FRIDAY | 23 JULY 2021 | VOL.
2 ISSUE 14 | NEW DELHI
In PARlIAMEnT
PEGASUS ROw bId TO MAlIGn
IndIAn dEMOCRACy: IT MInISTER
TMC MP Santanu Sen snatches statement paper from IT Minister in Rajya
Sabha, tears it into pieces; Centre to take action against ‘misbehaviour’.
RAKESH SINGH
NEW DELHI
T
he monsoon session
has so far been a tu-
multuous one. How-
ever, the maximum ruckus
till now occurred on Thurs-
day, with things reaching
such a point that when Com-
munications Minister Ash-
wini Vaishnav was giving
a statement on the Pegasus
TOP OF THE DAY
IndIA lOGS 41K
nEw COvId
CASES, 45K blACK
FUnGUS CASES
NEW DELHI: With 41,383 new
Covid-19 cases in the last 24
hours, India’s daily positivity rate
remained less than 3 per cent for
31 consecutive days. The positiv-
ity rate stood at 2.41 per cent.
With the new cases reported in
the last 24 hours, as many as
3,12,57,720 cases have been
reported in the country so far,
Union Health Ministry informed
on Thursday. As many as 38,652
recoveries were witnessed in the
last 24 hours, taking the number
to 3,04,29,339 so far. Also, as
many as 45,374 cases of Mucor-
mycosis or ‘Black fungus’ were
reported in the country so far,
said the Health Ministry. While
4,332 patients have died due to
the disease across the country.
IndIA, CHInA TO
HOld 12TH ROUnd
OF TAlKS SOOn
NEW DELHI: India and China are
working out fresh dates for the
12th round of Corps Command-
er-level talks on the situation
in eastern Ladakh, Indian Army
sources said on Thursday. China
had earlier suggested holding
military talks on July 26 but India
asked Beijing to work out fresh
dates as the Indian Army would
be celebrating Kargil Vijay Diwas,
they added. The sources said
further said that the Indian and
Chinese sides are expected to
discuss disengagement from ex-
isting friction points in Depsang
plains, Gogra and hot springs in
the next round of meetings of the
military commanders. Earlier
on April 9, Armies of India and
China held the 11th round of
Corps Commander-level talks at
Chushul in eastern Ladakh.
FIRST ARREST In
KUMbH COvId
TESTInG SCAM
DEHRADUN: The first arrest
in Uttarakhand’s 2021 Kumbh
Mela Covid testing scam case
has been made by an SIT. Circle
Officer of Haridwar Abhay Pratap
Singh told ANI that the accused
Ashish Nalwa used to provide
Covid testing lab with manpower
and other equipment and was
responsible for feeding data of
Covid tests. Investigations have
revealed that the private agency
accused of irregularities in
Covid-19 tests during the Kumbh
Mela, continued to upload data
on the ICMR, portal even after its
agreement with the Mela admin-
istration concluded, Uttarakhand
police DGP Ashok Kumar had
said on 21 June.
2 4
PlEA FIlEd In SC
SEEKS SIT PRObE
InTO PEGASUS
SnOOP CHARGES
espionage case in the Rajya
Sabha, TMC MP Shantanu
Sen tore the statement paper
from his hand and threw it
towards the Deputy Speaker.
The government is pre-
paring to give a notice of
breach of privilege on this
entire incident. The central
government is going to take
strict action against the Tri-
namool Congress MPs who
have “misbehaved” against
Indian Navy participated in a two-day bilateral Passage Exercise
(PASSEX) with UK Royal Navy Carrier Strike Group (CSG)-21 led by
HMS Queen Elizabeth in the Bay of Bengal on Thursday. ANI
‘KISAn SAnSAd’
Farmers start
‘Parallel Parliament’
at Jantar Mantar
SABYASACHI ROY CHOWDHURY
NEW DELHI
Farmers protesting against
the Centre’s farm laws have
started the “Kisan Sansad”
near Jantar Mantar. Hanan
Mulla has been made the
“Speaker” and Manjit Sin-
gh has been made “deputy
speaker”. Farmer leader Yo-
gendra Yadav said that all the
farmers are taking one turn
in the farmers’ parliament.
He alleged that the Delhi
Police delayed the arrival
at Jantar Mantar and kept
the farmers moving for 2.5
hours. He told that the farm-
ers’ parliament will run till 5
pm today. Rakesh Tikait is
also at Jantar Mantar. These
farmers will march to Par-
liament daily from today
(Thursday, 22 July) and there
Union IT Minister Ashwini
Vaishnav during the pro-
ceedings of the House.
There was a heated argu-
ment between Union Minis-
ter Hardeep Singh Puri and
Sen. Now, Shantanu Sen has
alleged that Puri abused him
during the proceedings of
the House. Sen told the me-
dia that the Union Minister
threatened and abused him.
Not only this, Puri was about
Sea warriors
will be farmers’ parliament.
Congress MPs demonstrated
in front of the Gandhi statue
in the Parliament House
complex, demanding the
withdrawal of the agricul-
ture law in support of the
farmers.
Earlier on the way, the po-
lice was trying to count the
farmers sitting in the bus,
and on this issue, the farm-
ers had a conflict with the
police. After this, the police
took all the farmers inside a
resort, so that they could be
counted. Sources in Delhi
Police said that every farmer
reaching Jantar Mantar will
have an identity card, and
will be allowed to go there
only after checking. The
United Kisan Morcha is giv-
ing this identity card to the
P2
GUJARAT HIGH COURT
TAKES RIGHT STEP,
TIME FOR SUPREME
REFORM
to hurt them physically. Mar-
shals intervened to bring the
situation under control.
Due to the heavy uproar,
Vaishnav found it difficult
to make a statement and had
to lay it on the Table of the
House. After two adjourn-
ments, as soon as the pro-
ceedings of the House began
at 2 pm, Deputy Chairman
Harivansh called out the
name of Vaishnav to make
RElIEF
TIHAR AllOwS
SUSHIl TO wATCH
Tv AHEAd OF
TOKyO OlyMPICS
ASHISH SINHA
NEW DELHI
The Tihar jail administration
on Thursday allowed Olym-
pic medallist wrestler Sushil
Kumar to watch television
in a common area of the jail
ward. 
A Tihar Jail official said,
“We have allowed Sushil
Kumar to watch television
in the common area since the
Olympics is set to begin from
tomorrow. He has made a re-
quest through his advocate
and submitted his applica-
tion. He has sought a TV set
to keep in touch with the cur-
rent happenings outside the
jail and to get updates about
wrestling.”  Despite the lockdown, busi-
Earlier this month Sushil
Kumar, the main accused in
connection with the murder
of wrestler Sagar Rana, had
P2
a statement. Opposition
members started a ruckus.
Vaishnav had just started
the statement when the com-
motion intensified. He could
not be heard due to the up-
roar. The Deputy Chairman
termed the attitude of the
opposition parties as «un-
parliamentary» and urged
the Union Minister to lay the
statement on the Table of the
P2
KARnATAKA POlITICS
BSY hints his exit is imminent,
awaiting BJP leadership’s directions
CORRESPONDENT
BENGALURU
Amid heightened buzz that
his exit was on the cards,
Karnataka Chief B.S. Yedi-
yurappa on Thursday indi-
cated that his exit was immi-
nent and said that he would
remain in the post till the
PORn FIlMS
KUndRA RAKEd In THE MOOlAH dURInG
lOCKdOwn, EARnEd lAKHS dAIly
PREETI SOMPURA
MUMBAI
nessman and Bollywood
actress Shilpa Shetty’s hus-
band, Raj Kundra, who has
been arrested by the Mum-
bai Police in connection with
AMId TAlIbAn SURGE
India reiterates support
ahead of Afghanistan
Army chief’s visit
T. BRAJESH
NEW DELHI
With Afghan Army Chief
General Wali Mohammad
Ahmadzai set to visit India
next week, India on Thurs-
day said that it supports
the government and the
people of Afghanistan in
realising their aspirations
for a peaceful, democratic
and prosperous future that
protects the interests of all
sections.
“The India-Afghanistan
PUnJAb CRISIS
Captain softens stance,
invites Sidhu for tea ahead
of installation ceremony
ANIL BHARDWAJ
CHANDIGARH
The ongoing turmoil in the
state Congress over the ap-
pointment of Navjot Singh
Sidhu as PPCC president
seems to be coming to an
end, as Chief Minister Cap-
tain Amarinder Singh has
not only agreed to attend
the coronation ceremony of
Sidhu but also extended a
tea invitation to the cricketer-
turned-politician.
The Chief Minister has also
invited all Congress minis-
ters, MPs, MLAs and senior
leaders to the tea party at
Punjab Bhawan at 10 am,
before the coronation cer-
emony to be held at Punjab
Congress Bhawan at 11 am
on Friday.
After the tea, all of them
will leave for Congress
Bhavan to attend the cer-
emony. Till now the CM was
BJP’s central leadership asks
him to step down.
The 78-year-old Lingayat
strongman said that the
party leadership is likely to
give him directions on 25
July about his future as the
Chief Minister, and that he
will continue to perform his
duties till the last minute. He
a case involving the creation
of pornographic films and
their publication through
mobile apps, used to earn Rs
6-8 lakh daily from the busi-
ness, Mumbai’s Joint Com-
missioner of Police (Crime
Branch), Milind Bharambe.
Bharambe said that Raj Kun-
12
RISHAbH RETURnS
TO TEAM AFTER
COvId SCARE, GETS
HERO’S wElCOME
relations are guided by the
strategic partnership agree-
ment signed between the
two sides in 2011,” Ministry
of External Affairs (MEA)
spokesperson Arindam
Bagchi said while replying
to a question from The Daily
Guardian on whether India
will give military support
to Afghanistan in its fight
against Taliban.
He further said, “As a
contiguous neighbour, In-
dia supports the govern-
ment and the people of Af-
insisting for an apology from
Sidhu for his tweets against
him, but after meeting newly
appointed PPCC working
presidents Kuljit Singh Na-
gra and Sangat Singh Gilzian
on Thursday, Captain agreed
to attend the ceremony.
After this, CM’s media
advisor Raveen Thukral
tweeted, “Punjab CM @capt_
amarinder has invited all @
INCPunjab MLAs, MPs and
senior party functionaries at
Punjab Bhawan for tea at 10
am on Friday. They will all
then go to Punjab Congress
Bhawan together from there
for the installation of the new
PPCC team.”
It may be noted that along
with Sidhu as PPCC presi-
dent, four working presi-
dents Kuljit Singh Nagra,
Sangat Singh Gilzian, Sukh-
winder Singh Danny and
Pawan Goel will also take
charge on Friday. In this way,
also made it clear that he will
neither exert any pressure
nor make any suggestions
regarding who his successor
should be.
“I still haven’t got any mes-
sage (regarding his future as
CM), I’m waiting if there will
be any message on July 25. I
will abide by the centre’s de-
dra used to earn Rs 2-3 lakh
daily, which later went up to
6-8 lakh. “Documents of fi-
nancial transactions run into
thousands. We are analysing
the details to get exact earn-
ings. The same will be treat-
ed as proceeds of the crime.
So far, we have frozen Rs 7.5
ghanistan in realising their
aspirations for a peaceful,
democratic and prosperous
future where the interests
of all sections of the Afghan
society, including women
and minorities, are pro-
tected.” Bagchi also referred
to External Affairs Minister
S. Jaishankar’s comments at
the Afghanistan Conference
in Geneva last year reaf-
firming India’s long-term
commitment to the devel-
opment of the war-ravaged
P2
the dispute of Punjab Con-
gress, which has been going
on for a long time, now seems
to be somewhat resolved.
On Thursday afternoon
at 3 pm, Nagra and Gilzian
met the Chief Minister at
his Siswan farm house and
invited him to attend the
programme. The related in-
vitation letter handed over
to CM was signed by Sidhu,
Nagra, Gilzian, Danny and
Goel. After a brief consulta-
tion, Captain not only agreed
to attend the event but also
formally announced the tea
party to welcome the new
team.
It is worth mentioning
here that a large number of
Congress MLAs from Pun-
jab participated in the road-
show organised by Sidhu
in Amritsar on Wednesday.
According to the sources,
the MLAs who gathered
P2
cision, I have said this in the
past and I’m saying it once
again,” Yediyurappa said.
Speaking to reporters
here, he said he had offered
to resign two months ago
with an intention to make
way for others. “Whether
in power or not, I will travel
P2
crore in various accounts,”
Bharambe added.
The Mumbai Police arrest-
ed Kundra and his brother-
in-law Pradeep Bakshi and
said that they are the alleged
masterminds of an interna-
tional pornographic films
P2
 2 news t h e da i ly gua rd i a n
fri day | 23 ju ly 2021
new d e l h i

‘nudity, sleaZe’ PunJab crisis

Captain softens stance, invites Sidhu for tea

Kundra porn racket: Victim relates tale of horror ahead of installation ceremony
URVASHI KHONA
audition or short movie; so you will 10 lakh as you have already signed several other camera persons. After at Sidhu’s out the way to persuade the sent was signed by about 50
MUMBAI have to join us. They called us to a the contract. They take your phone one month, I got to know that my in- residence before Chief Minister. All were of MLAs present there. Now all
location in Madh Island in Mumbai’s because shooting is about to ‘start’ appropriate videos where all across the roadshow, the opinion to invite the CM eyes are on Friday’s develop-

A
fter Shilpa Shetty’s husband
Raj Kundra was arrested by
the Mumbai Crime Branch
for production of pornographic films,
he was produced before the 37th met-
ropolitan magistrate on Tuesday and
remanded in custody till July 23. The
police have stated that Raj Kundra
was involved in the streaming of porn
videos through mobile apps.
Now, a 27-year-old victim of the
pornography racket has talked exclu-
sively to The Daily Guardian about the
horror and ordeal. The victim said: “I
was not aware about the dirty game
that was going on. I was told work
is for some kind of series and short
films. They said there is some kind of
in court
Malad area which is too far from the
main city. On reaching there, every-
thing seemed like a perfect spot for
a shooting location. No one would
have understood that we were being
fooled and in the name of serials and
short films, porn was being shot. At
first, they gave us one short story to
work on, then proper make up was
done; later, before the shoot started,
they said ‘you have a nude scene with
a girl and boy both’ and then you are
asked to indulge nudity and when you
object to do one, they torture you as
they all in a group and the victim is
all alone. They threaten you and say
that if you have to go and leave the
project, then you will have to pay Rs
and surround you and threaten you.”
“There is no such agreement or con-
tract that is there—they cheat you in
the name of agreement and contract
and they say that we are working with
big people, so you can’t even touch us
or complain that we are doing wrong
things. If you do so, then we will do
your name shaming. Then, I started
crying and I started feeling weak af-
ter which they gave me a drink and
told me it is an energy drink and I
will feel refreshed. On drinking it, I
became senseless and everything was
shot that I never wanted to do. On
the second day when I came to con-
sciousness, I saw I was at the home
of one madam Alisha; there were also
‘chilling sofware’
the internet via some or other applica-
tions,” she said.
The victim further told this news-
paper: “And that’s when I went to a
lawyer and filed a complaint with
the Mumbai police. I demand rape
charges on the accused as I was not
even aware of what happened with
me. I never knew that this link is con-
nected to Raj Kundra—though I was
aware that Gehna Vashisht was part
of such groups. I also demand com-
pensation as today they have done
crores of business and my whole life
has been shattered. I have to bear
social boycott and face trauma—my
whole personal and professional life
has gone for a toss!”
consulted to chalk
amid taliban surge
India reiterates support ahead
of Afghan Army chief’s visit
country.
The MEA
spokesman may
not have con-
firmed India’s plan to sup-
port Afghanistan in terms
of military cooperation, but
the sources say that New
Delhi may take a call on the
proposal of extending such
a support to Kabul dur-
jointly and the related con-
id Mamundzay has said that
Afghanistan would expect
military support from coun-
tries like the US and India
should the pressure mount
on Kabul.
What is worrying India
is the fact that hundreds of
Afghan soldiers have either
surrendered or run away
even as Taliban mounted
ments.
scenario in Afghanistan.
A focus on which terror
organisations are actively
supporting Taliban, and
how they could be danger-
ous to India’s assets there.
Needless to say, India has
been a major stakeholder
in the peace and stability of
Afghanistan. It has already
invested nearly USD 3 bil-

BJP leader files plea in SC
Plea filed in sc seeks sit Probe ing Afghan Army Chief ’s
three-day visit beginning
massive attacks. Sources say
that India has a lot of mili-
lion in aid and reconstruc-
tion activities in the country.

