Morning Digest | More cases of women being assaulted surface in Manipur; Law Minister shares data on social background of High Court judges

The house of one of the accused in Manipur sexual assault case is burnt down by miscreants in Kangpokpi district of Manipur on July 21, 2023.
| Photo Credit: ANI

PM Modi’s absence in both Houses spurs Opposition protests

Prime Minister Narendra Modi remained absent from both Houses of Parliament on July 21, leading to another day of protests, with the Opposition remaining steadfast in its demand that he deliver a statement on the ethnic strife in Manipur, followed by a structured debate.

More cases of women being assaulted surface in Manipur

Two days after three women were disrobed and paraded naked, one of whom was raped, in Manipur’s Thoubal district, a 45-year-old woman was stripped and set ablaze in Imphal East on May 6. A photo of the charred body of the woman has now surfaced on social media.

Assam Rifles files sedition case against Imphal civil society group

The Assam Rifles has registered a case of sedition and defamation against the chief of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an influential civil society group in Imphal.

Genius of Abe lay in his ability to look beyond alliances: Jaishankar

Describing former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as the first leader to think “beyond alliances”, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday paid tributes to the late leader who had first proposed the Australia-India-Japan-U.S. Quadrilateral, or ‘Quad’ dialogue in the Indo-Pacific.

Law Minister shares data on social background of High Court judges

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Friday informed the Lok Sabha that of the 604 judges appointed since 2018 to various High Courts, 454 belong to general category. Mr. Meghwal’s written answer was in response to a question by Lok Sabha member and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader, Asaduddin Owaisi, who asked if “79% of the High Court judges appointed since 2018 belonged to upper castes”

Private Member’s Bill to repeal Wakf boards | IUML MP writes to Dhankhar

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) MP Abdul Wahab has written to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar urging him not to allow the introduction of the Wakf Repeal Bill, a Private Member’s Bill moved by BJP MP Harnath Singh Yadav. The Bill, however, was not introduced on Friday as the House got adjourned without taking up any business as Opposition members protested over the Manipur violence.

Consider Indian languages as an optional medium of instruction, CBSE tells schools

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has written to all its affiliated schools stating that they may consider using Indian languages as an optional medium of instruction in addition to other existing options.

Over ₹1.08 lakh crore spent on railway safety, says Minister

The Indian Railways is taking a slew of measures to ensure safety in operations following the Balasore triple train tragedy which left 295 persons dead and over a thousand injured, Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Rajya Sabha on Friday. 

Online portal launched to report violation of ban on e-cigarettes

Despite the ban imposed by the Union government in 2019, e-cigarettes continue to be sold on e-commerce sites, even to children below 18, warn experts working in the area of tobacco control. Now to curb this, the Health Ministry has launched an online portal to facilitate reporting of violations under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act (PECA).

U.K. Conservative Party suffers severe losses in parliamentary byelections

The U.K. Conservative Party suffered significant losses in two of three parliamentary byelections on Thursday, in what is being seen by some as a strong indicator of their prospects in next year’s general election.

Joe Biden nominates Admiral Lisa Franchetti to be first woman to lead U.S. Navy

President Joe Biden on July 21 nominated Admiral Lisa Franchetti to lead the Navy, an historic step that would break a gender barrier in the U.S. military by making her the first woman to command the service and to become a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.