TOP NEWS

The Prayagraj Development Authority’s decision to demolish political activist and businessman Mohammad Javed’s house on June 12, after serving just a day’s notice to vacate, goes against a 2020 ruling of the Allahabad High Court, which issued a directive to Uttar Pradesh government to allow a 30-day window from issuing a notice.

“The State authorities, wherever demolition orders are passed in respect of constructions raised on private properties under the two Acts, should wait from taking any action for actual demolition till the statutory period of appeal comes to an end,” Justices Shashi Kant Gupta and Pankaj Bhatia had said in their ruling in Abbas Ansari and Another versus State Of Uttar Pradesh case in October 2020 .

The two legislation referred  in the ruling are UP Urban Planning and Development Act, 1973, and UP (Regulation of Building Operations) Act, 1958.

The Uttar Pradesh Police has tightened security and a high alert has been sounded across the state ahead of Friday prayers, days after violence rocked parts of the state over now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma's remarks against Prophet Mohammad. According to reports, the state police also held meetings with religious leaders of the state to ensure peace and harmony prevail in the state. The UP Shia Central Waqf Board has also asked mosque managements that come under it not to allow controversial statements.

Police have, meanwhile, arrested over 400 people in connection with the June 10 violence in Prayagraj, Saharanpur, Hathras, Aligarh, Firozabad and other districts of the state.

Real gross domestic product growth of 7 to 7.5 percent this year would be somewhat satisfactory, according to the chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), who was citing various agencies’ estimates.

“India has performed relatively better despite the pandemic and despite the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” Bibek Debroy said at an event on June 15.

“This year also has a little bit of base effect because contact services are recovering.”

The World Bank recently slashed its growth forecast for India for the current financial year to 7.5 percent, from its previous forecast of 8.7 percent.

A special flight operated by Afghan carrier Kam Air flew in nine people from Kabul to Delhi on Wednesday morning. It flew back with 26 passengers from here later in the day, say sources. Kam Air flew in an Airbus A340 as RQ 4401 which landed here at 11.40 am. It flew back at 2.17 pm.

Kam Air has not been granted approval to operate any scheduled flight in summer schedule 2022. “It may be a non-schedule flight after clearance from the Indian government,” said an official.

Pictures of a Kam A340 had gone viral last August when scores of people had gatecrashed Kabul Airport on August 16, 2021, to fly out of the capital that was on the verge of being taken over by the Taliban. The picture showed people on top of this twin-aisle aircraft.

A week ahead of the BRICS leaders' virtual meeting on June 24, National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval on Wednesday participated in a virtual meeting of NSAs of BRICS countries, hosted by Chinese NSA Yang Jiechi.

Today's meeting, incidentally, took place two years to the day of the Galwan incident in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed in clashes with Chinese soldiers in eastern Ladakh. Beijing has claimed four Chinese soldiers were killed in the clashes; Indian assessment is that the number is higher.

While there was no official readout from the Indian side on the BRICS NSAs' meeting, Chinese Foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, “The Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security is an important platform for BRICS countries to enhance political and security cooperation.”