seeking uniform code for
religious, charitable endowments
ASHISH SINHA
NEW DELHI
BJP leader and advocate
Ashwini Upadhyay filed
a petition in the Supreme
Court on Thursday seeking
Uniform Code for Religious
and Charitable Endowments
and referred to the control
of authorities on Hindu
temples across the country,
unlike certain other groups
which are allowed to manage
their own institutions.  The plea further stated
The petitioner has sought
a declaration that Hindus,
Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs
karnataka Politics
bsy hints his exit is imminent,
awaiting bJP leadershiP’s directions Farmers start ‘Parallel Parliament’ at Jantar Mantar
across
t h e st at e a n d
work towards
strengthening
the organisation and bring-
ing the party back to power.
As long as I’m asked to be
the Chief Minister, I will
remain in the post; when
relief
into Pegasus snooP charges
have similar rights to own
acquire, administer mova-
ble-immovable properties
of their religious places
like Muslims-Christians
and State cannot abridge
it. The petitioner has also
sought declaration that the
laws made to own, acquire
and administer movable-
immovable properties of
temples-gurudwaras are
arbitrary, irrational and of-
fend Articles 14, 15, 26.  maintenance. On the other
that the “injury” to Hindus,
Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs is
extremely large because state
‘kisan sansad’
I’m told they don’t want
me in the post I will work
towards strengthening the
organisation,” he added.
Yediyurappa’s government
will be completing two
years in office on 26 July.
Stating that he will con-
tinue with the work and
governments are controlling
temples and gurdwaras, but
not the mosques and church-
es. The pathetic condition of
temples and gurdwaras is
the result of being managed
by callous-corrupt state of-
ficials.  ing Israeli spyware Pegasus
In 2002, from 2 lakh tem-
ples in Karnataka, the gov-
ernment collected Rs 72
crore, but returned merely
Rs 10 crore for repair and
hand, it granted Rs 50 crore
for the madrasas and Rs 10
crore for churches, the plea
said.
will inspect the develop-
ment works in Bengaluru
on Friday like construction
of roads and rajakaluves
(storm water drains), the
Chief Minister said, “I will
perform my duties till the
last minute, let’s see what
happens at the end.”
ASHISH SINHA
NEW DELHI
A petition was filed in the
Supreme Court on Thursday
seeking a court-monitored
probe by a Special Investi-
gation Team (SIT) into the
reports of alleged snooping
by government agencies us-
over journalists, activists,
politicians and others.  digital imprint of your life. It
The plea further sought to
declare buying of Pegasus
software for snooping illegal
and unconstitutional. The pe-
tition, field by Advocate M.L.
Sharma, said: “The Pegasus
scandal is a matter of grave
concern and a serious attack
upon Indian democracy, ju-
diciary and country security.
The widespread and unac-
farmers.  The Samyukta Kisan
Sources said
that the Red Fort
incident on 26
January was a big lesson for
Delhi Police. This was the
reason why the high officials
of Delhi Police were against
allowing farmers to protest
in Delhi. Approval in this
case was not given till July
20. On the other hand, the
countable use of surveillance
is morally disfiguring. Pri-
vacy is not about the wish to
hide, as is often asserted. It is
about having a space of one’s
own where our thoughts and
being are not the instrument
of someone else’s purposes.”  He is coming to Delhi amidst
“Pegasus is a chilling soft-
ware. It is not just eavesdrop-
ping on conversations; it can
be used to access the entire
renders helpless not just the
owner of the phone hacked,
but everyone who is in con-
tact with them,” it added.
The petitioner further
stated that using of Pegasus
software for snooping of Op-
position leaders, political per-
sons, judges of the judiciary
and even any individual is a
serious offence.
Morcha (SKM), a body of
farmers’ unions protesting
against the agricultural laws,
said that if the monsoon ses-
sion of Parliament ends on 13
August, then their protest at
Jantar Mantar will also con-
tinue till 13 August. Howev-
er, the Lieutenant Governor
has given permission for the
dharna only till 9 August.
from 27 July. The Afghan
Army chief is scheduled to
meet key security officials,
including the Indian Army
Chief General M.M. Nara-
vane and National Security
Advisor Ajit Doval. His visit
to India assumes more signif-
icance because of its timing.
the Taliban expanding influ-
ence across Afghanistan. He
is said to be coming here to
explore possibilities of ‘mili-
tary support’.
New Delhi has not sent
troops to Afghanistan dur-
ing the two decade long
stay by US-led international
troops. This, despite the fact
that the groups within the
Pakistan-backed Taliban like
the Haqqani network have in
the past targeted Indian con-
sulates as well as the Indian
embassy in Kabul.
Afghan envoy to India Far-
by maximum 200 farm-
ers every day from July 22
to August 9 from 11 am to 5
pm. “They will be brought
by designated buses on des-
ignated routes under police
escort and will be subjected
to Covid-appropriate be-
havior (wearing of masks,
maintaining social distanc-
ing, washing hands regu-
larly and using sanitisers
tary advice to offer when Af-
ghan army chief holds meet-
ing with top army officials
here. What Afghanistan is
seeking from India is mili-
tary cooperation in terms
of military assets and some
effective tips on strategy to
tame the Taliban. “Since In-
dia does not share a border
with Afghanistan, it cannot
help Afghan forces directly,”
say sources. However, pos-
sibilities may be explored on
how to help Afghanistan out
of the present crisis.
Sources say that top Indi-
an officials from diplomatic
and security establishments
have been in touch with sev-
eral global players and also
with the Afghan govern-
ment officials to take stock
of what is happening there.
Sources said Indian Army
Chief will take a detailed in-
formation on all the security
ers across the country are
staging a sit-in on Delhi’s
borders against the three
agriculture laws, claiming it
will destroy the MSP system
and leave them at the mercy
of big corporate houses.
The government is pro-
jecting these laws as major
agricultural reforms. The
farmers’ unions have held
more than 10 rounds of talks
India has been supporting
a national peace and rec-
onciliation process that is
Afghan-led, Afghan-owned
and Afghan-controlled.
Apart from training the
Afghan National Army, In-
dia has been providing air
assets to Afghanistan. Four
Mi-35 attack helicopters were
provided to Afghanistan in
2015-16 and four more Mi-
35s in 2019 along with three
Cheetah light helicopters.
Afghanistan has been
witnessing a series of ter-
ror attacks since the United
States began withdrawing
its troops from the coun-
try on May 1. The US has
already pulled back the
majority of its forces and
is looking to complete the
drawdown by August 31,
ending nearly two decades
of its military presence in
Afghanistan.
cultural laws and no protest-
ers would go to Parliament.
The Kisan Union leader had
said, “We will organize a
‘Kisan Sansad’ from July 22
till the end of the monsoon
session and 200 protest-
ers will go to Jantar Mantar
every day. A speaker and
a deputy speaker will be
elected every day.”
The farmer leader said,

tihar allows sushil to watch Opposition parties stalled

the work in Parliament from
This is the first time since
the violence that broke out
etc.) and India,” the order
said. All other guidelines/
with the government, but
they have failed to break the
“The APMC Act will be dis-
cussed in the first two days.

tV ahead of tokyo olymPics

written
a letter to the jail
authorities de-
manding that a
TV set be installed in his cell.
According to a Tihar Jail of-
ficial, Sushil had said in his
letter that if TV is available,
he will continue to get wres-
tling updates.  barrack.  ing night of 4-5 May.
Sushil was shifted from
Mandoli Jail to Tihar Jail
No. 2 and is currently stay-
ing in a separate cell due to
security threat. Special se-
curity arrangements have
been made and police per-
sonnel have been deployed
round the clock near his
On 4 May, wrestler Sagar
Rana was beaten to death at
Delhi’s Chhatrasal Stadium.
Sushil Kumar and his associ-
ates allegedly assaulted him
and two of his friends—Sonu
Mahal and Amit Kumar—
over a property dispute, at
the stadium on the interven-
day one regarding Pegasus
spyware.
Police have made heavy
security arrangements at
Jantar Mantar. Several com-
panies of Delhi Police and
paramilitary forces have
been deployed there. Entire
Delhi Police is on high alert.
Farmers’ protest at Jantar
Mantar will be held in coor-
dination with United Kisan
Morcha and Delhi Police.
in the national capital during
a tractor rally on January 26
this year that the authori-
ties have allowed protesting
farmers’ unions into the city.
According to an order is-
sued by the Delhi Disaster
Management Authority,
Lieutenant Governor Anil
Baijal, who is also the chair-
man of DDMA, has given
permission to organize a
protest at Jantar Mantar
instructions/SOPs issued
by the Government and
Government of NCT of Delhi
from time to time regarding
the Covid-19 pandemic shall
be strictly complied with.
Adequate security arrange-
ments will be made at Jantar
Mantar, sources said. As per
a DDMA order, gatherings
for protests in the national
capital are not currently al-
lowed.  Thousands of farm-
deadlock between the two
sides. The SKM had initially
proposed that the protesting
farmers would hold a “Kisan
Sansad” every day at Jantar
Mantar, a few meters from
Parliament.
After a meeting with Delhi
Police officials on Tuesday,
a farmer’s union leader said
they would hold a peace-
ful protest at Jantar Mantar
demanding abolition of agri-
Later, other bills will also be
discussed every two days.”
The tractor parade, held on
January 26 to highlight the
demands of farmers’ unions
to repeal three new agricul-
tural laws, turned chaotic
on the streets of the capital
as thousands of protesters
broke barricades, clashed
with police and a religious
flag was hoisted on the ram-
parts of the Red Fort.

in Parliament Porn films

Pegasus row bid to malign Kundra raked in the

indian democracy: it minister
House.
In his statement, Minis-
ter Vaishnav vehemently
dismissed reports of al-
leged spying of Indians through Is-
raeli spyware Pegasus, saying that
the publication of such a report just
before the monsoon session of Par-
liament is not a coincidence, but the
allegation tarnishes the image of
Indian democracy. Amidst the up-
roar by Opposition members in the
Rajya Sabha, Vaishnav said in his
statement that when there is already
a system of control and surveillance
in the country, then illegal surveil-
lance by an unauthorized person is
not possible.
Taking to microblogging sites Twit-
ter and Koo, the Minister said, «A
sensational story around Pegasus
being published just a day before
the monsoon session in Parliament
cannot be a coincidence. In the past,
similar claims were made regarding
the use of Pegasus on WhatsApp.
Those reports had no factual basis
and were categorically denied by all
parties, including in the Supreme
Court.» He said, «This press story
on Pegasus, done by a web portal on
18th July 2021, attempts to malign
the Indian democracy and its well-
established institutions.»
The Opposition has alleged that
names of several Indian politicians,
journalists, lawyers, and activists
have appeared on the leaked list of
potential targets for surveillance
by an unidentified agency using
Pegasus spyware. This comes follow-
ing reports published in The Wire.
Speaking to ANI, BJP Rajya
Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta said,
«It seems that some people of Op-
position, notably some of the TMC
MPs, got up and took the paper
from the hands of the IT Minister
Ashwini Vaishnaw while he was
speaking on ‹Pegasus› and tore it
up. This is completely unseemly
behaviour. He was making a state-
ment, you had a right to question
him after that but instead of go-
ing in for a debate, is this the type
of hooliganism we see inside the
House? This is completely against
all norms, I think it should be con-
demned outright.»
Mahesh Poddar, BJP MP, said:
«When they can kill their opponents
in Bengal and misbehave with wom-
en, they can do anything. Today they
snatched paper and tore it, it won›t
be a surprise if they tear clothes to-
morrow. I condemn it,» said.
However, TMC MP Sukhendu
Sekhar Roy evaded a question on the
same outside Parliament. Earlier on
Thursday, Leader of Opposition in
Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge al-
leged that the government is trying
to scuttle down the issue. «We have
been demanding discussion on the
Pegasus issue. But the government is
only giving a statement. One can only
ask for clarification if a statement is
given and not all members will be
able to speak. The government is do-
ing the same. It is an attempt to scut-
tle down and save themselves. They
are not allowing other members to
speak,» Kharge told ANI.
WITH AGENCY INPUTS
moolah during lockdown,
earned lakhs daily racket
perpetrated
through their con-
tent production
companies based in India
and the United Kingdom. It
is pertinent to mention here
that the Mumbai Police dur-
ing its searches came across
Kundra’s daily monetary
transactions through the al-
leged porn content applica-
tion. It is also looking into the
transaction record of other
companies linked to Kundra.
The police department prob-
ing the matter suspects that
the money made from sell-
ing the content outside India
was also being diverted into
other businesses.
Raj Kundra was a key
member in developing the
app ‘Hotshots’, which is a
“video-on-demand service
that provides premium
digital entertainment”, the
Mumbai Police said in its
briefing on Tuesday. Ac-
cording to sources, Shilpa
Shetty’s husband was “in-
strumental” in using the
“Hotshots” app to distribute
the aforementioned explicit
content.
Umesh Kamat, who was
arrested earlier, was ques-
tioned by the Mumbai Po-
lice for their investigation on
the case. Kamat, during the
questioning, mentioned how
he had been working for
Kundra and that the latter
had also hired two people to
manage the “Hotshots” app.
A WhatsApp chat accessed
by Republic Media Network
confirmed the mention of
Kamat. In the chat dated
November 2020, Raj Kundra
talks to Kamat and informs
him that they might be asked
to take down certain content
on the app (HotShots) which
was “objectionable”. The
chats show the duo then dis-
cussing a way to “sustain”
Hotshots amid the row. The
last transaction between the
two accounts is as of January
2021, a month before a case
was filed against Kundra,
and the arrest of the actress
who is now found to have
been operating the mobile
app account.
 the s unday guardian
f riday | 23 july 2021
new delhi news 3
MODI JUGGERNAUT
‘MIsbEhAvIOUR’

MAMATA vIsITING DElhI, 12 bJP MlAs MOvE sC AGAINsT

sUsPENsION fROM bENGAl
wIll MEET PM NExT wEEk
The West Bengal CM is scheduled to arrive in the capital
AssEMbly fOR ONE yEAR
ASHISH SINHA
NEW DELHI

Twelve BJP MLAs from Maharashtra on

Thursday filed a petition in the Supreme
on Monday, and will spend 2-3 days there, sources said. Court challenging their one-year suspen-
sion from the state Legislative Assembly
ARUP KALI
Mamata Banerjee said. ation. for alleged misbehaviour with the presid-
NEW DELHI According to Trinamool “I will go to Delhi once. ing officer.
sources, Mamata may go However, I have not yet de- The MLAs in their petition said the reso- suspension as “motivated and mala fide”.

A
few days ago, West
Bengal Chief Minis-
ter Mamata Baner-
jee told reporters at a press
conference in Nabanna that
she would meet Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi when-
ever she visits Delhi. Finally,
on Thursday, Banerjee said
that Prime Minister had
given her an appointment.
However, Mamata has not
yet said when she will meet
PM Modi.
“I will go for 2-3 days (to
Delhi). I have been given
time to meet with President,
Prime Minister, I will meet
them. I have also got re-
to Delhi on the 26th of this
month. She may leave Kol-
kata for Delhi by a three
o’clock flight that day.
The Chief Minister would
stay in Delhi on 27th, 28th
and 29th, and after complet-
ing all her programmes, she
would likely return to Kol-
kata from the capital on the
30th, a source said.
“I go to Delhi once every
year when the parliament
convenes,” Mamata told a
news conference in Naban-
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee addresses virtually during na, on Thursday. Mamata
‘Shahid Divas’ to pay tributes to TMC workers, in Kolkata, on did not go to Delhi after win-
Wednesday. (Photo: ANI)
ning the vote this time be-
quests from political leaders. I will try to accommodate,” cause of the pandemic situ-
cided when I will leave,” she
said.
“I will meet the Prime Min-
ister and the President when
I have time,” the Chief Minis-
ter added.
Meanwhile, Mamata Ba-
nerjee’s trip to Delhi has
triggered a buzz of the Trin-
amool Congress chief’s na-
tional ambition.
TMC supremo’s visit is
being seen as an attempt
to animate the disjointed
Opposition to take on the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
juggernaut in 2024, when
the next Lok Sabha elections
are scheduled.
lution dated 5 July has been passed in
undue haste and is politically motivated
to whittle down the numbers of the Op-
position Party. The impugned resolution
having been passed with undue haste, the
requirements of Article 14 of the Constitu-
tion of India have been completely brushed
aside, it added
The petitioner further stated that the Min-
ister who brought the motion of suspension
had no way of identifying the 12 MLA’s in
as much as a considerable crowd had gath-
ered in the chamber of the Deputy Speaker.
Thus, the whole action is ex facie arbitrary.
The MLAs alleged and said it was an act to
suppress the voice and an attempt to bring
down the number of members in the Op-
position. The petition termed the action of
Additionally, they argued that the suspen-
sion for 1 year was highly disproportionate.
They also argued that the heated exchang-
es between the ruling party and opposition
form the essence of democracy and such
action has been taken only to dilute the op-
position strength.
On July 5, these 12 MLAs were suspended
from the Assembly for one year after the
state government had accused them of “mis-
behaving” with presiding officer Bhaskar
Jadhav in the Speaker’s chamber.
The 12 suspended members are- Sanjay
Kute, Ashish Shelar, Abhimanyu Pawar,
Girish Mahajan, Atul Bhatkhalkar, Parag
Alavani, Harish Pimpale, Yogesh Sagar,
Jay Kumar Rawat, Narayan Kuche, Ram
Satpute and Bunty Bhangdia.

CORRUPTION lOsT IN Abyss

EC-MUMbAI CP PARAM bIR sINGh Does govt have no death records

bOOkED fOR ExTORTION
SHWETA VERMA
MUMBAI
Extortion charges have
now been filed against for-
mer Mumbai Police Com-
missioner and current
Maharashtra DG home
guard Param Bir Singh.
On Thursday, a new First
Information Report (FIR)
was filed against the former
top cop of Mumbai. The Ma-
rine Drive Police Station has
registered a case following a
complaint lodged by a busi-
nessman. This time, he was
booked after a builder filed
a complaint stating that a
top IPS officer sought Rs 15
crore from him through a
DCP and four other police
officers. Mumbai Police
ners, Sunil Jain and Sanjay
Punamia, have been arrest-
ed in the case, he said.
According to the com-
plaint, Jain and Punamia
had conspired with police
officials and demanded
Rs.15 crores from the build-
er to withdraw some cases
against him, he said.
The five other cops ac-
cused in the case are— DCP
draw some cases against
him, he said.
Singh and other accused
persons were booked un-
der sections 387 (Putting
person in fear of death or
of grievous hurt, in order
to commit extortion), 388
(Extortion by threat of
accusation of an offence
punishable with death or
imprisonment for life, etc),
389 (Putting person in fear
of accusation of offence, in
order to commit extortion),
403 (Dishonest misap-
propriation of property),
409 (Criminal breach of
trust by a public servant,
or by banker, merchant or
agent), 420 (Cheating), (423
Dishonest or fraudulent ex-
ecution of deed of transfer
pertaining to homeless populace?
TARUNI GANDHI
CHANDIGARH
India is home to 1.366 bil-
lion people, out of which
one million seven hundred
seventy-three thousand and
forty people are homeless.
They die with no identity,
no census, and apparently
with “no record” in govern-
ment books.
They are included in the
census when they are alive,
but when they die, there is
no such census, record, or
mention of a cause how they
died; no one in government
cares, said Kaushal Kishore,
COvID-19
Minister In State of Housing
and Urban Affairs.
In a reply to the query
of Rita Bahuguna Joshi,
Member of Parliament,
Kishore stated that the
data on houseless popula-
tion is covered during the
second phase of census i.e.
Population Enumeration,
but the data on deaths is
not collected in the census.
ACADEMIA
There is no mechanism
to count homeless deaths
in the country under the
Civil Registration System
implemented under the
Registration of Births and
Deaths (RBD) Act, 1969, he
added.
As per GOI, the definition
of Homeless/houseless
falls as per Deendayal An-
tyodaya Yojana National
Urban Livelihoods Mis-
sion (DAY-NULM), which
says that homeless per-
sons include persons who
do not have a house, either
self-owned or rented, but
instead live and sleep on
pavements, at parks, rail-
way stations, bus stations
and places of worship, out-
side shops, and factories,
at constructions sites, un-
der bridges, inhume pipes
and other places under the
open sky or places unfit for
human habitation.
As per the 2011 census
of India, Punjab has 46714
homeless people, Haryana
has 51871, Rajasthan has
181544, Himachal Pradesh
has 4098, UttarPradesh
has 329125, Uttarakhand
has 11824, NCT of Delhi
has 47076, and Jharkhand
has 23391 homeless people.

have so far arrested two
persons in the case. Singh is
accused of extortion, along
with Mumbai police’s DCP
Akbar Pathan who has also
been booked by Mumbai
police.
Based on the builder’s
complaint, the case was
registered at the Marine
Drive police station in south
Mumbai, he said, without
specifying more details.
Two of the builder’s part-
bACk TO NORMAl?
(crime branch) Akbar Pa-
than, inspector Shrikant
Shinde, Asha Korke, Nand-
kumar Gopale, and Sanjay
Patil, the official said. Two
of the builder’s partners,
Sunil Jain and Sanjay Pu-
namia, have been arrested
in the case, he said. Ac-
cording to the complaint,
Jain and Punamia had con-
spired with police officials
and demanded Rs 15 crore
from the builder to with-
Shri Vishwakarma
containing false statement
of consideration), 464
(Making a false document),
sPECIAl INOCUlATION
465 (Punishment for forg-
ery and others of Indian
CAMP ORGANIsED IN Skill University starts
Penal Code). Two people
GUJARAT fOR TRADE,
have already been arrested
in the case. Singh is facing
multiple enquiries after he sERvICEs EMPlOyEEs admission process for
was shunted out from the
Mumbai Police chief’s post
in March 2021 for improp-
ABHIJIT BHATT
GANDHINAGAR 2021-22 session
erly handling the Antilia Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat Nitin Patel said that while
explosives scare case. vaccination is proving to be an invaluable weapon in the fight CORRESPONDENT
against the Covid-19, the state government has given timely NEW DELHI
priority to vaccination, which has resulted in more than 3.1
crore people across the state being vaccinated— more than Shri Vishwakarma Skill
three lakh citizens are vaccinated every day. Meanwhile, a University has started the

