Tag: change

Biden judicial nominee helped free-market group that opposed administration on climate change

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Delaney’s relationship with the organization, which has not been reported in the media until now, is just one of several aspects of his resume that causes concern among some progressives. He has already faced questions about his work defending an elite boarding school that was sued over sexual assault, and for signing a brief defending a state abortion restriction.
The White House continues to support Delaney, calling him “extraordinarily qualified” in a statement to POLITICO this week. The two senators from his home state of New Hampshire, both of whom are Democrats, are also standing behind him.
Delaney did not respond to a request for comment on this reporting. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to review his nomination at a markup on Thursday.
Delaney was New Hampshire’s attorney general from 2009 to 2013. He now heads the litigation department for McLane Middleton, a law firm with offices in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
In 2018, Delaney joined the board of the New England Legal Foundation, according to his Senate questionnaire. He is also on the foundation’s legal review committee. Daniel Winslow, the president of the foundation, told POLITICO that the committee members vet the foundation’s amicus briefs before they are filed.
Winslow added that he was not aware of Delaney weighing in on briefs since Winslow became the group’s head in October 2021, likely because he expected to be nominated to the bench. Biden tapped Delaney in January of this year, and the Senate Judiciary Committee held his nomination hearing in February.
The New England Legal Foundation’s website touts its “vigorous advocacy of free market principles” and describes its mission as championing “individual economic liberties, traditional property rights, properly limited government, and inclusive economic growth.” Its “About” page features a quote from John W. Davis, the U.S. solicitor general under former President Woodrow Wilson: “Property rights and civil rights are not essentially in conflict; they are two sides of the same coin.” Late in his career, Davis defended school segregation and the “separate but equal” doctrine before the Supreme Court in a companion case to Brown v. Board of Education, representing the state of South Carolina for free.
NELF’s June 2021 amicus brief in the climate change case urged the Supreme Court to take up the case and overrule a lower court that had sided with the EPA. After the justices agreed to hear the case, NELF filed another amicus brief in December 2021 opposing the administration’s position. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled against the EPA in a June 2022 opinion that Biden called a “devastating decision that aims to take our country backwards.” In the coming weeks, the EPA is expected to release a new climate change rule.

