News18 Daybreak : Ordinance on Death Penalty, CJI Impeachment and Other Stories You May Have Missed
In case you missed it
Raping a child under the age of 12 is punishable by death now in India. Following the massive outrage over the gang-rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua, the Union Cabinet on Saturday approved the promulgation of an ordinance to allow courts to award death penalty to those convicted of raping children up to 12 years of age. The Ordinance was approved by President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday.
In an unprecedented move, leaders of seven Opposition parties submitted an impeachment motion against CJI Dipak Misra to Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu. Addressing a press conference, Leader of Opposition in the Upper House Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday said the notice has the signature of 71 MPs, seven of whom have retired since it was signed. The move has come under fire with BJP leaders such as Arun Jaitly accusing Congress of using impeachment as a ‘political tool’. Congress suggested on Sunday that the CJI Dipak Misra should defer from performing judicial and administrative work till he was cleared of allegations of misconduct. Follow all the development here.
Gujarat High Court acquitted former BJP minister Mayaben Kodnani of all charges in the controversial 2002 Naroda Patiya massacre case. The court on Friday set aside an earlier conviction by a special court which had held her guilty of criminal conspiracy and murder, sentencing her to 28 years imprisonment. 97 people, including 36 women and 35 children were killed by a mob on February 28, 2002 at Naroda Patiya – one of the most horrific killings in the communal riots that broke out across Gujarat after the Sabarmati Express incident at Godhra.
A BJP youth wing leader allegedly admitted to burning down the Rohingya Refugee camp in New Delhi on the intervening night of April 14 and 15. The All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM) on Thursday wrote to Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik seeking appropriate action against BJP youth wing leader Manish Chandela for allegedly admitting in social media to burning down a Rohingya refugee camp here a few days back. Read more here.
28-year-old Swedish musician Avicci was found dead in Oman. Considered often to be one of the pioneers of the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) genre, Avicci’s death is currently being investigated by Omani police.
The occasion was celebratory, but the mood sombre in Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu sat on a day-long fast on his birthday on April 20, protesting against the 'injustice’ meted out to Andhra Pradesh. The gloom of being denied 'Special Category Status' to the state was writ large on the stage set protest. Read the full report here.
Adding the provision of capital punishment for raping children under 12-years-old of age was added to POSCO with the view of letting it act as a deterrence. However, many argue that capital punishment may not actually be the solution.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has a new voice these days. And it is not that of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, but of his deputy, Manish Sisodia. With Kejriwal increasingly maintaining a low profile, his education minister has taken on the task of voicing the Delhi government's grievances and spearheading the battle against the Centre. Read on to find out more.
Actor Ranbir Kapoor said that he believes that the notion of masculinity has to be changed in order to bring about empowerment for women.
At least four people died when a nearly nude gunman opened fire at a Waffle House restaurant near Nashville, Tennessee early Sunday. According to the police, the death toll could have been higher if not for fast action by a 29-year-old "hero" who snatched away the shooter's AR-15 assault-type rifle, likely saving many more lives.
PM Modi on Sunday warned all elected members and ministers of the BJP to steer clear of making controversial statements to the media and not to give the latter anymore ‘masala’. The stern message comes amidst outrage over a spate of child rapes. BJP leaders have not helped matters by making controversial statements and being seen as soft on the accused.
Former chief justice and activist Rajinder Singh Sachar passed away in Delhi at the age of 94. He is credited with the Sachar report which brought to fore the socio-economic and educational conditions of the Muslim community in India.
Agree or Disagree?
To begin with, the choice of Prasoon Joshi as host for PM Modi’s 'Bharat Ki Baat, Sabke Saath', held in UK last week, was not a very smart decision. Inappropriate, because he was part of the Bharatiya Janata Party's 2014 campaign, thereby carrying the self-limiting tag of 'in-house' anchor. In the absence of neutrality, events of this nature get restricted to the already converted.
Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan started a row after he told media persons to not discuss ‘disgusting’ matters such as rape upon being asked to comment on the recent incidents in Kathua, Surat and Unnao. In the backdrop of current incidents, is silence really the best form of expressing dissent? Read on to find ou more.