AfTER COvID bREAk, EDUCATIONAl special vaccination camp will been organized for the employ-
ees of traders and service organizations across the state on
Sunday. All traders and employees have been appealed to
admission process for the
new academic session 2021-
22 in various skill courses
INsTITUTIONs TO REOPEN IN avail maximum benefits.
The Deputy CM said that as a result of the effective func-
in which interested stu-
dents can apply from 15th

hIMAChAl fROM 2 AUGUsT
UMESH SHARMA
SHIMLA
After the unprecedented halt
of about one and a half years,
educational institutions will
reopen in Himachal Pradesh
from August 2.
The State Cabinet held here
on Thursday under the chair-
manship of Chief Minister Jai
Ram Thakur decided to open
schools for 10th, 11th, and
12th classes with effect from
2 August.
The residential and partial-
ly residential schools would
also open for these classes by
following the Covid-19 pro-
tocols. The research scholars
in Universities would be al-
lowed as per the dates to be
notified by the respective
University authorities.
The cabinet decided that the
students of the 5th and 8th
classes would be allowed to
visit schools for doubt clear-
ances with effect from 2 Au-
gust. It also decided that the
coaching, tuition, and train-
ing institutions would also
be allowed to function with
effect from 26 July this year.
Furthermore, the Cabinet
gave its consent to rename
Government Senior Sec-
ondary School Hatwar in
Bilaspur district as Shaheed
Subedar Sanjeev Kumar
Government Senior Sec-
ondary School Hatwar as a
mark of respect to the martyr
who had been awarded Kriti
Chakra posthumously for his
bravery.
The presentations were
also made before the Cabinet
on the Covid-19 situation in
the State and the prepared-
ness to tackle possible third
wave of the pandemic. Some
presentations also covered
Board Results and UGC
guidelines.
tioning of the state government, the transmission of corona
has come down and the number of cases is also gradually
declining. With the cooperation of the citizens in the state,
July to 15th September.
DAA, Prof. Jyoti Rana
said that students can take
success has been achieved in preventing the transition. In admission in various skill
the future also, if the citizens come and exercise restraint by courses in the University,
giving such cooperation and if we wear the proper protocol of in which Skill Faculty of
social coronation and mask, then surely we can make Gujarat Engineering and Technol-
free from the deadly virus, Patel added. ogy offering B.Voc Mecha-
He added that since the state of transition has been declin- tronics, B.Voc Mechani-
ing in the state, the state government has given many conces- cal Manufacturing, B.Voc
sions with strict implementation of the Corona Protocol in Production-Tool, and Die
the hope of restoring business employment and providing Manufacturing, B.Voc Ro-
employment to the younger ones. It is important to protect botics and Automation, cessing, MBA General, view of Earn while Learn
yourself and your customers to the maximum. The Dy. CM B.Voc Mechanical Manu- MBA Business Analytics. Model, where students get
added that at present there are 15 lakh 18 thousand 280 doses facturing, D.Voc Industrial Furthermore, Skill Fac- stipend along with studies.
of vaccine available in the state on 22 July, 2021. So far in the Electronics, D.Voc Mechan- ulty of Applied Sciences All the courses are running
state, the first dose has been given to 2 crore 31 lakh 52 thou- ical Manufacturing, where- and Humanities offering with prominent Indus-
sand persons and the second dose to 70 lakh 22 thousand 571 as from Skill Faculty of B.Voc Medical Laboratory tries, where students learn
persons. The vaccine has to be given free of cost to 3 crore 9 Management Studies and Technology, B.Voc. Pub- the skills along with OJT
lakh 63 thousand 589 citizens between the ages of 18 to 45 Research students can ap- lic Services, M.Voc Geo- in companies. For further
years with the help of the Government of India. Out of them ply for B.Voc Management- Informatics, M.Voc Public details, students are sug-
98 lakh 59 thousand 432 persons have been vaccinated. Financial Services, B.Voc Health, Diploma Folk-Art gested to keep visiting the
He added that in view of the need to vaccinate the traders- Management- BPM & Ana- Banchari. And from the official University website
hotel-service sector employees by 31 July, 2021 as per the noti- lytics, B.B.A Retail Man- skill faculty of Agricul- from time to time.
fication of the Home Department, the business class and ser- agement, M.Voc Manage- ture, students can apply All the updated informa-
vice class employees should be vaccinated by 31 July, 2021. A ment Banking & Finance, for B.Voc Agriculture and tion will be available on the
special vaccination camp has been organized on 1800 centers M.Voc Entrepreneurship, M.Voc Agriculture. website. Along with this,
on Sunday 25 July, 2021. Which appeals to traders-employees M.Voc Management HRM, H’VC, Sh. Raj Nehru, said for more information, stu-
to take advantage. Diploma Hospitality- Eth- that all the courses of the dents can contact toll-free
nic Foods and Sweets Pro- University are based on the number 18001800147.
 4 news plus
AnAlysIs
GujArAt HIGH Court tAkes rIGHt
step, tIme for supreme reform
The judiciary has come a long way from the time a judge would not be elevated to a higher court just because he
attended the funeral of an RSS leader. Over the decades, it has seen several big reforms. The Gujarat HC’s decision
to start live streaming of proceedings is one such momentous move. One hopes other courts follow suit.
UTPAL KUMAR
L
ast week when the
Gujarat High Court
became the first court
in the country to formally
start live streaming of pro-
ceedings, one realised how
some of the most revolution-
ary steps often get stuck not
because these can’t be done
but because there’s a natural
human—and even institu-
tional—tendency to be com-
fortable with status quoism.
What several committees,
reports and recommenda-
tions over decades failed to
do, a pandemic has done
without any fuss!
Chief Justice of India N.V.
Ramana, on the occasion,
announced that steps would
soon be taken to replicate
this in the Supreme Court as
well. But why just the apex
court, this Gujarat model
needs to be applied in all
courts across the country.
The Gujarat High Court’s
decision to go ‘live’ is laud-
able for both constitutional
as well as practical reasons.
Constitutionally, as Justice
Ramana said, it would, ful-
filling the spirit of Article
19 of the Constitution, “al-
low the people access to…
the functioning of these
institutions”. A vibrant de-
mocracy needs informed
citizenry. It is only on the
basis of an informed citi-
zenry that a “representative
democracy can survive and
evolve”, as he said.
But at a more practical,
‘aam aadmi’ level, the move
is revolutionary. It eases
their lives, makes things
less arduous while deal-
ing with court cases. As a
IntervIew
Wanted to explore something other than film music: Sunidhi Chauhan
Singer Sunidhi Chauhan recently joined NewsX for a candid conversation wherein she talked about her new single ‘Ye Ranjishein’, besides sharing her incredible journey.
CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI
Singer Sunidhi Chauhan
recently joined NewsX for
a conversation as part of
NewsX India’s special A-List
series. She talked about her
new single ‘Ye Ranjishein’
and also shared insights
from her incredible singing
journey.
Sunidhi Chauhan began by
telling her side of the story,
answering why it took 20
years to launch her new sin-
gle and said, “Yeah, I know
it sounds weird, right? I
didn’t want it to be that way.
But actually film music just
generally kept me busy. So I
didn’t have the time to think
about what I wanted to do
other than film music. Dur-
ing this lockdown, I happen
to sit down and think about,
what is it that I want to say
in my own song? Because
film music will keep hap-
pening and I am a product
of the film music and I love it
Delhi-based friend of mine
said after hearing the Guja-
rat High Court move, “Wish
Calcutta courts, too, follow
it!” The gentleman has been
fighting a property dispute
case in Kolkata for years,
and he doesn’t know how
and where the case is mov-
ing! “I get to know only
what my lawyer tells me.
That’s quite problematic,”
he added.
The judicial opportunity
came at the time—and be-
cause—of a humongous
global crisis. The change we
are witnessing everywhere,
from the educational field
to the judicial arena, is be-
cause Covid-19 has forced
us to rethink and change
our ways. In the ‘new nor-
mal’, things as usual just
won’t work. Given the situ-
ation where the option was
to either down the shutters
or reorient itself, the judici-
ary took the second option
and, to its credit, in no time
made a swift digital turn.
A day before the lock-
down was announced on
24 March 2020, the Su-
preme Court switched to
digital hearing of “urgent
matters”. Almost over-
night, video conferencing
facilities were put in place,
keeping in mind Covid pro-
tocols of social distancing.
Courts allowed e-filing of
documents, and digital pay-
ment systems were set up to
let court fees be paid at the
click of a mouse. Even the
then Chief Justice of India
S.A. Bobde acknowledged
last year that Covid-19 gave
impetus to the changes
brought in during the lock-
down period—the changes
which the judiciary had
been deliberating for dec-
ades without much success.
One can understand—
and appreciate—the judi-
ciary’s digital giant leap
forward from the fact that
the e-courts project was
launched way back in 2005
to digitise court records. In
2017, an attempt was made
to make the Supreme Court
but on the side, I did want to
explore something different
and I just met the right peo-
ple at the right time. Which
was during the lockdown
and I’m happy that some-
thing productive has come
out of it.”
When asked about her new
song, she began by praising
the music video’s director,
Ranju Varghese and said,
“The credit for the music vid-
eo is totally our director. We
shot in a barren land, there
was nothing that you could
see too far. I don’t know how
he put all of that together on
the table of the Edit and it
just looks so brilliant right
now. None of those things
were there while we were
shooting, except for some
properties. There was noth-
ing and he’s really brought
it to life and done a fab job. I
met Shruti Rane, who’s this
amazing young composer
and sings very well, through
Gaurav Dasgupta, a friend of
mine who I’ve worked with.
File photos of the Supreme Court (top) and the Gujarat High Court (above).
paperless, but in the ab-
sence of an efficient e-filing
system, it failed. Similarly,
e-filing has been in the
pipeline for almost two
decades. Everyone knew
the importance of going
digital, paperless, but the
impetus was missing. The
pandemic provided that
urge, that urgency!
At this point, it needs to be
reiterated that several courts
across the world, includ-
ing the US Supreme Court,
the UK Supreme Court, the
Court of Appeal of the UK
He himself is a music com-
poser and I have really liked
singing for him. So I thought
maybe he’s meeting me for a
song that he has composed
and Shruti is one of the sing-
ers he is introducing me to
but when I got to know that
and the International Crim-
inal Court, enable public
viewership of proceedings
through live streams or simi-
lar technology.
LOOKING BACK
Here, however, it must be
said that the judiciary in
India, especially higher
courts, have had an im-
pressive journey over the
decades. It evolved with the
passage of time to take up
the role as the final arbiters
of constitutional disputes,
and has shown the courage
it’s her song written by her
as she’s a songwriter. I was
blown away, she’s a very
sweet cute little girl and I
didn’t think a serious song
was coming out of her. I
was really taken aback and I
complimented her and I was
the daily guardian
friday | 23 july 2021
new delhi
and aptitude to overturn
not only ordinary law en-
acted by a legislature, but,
after the 1973 Kesavananda
Bharati case, also constitu-
tional amendments, which
in its view violates the “ba-
sic structure” of the Consti-
tution.
The Indian judiciary, es-
pecially the top court, has
come a long way from the
days of George Gadbois,
the American expert of
Indian “jurimetrics”, who,
after conducting over 116
interviews with more than
like, let’s do this song.”
She urged people to be
more responsible in these
difficult times and said,
“Through the song, I’m
sending all the good vibes,
positivity, love and prayers.
Of course, we are losing a lot
of people and these are crazy
times. I urge everyone to be
more responsible, you’ve
been doing great, but I think
we need more because it has
hit us for the second time
now and this wave is even
more dangerous. It’s almost
airborne now, you have to
be more responsible and
take care of each other. And
it just takes to wear a mask
properly. That’s all.”
66 judges of the Supreme
Court, 19 of whom held the
position of Chief Justice,
offered a generic profile of
an Indian judge: A man in
his late 50s, mostly hailing
from an influential Hindu
family, well educated and
with little or no involve-
ment with the national
movement. But more spe-
cifically—and disconcert-
ingly—Gadbois exposed
the growing executive ten-
dency to get a “committed”
judiciary in place, especial-
ly since the 1970s. He, for
Speaking about how she
managed with the obsta-
cles she encountered last
year, she said, “We were just
grooming, mopping, and
dishes at home, and noth-
ing else. And a few songs
here and there. Which were
recorded from home for the
movies. Because even mov-
ies were shut, nobody was
really working, but whatever
little was happening was this
and then after that, when I
started getting used to the
new norm, which was stay-
ing at home and doing noth-
ing and days would just pass
by just OTT and housework
and that’s all and of course,
a kid to look after. Then fi-
instance, learnt how one
Madras High Court Chief
Justice couldn’t make it to
the Supreme Court after
Mrs Indira Gandhi discov-
ered that he had attended
the funeral of RSS leader
M.S. Golwalkar!
Worse, the appointment
of a judge to the Supreme
Court wasn’t just on the
basis of ideology, but also
region, religion, caste and
gender. And, of course,
it was often the result of
personal idiosyncrasies
of those in power. The ap-
pointment of Justice A.N.
Ray, who infamously su-
perseded three senior
judges who had voted
against the government in
the Basic Structure case, is
a perfect manifestation of
the political interference.
Interestingly, when God-
bois asked him during an
interview how he would
recommend an appoint-
ment, Justice Ray said mat-
ter-of-factly: “Oh, he must
be from a good family.” To
this Godbois said, “Doesn’t
that sound like a matrimo-
nial ad?” Justice Ray said
nothing further but smiled.
Justice Leila Seth, in her
memoirs, talked about re-
ligious and gender issues
influencing the appoint-
ment of a Supreme Court
judge. Justice Seth lost out
to Justice Fathima Beevi in
her endeavour to join the
Supreme Court, despite the
support of two Chief Jus-
tices of India. She recalled
in her memoirs, On Balance,
that Justice Beevi had lob-
bied for the position on the
ground that “she would be
the first Muslim woman in
the world to be a judge of a
Supreme Court”, and that
she would also be the only
Muslim judge in the coun-
try at that time.
Justice Seth’s assessment
of Justice Beevi’s appoint-
ment was scathing. She
wrote, “It showed that lob-
bying worked. It showed
politics worked. It showed
that the misuse of reli-
nally I got some space for
myself where I could think
about the fact that I have to
do something different other
than music. I am a product
of film music, of course, and
I love it.”
“Thanks to the lockdown
it did give me a little place
where I could think about
who I want to work with.
Like I did a single with
Shalmali recently, it’s an
English song called here
is beautiful. I did one song,
One non-film song with
Daboo Malik and he was
the first one to actually ap-
proach me during that time
for me to sing a non film
song and I did that and that
was such a humble attempt.
We couldn’t even make a
nice video out of it. We just
shot some portions at home
and just made a video but
we received such great re-
sponse so that kind of gave
me a boost to keep walking
in that direction. And now
here I am with three songs
gion worked. Above all, it
showed that every decent
convention could be bro-
ken and that merit was no
consideration.”
Abhinav Chandrachud,
a Bombay High Court ad-
vocate and a well-known
author of the 2018 book Su-
preme Whispers, writes how
after 1971, the method of
appointing judges changed
in three ways. One, where
political appointments in
earlier years had been made
only on the basis of political
patronage or regional or re-
ligious consideration, after
1971, the government start-
ed looking for “committed”
judges. Two, the extent of
executive interference in
judicial appointments in-
creased many-fold. Three,
there was a growing ten-
dency in the government
to corner the judiciary by
using means of superses-
sions and transfers.
Today, after introducing a
series of reforms, the Indian
judiciary, especially the apex
court, has overcome these
challenges to a great extent.
With the advent of the col-
legium system, despite its
limitations, the ideology of a
judge is no longer a deciding
factor in judicial appoint-
ments. And over the years,
it has not only strengthened
the walls of its autonomy vis-
à-vis executive and legisla-
tive encroachments, but also,
especially after the advent of
the PIL phenomenon, taken
a proactive role in shaping
the journey and character of
the Indian republic.
The Gujarat High Court’s
decision to formally start
live streaming of proceed-
ings is another big and
truly momentous step to-
wards the much needed ju-
dicial reforms. One hopes
other courts in the coun-
try, including the Supreme
Court, follow suit without
delay. For, we have already
deliberated too much over
the issue. It’s time for ac-
tion. More so in the ongoing
pandemic times!
out already and I’m very
excited. I plan to do a lot
more songs not from songs
because that’s like a little
different side of me which
is coming solely from com-
pletely from heart,” She
added.
She also shared her de-
fining moments from her
career and said, “I’ve been
lucky to receive a lot of love
and a trophy, of course, be-
cause I won that competi-
tion, which was produced
by Lata ji. And I had partici-
pated in that show, because I
wanted to see her once in my
entire life and I didn’t know
if it was ever going to hap-
pen. But luckily, I won the
competition. And she was
the one who gave me that
trophy. So that was one mo-
ment which I can never for-
get. Of course, then my child
who completely changed
my life. Now I’m very happy
about this new, independent
space. So I think it’s a rebirth.
I actually feel that.”

