The Good Word

                            THE
                            GOOD WORD Jan 10, 
                                            2022 - Week 
                                            2

                            Volume 7S-35| Pages 1
                        
                            SC forms panel to probe PM’s Punjab security
                        
                            breach, as advocates get chilling
                            threats from UK

                            Bharat First Visit 
                                IndiaWiki.org

                            Jan 10, Enforcement
                        
                            Directorate Mumbai’s
                        
                            office will soon shift to the
                        
                            Ceejay House building 
                            in
                        
                            Worli, which was once
                        
                            owned by the notorious
                        
                            drug mafia don Iqbal
                        
                            Mirchi, a close friend of
                            
                            Dawood Ibrahim.

                            Gangster Mirchi bought
                        
                            this land in 1986 in the
                        
                            name of his first wife
                        
                            Hazra and sons. His name
                        
                            appeared in the 1993
                        
                            Mumbai bomb blasts. In
                        
                            the face of police action
                        
                            Mirchi sold the place to
                        
                            Millennium Developer
                        
                            which had the Ceejay

                            House constructed. The
                        
                            Mirchi family was given a 
                        
                            9,000 sqft flat on the third
                        
                            floor and a 5,000 sqft flat
                        
                            on the fifth. NCP Congress
                        
                            leader Praful Patel also
                        
                            has a 35,000 square feet
                        
                            flat on the top floor of this
                        
                            building. Mirchi died in 
                        
                            London in 2013 and his
                        
                            wife and sons are
                        
                            absconding economic
                        
                            criminals. ED seized the
                        
                            flats under PMLA and
                        
                            instead of auctioning them
                        
                            is going to use this prime
                        
                            real estate as its office.

                            At: NewsNCR

                            Shri Ramana Maharshi birth anniversary
                            - Dec 30 –image courtesy
                            - QuotesGram 
                        
                            Kazakhstan
                        
                            blames Islamist
                        
                            radicals for riots

                            Jan 11, Kazakhstan
                        
                            President Tokayev

                            revealed that armed
                        
                            insurgents, consisting of
                        
                            foreign gunmen from
                        
                            Central-Middle East Asia,
                        
                            Turkey and Afghanistan,
                        
                            had planned to pull off a
                        
                            coup in his country.
                        
                            Simultaneous attacks hit
                        
                            11 regions, and the main
                        
                            one was to the city of
                        
                            Almaty. The fall of
                        
                            Almaty could have led to
                        
                            the capture of the entire
                        
                            south and eventually the
                        
                            entire country, the
                        
                            President added.

                            Pakistan’s Tablighi

                            Jamaat has been trying 
                        
                            to spread its network in
                        
                            Central Asia and Russia.
                        
                            Militants used peaceful
                        
                            protests as cover to
                        
                            launch violence that
                        
                            killed over 160 people in
                        
                            the last two weeks.
                        
                            India is watching
                        
                            developments closely.
                        
                            Image: Outlook, At: ET 1-2, 
                        
                            Pragativad

                            Jan 10, Sri Lanka’s is
                        
                            facing its worst ever
                        
                            financial crisis with
                        
                            foreign reserves
                        
                            reversves dipping to
                        
                            around $1.6 billion, 
                            and
                        
                            its foreign debt
                        
                            obligations exceed $7
                        
                            billion in 2022 including
                        
                            payments of bonds
                        
                            which are worth $500
                        
                            million and $1 billion in
                        
                            January and July
                        
                            respectively. Moreover
                        
                            inflation has risen to
                        
                            record levels. While the
                        
                            country had announced
                        
                            a national financial
                        
                            emergency following an
                        
                            acute fall in the value of
                        
                            the Sri Lanka Rupee on
                        
                            August 30, 2021, the
                        
                            nation continues to face
                        
                            twin deficits. Sri Lanka
                        
                            has been facing a fiscal
                        
                            deficit and trade deficit
                        
                            for most of the last
                        
                            decade. The report
                        
                            noted that since 2014,
                        
                            the foreign debt level of
                        
                            Sri Lanka has soared to
                        
                            42.6% of GDP in 2019. 
                        
