to take all necessary steps to protect them.
Twenty-five schools have been completely or partially burnt down in the last three months, the latest being in Anantnag on Sunday.
“The mysterious burning of centres of education has sent shock waves, awakening all to ponder,” said the high court division bench comprising Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir and Justice Ali Mohammad Magray.
“Can a nation, community or state afford to shun the path of education or bear the loss of mysterious burning and destroying the school buildings? Continuously every day there is news item that the school building has been mysteriously burnt. Is it acceptable? Answer is no,” the judges said.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
Also Read:
Ashes to Dust: Kashmir's Schools Are Burning, but No One Knows Why
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Yet Another School Burnt Down in Kashmir Valley, the 19th So Far
3. PM Seeks Debate on Quota in Judiciary, Creating All India Judicial Service
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought on Monday a debate on creating an All India Judicial Service (AIJS) and inclusion of people from the lower strata of society into the judicial system.
“Debates, discussions and dialogues are part of democracy … We (government) cannot contribute much. Our contribution will not help much. It is those sitting here who can contribute,” he said an audience judges and lawyers at the Delhi HC's golden jubilee function.
Also Read: Muslim Population at 15% But Few Muslim Judges in SC, High Courts
Introduction of a quota system in a section of the lower judiciary is part of his government's move to constitute AIJS to appoint district judges, a prerogative of high courts.
There is no reservation for any social groups in high courts and the Supreme Court, though the collegiums try to give representation to various regions and communities in the appointment of judges.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
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Govt Seeks to Control Judges' Appointment, Not Reform Judiciary
Gender Disparity in Our HCs: Only 10% of All Judges Are Women
‘May as Well Shut the Courts': SC to Govt on Judicial Appointments
4. Pollution Peaks as Delhi Decides to Burn Its ‘No-Crackers-On-Diwali' Resolutions
The morning after Diwali in Delhi was all smog. Residents were left with no option but to breath the poisonous air, with pollution levels in many areas reaching levels 40 times over the safe limit.
Delhi easily beat Beijing's worst air pollution events on the night of Diwali and it seemed that the slew of awareness measures taken by the government and pledges taken by the public failed to do any good.
Also Read: The Big Bang Theories: Are Crackers Really Linked to Diwali?
Many areas in the city witnessed zero visibility including the railway stations, highways and airports. Normal life stalled in the morning as it became dangerous to navigate the roads due to the alarming drop in visibility.
Delhi doesn't boast the cleanest air. The Delhi High Court even went to the extreme of calling the national capital a gas chamber last week.
Seven out of the ten most polluted places in the country were reported in the Capital after Diwali, which is an alarming metric.
(Source: Indian Express)
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Had a Good Diwali? Here's What Delhi Looks Like the Day After
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Vignettes From the Streets: How Diwali Polluted Delhi This Year
5. Judges' Phones are Being Tapped, Claims Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday claimed at the 50th anniversary function of the Delhi High Court, to have “overheard” judges expressing concern about their phones being “tapped”.
Mr Kejriwal dropped the bombshell during his address at Vigyan Bhawan, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India TS Thakur, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Delhi High Court Chief Justice G Rohini were present.
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad refuted Mr Kejriwal's allegation that judges' phones were under government surveillance.
Mr Kejriwal had said that it would be an assault on democracy and independence of the judiciary if judges' phones are tapped.
“Let me as Law Minister make it clear that our fight for the independence of judiciary is fundamental and irrefutable,” Mr Prasad emphasised in his address.
(Source: The Hindu)
Also Read: Law Min Denies Kejriwal's Claim That Judges' Phones Being Tapped
6. Missing JNU Student's Kin Meet Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal
It has been 17 days since Najeeb Ahmed, a first year biotechnology student, went missing from JNU after an alleged run-in with members of ABVP.
Ahmed's family met chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday, with the continuous protests of the JNU Students Union evoking little reaction from the institution's administration.
On Diwali night, a ‘Ray of Hope' vigil was organised as part of the student agitation.
Also Read: Battleground JNU: Onslaught on the Students' Movement
While JNUSU sent a delegation to meet the university proctor on Monday and demanded that the report of the internal inquiry be made public, Ahmed's mother and other relatives told Kejriwal about their anxieties at his residence.