Forever War
Taliban’s growing Afghan grip and
Pakistan’s myopic terror policy
China and Russia, which are supporting Pakistan, have been very apprehensive
of Islamist terror outfits. In the long run, Pakistan, in one way or the other,
seems to be pushing itself into a quagmire of trouble and miseries.
opinion
SATISH KUMAR
T
he recent attack in
Dasu proved the fact
that Pakistan-gen-
erated terrorist camps are
not in the control of Paki-
stan. Pakistan was making
lame-duck excuses, Beijing
said strongly in the face of
Islamabad’s claim describ-
ing the incident as a “bomb
attack” and demanding pun-
ishment for the perpetra-
tors and steps to ensure the
safety of Chinese personnel,
institutions, and projects in
Pakistan. The incident took
place in the Dasu area of Up-
per Kohistan district of the
restive Khyber Pakhtunkh-
wa province where Chinese
engineers and construction
workers are helping Paki-
stan build a dam, which
is part of the $60 billion
China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor — thirteen people,
including nine Chinese na-
tionals, were killed. It also
noted that there have been
previous attacks on Chinese
nationals in Pakistan.
The US military’s with-
drawal from Afghanistan
and strategic gain of the
Taliban is called the victory
for Pakistan. It seemed so in
PERSPECTIVE
LAGGING BEHIND
We need to develop a pandemic-resilient social Work system
The social work profession
in India which is fraught
with many challenges is
now witnessing unexpected
hurdles due to the Covid-19
pandemic. The fieldwork
training in social work
education— which is a very
important component of the
department— has been se-
verely crippled by the pan-
demic ever since it outbroke.
The gap which existed be-
tween classroom teaching
and fieldwork practicum
has further widened. This
is going to produce a batch
of social work students who
will be lacking in the skills
required for the fieldwork.
Barely any initiatives are
taken by the professional
social work associations to
revamp and redesign field-
work practicum. Unless and
until we develop new inno-
vative and uniform ways
of conducting fieldwork
practicum, the present pat-
t h e su nday gua r dia n
f r iday | 2 3 j u ly 2 0 2 1
the short term. The speedy
withdrawal of US troops
from Afghanistan has been
matched by the swift ad-
vance of the Taliban across
the nation. Taliban leader-
ship has claimed that it is in
control of 85 per cent of Af-
ghan territory. Whether the
Taliban claims are accurate
or not, there is no doubt that
it is gaining military ground.
The US army camp and ar-
senals were being captured
by Taliban. The peripheral
areas are under Taliban
dominance, but major urban
areas are out of its control. It
should not be forgotten that
during the first phase of Tal-
iban rule major cities were
out of its control. Taliban
and Pakistan are in cohorts.
Pakistan not merely en-
gineered Doha Peace Deal
but nurtured and guided
the Taliban during Ameri-
can onslaught since 2001.
The current Chinese role
in Afghanistan made Paki-
stan more viable. The ISI
(Inter-State Intelligence) is
the main body of Pakistan
that trained and strategized
Taliban. Therefore, it is quite
natural to see that the future
roadmap of Afghanistan
is going to be designed by
Pakistan’s military and ISI.
But that is surface reality.
The Inner Dynamics look
different.
In the long route, Pakistan
seems to be pushing itself
into a quagmire of trouble
and miseries. There are sol-
id reasons to establish this
truth.
Pakistan-Afghanistan re-
tern of fieldwork training
will be questioned by the
students and practitioners
in the long run. Now the
situation warrants laying
down a complete roadmap
for redesigning fieldwork
methods/modules in the
light of the pandemic.
CHALLENGES WE ARE
FACING
For years, we have been ad-
vocating for the inclusion
of indigenous approaches
and fieldwork practices in
the social work curricu-
lum which is otherwise
dominated by Euro-centric
approaches. The lack of
integration of social work
research and indigenous
practices in social work
education has emerged as
a major challenge in social
work education. Besides,
the challenges posed by the
pandemic have highlighted
the exigencies to provide
new de l h i comment & analysis 5
lations had not been very
cordial. Both countries were
on verge of war twice— in
1960s and 70s— on the issue
of boundary disputes. Af-
ghanistan-Pakistan bound-
ary is spanned almost 2600
KM long which is called
Durand Line, sketched in
1893. Afghanistan never
recognized this boundary
line. Pakistan government
has been fencing the bound-
ary since 2017 which was
opposed by Afghanistan.
The Pashtun factor is an-
other canker in bilateral ties.
There is a bad Taliban and
good Taliban for Pakistan.
The bad Taliban is consid-
ered Tehrik-e-Taliban Paki-
stan (TTP) which has strong
sanctuaries in Afghanistan.
The current external powers
like China and Russia which
are supporting Pakistan,
have been very apprehen-
sive of Islamic terror outfits.
The drama is scripted to
large extent by Pakistan but
actors which are in the lead
role in the game are not un-
der the control of Pakistan.
There is a great possibility
that ensuing civil war-type
conditions in Afghanistan
will spin-out from the bas-
ket and hit Pakistan badly.
Let us examine each fac-
tor in detail. The Pakistani
Taliban, called the Tehreek-
e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP),
operates in the country’s
northwestern region. The
Pakistani army had forced
the TTP fighters to retreat,
but they are now feeling
emboldened by the chang-
ing dynamics in Afghani-
stan. Since the start of the
year, the TTP has claimed
32 attacks inside Pakistan.
A UN report last year stated
that more than 6,000 TTP
fighters had taken refuge
in Afghanistan. Pakistan,
which helped the Taliban
rise to power in the 1990s,
is now worried about a re-
surgence of the TTP, a group
that has been blamed for
timely and adequate train-
ing to students to enhance
their communication skills
and adaptability to commu-
nication technologies.
NITI Aayog has recently
initiated the process for con-
stituting the National Social
Work Council (NSWC) as
an umbrella body for the
social work profession to
ensure standardization of
social work curriculum,
teaching, training, practice,
and academics. However,
the pandemic has posed
new challenges before us
which cannot be dealt with
pre-pandemic ideas and
strategies.
It’s sad to mention that
most of the social work pro-
fessionals were not visible
on the ground during the
pandemic, as they are ought
to be. However, people from
other professions and edu-
cational backgrounds came
forward as social workers.
70,000 deaths of civilians
in the country since the U.S.
invasion of Afghanistan in
2001. TTP may see an op-
portunity to attack Chinese
projects to influence policy
in Islamabad.
As the Taliban makes
gains, many Afghans are
fleeing villages for the rela-
tive safety of bigger cities.
Pakistan expects 500,000
refugees from Afghanistan,
and authorities have said
they will be kept in border
camps. More than 1.4 mil-
lion registered Afghan refu-
gees are already in Pakistan,
according to the United Na-
tions High Commissioner
for Refugees. Not merely
refugee camps are going to
be eye shore for Pakistan
military but many of the
TTP fighters will move in
disguise as a refugee. This
could trigger incessant ter-
rorist attacks in different
places of Pakistan includ-
ing Chinese projects. The
CIPEC could be the prime
target. It will have a chain
They lead from the front and
receive appreciation from all
and sundry. In such a situ-
ation, demand for licensing
for social workers will be an-
other historical blunder for
the social work profession.
NSWC is a welcome step
but the demand of a section
of social work academicians
to give it powers on the lines
of the Medical Council of In-
dia seems non-practical. It
raises a fundamental ques-
tion as to whether social
workers require specialised
skills like that of a surgeon
or a medical professional. It
was probably due to these
non-practical demands and
disputes, the NITI Aayog
has reportedly stalled the
process of NSWC.
Instead of putting efforts
into improving the stan-
dards and quality of social
work education in univer-
sities, massive campaigns
are being undertaken for
reaction for Pakistan.
Secondly, the Durand
Line issue has continued to
complicate the unpredict-
able nature of the Afghan-
Pakistani relationship since
the birth of Pakistan. No
Afghan government, includ-
ing the present one headed
by President Ashraf Ghani,
has ever recognized the
legitimacy of the Durand
Line, which runs through
mountainous terrain and
remains largely unpoliced.
The Durand Line, which is
viewed by many Afghans as
an arbitrary and nonsensi-
cal reflection of geography,
history, and culture, is an
existential issue for Paki-
stan. Over a period, numer-
ous studies suggest that the
Durand line is legally void,
hence Pakistan has no legal
right to control over the ter-
ritories, which Afghanistan
considers as its own.
Third, Pakistan’s North-
west Frontier Province and
tribal areas probably will
continue to be poorly gov-
licensing of social workers
which are completely based
on western paradigms and
the framework of social
work practice, and this is
against the ethos of social
work practice in India. The
sorry plight of the social
work profession in India is
an open secret. It’s time to
confess that the social work
profession is still suffering
from an identity crisis that
was further deteriorated by
the pandemic.
CREATING A
TASKFORCE
There is a great need for
an integrated approach in
social work practice to pool
the resources and engage
them in the management of
the Covid-19 crisis and simi-
lar challenges in the future.
We need to develop a pan-
demic resilience curriculum
for social work and enable
our future social workers
erned and the source or sup-
porter of cross-border insta-
bility.  With a population of
about 39 million and grow-
ing at 2.33 per cent annually,
it has a GDP of $19 billion,
placing it among the world’s
poorest countries. It ranks
173 out of 177 in the world
HDI rankings. Almost 45
per cent of the GDP is due
to grants from America and
its allies, Saudi Arabia, and
some from even countries
like India. Afghanistan’s
own revenues are less than
10 per cent of its GDP. The
other numbers in Afghani-
stan are equally distressing.
In 2015, the country pro-
duced nearly 7,000 tons of
opium and converted almost
670 tons of heroin. Afghani-
stan now produces 87 per
cent of the world’s heroin.
Pakistan’s strategy of ter-
ror will derail Afghanistan
economic and social sta-
tus in post US withdrawal.
Neither America nor India
is going pump money to re-
vamp the gap. Chinese sup-
for quick deployment in the
management of epidemics,
pandemics, and natural di-
sasters in coming times.
Therefore, the creation of
a National Social Work Task
Force (NSWTF) in line with
the National Disaster Task-
force, seems the need of the
hour. All the social work
students at various schools
of social work should be
registered in the National
Social Work Task Force
and should be attached to
various hospitals and local
Panchayatiraj Institutions.
They should be deployed re-
quired to create awareness
drive, distributing reliefs,
working for rehabilitation,
and distributing masks,
etc. They can mobilize the
people towards the effective-
ness of vaccination. Besides,
social work practitioners
and youths working with
National Service Scheme
(NSS), National Cadet
port is limited to its strategy
and connectivity for CPEC.
Therefore, the second phase
of Taliban rule under the
supervision of Pakistan
is set to be disastrous for
South Asia in general and
Pakistan in particular.
There is a huge youth popu-
lation and majority of them
are unemployed. So, youth
could be cannon for unrest
and political turmoil.
Fourth, Taliban has close
links with as many as 20
terror groups who operate
across the region from Rus-
sia to India. Their activi-
ties are already visible on
the ground, and they pose
a significant threat to the
region. The resulting King-
dom of Afghanistan was
and remains ethnically, lin-
guistically, and religiously
diverse. Today, Pashtuns
are the largest ethnic group
within the country, but they
represent only 38 percent of
the population. An almost
equal number of Pashtuns
live across the border in
Corps (NCC), and Nehru
Yuva Kendra (NYK) should
integrate with NSWTF for
better training and deploy-
ment. This will provide am-
ple opportunities for social
work students to practice
fieldwork practicum during
the pandemic and will also
help in managing similar
challenges in the future.
The Nationalist Social
work organizations con-
tribute immensely to miti-
gate the suffering of the
people. So, the creation of
the National Social Work
Taskforce will create op-
portunities for students of
social work, and this will be
extremely helpful for na-
tional development and our
collective social wellbeing.
Furthermore, social work
academicians in India
should engage in develop-
ing Indic theories of social
work from the vast Indic lit-
erature and best practices in
Pakistan’s Northwest Fron-
tier Province. Ethnic Tajiks
comprise a quarter of the
population. The Hazaras,
who generally inhabit the
center of the country, rep-
resent another 19 percent.
Other groups— such as the
Aimaks, Turkmen, Baluch,
Uzbek, and others comprise
the rest. Linguistic divisions
are also focused. In addition
to Dari (the Afghan dialect
of Persian that is the lingua
franca of half the popula-
tion) and the Pushtun’s own
Pashtu, approximately ten
percent of the population.
Fifth, neither Moscow nor
Beijing would want to see
Afghanistan becoming the
nursery of international
terror again under the Tali-
ban. For China, potential
Taliban support to the Xin-
jiang separatist groups is a
major concern. Russia does
not want unrest to perco-
late down in Central Asian
states. Afghanistan shares
its boundaries with three
Central Asian states. Teh-
ran cannot ignore the Sunni
extremism of the Taliban
and its oppressive record in
dealing with the Shia, and
Persian-speaking minori-
ties. America has left but
still holds the sway. If things
become worse American
pressure tactics can twist
Pakistan’s arms.
Finally, the contradiction
between the interests of
Afghanistan and Pakistan
is an enduring one. While
many in Pakistan would
like to turn Afghanistan
into a protectorate, Af-
ghans deeply value their
independence. All Afghan
sovereigns, including the
Taliban, will inevitably look
for partners to balance Pak-
istan. The current condition
is very fluid. Most likely
Afghanistan is moving to-
wards civil war. That could
be detrimental not merely
for Afghans but for Paki-
stan too.
the field of social work. We
need to conduct academic
research on successful so-
cial work experiences by
various Indian icons who
had done and are doing
wonderful work for com-
munity development and
social well-being in the fab-
ric of Indian circumstances.
We also need to develop a
criterion for the selection of
social work modules which
should have an adequate
emphasis on the degree of
achievements in line with
the predetermined objec-
tives of the project. Social
work educators need to
develop new modules and
uniform fieldwork train-
ing practicum in the larger
interest of student’s field-
work learning and social
work profession.
— Bishnu Mohan
Dash and
Siddheshwar Shukla
6 legally speaking the s unday guardian
f riday | 23 july 2021
new delhi

soCIety and law

Extrajudicial killings and law

enforcement: An analysis Commission and the state
human rights commissions
have been redundant for
many years. The judiciary
analysis is being fully empowered
to take up such cases in suo-
moto power; however, this
BHAKTI RATHI practice is rarely seen today. .
5. Hero Worshipping: The
police have become heroes
in the society, as people see
them doing the job of clean-
INTRODUCTION REASONS BEHIND ing up the Indian society by
Another Encounter oc- THE INCREASING killing the criminals. They
curred yet again and the CASES OF EXTRA are also projected several
Rule of Law is still in JUDICIAL KILLINGS times as heroes on the silver
handcuffs. Recently, Vikas There are a lot of reasons screen with big budget films
Dubey a man who is not behind the increasing rates made on them showcasing
just an ordinary gangster of extra-judicial killings in their “heroic” acts. Amidst
but also had deep politi- India but some of the main the entire hero worship-
cal connections was alleg- reasons due to which en- ping, the people, the media
edly killed in an encoun- counters are at a search are and even the judiciary seem
ter (extra judicial killing) discussed below: to cast aside the fact that the
by the UP police and was 1. Public Support: It emerges killings are suspect unless
deprived from fair trial out of a lack of faith in the ju- they have been properly in-
mandated under Article 14, diciary because many people vestigated and the real story
21 and 39 of the Constitu- believe that the courts will is established.
tion of India. This very act not provide timely justice.
of “extra-judicial killing” And the fact of getting away ANALYSIS
hampers the fundamental with the cold-blooded mur- Rights of Police authorities:
principles of a democratic, ders is the key reason behind The police officials pos-
secular, and liberal state police getting bolder day by sess the right to injure or
and is also violative of do- day and has started killing kill the criminal, for the
mestic rights, Indian penal people at their will. sole purpose of self-defence
provisions, human rights 2. Political Support: Many or at the time where it is im-
and humanitarian laws. political leaders project en- minently necessary for the
Right to life is a most es- counter numbers as their maintenance of peace and
sential fundamental right achievement in maintaining order in the society and for
of any individual, without law and order in the society the safety and security of the
which no other rights can and getting away with these people. In India, every hu-
prevail. Extra judicial kill- problems. man being has a right to pri-
ings is a violation of this 3. Rewards: The police forces vate defence which is also a
right and is designated as in India are often rewarded natural and an inherent right
an act of killing a person by and awarded for encounters. of an individual provided to
the law enforcer to stop the Along with this the govern- them under Section 96 of the
offender from undergoing ment also provides promo- Indian Penal Code (IPC).
the judicial process. This tions and cash incentives to However, the Supreme
unlawful killing by the the team involved in such Court in Extra Judicial Ex-
state forces is illegal in ev- encounters. ecution Victim Families As-
ery aspect even in the cases 4. Ineffective Institutions: sociation v. Union of India
where the accused was en- The institutions set up for ruled that the right to private
tailed in the most flagrant this purpose, such as the defence cannot be used for
crime. National Human Rights retaliation but can only be
exercised to defend oneself
and the distinction has to be
drawn between the private
defence and the use of exces-
sive force.
Also, the police authorities
has the right under Section
46 of Criminal Procedure
Code(CrPC) to use force,
which can even extend up
to the cause of death of a
person, or as may be nec-
essary to arrest the person
accused of an offence pun-
ishable with death or impris-
onment for life. Thus, there
is no provision prevailing
in the country, which di-
rectly empowers the lawful
authorities to encounter an
offender irrespective of the
grievousness of the crime
committed by the person.
CONSTITUTIONAL
PROVISIONS
India was intended to be
a country governed by the
rule of law according to the
design established by the
Constitution of India. As per
the procedure rule of law, the
constitution is the supreme
power of the land and the ery individual whether an dependent investigation in killings in India, and the order to prevent any at-
legislative and the execu- innocent or a criminal. the cases of death during the constitutional duties listed tack by them on the police
tive derive their authority police encounters. Some of in the Indian Constitution, personnel. Moreover, there
from the constitution. In SUPREME COURT the guidelines include the there are some loopholes is a dire need for complete
India, there is a procedure GUIDELINES process for recording tip in the system that needs to overhauling of the criminal
of criminal investigation pre- The Supreme Court in the off (intelligence) regarding be identifies and corrected. justice system and bringing
scribed by the law which is year 2014 in the case of the criminal activities per- The procedure should be out required police reforms.
embedded in the constitu- PUCL v. State of Maharash- taining to the commission transparent, and the act of There should be Standard
tion under Article 21, as the tra dealt with numerous writ of a grave criminal offence. encounter killing must be guidelines that need to be
right to life and personal petitions questioning the It also includes the guide- investigated independently laid down to train the police
liberty. It is fundamental, genuineness of 99 encounter lines to inform NHRC or as they affect the credibility personnel in a better way
non-degradable and is avail- killings by the Mumbai Po- State Human Rights Com- of the rule of law. There is and equip them with all rel-
able to every person. Even lice in which approximately mission to report the en- a need of an hour to ensure evant skills so that they are
the state does not have the 135 alleged criminals were counter death. that there exists a rule of law in a position to effectively
authority to violate the right. shot dead between the years in the society that needs to tackle every dreadful situ-
Hence, it is the responsibil- 1995-1997. In this case the SC CONCLUSION AND be adhered to by every state ation. The most important
ity of the police officials to laid down certain guidelines WAY FORWARD authority and the masses thing is the Human rights
follow the constitutional which will act as a standard After analysing the rights collectively. There is a need angles need to be kept in the
principles and uphold the procedure to be followed for of the police, the increas- to ensure proper physical mind while dealing with ar-
rights of life provided to ev- thorough, effective, and in- ing cases of extra judicial custody of the accused in rested individuals/persons.