                            President Rajyapaksha is
                        
                            trying to restructure
                        
                            debt repayments as Sri
                        
                            Lanka stares at total
                        
                            bankruptcy this month.
                        
                            At: RepublicWorld

                            Sri Lanka in worst
                        
                            ever foreign
                        
                            exchange crisis

                            Jan 7, The Supreme
                        
                            Court (SC) gave the
                        
                            Union government a 
                        
                            last opportunity to
                        
                            respond to a public
                        
                            interest petition by
                        
                            Ashwini Upadhyay that
                        
                            demands minorities be
                        
                            identified statewise
                            and
                        
                            that Hindus be declared
                        
                            a minority in six states
                        
                            and two Union
                        
                            territories. Upadhyay,
                            
                            challenged the
                        
                            constitutional validity of
                        
                            Section 2(c) of the
                        
                            National Commission
                        
                            for Minorities Act, 1992,
                        
                            which limits minorities
                        
                            to Muslims, Christians,
                        
                            Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains
                        
                            and Zoroastrians. He
                        
                            argued Hindus, Baha’is 
                        
                            and Jews have been
                        
                            deprived of legitimate
                        
                            rights. The petition
                        
                            cited the 2011 census
                        
                            figures to show Hindus
                        
                            are a minority in
                        
                            Mizoram (3%),
                        
                            Nagaland (9%),
                        
                            Meghalaya (12%),
                        
                            Arunachal Pradesh
                        
                            (29%), Manipur (31%),
                        
                            Punjab (38%), Jammu 
                                & 
                        
                            Kashmir (28%) and
                        
                            Lakshadweep (3%)

                            At: IndianExpress

                            ED converts Iqbal
                        
                            Mirchi’s flats into
                            
                            its own office

                            their investigations into
                        
                            the breach. It had
                        
                            earlier asked the RG to
                        
                            seize and secure all
                        
                            records related to the
                        
                            breach in which the
                        
                            PM’s convoy was halted
                        
                            on a flyover for over 15
                        
                            minutes after which he
                        
                            had to cancel his rally in
                        
                            Ferozepur and return to
                        
                            Delhi.

                            Solicitor General Tushar

                            Mehta, representing
                        
                            the Centre, informed
                        
                            the court that the
                        
                            Centre had earlier
                        
                            issued show-cause
                        
                            notices to the Punjab
                        
                            DGP and Chief
                        
                            Secretary asking them

                            to respond in 24 hours,
                        
                            but that these notices
                        
                            would be set aside as
                        
                            the SC constituted

                            panel would now take
                        
                            the probe forward.

                            In a shocking
                        
                            development a large
                        
                            number of SC advocates
                        
                            got a threat call from a
                        
                            UK based number. A
                        
                            pre-recorded message
                        
                            claimed credit for
                        
                            blocking the PM’s
                        
                            entourage in Punjab, it
                        
                            warned the SC not to
                        
                            hear the plea on the
                        
                            breach and Advocates
                        
                            on record not to appear
                        
                            for it.

                            Image: DailyUpdatesHub At:
                        
                            OpIndia, Republic

                            Jan 10, The Supreme
                        
                            Court (SC) ordered the
                        
                            formation of a panel to
                        
                            investigate Prime
                        
                            Minister (PM) Narendra
                        
                            Modi’s security breach
                        
                            en route to Ferozepur,
                            
                            Punjab. The panel will be
                        
                            headed by a retired SC
                        
                            judge and include DGP
                        
                            Chandigarh, the IG
                        
                            National Investigation
                        
                            Agency (NIA), the
                        
                            Registrar General (RG)
                        
                            of the Punjab and
                        
                            Haryana High Court and
                        
                            the ADGP (security) of
                        
                            Punjab.
                        