The family discussed with the CM the slow progress in both locating the student as well as the steps taken by the authorities following Ahmed's disappearance.
(Source: The Times of India)
Also Read:
Missing Student Najeeb's Family Slams JNU's Administrative Apathy
Kidnapped, Missing, or Still in JNU: Where Is Najeeb Ahmed?
‘Will Send Najeeb to 72 Virgins': JNU Student Recalls Mob's Threat
7. BSF Fires 5,000 Mortar Shells, 35,000 Bullets in 11 Days
The Border Security Force (BSF) has responded with massive fire in retaliation to Pakistan Rangers' relentless attempts to push heavily armed terrorists into Indian territory since 19 October through continuous ceasefire violations.
The massive retaliation has claimed the lives of at least 15 Pakistani soldiers besides some civilians on the other side.
Also Read: Are Terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir Consciously Shifting Strategy?
The BSF, responding to Pakistan's firing and mortar shelling for past 11 days, has fired 3,000 long range mortar shells (81mm area weapons), which can hit targets within the range of 5 to 6 km, 2,000 short range mortar shells (51mm mortar shells), which can hit targets at 900 meters and over 35,000 bullets using small arms, including MMG, LMG, and rifles etc.
(Source: The Times of India)
Also Read:
BSF Says Indian Forces Kill 15 Pak Rangers in Retaliatory Firing
Quint Exclusive: Infiltration Bid at Jammu Border Caught on Camera
Rajnath Speaks to BSF DG After Pak Violates Ceasefire in KG Sector
8. Jayalalithaa Doing Well, Will Resume Her ‘Duty to the People' Soon: AIADMK
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, undergoing treatment at a hospital since last month, was said to be recovering fast and will soon resume her “duty to the people”, AIADMK spokesperson CR Saraswathi said on Monday.
“Amma is doing well and will come back to resume her ‘makkal pani' (duty to the people) very soon,” she told reporters outside Apollo Hospital, where Jayalalithaa has been treated since 22 September.
Also Read: With Jayalalithaa in Hospital, Her Adviser Calls the Shots in TN
State ministers and the AIADMK cadre continued to organise special rituals at various temples across the state for the speedy recovery of their party supremo.
Jayalalithaa, initially admitted for fever and dehydration, was being treated for an infection with respiratory support among others.
In the last medical bulletin issued on 21 October, the hospital had said she was “interacting and progressing gradually”.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
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In Pictures: Jayalalithaa Is There in Every Official Meet of Govt
Right Hand Inflamed, Jayalalithaa Puts Thumb Print on Poll Papers
Jayalalithaa's Health: Her Right to Privacy Vs Our Right to Know
9. Pre-Placement Offers at All-Time High This Year in IITs
Pre-placement offers to students at the Indian Institutes of Technology have scaled a record high this year, indicating a bumper recruitment season ahead amid growing inclination among leading employers to hire through the tried-and-tested internship route.
The number of offers at some IITs has already shot up about a third than that of a year ago, officials said, even as companies have more than two weeks left to snap up talent through PPOs from the premier engineering institutes.
Also Read: IIT Increases Student Intake for 2017 Across All 23 Institutes
“We were a little apprehensive earlier about the job market, but seeing the trend in PPOs this year we certainly see positivity in the overall job market," said NP Padhy, professor in-charge of placement at IIT Roorkee. “Companies offer PPOs to deserving candidates to ensure that they do not miss out on talent during final placements,” he said.
(Source: Economic Times)
Also Read:
Six IITs and IISc Ranked in Top 400 Colleges of The World
India's Faulty Education System: 2,000 Drop-Outs at IITs and IIMs
From The Quint
SIMI Suspects, Cops Engaged in Gunfight: ‘Encounter' Witness
By Appropriating Patel, Modi is Projecting Himself as Asli Sardar
What's SIMI and So What If the Bhopal Jailbreak Men Were Members?
Triple Talaq: What Indian Muslim Women Have to Say About It
Power Play: Russia Cosying up to Pakistan to Win Back India
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