In Court

Advocates have right to practice before maintenance

tribunals: Delhi High Court
analysis
SANJEEV SIROHI
In a major relief for lawyers
all across the country, the
Delhi High Court has just re-
cently on April 16, 2021 in a
courageous, cogent, convinc-
ing, commendable and com-
posed judgment titled Tarun
Saxena vs Union of India &
Ors in W.P.(C) 4725/2021 &
CM APPLs. 14574-75/2021
has declared as ultra vires
Section 17 of the Mainte-
nance and Welfare of Par-
ents and Senior Citizens Act,
2007 which bars lawyers
from representing parties in
matters before the Mainte-
nance Tribunals. It must be
apprised here that this com-
mendable judgment is in line
with the judgment that was
notably delivered by a
Division Bench of the Kera-
la High Court in March 2021
stating clearly
that the provision is ultra
vires of Section 30 of the Ad-
vocates Act, 1961.
In hindsight, it may be re-
called that in a groundbreak-
ing judgment which is also a
grand victory for advocates,
the Kerala High Court
had just recently on March
30, 2021 in a latest, learned,
laudable and landmark
judgment titled Adv KG
Suresh vs The Union of In-
dia and 3 others in WP(C)
No. 21946 of 2011(S) has de-
clared as unconstitutional
the bar on lawyers repre-
senting parties in matters
before the Maintenance Tri-
bunals constituted under the
Maintenance Welfare of Par-
ents and Senior Citizens Act,
2007 (Maintenance Act). It
also rightly held that, “Sec-
tion 17 of the Maintenance
and Welfare of Parents and
Senior Citizens Act, 2007,
is declared as ultra vires of
Section 30 of the Advocates
Act, 1961.” A two Judge
Bench of Kerala High Court
comprising of Chief Justice
S Manikumar and Justice
Shaji P Chaly pronounced
this pathbreaking judgment
thereby allowing a writ peti-
tion filed in 2011. This latest,
learned, laudable and land-
mark judgment by the Delhi
High Court further endorses
this notable judgment of the
Kerala High Court. While not being permitted to be led sel points out that the order 1961 and thus, the petitioner and the Tribunal shall be by the SDM to the Deputy
relying considerably on the before the Tribunal.” under challenge, i.e., order is entitled for a declaration deemed to be a Civil Court Commissioner/DM for final
aforesaid superb decision As we see, the Bench then dated 26th March, 2021, that he has a right to repre- for all the purposes of section orders, within 21 days from
of the Kerala High Court, brings out in para 4 that, wherein the ADM has sent the parties before the 195 and Chapter XXVI of the the receipt of the application/
Justice Pratibha M Singh “Insofar as the first issue is
too while endorsing it lock, concerned, ld.
merely directed the filing Tribunal/ Appellate Tribu- Code of Criminal Procedure,
of the applications by the nal/Court, constituted under 1973.
complaint.
• If, on receipt of the report,
stock and barrel observed Counsel for the Petitioner parties, was listed today at Act 56 of 2007. 3. Subject to any rule that the Deputy Commissioner/
most convincingly that, relies upon the judgment 02:00 pm.” Accordingly, this writ peti- may be made in this behalf, DM is of the opinion that
“Since Section 17 has been de- of the Kerala High Court in Quite aptly, the Bench tion is allowed.”” the Tribunal may, for the any child/legal heir of a se-
clared ultra vires Section 30 Adv. K.G. Suresh v. Union then enunciates in para 8 As a corollary, the Bench purpose of adjudicating and nior citizen/parents is not
of the Advocates Act, 1961, it of India & Ors. [W.P.(C) that, “Firstly, this Court has then envisages in para 9 that, deciding upon any claim for maintaining the senior citi-
would obviously mean that No. 21946/2011, decided on perused the judgment of “In view of the above, since maintenance, choose one or zen/parents or is ill-treating
an advocate would have the 30th March, 2021]. He sub- the Kerala High Court. The Section 17 has been declared more persons possessing him/her while continuing to
right to represent parties be- mits that Section 17 of the operative portion of the said ultra vires Section 30 of the special knowledge of any occupy the premises of the
fore the Tribunal under the Act has been declared to be judgment reads as under:- Advocates Act, 1961, it would matter relevant to the inqui- senior citizen, show cause
Act. Ordered accordingly.” ultra vires Section 30 of the “57. As Section 30 of the obviously mean that an ad- ry to assist it in holding the notice is to be issued by the
To start with, a Single Advocates Act, 1961.” Advocates Act, 1961 has vocate would have the right inquiry.”” Of course, the DM as to why the child/legal
Judge Bench of the Delhi Furthermore, the Bench been brought into force to represent parties before Bench then hastens to add in heir should not be evicted.
High Court comprising of then observes in para 5 that, from 15.06.2011, Advocates the Tribunal under the Act. para 11 that, “A perusal of the • In the show cause notice, the
Justice Pratibha M Singh “Insofar as the second issue enrolled under the said Act Ordered accordingly.” above provision shows that ground on which eviction is
who has authored this oral is concerned, the submis- have been conferred with Be it noted, the Bench then firstly, the procedure con- proposed to be made should
judgment and the hearing sion of ld. an absolute right thereof, to enunciates in para 10 that, templated under Section 8 is be specified so that the child/
has been done through vid- Counsel for the Petitioner practice before all the Courts “Insofar as the second issue a summary procedure. Sec- legal heir can respond appro-
eo conferencing as pointed is that under Section 8(3) and Tribunals. By virtue of is concerned, Section 8 of ondly, it is an ‘Inquiry’ and priately.
in para 1, then while stating of the Act, the Tribunal has Section 30 of the Advocates the Act reads as under:- not an adjudication which is • The show cause notice
the purpose of the petition to permit the leading of evi- Act, 1961, coming into force, “8. Summary procedure in usually done by the Courts. would call upon all persons
puts forth in para 2 that, dence in support of the par- from 15.06.2011, the restric- case of inquiry An ‘Inquiry’ is to be held un- who are either occupying the
“The present petition has ties’ case and a direction in tion imposed is taken away 1. In holding any inquiry der Section 5 to determine premises or claim interest in
been filed challenging or- this regard may be passed.” and in such circumstances, under section 5, the Tribu- the amount payable.” the premises, to provide rea-
der dated 26th March, 2021 On the other hand, the Article 19 of the Constitution nal may, subject to any rules It is worth noting that the sons as to why they should
passed by the ADM, Karkar- Bench then points out in of India, which guarantees that may be prescribed by Bench then mandates in para not be evicted. Such a show
dooma Courts under the para 6 that, “Mr. Singh, ld. the freedom to practice any the State Government in this 12 that, “Under The Delhi cause would give at least 10
Maintenance and Welfare of Counsel appearing for the profession, enables the Ad- behalf, follow such summary Maintenance and Welfare of days’ time to the recipient of
Parents and Senior Citizens Union of India, submits that vocates to appear before all procedure as it deems fit. Parents and Senior Citizens the notice to respond.
Act, 2007 (hereinafter, ‘Act’).” under Section 8, the Tribu- the Courts and the Tribunals, 2. The Tribunal shall have all Rules (Amendment) Rules, • As per Rule 22 (3)(2), the
While dwelling on the nal follows summary proce- subject to Section 34 of the the powers of a Civil Court 2016, the steps to be taken as Deputy Commissioner/DM
grievance of the petitioner, dure. Discretion is left to the Advocates Act, 1961. for the purpose of taking part of the Inquiry, include: would consider the case put
the Bench then observes in Tribunal to follow the proce- In the light of the above dis- evidence on oath and of en- • Verification of the title of the up by the noticees, including
para 3 that, “The grievance dure in accordance with law cussion and decisions, Sec- forcing the attendance of wit- property and the facts of the any evidence which may be
of the Petitioner in this case considering the facts and tion 17 of the Maintenance nesses and of compelling the case as stated in the applica- produced, and after giving
is two-fold:- (i) that advo- circumstances of each case.” and Welfare of Parents and discovery and production of tion by the concerned SDM, a hearing, pass a reasoned
cates are not being permitted Going ahead, the Bench Senior Citizens Act, 2007, is documents and material ob- within 15 days from the re- order on eviction.
to appear before the Tribu- then discloses in para 7 declared as ultra vires of Sec- jects and for such other pur- ceipt of the application. Please read concluding on the-
nal; and (ii) that evidence is that, “Mr. Shukla, ld. Coun- tion 30 of the Advocates Act, poses as may be prescribed; • Submission of the report dailyguardian.com

AcHiEvEmEnT
indiAn-ORiGin cREw mEmBER On
UK’s cARRiER sTRiKE GROUp
Serving aboard the fifth-generation aircraft carrier, Jagjeet Singh Grewal works in the Marine Engineering
Department and handles crucial tasks like maintaining aviation fuel to the highest standard.
ASHISH SINGH
NEW DELHI
T
he UK’s Carrier Strike
Group (CSG) is cur-
rently sailing through
the Indian Ocean Region. Jag-
jeet Singh Grewal is a leading
engineering technician in the
Royal Navy and embodies the
unique living bridge that ex-
ists between the UK and In-
dia. The Carrier Strike Group
has entered the Indian Ocean
and preparing to meet the
Indian Navy for a series of
routine maritime exercises.
Serving aboard the fifth-
generation aircraft carrier,
Grewal works in the Marine
Engineering Department and
is responsible for maintain-
ing aviation fuel to the high-
est standard. He also main-
tains fuelling pumps on the
flight deck so that the F-35B
jets, Merlin helicopters, and
other aircrafts can operate
to their optimum capacity.
Currently settled in the UK,
Grewal has a long family his-
tory in the Indian military. He
shares, “My grandfather and
grandfather-in-law served
alongside the British Army
in the Second World War and
received a Mention in Dis-
patches, Burma Star, Africa
Star, War Medal and Defence
Medal. My father served in
the Indian Air force and
currently my wife’s brother
and uncle are serving in the
Indian Navy.”
“I am focused on doing my
job to the highest standards,
but it is good to know I am
maintaining my family links
while working with the Indi-
an military,” Grewal added.
As the CSG sails in the In-
dian Ocean, engaging with its
allies on its 26,000 nautical
miles long maiden deploy-
ment, Grewal feels a special
delight being part of the
crew, training in the waters
near to his ancestral home.
BREAKTHROUGH
Three decades ago, the first European Earth observation
satellite was launched into space: A historic journey
ERS-1 provided never-before-seen details of the Earth’s surface and laid the foundation for modern space radars.
ASHISH SINGH
NEW DELHI
Thirty years ago, on 17 July
1991, an Ariane 4 launch
vehicle took off into space
with the Earth observation
satellite ERS-1 of the Euro-
pean Space Agency (ESA).
The abbreviation stands for
European Remote-Sensing
Satellite and the “1” marks it
as the first of its kind. ERS-1
is the ancestor of all modern
European Earth observation
satellites. The ERS-1 mission
marks both the beginning
of ESA’s modern Earth ob-
servation and the start of a
long and successful remote
sensing history for Airbus’
space division. Weighing
2.4 tonnes, ERS-1 was de-
veloped and built under the
leadership of what is now
Airbus Defence and Space
by an industrial consortium
of more than 50 companies in
14 countries. It was the most
advanced and complex sat-
ellite of its time and the first
European satellite to feature
a radar system and micro-
wave instrumentation for
The UK and India benefit
from a unique living bridge
of people, ideas, institutions,
arts and culture. This in-
cludes an Indian diaspora of
over 1.5 million people (2011
census) in the UK, contribut-
ing significantly to the UK’s
prosperity via interests in
business, politics, academia,
medicine and the arts.
UK CARRIER STRIKE
GROUP REACHES
INDIAN OCEAN
REGION
The United Kingdom Carrier
Strike Group (CSG) 2021, led
by HMS Queen Elizabeth,
has sailed into the Indian
Ocean Region, having recent-
ly transited the Suez Canal.
Following a series of success-
ful engagements and opera-
tions in the Mediterranean,
it is now sailing East across
the Indian Ocean towards
India. It will then meet with
ships from the Indian Navy
to conduct routine maritime
exercises. The deployment
represents the UK’s deepen-
ing diplomatic, economic and
security ties with India and in
the Indo-Pacific region. It also
demonstrates both the UK’s
support for the freedom of
passage through vital trad-
ing routes and for a free,
open and inclusive order in
the Indo-Pacific.
On this occasion, the British
Defence Secretary Ben Wal-
lace said, “The UK Carrier
Strike Group deployment is
a major moment for UK de-
fence as we develop this cut-
ting edge capability across the
globe. The group is sailing the
Indian Ocean and will shortly
conduct exercises with the
Indian Navy, building on
our already strong partner-
ship with an important ally
and friend.” He added, “The
deployment illustrates the
UK’s enduring commit-
ment to global defence and
measurements and imaging
over sea and land. This made
it possible for the first time
to observe areas of the Earth
that often elude the view of
satellites due to frequent
clouds or fog.
At the heart of the ERS-1,
which orbited the Earth at an
altitude of 785 km on a polar
orbit, was a radar that oper-
ated at a wavelength of 5.7 cm
(corresponding to a frequen-
cy of 5.3 GHz in the so-called
C-band). During each orbit,
the beam scanned a 4000
km-long and 100 km-wide
strip on the Earth’s surface.
From this, images with a
resolution of 30 metres were
created. After nine years of
outstanding service, more
than three times its planned
lifetime, the ERS-1 mission
ended on 10 March 2000.
Since its launch in July 1991, it
completed 45,000 orbits and
transmitted 1.5 million radar
images to Earth. Today, ERS-
1 is also considered a pioneer
of environmental research
from space.
The launch of ERS-2 four
years later (April 1995)
t h e su nday gua r dia n
fr iday | 2 3 j u ly 2 0 2 1
goa
security, strengthening our
existing alliances and forg-
ing new partnerships with
like-minded countries as we
face up to the challenges of
the 21st century.” The Brit-
ish Foreign Secretary Domi-
nic Raab emphasised, “The
Carrier Strike Group deploy-
ment marks the start of a new
era of defence cooperation
with allies in India and the
Indo-Pacific. By visiting 40
countries and working along-
side our partners, the UK is
standing up for democratic
values, seizing new trading
opportunities and tackling
the shared threats we face
together.” He added, “The
deployment will interact with
India, strengthening our al-
ready deep ties for the benefit
of both our peoples’ security
and prosperity.”
From defending democratic
values and tackling shared
threats, to seizing new trade
opportunities through en-
gagements with Singapore,
the Republic of Korea, Japan,
India and others, the deploy-
ment marks a step-change
in UK engagement in the
region. The UK is already
investing significantly in the
region by seeking ASEAN
Dialogue Partner status,
kicking off negotiations to
join the Comprehensive and
Progressive Agreement for
Trans-Pacific Partnership
(CPTPP) and rapidly pro-
gressing trade talks with
Australia, New Zealand and
India. The British High Com-
missioner to India, Alex El-
lis, said, “The Carrier Strike
Group is a powerful demon-
stration of our commitment
to the security of India and
the Indo- Pacific. Its arrival
follows the UK’s first Interna-
tional Liaison Officer joining
the Indian Navy’s Informa-
tion Fusion Centre-Indian
Ocean Region in Gurugram.
Today marks another step
opened up even more pos-
sibilities. For one thing,
this satellite also had the
ozone measuring instru-
ment GOME (Global Ozone
Monitoring Experiment).
It regularly monitored the
ozone content in the strato-
sphere and in particular
the changes in the ozone
hole over the South Pole.
Secondly, both radar satel-
lites were able to be used
simultaneously for a few
years. During this so-called
tandem mission of ERS-1
and -2, the new technique
of radar interferometry was
tested. Here, the same area
was imaged twice or several
times at different times with
the two satellites. The super-
imposition of the images then
produced an interferogram.
Interferograms are used to
create digital terrain models
with a height resolution of a
few metres. Above all, how-
ever, it is possible to register
changes that have occurred
on the surface between the
images with an accuracy in
the millimetre range.
Volker Liebig, Director of
defence guardian 7
Jagjeet Singh Grewal
towards delivering the am-
bition set out jointly by our
Prime Ministers in the 2030
Roadmap, bringing our coun-
tries, economies and people
closer together.”
As part of its maiden opera-
Earth Observation at the Eu-
ropean Space Agency (ESA)
from 2004 to 2016, assesses
the first remote sensing pro-
gramme in retrospect said,
“ERS-1 was the initial spark
for a unique development in
Europe. Earth observation
is probably the only space
sector in which Europe is a
world leader and in which
tional deployment, the CSG
will sail over 26,000 nauti-
cal miles, engaging with 40
countries from the Mediter-
ranean to the Indo-Pacific
and back again. This deploy-
ment will provide tangible
the states have also invested
comparably to the USA. This
was of course driven by Eu-
rope’s strong commitment to
environmental protection,
especially climate change.
Without the success of the
ERS programme, I don’t
think that would have hap-
pened.” Building on the ERS
experience, a number of na-
reassurance and security to
the UK’s friends and a cred-
ible deterrence to those who
seek to undermine global
security. As the spearhead
of UK’s Joint Expeditionary
capability and a cornerstone
tional satellite programmes
and other European proj-
ects developed. The second-
generation MetOp satellites
(MetOp-SG) are currently
being built under the lead-
ership of Airbus. The “Earth
Explorers” are satellites with
primarily scientific missions.
Airbus Defence and Space is
responsible, for example,
of the UK’s conventional
military deterrent, the CSG
comprises nine ships, 32 air-
craft and one submarine and
is manned by 3,700 sailors,
aviators and marines from
the combined forces of the
for the ice research satellite
CryoSat (launched in 2010)
and the three-satellite mis-
sion Swarm (launched in
2013) to study the Earth’s
magnetic field and Aeolus
(launched in 2018) to create
global wind profiles. With
EarthCARE and Biomass,
two further “Earth Explor-
ers” are in development by
Airbus for ESA.
With the launch of Senti-
nel-1, which also carries a
C-band radar from Airbus,
the European Copernicus
programme (EU/ESA) for
environment and security
received its first “own” satel-
lite in April 2014. Copernicus
is designed to provide vital
information in six key areas:
land monitoring, marine
monitoring, disaster and cri-
sis management, atmospher-
ic monitoring, climate change
monitoring and security. The
comprehensive and uniform
data on a global scale that is
necessary for global envi-
ronmental monitoring is in-
conceivable without satellite
systems. “With Copernicus,
Europe has finally taken the
UK, US and the Nether-
lands. The fifth-generation
HMS Queen Elizabeth car-
rier, at 65,000 tonnes, is
the largest surface vessel
ever constructed in the UK.
Taller than Niagara Falls, her
propellers generate the pow-
er of 50 high-speed trains.
She leads six Royal Navy
ships, a Royal Navy subma-
rine, a US Navy destroyer
and a frigate from the Neth-
erlands in the largest con-
centration of maritime and
air power to leave the UK in
a generation. It is equipped
with the fifth-generation
F-35B Lightning multi-role
aircrafts. They are being
jointly crewed by the Royal
Air Force, Royal Navy and
the US Marine Corps.
lead in Earth observation,”
Liebig continues. He added,
“Today, the whole world
congratulates us on this sys-
tem, which provides such
important environmental
data about our Earth. Co-
pernicus was the crucial step
from scientifically exploring
important processes in our
environment, as we do with
ESA’s Explorer missions, to
operationally observing. Sci-
entists analysing the climate
need data showing processes
of more than 30 years. This in
itself shows us why we need-
ed Copernicus so badly, and
it also shows us why it makes
sense to celebrate 30 years of
ERS-1. Since ERS-1, we now
have data series, for example,
for polar ice cover, sea-level
rise, ocean surface tempera-
ture trends and many other
climate variables.” At the
heart of the space component
are specially developed space
missions for Copernicus, the
“Sentinels”. Airbus Defence
and Space is responsible for
the industrial management
of seven of the 13 Sentinel
missions.
8 policy & politics the s unday guardian
f riday | 23 july 2021
new delhi

Economy & SociEty

An analysis on gig and

platform workers: Code
on social security Worker” In general, a plat-
form worker is someone who
works for an enterprise that
analysis offers specific services to cli-
ents, customers, individuals
or organisations through an
SHIVANSHU GOSWAMI, online platform. Uber, Ola,
ANIMESH UPADHYAY & Zomato, etc. are some of its
examples. According to the
ABHISHEK RANJAN Code, a platform worker is,
“a person engaged in or un-
dertaking platform work”.
In order to have a fuller in-
sight, the definition of plat-
form worker must be read in
conjunction with the defini-
tion of platform work, which
specifies what platform work
is. It is defined as, “a work
arrangement outside of a