                            The court asked both the
                        
                            Centre and the Punjab
                        
                            governments to halt

                            RSS Nagpur HQ
                        
                            recce’ed by JeM

                            terrorist

                            Shimla receives its first snowfall;
                        
                            Himanchal shivers under a cold
                            wave

                            Jan 8, Himachal Pradesh’s capital Shimla experienced its first snowfall of the 
                        
                            season even as most places in
                            the state continued reeling 
                            under a severe cold
                        
                            wave. On Saturday morning, after the rainfall, the hilltop of Jakhu including
                        
                            Ridge and Mall Road was seen
                            wrapped in a white blanket of 
                            snow. A
                        
                            number of tourists, hoteliers, and local 
                            people were seen playing 
                            in the snow.

                            At: IndianExpress

                            Jan 7, The Supreme
                        
                            Court (SC) granted one
                        
                            ‘last opportunity’ to 
                            the 
                        
                            Centre to make its stand
                        
                            clear on the
                        
                            enforcement of Uniform
                        
                            Civil Code (UCC) in the
                        
                            country, and asked it to
                        
                            file its response within
                        
                            four weeks.

                            The apex court had
                        
                            earlier issued notice on
                        
                            a PIL for enforcement of
                        
                            UCC while entertaining
                        
                            two separate PILs
                        
                            seeking uniform divorce
                        
                            laws and uniformity in
                        
                            grant of maintenance
                        
                            and alimony to women,
                        
                            and sought the Centre's
                        
                            response. The bench
                        
                            also directed that cases
                        
                            pending in high courts,
                        
                            including in Meghalaya
                        
                            and Orissa, be
                        
                            transferred to the SC
                        
                            and tagged all the
                        
                            petitions together for
                        
                            adjudication.

                            Pressing for UCC, the
                        
                            petitioners in their plea
                        
                            contended that as

                            recently as on
                        
                            September 13, 2019,
                        
                            the SC had reiterated
                        
                            the need for UCC by
                        
                            citing the example of
                        
                            Goa but the Centre had
                        
                            not taken any step to
                        
                            even provide uniform
                        
                            grounds of
                        
                            maintenance and
                        
                            alimony. The
                        
                            petitioners pleaded
                        
                            that the Centre be
                        
                            directed to take steps
                        
                            of its implementation.

                            On Jan 8, The Centre
                        
                            on Friday told the Delhi
                        
                            high court it will
                        
                            consult stakeholders on
                        
                            ushering in a UCC after
                        
                            it has received the
                        
                            report of the Law
                        
                            Commission on the
                        
                            issue.

                            Hindu, Muslim,
                        
                            Christian and Parsee
                        
                            personal laws provide
                        
                            different grounds for
                        
                            divorce and terms of
                        
                            alimony, the petitioner
                        
                            pleaded.

                            Image: DineshRajput

                            At: MSN

                            PM Modi: Dec 26 to
                        
                            be observed as Veer
                        
                            Baal Diwas

                            SC asks Centre to
                        
                            clarify if Hindus
                        
                            can be a minority
                        
                            Jan 9, Prime Minister (PM)
                        
                            Narendra Modi declared
                        
                            that starting this year Dec
                        
                            26 will be observed as 
                        
                            ‘Veer Baal Diwas‘ to
                        
                            honour the courage and
                        
                            sacrifice of the four
                        
                            sahibzades, the four sons 
                        
                            of the 10th 
                            Sikh Guru
                        
                            Gobind Singh. He hailed
                        
                            ideals of Mata Gujri, Guru
                        
                            Gobind Singh and their
                        
                            four sons, two of whom,
                        
                            sahibzada Zorawar Singh 
                        
                            (nine years) and sahibzada

                            Fateh Singh (six years)
                        
                            were tortured to death on
                        
                            Dec 26, 1705 by Wazir
                        
                            Khan, the Mughal governor
                        
                            of Sirhind. Khan offered to
                        
                            free them if they
                        
                            embraced Islam. The
                        
                            sahibzades rejected the 
                        
                            offer upon which the
                        
                            governor, on the orders of 
                        
                            Aurangzeb, had them
                        
                            executed by brutally
                        
                            sealing them behind a
                        
                            brick wall alive. PM Modi
                        
                            hailed both martyrs for
                        
                            upholding Dharma.
                            
                            Image: CivilsDaily 
                            At: Swaraj,
                            Republic

                            Supreme Court gives Centre a
                            last
                        
                            chance on Uniform Civil Code

                            Jan 8, the Jammu and
                        
                            Kashmir police and the
                        
                            CRPF arrested 4 Jaish

                            (JeM) and Laskhar 
                                (LeT) 
                        
                            terrorists in Srinagar
                        
                            yesterday, one of whom,
                        
                            Naser, had visited Nagpur
                        
                            for a recce of The
                        
                            Rashtriya Swayamsevak

                            Sangh’s (RSS) headquarter 
                        
                            (HQ) in July 2021.
                        
                            According to the police
                        
                            the handlers of a JeM

                            terrorist had assured him
                        
                            of local logistical support
                        
                            during his stay in Nagpur
                        
                            for three days. Now the
                        
                            police are on the look out
                        
                            for such locals. While the
                        
                            terrorist’s target was to
                        
                            conduct a video recce of
                        
                            all six lanes leading to the
                        
                            RSS HQ, he halted his
                        
                            mission mid way detered

                            by the heightened
                        
                            security around it.
                        
                            The Nagpur police
                        
                            confirmed that security
                        
                            around the RSS HQ had
                        
                            been tightened further
                        
                            and taking photographs or
                        
                            flying drones has also
                        
                            been banned, next to it.
                        
                            At: OpIndia, 
                                MSN

                            Assembly election dates announced for five
                        
                            states; counting on March 10

                            Pradesh will be
                        
                            conducted in seven
                        
                            phases from Feb 10 to
                        
                            Mar 7. Manipur will have
                        
                            two-phased polls on Feb 
                        
                            27 and Mar 3.

                            Counting of votes will
                        
                            take place on Mar 10.

                            Chief Election
                        
                            Commissioner Sushil
                        
                            Chandra, announced
                        
                            that atleast 18.34 crore
                        
                            electors, including
                        
                            service voters, will be
                        
                            voting this year in the
                        
                            five states. Of these,
                        
                            8.55 crore are women
                        
                            voters. 24.9 lakh first-

                            time voters have been
                        
                            registered.

                            The Model Code of
                        
                            Conduct has come into
                        
                            effect in the five states
                        
                            with the announcement
                        
                            of elections.

                            The term of the Uttar
                        
                            Pradesh Legislative
                        
                            Assembly ends in May
                        
                            while the terms of the
                        
                            Assemblies of Goa,
                        
                            Manipur, and Punjab end
                        
                            in March.

                            Voters can use the EC’s
                        
                            cVIGIL app to report any
                        
                            violation of the Model
                        
                            Code of Conduct,
                        
                            distribution of money or
                        
                            freebies. EC officers will
                        
                            reach location in 100
                        
                            minutes. At: FirstPost,
                                LiveMint 
                        
                            Image: ZeeNews

                            Jan 8, the Election
                        
                            Commission (EC)
                        
                            announced the poll
                        
                            schedule for Assembly
                        
                            elections in Goa, Punjab,
                        
                            Manipur, Uttarakhand

                            and Uttar Pradesh.

                            No political parties will
                        
                            be allowed to hold
                        
                            physical roadshows,
                        
                            rallies and processions
                        
                            till Jan 15 in view of the
                        
                            COVID-19 situation.

                            Thereafter poll authority
                        
                            will review the COVID-19 
                        
                            and take a call on
                        
                            allowing public rallies.

                            Uttarakhand, Goa and
                        
                            Punjab will go to polls
                            in
                        
                            a single phase on Feb 14.
                        
                            Elections in Uttar