T
he introduction of the
social security code in
India is an important
step towards reformation of
workplaces. Social security
is commonly viewed as a
sort of monetary assistance
provided by the government
to persons who are either in-
adequately employed or can’t
be employed. In India, the
term “social security” has a
completely different conno-
tation. Our social security
system in India is made up
of various labour laws that
our state and central govern-
ments have enacted over sev-
eral years. These govern sala-
ries and benefits for workers,
as well as safe working con-
ditions and regulate labour
and industrial relations.
The Code on Social Securi-
ty, 2020, amalgamates eight
previously existing labour
laws of centre. These are the
Employees’ Provident Funds
and Miscellaneous Provi-
sions Act, 1952; Payment of
Gratuity Act, 1972; Employ-
ees’ Compensation Act, 1923;
Maternity Benefit Act, 1961;
Employees’ State Insurance
Act, 1948; Workers Cess Act,
1996; Cine Workers Welfare
Fund Act, 1981; Building and
Other Construction and Un-
organised Workers’ Social
Security Act, 2008.
This Code isn’t just a col-
lection of previous laws
consolidated into one. It
has expanded the coverage,
made benefits available to
all workers in the organised
and unorganised sectors,
incorporated notions of giv-
ing maximum benefits with
minimal governance, and
demonstrates consistency
in approach. The Code aims
to bring uniformity to the
provision of social security
benefits to employees, which
were previously divided into
different acts with varying
applicability and coverage.
The Code also attempts to
give social security to a large
group of workers by recog-
nising and covering workers
in the unorganised sector.
Under this code, draft rules
have been published by the
Government.
The law also broadens the
scope to include fixed-term
contract workers, who will
now be entitled for gratuities,
whereas previously only
permanent employees were
covered. As per the Code, an
employee is entitled to gra-
tuity if they are terminated
from their job after a contin-
ual service tenure of at least
five years, which is the same
as earlier. The events that
would lead to gratuity are as
follows: retirement, resig-
nation, death or permanent
disability as a result of an
accident or illness, or termi-
nation of a contract under a
fixed-term employment con-
tract, or on the occurrence
of any event notified by the
Centre. In the eventuality of
an employee’s death, the gra-
tuity would be payable to the
employee’s nominee or legal
heir. As a result of the inclu-
sion of the term “expiration
of fixed-term employment”,
now fixed-term contract em-
ployees too will be entitled
for gratuity.
Under the new laws, these
workers will be covered
by social security benefits
such as income services and
health insurance. Several
new terms have been devel-
oped, such as gig workers,
platform workers, and fixed-
term employees, which pre-
viously were not acknowl-
edged by any labour laws.
Gig workers and platform
workers, who are part of
the unorganised workforce,
were not legally recognized
by the Government for many
years. Since these workers
were not paid on a salary
basis, they were deprived of
many benefits such as Health
Insurance, Provident Fund,
etc. The new regulations
provide gig workers a shared
identity.
Definition of “Gig Worker”
In India, the phrase “gig
worker” is a relatively re-
cent notion. Generally, a
gig worker is someone who
works hourly or does part-
time jobs in various fields,
ranging from catering
events to developing soft-
ware, and many more. The
job is generally temporary
and performed within a set
timeframe under an unusual
employment arrangement.
The term “gig worker” is
defined in the Code as, “a
person who performs work
or participates in a work ar-
rangement and earns from
such activities outside of tra-
ditional employer-employee
relationships”. The legal
identification of gig work-
ers was urgently needed
because the concept covers
a large group of contract
employees. Even a part-time
professor can be covered in
the gig economy. Contingent
employees, freelancers, and
independent contractors
are just a few examples of
prevalent names. The gig
economy finds its origin and
is mostly popular among
youths in western countries.
This model enables students
to start working at a young
age and get expertise in their
chosen fields. The perks in-
volved with such employ-
ment would inspire individ-
uals in India to pursue these
jobs and avail benefits that
arise out of it.
Definition of “Platform
traditional employer em-
ployee relationship in which
organisations or individuals
use an online platform to
access other organisations
or individuals to solve spe-
cific problems or to provide
specific services or any such
other activities which may
be notified by the Central
Government, in exchange
for payment.’’
WHAT’S THERE FOR
GIG AND PLATFORM
WORKERS IN CODE?
The Central Government
has proposed to generalize
benefits such as health and
maternity benefits, as well
as life and disability insur-
ance. The state government
is responsible for providing
benefits to workers such as
provident fund, skill upgra-
dation, and accommoda-
tion. Nirmala Sitharaman,
the Finance Minister of the
nation, has also stated that
all sorts of workers would
now be subject to minimum
wage regulations and that
the Employees State Insur-
ance Corporation, or ESIC,
will apply to the government.
The Centre also has no infor-
mation about how many gig
workers at present are now
employed in India; however,
some independent estimates
put the figure at above 130
million. To reap the benefits
of these planned incentives,
the government has planned
to create an online platform
for all qualified unorgan-
ised workers in the country
by June 2021. It’s mandatory
for all the gig and platform
workers to register on this
portal. In order to be eligible,
the worker must be over the
age of 16 and under the age of
60. Also, they have worked
for at least 90 days in the past
12 years. The worker would
be required to submit a self-
declaration, either online or
offline, as well as additional
documents, including the
Aadhar Card. The Central
Government could also
choose five members for
the unorganised sector to
the National Social Security
Board, which will frame pol-
icies and regulations for gig
and platform workers. Fur-
thermore, the Code requires
aggregators, or employers in
the case of gig workers, to do-
nate a set proportion of their
revenue to a social security
fund for the unorganised
sector’s welfare.
Amidst this pandemic gig
economy has been a major
help to the country. When
we all were staying at our
homes due to the fear of
getting infected by the vi-
rus, various workers of on-
line platforms like Zomato,
Swiggy, etc, were providing
The Central government has proposed to generalise benefits such as health and maternity benefits, as well as life
and disability insurance. The state government is responsible for providing benefits to workers such as provident
fund, skill upgradation, and accommodation. Nirmala Sitharaman, the Finance Minister, has also stated that
all sorts of workers would now be subject to minimum wage regulations and that the Employees State Insurance
Corporation, or ESIC, will apply to the government. The Centre also has no information about how many gig
workers at present are now employed in India; however, some independent estimates put the figure at above 130
million. To reap the benefits of these planned incentives, the government has planned to create an online platform for
all qualified unorganised workers in the country by June 2021. It’s mandatory for all the gig and platform workers
to register on this portal. In order to be eligible, the worker must be over the age of 16 and under the age of 60.
services ranging from de- thousands of numbers. fit, health benefit, benefit in safeguard the welfare of the to confusion with regards to
livering food to delivering Second concern is related relation to accidents. So, the people working for the on- what gig workers can avail
medicines. to these workers who have government plans to formu- line platforms. in terms of protections and
India is now seeing a boom- constantly been asking for late a scheme under the code Although, the government minimum wages, etc. The
ing phenomenon where a certain minimum benefits on social security which will has recognized the workers lack of clarity in the defini-
lot of start ups are coming for themselves. A couple of provide atleast these bene- working for online platforms tion also leads to large ambi-
up and their business model years back certain organisa- fits to gig workers, platform by introducing the definition guity allowing the platforms
rests on such kind of an ar- tions of these workers came workers there has been an in the Code on Social Secu- to decide who is a gig worker
rangement where they are forward and filed a PIL in attempt to balance both the rity but only the introduction and a platform worker.
engaging these people on an Delhi High Court asking for interests. of the concept is not enough Secondly, the Judiciary
independent contract basis setting up of a committee there are many things need- should also give certain
meaning thereby, that there that can examine whether CONCLUDING ed to be done. First concern recommendations for the
is no employer employee they can be treated as an REMARKS is that since that there is welfare of Gig Workers as
relationship with them and employee, whether they can We are witnessing the rise only one code that defines till date we lack on judi-
so they are not suppose to get the benefits under la- in the trend of people using the concept of gig workers. cial front when it comes to
comply with all the labour bour laws but there was no online platforms like Zoma- Now, when we look at both take steps for gig workers.
laws that exist in the coun- headway on that front. So, its to, Uber etc. on a day-to-day the definitions of gig workers On 19th February, the Su-
try because all of them focus very tricky balance to meet. basis and with the increase and platform workers one preme Court of the United
on an employee so one con- So, government has tried to in the services provided by can interpret that Platform Kingdom in Uber BV &
cern is that if a recognition do that by not saying that the online platforms there worker seems to be a nar- Ors. v. Aslam & Ors. ruled
is given to these gig work- these are employees on one will be increase in number rower concept falling with- that Uber drivers should be
ers then even the business hand and on the other hand of people working for these in the wider concept of gig treated as employees rather
model of these organisations giving them atleast social platforms. So it becomes of worker. Now, this problem than independent contrac-
might collapse because they security benefits meaning utmost importance to for- paired with the lack of defini- tors, making them liable
are engaging these people in thereby providing life ben- mulate a robust scheme to tion in the other codes leads for all employment-related
benefits such as minimum
wage, annual leave, and
insurance. No such issues
with regards to gig work-
ers have been dealt by Judi-
ciary in India. In 2018 the
Delhi High Court in the case
Delhi Commercial Driver
Union v. Union of India was
posed with the question that
whether these workers can
be conferred with the status
of worker but before this
question could be answered
the matter was eventually
withdrawn, thereby push-
ing out employment status
of gig workers in India to a
later date. So, there is a need
for proper guidance on the
issue by the Judiciary so that
a proper policy could be
framed by which the inter-
est of the workers and online
platforms can be balanced.
 t h e su nday gua r dia n
fr iday | 2 3 j u ly 2 0 2 1
new de l h i medically speaking 9
Findings

PeoPle with learning disabilities

extremely vulnerable to Covid-19 with the general population. profound learning disabili- registers so that all eligible vided to protect people and
CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON
But results from existing ties than those with milder individuals can benefit. manage risks.”
studies on other COVID-19 learning disabilities, and Besides vaccination, efforts What’s more, they say

P
eople with learning
disabilities with CO-
VID-19 are five times
more likely to be admitted
to hospital and eight times
more likely to die compared
with the general population
of England, a new study
suggested.
The findings of the study
were published in the jour-
nal ‘The BMJ’. Risks were
particularly high for those
with severe to profound
learning disabilities, Down’s
syndrome, and cerebral
palsy. The researchers said
prompt access to COVID-19
testing and healthcare is
warranted for this group,
and prioritisation for COV-
ID-19 vaccination and other
targeted preventive mea-
sures should be considered.
Emerging evidence has
shown that people with
learning disabilities are at
higher risk from COVID-19
related death compared
outcomes are often com-
plicated by factors such as
deprivation and underlying
conditions (comorbidities).
A lack of clarity also ex-
ists on the increased risk of
COVID-19 deaths among
people with milder learning
disabilities.
To explore this further, a
team of UK researchers set
out to describe the risk of
COVID-19 related hospi-
tal admissions and deaths
among children and adults
with learning disabilities
in England compared with
the general population.
Their results are based on
electronic health records for
more than 17 million people
registered with a general
practice in England linked
to hospital admission and
mortality data.
Data for 14,312,023 adults
and 2,627,018 children were
analysed across both waves
of the COVID-19 pandemic:
wave 1 (registered with
a general practice as of 1
March 2020 and followed
until 31 August 2020); and
wave 2 (registered 1 Septem-
ber 2020 and followed until
8 February 2021).
Among 90,307 adults
on the learning disability
register, 538 (0.6 per cent)
had a covid-19 related hos-
pital admission; there were
222 (0.25 per cent) covid-19
related deaths and 602
(0.7 per cent) non-COVID
deaths. Among adults not
on the register, 29,781 (0.2
per cent) had a covid-19 re-
lated hospital admission;
there were 13,737 (0.1 per
cent) covid-19 related deaths
and 69,837 (0.5 per cent)
non-COVID deaths.
After taking account
of potentially influential
factors, such as age, sex,
ethnicity, and geographi-
cal location, adults on the
learning disability register
had a 5-fold higher risk of
covid-19 related hospital ad-
mission and an 8-fold high-
er risk of covid-19 related
death than adults not on the
register. Rates were higher
among those with severe to
among those in residential
care.
Similar patterns were
seen for children, but the
authors stress that absolute
risks of COVID-19 hospi-
tal admission and death
among children were small.
These are observational
findings and the authors
point to some limitations,
such as focusing only on se-
vere covid-19 outcomes and
being unable to identify ev-
eryone with a learning dis-
ability from medical records
alone. Nevertheless, results
were similar after further
analyses, and are consistent
with the existing literature,
suggesting that they are ro-
bust.
The findings also high-
light gaps in learning dis-
ability registers, limiting
the reach of the vaccination
programme, prompting a
call for greater efforts to up-
date and maintain accurate
should continue to protect
people with learning dis-
ability from covid-19 ad-
verse outcomes, and more
research on the excess co-
vid-19 risks among people
with Down’s syndrome and
cerebral palsy are needed,
they conclude.
This study makes an im-
portant contribution to the
evidence on how the pan-
demic has affected this vul-
nerable group, say research-
ers in a linked editorial.
Ken Courtenay at the Royal
College of Psychiatrists and
Vivien Cooper at the Chal-
lenging Behaviour Foun-
dation, pointed to “a hid-
den calamity” taking place
among people with learn-
ing disabilities, and said,
“reasonable adjustments
should be made to ensure
that information about the
pandemic and risk of infec-
tion are accessible, and that
practical support is pro-
worrying attitudes and
prejudices about the value
of the lives of people with
learning disabilities have
surfaced during the pan-
demic, while the covid-19
vaccination programme
also disadvantaged people
with learning disabilities,
prioritising people accord-
ing to age rather than the
severity of comorbid disor-
ders.
“Before the next pandem-
ic, investment in research
is essential, to help us un-
derstand the risks faced by
people with learning dis-
abilities and how best to
protect them from the high
risks of hospital admission
and death from covid-19,”
they wrote. “People with
learning disabilities have
the same rights as everyone
else, including the right to
good health and to be safe
from harm,” they conclud-
ed.

skin CanCer Correlation

antibiotiCs may helP treat melanoma: study Study links cognitive

“As the cancer evolves, some effect on the efficacy of the

decline with bone loss,

CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON
According to a new study,
some antibiotics appear to
be effective against a form of
skin cancer known as mela-
noma. Researchers at KU
Leuven, Belgium, examined
the effect of these antibiotics
on patient-derived tumours
in mice. Their findings were
published in the Journal of
Experimental Medicine. Re-
searchers from KU Leuven
may have found a new weap-
on in the fight against mela-
noma: antibiotics that target
the ‘power plants’ of cancer
cells. These antibiotics ex-
ploit a vulnerability that aris-
es in tumour cells when they
try to survive cancer therapy.
laboratory study
vaCCine immune resPonse linked to age
CORRESPONDENT
OREGON
A new laboratory study from
Oregon Health and Science
University suggests that
older people appear to have
fewer antibodies against
the novel coronavirus.
The study was published in
the Journal of the American
Medical Association. An-
tibodies are blood proteins
that are made by the immune
system to protect against in-
fection. They are known to
be key players in protection
against SARS-CoV-2 infec-
tion. “Our older populations
are potentially more suscep-
tible to the variants even if
Covid-19
melanoma cells may escape
the treatment and stop pro-
liferating to ‘hide’ from the
immune system. These are
the cells that have the poten-
tial to form a new tumour
mass at a later stage,” ex-
plained cancer researcher
and RNA biologist Eleonora
Leucci (KU Leuven).
“In order to survive cancer
treatment however, those
inactive cells need to keep
their ‘power plants’ - the mi-
tochondria - switched on at
all times”. As mitochondria
derive from bacteria that,
over time, started living in-
side cells, they are very vul-
nerable to a specific class of
antibiotics. This is what gave
us the idea to use these an-
they are vaccinated,” said se-
nior author Fikadu Tafesse,
Ph.D., assistant professor of
molecular microbiology and
immunology in the OHSU
School of Medicine.
Tafesse and colleagues
emphasized that even
though they measured
diminished antibody re-
sponse in older people, the
vaccine still appeared to be
effective enough to prevent
infection and severe illness
in most people of all ages.
“The good news is that
our vaccines are really
strong,” Tafesse said.
However, with vaccine up-
take slowing in Oregon and
across the United States, re-
tibiotics as anti-melanoma
agents,” added Leucci.
The researchers implant-
ed patient-derived tumours
into mice, which were then
treated with antibiotics - ei-
ther as the only treatment or
in combination with existing
anti-melanoma therapies.
Leucci said, “The antibiotics
quickly killed many cancer
cells and could thus be used
to buy the precious time
searchers say their findings
underscore the importance
of promoting vaccinations in
local communities.
Vaccinations reduce the
spread of the virus and new
and potentially more trans-
missible variants, especially
for older people who ap-
pear to be more susceptible
to breakthrough infections.
needed for immunotherapy
to kick in. In tumours that
were no longer responding
to targeted therapies, the an-
tibiotics extended the lifes-
pan of - and in some cases
even cured - the mice.”
The researchers worked
with antibiotics that are now,
because of rising antibiotic
resistance, only rarely used
in bacterial infection. How-
ever, this resistance has no
“The more people get vac-
cinated, the less the virus
circulates,” Tafesse said.
“Older people aren’t entirely
safe just because they’re vac-
cinated; the people around
them really need to be vac-
cinated as well. At the end
of the day, this study really
means that everybody needs
to be vaccinated to protect
the community.”
Researchers measured
the immune response in
the blood of 50 people two
weeks after their second
dose of the Pfizer vaccine
against COVID-19. They
grouped participants into
age groups and then exposed
their blood serum in test
treatment in this study, ex-
plained Leucci. “The cancer
cells show high sensitivity
to these antibiotics, so we
can now look to repurpose
them to treat cancer instead
of bacterial infections.”
However, patients with
melanoma shouldn’t start ex-
perimenting, warned Leucci.
“Our findings are based
on research in mice, so we
don’t know how effective
this treatment is in human
beings. Our study men-
tions only one human case
where a melanoma patient
received antibiotics to treat
a bacterial infection, and
this re-sensitised a resistant
melanoma lesion to stan-
dard therapy,” said Leucci.
tubes to the original “wild-
type” SARS-CoV-2 virus and
the P.1 variant (also known
as gamma) that originated
in Brazil.
The youngest group - all in
their 20s - had a nearly sev-
en-fold increase in antibody
response compared with
the oldest group of people
between 70 and 82 years of
age. In fact, the laboratory
results reflected a clear lin-
ear progression from young-
est to oldest: The younger a
participant, the more robust
the antibody response.
“Older people might be
more susceptible to variants
than younger individuals,”
Tafesse said.
fracture risk in women
CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON
A new research has found that cognitive de-
cline is linked with accelerated bone loss and
increased fracture risk in women. The results
of the study were published in the ‘Journal of
Bone and Mineral Research’. The study was
led by researchers from the Garvan Institute
of Medical Research. According to the find-
ings of the study, the association between
cognitive decline and bone loss was weaker
in men.
The study of individuals aged 65 and older
was carried out over 16 years and has re-
vealed a potential new approach to help
identify older people who may be at risk of
fracture. “Bone loss and cognitive decline
are major public health issues, but both are
‘silent diseases’ that can go undetected and
untreated for long periods, often until the
“Bone loss and cognitive decline
are major public health issues,
conditions are severely progressed,” said
Professor Jacqueline Center, Head of the but both are ‘silent diseases’
Clinical Studies and Epidemiology lab at
Garvan, an endocrinologist at St Vincent’s that can go undetected and
Hospital and senior author of the study.
“Our study has revealed a link between the
untreated for long periods,
two in women, which suggests that cogni- often until the conditions
tion should be monitored together with bone
health, as a decline in one could mean a de- are severely progressed.”
cline in the other. These findings may help re-
fine best practice guidelines of how cognition observed a significant link between a decline
and bone health are monitored in older age, in cognitive health and bone loss in women.
to ensure appropriate treatment can be more This association was weaker and not statisti-
effectively administered,” added Jacqueline. cally significant in men,” said Dr Dana. “In-
New insights on major public health is- terestingly, we also saw that cognitive decline
sues. Around the world, 200 million people over the first five years was associated with
are affected by osteoporosis and more than a 1.7-fold increase in future fracture risk in
35 million by dementia - numbers which are women in the subsequent 10 years. This was
expected to double over the next two decades independent of the level of bone loss,” added
due to a global increase in life expectancy. Dr Dana.
“Cognitive decline and bone loss both result “While this study could not identify a
in increased disability, loss of independence causal link - whether a decline in cogni-
and an increased risk of mortality. There is tive function leads to a decline in bone
some evidence that older individuals with de- loss, or vice versa - it suggests that cogni-

Vaccine hesitancy lower in poorer countries
CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON
A new study has examined
vaccine acceptance and hes-
itancy rates in ten low and
middle-income countries
from Asia, Africa, and South
America. The research pub-
lished in Nature Medicine
reveals willingness to get
a COVID-19 vaccine was
considerably higher in de-
veloping countries (80 per
cent of respondents) than
in the United States (65 per
cent) and Russia (30 per
cent). The study provides
one of the first insights into
vaccine acceptance and hesi-
tancy in a broad selection of
low- and-middle income
countries (LMIC), covering
over 20,000 survey respon-
dents and bringing together
researchers from over 30
institutions including the
International Growth Cen-
tre (IGC), Innovations for
Poverty Action (IPA), WZB
Berlin Social Science Center,
the Yale Institute for Global
Health, the Yale Research
Initiative on Innovation and
Scale (Y-RISE), and HSE
University (Moscow, Russia).
Personal protection against
COVID-19 was the main
reason given for vaccine ac-
ceptance among LMIC re-
spondents (91 per cent), and
concern about side effects
(44 per cent) was the most
common reason for vaccine
hesitancy. Health workers
were considered the most
trusted sources of informa-
tion about COVID-19 vac-
cines.
The study comes at a criti-
cal juncture when vaccine
shipments are still slow to
arrive to the majority of the
world’s population, and CO-
VID-19 cases are surging in
many parts of Africa, Asia,
and Latin America. The
findings suggest that priori-
tizing vaccine distribution
to low- and middle-income
countries should yield high
returns in expanding global
immunization coverage.
“As COVID-19 vaccine sup-
plies trickle into develop-
ing countries, the next few
months will be key for gov-
ernments and international
organizations to focus on
designing and implementing
effective vaccine uptake pro-
grams,” said Niccolo Merig-
gi, Country Economist for
IGC Sierra Leone and study
co-author.
mentia have a higher risk of hip fractures, but
whether the decline of both bone and cogni-
tive health are linked over time has not been
studied,” said Dr Dana Bliuc from the Garvan
Institute, who is the first author of the paper.
“We set out to understand the long-term
association, with our study the first to inves-
tigate both cognitive and bone health data
over more than 15 years,” added Dr Dana.
The team used data from the Canadian Mul-
ticentre Osteoporosis Study (CaMos), which
documented skeletal health in people living
in the community since 1995.
The researchers looked at cognitive
and bone health measurements of 1741
women and 620 men aged 65 years and
older, who had no symptoms of cogni-
tive decline at the beginning of the study.
Linking cognition and bone health
“After adjusting for all other variables, we
tive decline should be monitored along
with bone health, as a decline in one may
signal the need for increased vigilance
in the other,” said Professor Jacqueline.
The researchers noted that the link could
potentially be mediated by a third fac-
tor, such as estrogen deficiency, which
affects women after menopause and
has been independently associated with
both bone loss and cognitive decline.
This research also opens the door for ad-
ditional studies into what the link between
these two common conditions may be.
“What our study highlights is that cognitive
health is potentially an important factor for
providing more information to individuals
and their health professionals on fracture
risk, and ultimately improve health out-
comes for our older population,” concluded
Professor Jacqueline.
10 royally speaking the daily guar dian
f riday | 2 3 july 2 0 2 1
new delhi

inteRview

it was ayodhya’s honouR that it hosted

BeguM AkHTAR’s ART: yATIndRA MIsHRA 
A celebrated Hindi poet, music and cinema scholar and also the prince of Ayodhya, Yatindra Mishra
opened up about the recent translation of his book, ‘Akhtari: Soz Aur Saaz Ka Afsana’, based on the life,
times, and music of Akhtari Bai Faizabadi aka Begum Akhtar, and more.
legacy of music in Ayodhya? ‘Vyakul’ were great artists performances in Mumtaz travelling to Korea and the link
A. My city Ayodhya is a dedicated to their craft who Nagar, a part of Ayodhya. We enjoyed between the two fami-
Vaishnav city where there did not get the fame they de- find soulful music emanat- lies?
is a tradition of Mad- served. Pandit Dayashankar ing from the dargah of Haz- A. Around two decades
huropasana or Ram Rasik Mishra pioneered a rendi- rat Sheesh Paigambar and ago historians from Korea
Bhakti Tradition. Here the tion in  bhajan and  khayal Argada Masjid in Ayodhya. visited my home Rajsadan
deity is revered by the devo- gayaki  and established a new Music talks of the shared to meet my father Bimlen-
tee through music chan- Gharana.  divine, the shared bliss of dra Mohan Pratap Mishra.
nelised by love and devotion. My lovely grandmother harmony and melody. Vari- They had documents and
The pioneer of this tradition Late Rajkumari Vimla Devi ous sects and regions too historical and archaeologi-
was the ancient saint Sant introduced me to the nu- find their presence in Ayo- cal proofs stating that the
Kripa Niwas.  ances of music. She was a dhya with temples like Kale clan mother of the Garak
Ayodhya is a complex blend trained semi-classical and Raam Mandir. They carry on Clan was the princess of
ANSHU KHANNA of Ram bhakti, Nirguna folk singer and whose art their respective musical and Ayodhya. Around 2,000
Upasana, folk culture of remained unrecognised. She artistic traditions.  years ago, the king of Ayo-

A
celebrated Hindi
Poet, Music and
Cinema Scholar and
also the prince of Ayodhya,
Yatindra Mishra has four
collections of poetry to his
credit —Yada-Kada, Ayodhya
Tatha Anya Kavitayein, Dyorhi
Par Aalaap, and Vibhas. He
has several well-received
books on Indian Classical
Music and cinema includ-
ing Girija (Based on Thumri
Singer Girija Devi), Devpriya
(Dialogue with danseuse
Sonal Mansingh), Sur Ki
Baradari (Life & Times of
Shehnai Maestro Bismillah
Khan) and Akhtari: Soz Aur
Saaz Ka Afsana (Based on
Thumri and Ghazal Queen
Begum Akhtar). He is the
editor of a cultural gazetteer
of Faizabad titled Shaherna-
ma Faizabad. His book Lata:
Sur-Gatha (Musical Journey
of legendary playback singer
Lata Mangeshkar) won sev-
en awards. He is currently
working on a book on emi-
nent lyricist, poet, and film-
maker Gulzar Saheb. An
understated cultural aficio-
nado, his works are linked
to his inherited legacy in
the richest, most seamless
manner. Yatindra spoke to
The Daily Guardian about
the English translation of
his book Akhtari the Life and
Music of Begum Akhtar based
on the life, times, and music
of Akhtari Bai Faizabadi and
more.
ExCERPTS:
Q. Can you share the famed
Awadh, and snippets of
musical heritage from the
Ram Bhakti traditions of the
South. It is visible in the path
of Alwandar Strota where
Shri and Narayan are wor-
shipped. The city boasts of
Ramleela Performances in
fields (Maidani Ramleela)
that bear the traces of Parsi
theatre along with Ram
Katha Gayan. Ram Katha
Gayan is a major part of the
theatrical musical legacy of
the land. The winds carry
hymns sung in temples all
over the city, composed on
a common beat and rhythm
pattern following in the tra-
dition of Saam Gaan from
the Saam Veda. Saam Veda
is the Veda is among the four
holy books that deal with
music. Over time, the city
has also been touched with
modernity and musical in-
struments like harmonium,
tabla, dholak, manjeera and
the live musicians have been
replaced with records and
tapes. It is common to hear
Mukesh’s Ramcharitmanas,
Hanuman Chalisa by Anoop
Jalota and Hari Om Sharan
being played in the temples.  Mercedez Benz from Ayo-
There have been many
famed personalities who
have graced the musical
landscape of Ayodhya. Be-
gum Akhtar, Swami Pagal-
das, and a disciple of the
renowned Mridangacharya
Swami Bhagwan Das are
noteworthy. Pandit Rasik
Vihari Mishra ‘Kallu Ma-
haraj’ and Bhagwat Kishor
was trained under the tute-
lage of Pandit Ram Padarath
Ji and also received training
from Akhtar. Bhajans sang
in her voice along with tradi-
tional folk songs in authentic
Awadhi dialect like sohar, na-
kta, banna, and hori make up
my fond memories. Ayodhya
has a current of melancholy
which is perceptible in the
lilting Ramdhun that reso-
nates in the city.
Q. Your book Akhtari relives the
era of Begum Akhtar’s residency
in Ayodhya. Explain the legacy?
A. The period from 1935 to
1945 was when Akhtar was
making appearances in dar-
bar and holding Khadi Meh-
fils (singing, dancing, and
performing while stand-
ing). She performed in Ayo-
dhya Darbar especially on
Dussehra and Holi. This
fact is further established
by the works of historian
Salim Kidwai that this was
the time when she was hold-
ing Khadi Mehfils mainly in
the Awadh Province. She
mesmerised the elites and
the common man alike with
her aura as a diva. A white
dhya Raj, under the then
king Maharaja Jagdambika
Pratap Narayan Singh, went
to fetch her, bearing the
number plate Ayodhya-126.
By all records, it was her
favourite and special atten-
tion was paid that this car
remained in her attendance.
Her visits and performanc-
es made up for interesting
anecdotes that have been
passed down to us from
generations. Talking to my
elders, I came to know that
there was a fight amongst
drivers as to who would go
to receive her. Apart from
her stardom, it was also be-
cause of her magnanimity as
the driver in attendance got
lavish tips, inams, and ikrams.
She sang a multitude
of songs including  sadra,
mubarakbadi, thumri, kajri
ghazal, holi and phaag ki thum-
ri. My grandma mentioned
her rendition of thumri Chala
ho pardesiya naina lagaye, and  holi, and Mori bali si umariya
Holi ki thumri Daff kahe ko ba-
jaye main toh aawat rahi  were
something magical. She was
fortunate enough to learn
these from the great doyen.
At that time, Akhtar graced
the Royal Darbars of Kash-
mir, Reewa, Baroda, Darb-
hanga, and Rampur. The era
dictated that the singer per-
forming in the Baroda Dar-
bar of Maharaj Sayajirao Rao
Gaekwad III was listed as an
A grade artist. It was a stamp
of endorsement for any Bai
ji or classical singer and in
those times Akhtar was a
prominent presence there.
In these circumstances, it
was an honour for Ayodhya
that it hosted and revelled in
her art.  ing of the human life which
Q. Which is your favourite com-
position from her repertoire?
A. Picking a favourite
amongst her songs is akin to
say that Hazaron khwahishein
aisi ki har khwahish par dum
nikale. Each song, composi-
tion, and rendition pierces
my heart in a new way. But
if I have to pick a favourite I
would go with Koyaliya mat
kar pukaar, Nihure-nihure
buhare, Jabse shaam sidhare,
Kaun tarah se tum khelat
gaune ki aayi ratiya. Kaifi
Azmi’s Aisa to zindagi mein
kisi ki khalal pade, Sudarshan
Fakir’s Kuchh toh duniya ki
Inayaat ne dil tod diya, and
Ahmad Jalili’s Ab chhalakate
hue sagar nhin dekhe jate are
perennial favourites in
ghazal. The list will go on
as the magic of the Akhtar
unravels.
Q. What does music mean to
you?
A. As a writer and poet, mu-
sic is something inexplicable.
It would be better if I said
that what is inexplicable can
only be explained through
music. It touches on nuanc-
Yatindra Mishra
es, sentiments and mean-
were hitherto untouched. It
calls out for something di-
vine, the pukaar elevates the
human experience. For me,
music is suspended between
being a solace and being sub-
lime. I believe that if God ex-
ists, He can only be reached
through music. It is not with-
out reason that the last step
of Navdha Bhakti culminates
in musical offerings to God.
Q. How do you see the famed
Ganga Jamuni culture of Avadh
thriving in Ayodhya?
A. These are not just the
cultural ethos of Ayodhya
but the whole of India. The
tradition of Nauha singing
on Muharram is carried on
with the same reverence and
sanctity that is given to any
other holy practice, Kabir
the weaver is sung by Pandit
Bhimsen Joshi and Meera-
bai’s padas by Ustad Faiyyaz
Khan. I was captivated by
Ustad Bismillah Khan’s spir-
it for his practice of playing
sehra for Baba Vishwanath.
Ayodhya is a living, breath-
ing specimen of the same
ethos. Muslims make up a
major part of the Ram Leela
Q. Did you relive a fine mo-
ment while penning the book on
Lataji?
A. It was a journey in all
sense. I understood that
however cliché it must be,
the journey is more re-
warding than the destina-
tion. There were countless
moments, some moments
of pure awe where I stood
star-struck, that I am talk-
ing to a legend who defined
generations. I find myself
extremely fortunate that in
the process of writing this
book I embarked on a jour-
ney to understand the musi-
cal and cultural topography
of the Indian subcontinent.
This quest to understand
the music of the Indian di-
aspora has been incredibly
enriching.
Q. Who are your favourite voic-
es from Avadh? Share the legacy
of words and verses of Avadh.
A. The most endearing ones
are Arjoo Lakhnvi, Majaz
Lakhnavi, Meer Anis — the
king of Mersia and Khwaja
Haider, Ali ‘Aatish’ Pandit
Brijnarayn ‘Chakbast’ and
Mohd. Rafi Sauda. The pio-
neers who have lifted Hindi
poetry on their shoulders are
Kunwar Narain, Raghuveer
Sahay, Jaishankar Prasad,
and Mahadevi Verma. Some
eminent lyricists who always
win over my heart are Sha-
keel Badayuni, Jaan Nisar
Akhtar, Majrooh Sultanpuri,
and Kaifi Azmi.  ceremony that could sustain
Q. What are your views on the
he fable of the Ayodhya Princess
dhya had a dream that if he
set his daughter to sail in a
particular direction, it would
result in her fortune. So he
did as the divination dictat-
ed and Princess Suriratna
set sail. At the same time,
the King Kim Suro of Korea
got a dream that to seek his
fortune he should go in the
direction in which the Prin-
cess was sailing. And on the
consultation of his royal as-
trologers, he revered Prin-
cess Suriratna as an auspi-
cious blessing and the two of
them were married in a holy
union. Thus she came to be
known as Queen Huh. They
had 10 sons, eight of whom
became bhikkhus (Buddhist
monks), one founded Japan,
and one founded Korea. 
The Koreans pay homage
to their Clan Mother, where-
in the Garak Clan is the larg-
est clan of Korea and has
given the nation many lead-
ers and visionaries. It was
my father who pioneered the
relation between Ayodhya
and Korea. He went to great
lengths to seal and honour
the relationship at personal
cost and effort. 
The Korean delegation
comes every year for the
past 20 years where they
are hosted by the Royal Fam-
ily of Ayodhya at their resi-
dence. There is an exchange
of two cultures and their re-
spective arts. It is a beautiful
itself because of my father’s
efforts.

Review

FORT TIJARA: A HeRITAge ART gAlleRy wITH A MOdeRn TwIsT 

NEHA KIRPAL
A comfortable drive of about
an hour and a half from
Gurugram, through the
rustic countryside and the
Aravalli mountain range,
you suddenly come across
the ramparts of an ancient
19th Century fort that ma-
jestically stands out above
a semi-arid landscape that
surrounds it. The latest
property of the Neemrana
group, the Tijara Fort Palace
was bought by the group in
2003. Built in the Rajputana
Afghanistan style of archi-
tecture, it was extensively
restored for 13 years after
which it finally opened its
doors to guests in 2016.
In 1835, Maharaja Bal-
want Singh of Alwar laid
the foundation stone of his
dream project with master
masons from Kabul and
Delhi. He, however, passed
away, leaving the revival
of the medieval capital of
Hasan Khan Mewati, in-
complete. The nine-acre
area of the property offers
a lot of wide, open spaces
for early morning jaunts
and post-dinner strolls.
Walking through perfectly
manicured, seven-tiered
hanging gardens laid out
against the stunning ram-
parts of the quaint fort on
a barren hill feels almost
other-worldly.
The hotel has 71 suites and
rooms, all named after the
country’s leading painters,
designers and aesthetes. A
lot of thought, creativity and
innovation have gone into
the restoration and reinven-
tion work, with each room
having a different character.
The rooms in the Rani Ma-
hal wing enjoy a particularly
splendid aerial view of the
town’s green countryside
— with papaya, banana and
palm trees as well as yellow
mustard fields below. Sever-
al artists, including Anjolie
Ela Menon, Anju Dodiya
and Laila Tyabji, also have
original artworks that were
specially created for Tijara.
In 2010, Menon also put to-
gether a magnificent paint-
ing in the hotel’s lounge.
Similarly, the Mardana
Mahal has original works
by male artists such as
Mukesh Sharma and Sanjay
Bhattacharya. The Surya
Mahal, for instance, has
lampshades made of waste
and cardboard with names
of mango varieties writ-
ten on them. The interiors
of another beautiful room,
John Mahal (named after
John Bissell), have been put
together by Fabindia, com-
plete with curtains, lamps,
tables, fridge boxes and mir-
rors. Another of the rooms
has been designed jointly
by Vadodara-based artist
couple Nilima Sheikh and
Gulam Mohammed Sheikh.
Then there is the Amrita-
Vivaan Mahal, having Am-
rita Sher-Gil’s famous 1935
painting called Three Girls.
The room also has works by
Sher-Gil’s artist nephew Vi-
van Sundaram.
Every evening at six, the
hotel organises a conducted
guided tour for guests. Eve-
ry Saturday, there is also a
gala dinner along with cul-
tural performances. While
the ‘non-hotel’ is already a
popular weekend getaway
for Delhiites, of late it has
also become a favoured
destination for hosting con-
ferences, weddings and
cocktail functions. Further,
the huge swimming pool is
a delight to splash about in.
Sunken on a slope of the hill,
it has some of the most spell-
binding views. The poolside
area also has a unique man-
go tree theme created out
of the garbage by one of the
artists. There’s also a lovely
lotus pond by one of the
dining areas as well as an
outdoor play area for young
guests. And in case all the
walking around leaves you
tired, you could head to
the in-house spa and treat
yourself to a 60-minute Sig-
nature Tijara massage that
combines the best relaxing
techniques from Swedish,
Aromatherapy and Deep
Tissue massages. It’ll leave
you feeling brand new!
Neha Kirpal is a freelance
writer based in Delhi. She is
the author of ‘Wanderlust for
the Soul,’ an e-book collection
of short stories based on travel
in different parts of the world.
All her published work can be
accessed on her blog www.neha-
kirpal.wordpress.com

Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif
reSume Shooting for ‘tiger 3’
CORRESPONDENT
MUMBAI
B
ollywood actors Salman Khan
and Katrina Kaif resumed
shooting for their upcoming
outing ‘Tiger 3’ today. The actors are
up for a physically challenging shoot
that will push their bodies to the limit.
The shooting is taking place at the
YRF Studios in Mumbai. “The new
schedule of Tiger 3 has started today
in Yash Raj Films Studios. It is a close-
ly guarded set and one can expect no
picture to leak from here. Salman and
Katrina’s fitness will be tested in this
schedule as well as the extensive over-
seas schedule that is set to start from
mid-August,” a source said.
The source added, “Salman teased
his physique in Tiger 3 on his social
media and it is evident that he is
building the best body that he has
ever showcased on screen. Katrina,
on the other hand, has been keeping
an extremely low profile with hardly
any revelation of how good she is look-
ing currently. There’s a reason for this
also. She has worked like a beast to be
her fittest best and people will have to
wait to see her fittest best on-screen
when Tiger 3 is set to release.”
Sonam Kapoor
refuteS pregnancy
rumourS with her
inStagram poSt
MUMBAI: Ever since Sonam Kapoor Ahuja recently
came back to India from London, there have been a
couple of reports doing the rounds suggesting that the
actor is expecting her first child.
Reacting to such rumours, Sonam, who got married
to businessmen Anand Ahuja in May 2018, took to her
Instagram Story and stated that she is still getting her
periods. For the unversed, the missed period is consid-
ered as the most obvious early symptom of pregnancy.
“Hot water bottle and ginger tea for the first day of my
period,” she posted on Instagram Story. Along with it,
she uploaded a short video of her having a cup of ginger
tea.
Meanwhile, on the work front, Sonam
will be seen in ‘Blind’. She was
last seen in the 2019 release
‘The Zoya Factor’. She
also had a cameo role
in Anil Kapoor and
Anurag Kashyap’s
‘AK vs AK’, which
had released on
Ne tflix la st
year. — Cor-
respondent
t h e da ily gua r dia n
fr iday | 2 3 j u ly 2 0 2 1
new de l h i entertainment 11
Singer Shilpa
rao reuniteS
Looks like Salman and Katrina are
set for some breath-taking action se-
quences. “It will be intense for these
be seen playing the female lead.
The first film of the popular fran-
chise called ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ came out
with maeStro
two actors because director Maneesh
Sharma has planned some jaw-
dropping and hugely risky action se-
quences that will truly test their over-
in 2012 and was directed by Kabir
Khan. rahman SHRISHTI JOSHI
MUMBAI
all fitness levels when they start their
overseas schedule. Of course, Salman Singer Shilpa Rao, known for her hit
and Katrina are game for it and ready songs like ‘Ghungroo, Kalank, Subhanal-
for any challenges to be thrown at lah is once again reuniting with mae-
them. It will be a fun schedule,” the stro A.R. Rahman for a song titled
source further said, teasing what’s in ‘Phuljhadiyon’ from upcoming Netflix
store for the movie buffs. movie MIMI featuring Kriti Sanon
For the unversed, ‘Tiger 3’ is the third and Pankaj Tripathi.
film in the successful ‘Ek Tha Tiger The two musicians had collaborated
franchise’. Actor Emraan Hashmi earlier for romantic dance track ‘Ishq
will play the role of a villain in the up- Shava’ from ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’, the song had
coming movie. A few days ago, he had unique soundscape of music for their fans.
also shared a picture of his chiselled Shilpa Rao spoke to The Daily Guardian about
physique, hinting that it’s his new her experiences working on it.
look for ‘Tiger 3’. Shilpa Rao shares,” It is always an immense
The upcoming film will mark pleasure to collaborate with A.R. Rehman sir.
Emraan’s maiden collabora- I had first met him for a shoot and we spoke
tion with YRF, which is about about ghazals and eventually did our
producing the flick. ‘Tiger first song ‘Ishq Shava’ together. It was an
3’ will have Salman re- iconic huge song because of Yash Ji and Gul-
prise his role of R&AW zar Sahab, Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif,
(Research & Analysis Aditya Chopra and Yash Raj Films were all
Wing) agent Avinash in one. That’s when AR Rahman sir said that
Singh Rathore aka Ti- hearing my voice transported him to Egypt
ger, while Katrina will and couldn’t believe if it was me or Amar
Mahal singing. That was a huge compliment
for me and the next day itself I got a call for re-
Sanjay Dutt
cording our latest released song ‘Phuljhadiyon’.
She further adds, “It was fun recording at his
studio. As a woman, you connect with song as it
talks about what a women goes through on this journey
penS heartfelt birthDay
of becoming a mom. I feel, it’s high time women should start
talking about it, because we never knew what our mothers
went through the process of giving birth. The transition
poSt for wife maanayata and fluctuations that your body goes through. This song
address that and perfectly takes us through this journey
MUMBAI: Sanjay Dutt, on Wednesday, penned an of birth giving. I would like to dedicate this song to all the
adorable birthday wish for his wife Maanayata. women out there.”
Taking to Instagram, he uploaded a video com-
prising of pictures of himself with his wife and
children. He added ‘Tere Bina Mai Kya, Kuch
Sonu SooD
Bhi Nahi’ song to the video’s background. Along
with it, he wrote a beautiful caption for Maanay-
ata, saying she is the backbone of their family.
“You are the backbone of our family and the
light of my life. Words fail to express all that
you mean to me but you know it all too well.
Thank you for always being there and being
collaborateS with
you,” he wrote.
Filled with gratitude for the love and wishes
farah Khan for a Song
people have showered for her on her spe- MUMBAI: After the 2014 Bollywood film ‘Happy New
cial day, Maanayata took to social media and Year’, actor Sonu Sood and choreographer Farah
wrote, “With age comes gratitude and the Khan have teamed up again to work on a new
knowledge that with every passing year we song.
are privileged, and being grateful becomes Reportedly, the song is touted as one of the lav-
a daily ritual that enhances our lives in so ish tracks of the year.
many positive ways. #celebratinglife #love Also, Sonu will essay the role of a farmer-
#grace #positivity #dutts #beautifullife turned-cop in the song. “This song will be some-
#thankyougod.” — C o r- thing very different from anything that I’ve ever
respondent shot before. It’s always wonderful to work with
Farah,” Sonu, who will feature in the music video,
said in a statement.
Farah Khan has choreographed the song,
which was shot in Punjab a few days
ago. Meanwhile, Sonu is busy
helping the needy amid
the ongoing corona-
aliaintroDuceS
bhatt
virus pandemic.
— Correspondent
her
‘beSt frienD’ in a viDeo
MUMBAI: Whenever Alia Bhatt posts anything
on her social media handle, her fans make it go
viral. Be it her updates from set or a new film
announcement, Alia›s photos and videos often
impress fans of the actress and leave them in
awe. The Gangubai Kathiawadi star also has a
YouTube channel by the name of ‘AliaBe’ and
often, she shares a sneak peek of the videos
she is about to share on the same via her In-
stagram handle. On Thursday, Alia kept up
with the same routine and shared a video
teaser where she was all set to introduce
her best friend. Well, and surprisingly, it
may not be who you are thinking about.
Taking to Instagram reels, Alia shared a
glimpse of her upcoming YouTube video
in which she is going to introduce her fans
to her best friend. Still wondering what it
is? Well, it is none other than Alia’s ‘skin-
care bag’. The RRR actress is seen opening
up her makeup bag in the video and sharing with her
fans the products she uses to keep her skin healthy and
glowing. Alia seemed excited to share the information
with her fans as she revealed that the full video would
be out on Saturday. Sharing the video, Alia wrote,
“But first, skincare New YouTube video coming this
Saturday!”
As soon as Alia shared the teaser of her upcoming
video, fans began showering love on the RRR actress.
A fan wrote, “Yayy Finally.” Another fan wrote,
“Awesome.” Another expressed in a comment,
“So naturally beautifully.” Meanwhile, recently,
Alia jetted off to resume shooting for RRR with
Ram Charan and Jr NTR. — Correspondent
12 sports t h e su nday gua r dia n
fr iday | 2 3 j u ly 2 0 2 1
new de l h i

Ind vs Eng Ind vs sl

WatchIng dhonI closE

Rishabh returns to out matchEs has bEEn
a bIg factor, says
team after Covid scare, dEEpak chahar
CORRESPONDENT
COLOMBO

gets hero’s welcome

CORRESPONDENT
DURHAM
I
ndian cricket team
wicket-keeper bats-
man Rishabh Pant has
returned with the team for
the upcoming England Test
series on Thursday after
recovering from COVID-19.
Pant was due to undergo
COVID-19 and cardiac tests
on Monday having com-
pleted his isolation period
of 10 days as per the UK
guidelines. Pant tested posi-
tive for the virus during the
team’s 20-day break post the
World Test Championship
final against New Zealand
in Southampton. “Hello @
RishabhPant17, great to
have you back #TeamIndia,”
BCCI tweeted with a photo
of Rishabh Pant.
Pant, who had not stayed
in the team hotel during
the 20-day break period,
tested positive on July 8. He
olympIcs
was asymptomatic and was
in isolation. He was being
closely monitored by the
BCCI Medical Team and
was on his way to recovery.
“He will be able to join the
squad in Durham after re-
turning two negative RT-
PCR tests,” BCCI had said
in a statement.
The BCCI Medical Team
had also identified Bharat
Arun, bowling coach, Wrid-
dhiman Saha and Abhi-
manyu Easwaran as close
contacts of Dayanand Garani
(throwdown specialist cum
masseur), who was in the
team hotel when he tested
positive following RT-PCR
tests on July 14.
The four personnel are
undergoing 10-day isolation
and will remain in their re-
spective rooms in the team
hotel in London. The entire
Indian contingent including
travelling family members
Indian cricket team wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant with
head coach Ravi Shastri.
and caretakers were admin-
istered with the second dose
of COVID-19 vaccine earlier
this month in London. To
mitigate any further risks,
the Indian contingent is tak-
ing the Lateral Flow Test on
a daily basis.
tokyo gamEs
WashIngton sundar rulEd
out of England tEsts: rEport
CORRESPONDENT
DURHAM
The Indian team in Eng-
land was dealt another
injury blow on Thurs-
day when spin bowling
all-rounder Washington
Sundar was ruled out of
the five-Test series begin-
ning August 4. Washing-
ton is the third player after
Shubman Gill and Avesh
Khan to be ruled out of the
tour. It has been learnt that
Washington has fractured
a finger after being hit by a
Mohammed Siraj delivery
on the second day of the
first class warm up game
between India and County
XI. “Yes Washy has a frac-
tured finger just like Avesh
who had a thumb disloca-
tion. Both are out of Test
series and will go home,”
a senior BCCI official told.
“He will also take at least
five weeks to start bowling
and so no point keeping
them here,” source said.
It is understood that the
short ball from Siraj that
accounted for Washington
hit his fingers and he was
in excruciating pain after
returning to pavilion.
While Washington or
Avesh were not first team
regulars but are integral
part as net bowlers and the
TN all rounder with supe-
rior batting abilities would
have been in the mix dur-
ing some point of the series.
Deepak Chahar during the second ODI against Sri Lanka.
Having helped India snatch victory from the jaws of defeat
in the second ODI against Sri Lanka, pacer Deepak Chahar
has revealed how watching MS Dhoni finish games helped
him plan his innings in Colombo on Tuesday. “Watching MS
Dhoni close out matches has been a big factor. I have watched
him for a long period and I have always seen him finishing
matches. When you talk to him, he always tells you to take the
game deep. Everyone wants us to win, but when the match
goes deep, it is thrilling for everyone involved,” he said during
a virtual press conference. Asked if being seen as a bowler
who can bat matters to him, the cricketer said tags don’t mean
much to him and it is all about giving the batsman at the other
end confidence.
“I have always worked on my batting, my father has been
my coach. When I talk to him, we always talk about my
batting. It does not matter whether people see me as an
all-rounder or not. The batsman who is playing alongside
me, will get confidence that I can hang around and will not
give my wicket away. It is very important for a batsman to
know that his partner will support him. It does not matter

20 athlEtEs and sIx offIcIals to hockEy tEam Is In bEst shapE both

whether people see me as an all-rounder or not,” he pointed.
Chahar further said how coach Rahul Dravid believing in
him further helped him script the win in the second game

bE part of IndIan contIngEnt mEntally, physIcally: strIkEr mandEEp

of the ODI series.
“Rahul Dravid is coaching the senior side for the first time,
but he has been there with the A side and I have played un-

for opEnIng cErEmony CORRESPONDENT

TOKYO

Making his maiden appearance at the

CORRESPONDENT
TOKYO
Twenty-six members from
the Indian contingent will at-
tend the opening ceremony
of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics
scheduled to be held on Fri-
day in view of the COVID-19
concerns in the Japanese
capital.
Manika Batra, Sharath
Kamal Sutirtha Mukherjee,
and G Sathiyan from the
Table Tennis team will at-
tend the ceremony. Amit,
Ashish Kumar, Mary Kom
are among the eight boxers
who will be present at the
function. Six Indian officials
will take part in the opening
ceremony. Meanwhile, In-
dian Hockey team skipper
Manpreet Singh will also be
there along with the above-
mentioned athletes as he is
the flag bearer along with
Indian boxer Mary Kom.
Mary Kom.
Archers, shooters, shut-
tlers, and hockey players
(except Manpreet) among
others from the Indian con-
tingent will not be attending
the Tokyo 2020 Olympics
opening ceremony.
Earlier in the day, sources
in the know of the develop-
ments told ANI that Man-
preet (hockey), the eight
boxers, four table tennis
players, two rowers, one
gymnast, among others will
be present along with six of-
ficials. Notably, all those who
are asked to skip the opening
ceremony have their respec-
tive events the following day.
In the ceremony, India is
at serial number 21 in the
march past. The sequence of
march past is as per the Jap-
anese alphabet and only six
officials can participate from
each participating nation. A
total of 127 athletes across 18
sports disciplines from India
are participating in Olym-
pics. This is the biggest-ever
contingent India is sending
to any Olympics. The 69
cumulative events across
the 18 sport disciplines that
India will participate in are
also the highest ever for the
country.
Olympic Games, star India striker Man-
deep Singh has been enjoying every
experience since the team arrived in
Tokyo on Sunday. Recounting the mo-
ments, Mandeep said, “It has been great
so far. Although it took us some time at
the airport due to testing and other pro-
cedures, ever since we checked into the
Games Village it has been incredible. Ev-
erything is well-organised and everyone
is very careful about all the protocols.”
Mandeep also said that the team is quite
used to the routine testing and maintain-
ing social distancing and other norms
that are mandatory at the Games Village.
“I think living in a bio-bubble for nearly
15-16 months in SAI, Bengaluru, we are
very used to the covid-protocols. Here,
we get tested every morning, it is a very
simple process and the results come out
by evening,” he said.
Talking about the food, Mandeep said,
“The food is very good and there are some
Indian dishes being served everyday too.
The support staff is also ensuring we are
Hockey team with coach Graham Reid.
in good shape physically and mentally
ahead of our first game.” He further ex-
pressed that the team has been clocking
good training sessions since Monday. “We
have been using the training pitch since
Monday. We have a session each day and
the energy level amongst the players is
quite high ahead of the start of our cam-
paign here in Tokyo.”
“Since our quarantine period ended to-
day, we are now allowed to interact with
other teams. Today was the first day we
also got to play on the main competition
pitch and no doubt, it is a fantastic sta-
dium, and we are eager to play our first
match against New Zealand,” Mandeep
added.
der his guidance and coaching. There have been times that
a situation has arisen of the batsmen being dismissed and
me being out there in the middle. I have played good knocks
for India A and that is why Rahul sir has the confidence in
me. It always helps you when the coach backs you. It is al-
ways there at the back of your mind that the coach backs you.
“When I was batting with Krunal, my role was different, I had
to rotate the strike. When Bhuvneshwar came in, it was there
in the back of my mind that do I need to play my shots? But
the way he started, he was looking comfortable and it gave
me confidence. His batting gave me the boost and I was not
required to take the risks,” he said, while replying to a query
during the press conference.
Asked if he has an eye on the T20 World Cup to be played
in October-November in the UAE, he said: “World Cup is far
away, I have just one target and it is to prove myself with both
bat and ball. The selection is not in my hands, it is not in the
hands of any player. We can just perform, I was looking for
an opportunity to show my capability with the bat. For the
past two years, I did not get a chance to bat for a long period,
so it was a good opportunity. I am happy I was able to make
use of this chance.”
Chahar said he has also been looking to work on his bowling
and add variations. “I have been playing the T20 format for a
while, and if you do not have variations in that format, it can
get easy for the batsmen. Swing is dependent on the wicket
and conditions, but if you get variations, you can hold your
own in this format. I took a wicket on the knuckleball in the
last game,” he explained.

goldEn slam boxIng

Djokovic knows ‘history is on panghal among 3 boxErs to gEt

the line’ at Tokyo Olympics byEs In 1st round
CORRESPONDENT
TOKYO
Novak Djokovic knows how
close he is. Not just to creat-
ing history and becoming the
first man to achieve a Golden
Slam by winning all four
major tennis tournaments
and an Olympic singles gold
medal in the same year. Sure,
that’s on Djokovic’s mind as
he enters the Olympic tour-
nament starting Saturday.
But it’s the bigger end prod-
uct that would be the result
of such an achievement that
is weighing most heavily on
him surpassing Roger Fe-
derer and Rafael Nadal to be
considered the greatest ten-
nis player ever. The goal is so
great that Djokovic doesn’t
even want to consider the
consequences.
“I don’t want to be part of
the debate. I don’t want to
be compared to anybody,
the top-ranked Serb said
Thursday. It’s still a very long
way to a potential historic
achievement.
“I know that there is a lot
of things on the line. I know
there’s history on the line.
I’m privileged and motivat-
ed to be in this position. I’ve
worked very hard to be here.
But let’s talk about history if
everything goes great here,”
Djokovic added. “Right now
all focus goes to the next
challenge.” In Serbia, the de-
bate is already over. Olympic
committee chief of mission
Natasa Jankovic introduced
Djokovic at the team’s news
conference as “the most suc-
cessful tennis player ever.”
By winning Wimble-
don this month, Djokovic
matched Federer and Nadal
with his 20th Grand Slam
title having opened the year
by capturing the Australian
and French Opens. He is
the only one of them to have
won each Slam twice. He is
the only one to hold all four
major titles simultaneously,
something he did over the
end of 2015 and start of 2016.
The only tennis player to
achieve a Golden Slam was
Steffi Graf in 1988.
“I’m not in touch with Stef-
fi, but if you can connect her,
I would be delighted to ask
her how she did it, Djokovic
said, recalling how he briefly
worked with Graf ’s hus-
band, Andre Agassi.
“When I was thinking
about her (Golden Slam) I
didn’t think that would be
achievable. But right now it
seems more and more real-
istic for me. Of course that’s
one of the goals and dreams.
Making matters more
straightforward for Djokov-
ic is that neither Federer nor
Nadal are playing in Tokyo.
But that also was the case at
last year’s U.S. Open, where
Djokovic was disqualified
for unintentionally hitting a
line judge in the throat with a
ball. “I have not experienced
too many big tournaments
in the past 15 years without
Roger and Rafa playing,
Djokovic said. So it’s a little
bit strange, to be honest, be-
cause I’m used to seeing at
least one of them.”
CORRESPONDENT
TOKYO
Star boxer Amit Panghal (52kg) is among the four Indian
pugilists who received byes into the Tokyo Olympics pre-
quarterfinals as per the draw unveiled on Thursday. Satish
Kumar, Simranjit Kaur, and Lovlina Borgohain are the other
three players who have received byes.
ASix-time world champion pugilist Mary Kom will be lead-
ing India’s charge in the upcoming showpiece event. She will
lock horns with Dominica’s Miguelina Hernandez on Sunday.
In-form Pooja Rani will square off against Algeria’s Ichrak
Chaib in her opening bout while Vikas Krishan will play
against Japan’s Mensah Okazawa in the round of 32 on Sat-
urday to kick-start India’s quest for a medal.
India last won a medal in boxing in the 2012 London Olym-
pics when Mary Kom clinched a bronze four years after Vi-
jender Singh finished third in the 2008 showpiece event. mar (+91kg). The women’s squad includes Mary Kom (51kg),
Since then, India has not won a medal in the Olympics in Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), and Pooja
the discipline. Rani (75kg).
However, India did come close to clinching a medal in the With 127 athletes, Tokyo Olympics will see India’s highest-
2016 Games before boxer Vikas Krishan Yadav faced defeat ever playing contingent competing. Tokyo Olympics will be-
in the quarter-finals. gin on Friday and the Games will run up to August 8 this year.
The men’s boxing side comprises number one and Asian The event was slated to be held last year, but it was postponed
Games champion Panghal (52kg), Manish Kaushik (63kg), due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vikas Krishan (69kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg), and Satish Ku- With ANI inputs