Winslow said the group’s work on the case was of a piece with its mission: Advocating for free enterprise, property rights, limited government and inclusive economic growth.
“Consistent with the rule of law, if you’re an agency, the boundaries of your conduct are set by the elected, accountable branch, Congress,” he said. “And when the administrative state goes beyond that boundary to the point of being unaccountable to the people directly — which Congress is — that violates our principle of rule of law, and that’s why we were involved in that case.”
Delaney graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1994, according to his law firm bio. Five years later, he was heading the homicide prosecution unit in the New Hampshire attorney general’s office. He later served as counsel to the governor and then as the state’s attorney general before moving into private practice.
During Delaney’s time on NELF’s board, the group has filed amicus briefs siding with the Chamber of Commerce and a host of powerful companies, including Facebook, Uber and Deutsche Bank.
In the Uber case, NELF supported the company in a lawsuit brought by a blind man who alleged the rideshare app illegally discriminated against him by refusing to let him bring his guide dog on rides. Uber moved to force the resolution of the matter in arbitration rather than in court, citing its terms of service. NELF backed Uber, but the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court sided with the plaintiff.
That was just one of multiple cases where NELF worked to shore up companies’ rights to resolve disputes through mandatory arbitration. In its 2019/2020 report, the group detailed its work successfully defending arbitration before the Supreme Court in one case — known as Lamps Plus v. Varela — but noted that its efforts on another arbitration-related case — New Prime v. Oliveira — didn’t prevail.
Mandatory arbitration clauses have long drawn condemnation from progressives, who argue they result in customers and employees unwittingly ceding their rights to go to court, as the liberal advocacy group Public Citizen has detailed.
Biden himself has also criticized mandatory arbitration. Last year, he signed legislation banning the requirement in cases of sexual assault and sexual harassment. At the signing ceremony, he assailed the practice more broadly.
“Sixty million Americans are bound by forced arbitration clauses that were included in the fine print of their contracts,” he said. “And many don’t even know they exist. You might have signed one without knowing it. I strongly believe no worker should have to make such a commitment.”
NELF also filed a brief in an important 2021 Supreme Court case involving a clash between union organizers and private property rights. Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid involved a California regulation that gave labor organizers the right to enter the property of agricultural employers in order to speak with workers about joining a union. NELF sided with the companies challenging the regulation, and the high court ultimately found the regulation unconstitutional.
The Biden administration defended the California regulation in the case. So did a group of Democratic lawmakers: Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.)., Cory Booker (N.J.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.) and Alex Padilla (Calif.). In their brief, the senators listed NELF as one of several entities filing amicus briefs that are funded by “industry-tied foundations and anonymous money groups.”
NELF’s most recent annual report listed dozens of corporations, law firms and individuals as contributors. The report said the group got 45 percent of its 2020 revenue from corporate sponsors.
NELF also weighed in on a case related to a New Hampshire regulator’s effort to reduce dangerous PFAS contaminants — known as “forever chemicals” — in drinking water. NELF sided with 3M Company in its effort to block a rule reducing the presence of those contaminants. The group argued that New Hampshire’s Department of Environmental Services hadn’t done a proper cost-benefit analysis before tightening its regulations of the chemicals.
“Our amicus brief said, ‘Hey judges, let the legislature have the first crack at this issue,’” Winslow, the group’s president, said. “No, we don’t favor PFAS.”
PFAS contamination has been a major concern for the Biden administration, as the White House detailed in a fact sheet released this March.
Some advocates for liberal causes voiced concerns about Delaney’s nomination after being informed by POLITICO of his connection to NELF.
Jeff Hauser, the head of the progressive watchdog group Revolving Door Project, told POLITICO that he found Delaney’s nomination puzzling.
“The Biden agenda on economic issues, such as protecting workers and the environment, faces a judicial headwind from the conservative legal movement of which NELF and Delaney is a part,” Hauser wrote in an email. “That tension between the Biden Administration’s legal interests and Delaney’s revealed preferences makes elevating Delaney to the bench a confoundingly counterproductive idea.”
And Mike Kink, the head of the union-backed Strong Economy for All Coalition, said the Senate should seek more information about Delaney’s role at the group.
“Anyone who’s concerned about economic justice should be concerned about this nominee’s connections” to the foundation, Kink said. “The group Delaney helped head has shielded corporate polluters and fraudsters while fighting eviction protections for tenants and fair taxes on the wealthiest individuals and corporations. The Senate must closely question this nominee and assure Americans he’ll work on the bench for regular people who need the law on their side, not just for the rich and powerful.”
On the right, meanwhile, Delaney’s link to NELF is the opposite of a red flag.
“If in fact he is conservative-leaning, then perhaps it was not the best move for Republicans to oppose his nomination,” said Josh Blackman, a conservative law professor at the South Texas College of Law Houston.
Andrew Bates, a White House spokesperson, said the president’s support for Delaney is unchanged. “We are unmoved by an affiliation the President’s extraordinarily qualified nominee disclosed to the public and the Senate months ago, in the most thorough and transparent way available,” Bates said. “This is also the first we have heard any concerns about this expressed at all; and we are skeptical of complaints that surface in the press before we have heard them privately.”
At the Senate Judiciary Committee’s February nomination hearing, members pressed Delaney on his work for a boarding school that was sued over its handling of a sexual assault, as POLITICO has detailed.
Delaney has also taken some heat from the left for signing a brief defending a New Hampshire abortion restriction when he worked in the New Hampshire attorney general’s office. The brief backed a New Hampshire law requiring minors to notify their parents before receiving abortions. The law has since been repealed.
But Delaney has received broad support from a host of other groups, including numerous former state attorneys general and the head of New Hampshire’s Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children.
His home state senators, Democrats Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, both strongly supported his nomination. Their spokespersons told POLITICO they still firmly back him.
“Before considering Michael Delaney’s nomination, Senator Shaheen reviewed his full record, which includes his fierce defense of LGBTQ rights, bringing criminals to justice and leading one of the most significant legal battles against a massive oil company in New Hampshire state history,” said Sarah Weinstein, a spokesperson for Shaheen. “Michael Delaney’s wide scope of supporters includes individuals in the advocacy and legal sectors, as well as judges on the New Hampshire Supreme Court, which reaffirm his respected reputation as a public servant committed to seeking justice.”
Laura Epstein, a spokesperson for Hassan, sent a similar statement. “His background has been thoroughly vetted, and throughout his career, he has shown a strong commitment to justice, including supporting civil rights and the environment,” Epstein said. “His strong, bipartisan support from a wide cross-section of leaders — from public defenders to Attorneys General from 20 states across the country to the CEO of New Hampshire’s Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) — underscores why he will make for an excellent First Circuit Judge.”
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#Biden #judicial #nominee #helped #freemarket #group #opposed #administration #climate #change
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

May 4, 2023
Telangana govt to bring qualitative change in worker’s lives: KCR on Labour Day

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Hyderabad: On the occasion of International Workers Day recognised as May Day, Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao held that the state government will continue its efforts to bring a qualitative change in the lives of workers in the entire country.
While extending greetings to all hardworking workers and professional workers who indirectly participate in the development of society, KCR said the day was observed to honour their struggles and gains and for improving their working conditions.
Highlighting various benefits the state government has offered to the workers and their families, KCR said that an amount of Rs 6 lakh in the event of the death of a worker is forwarded to their kin.

“So far about 4001 workers’ families have been covered under the scheme and an amount of Rs 223 crore has been paid to the beneficiaries,” he informed.
Likewise, the labourers involved in accidents becoming disabled were being provided Rs 5 lakh and so far 504 workers have been covered under the scheme in the state.
“In this context, an amount of Rs 8.9 crore has been disbursed to the beneficiaries,” added KCR.
Stating the benefits given to the female workers, KCR said that Rs 30,000 as maternity benefits were given to 1,01,983 beneficiaries each and Rs 280 crore have been accorded in this context In past nine years.
“Telangana government was providing Rs 30,000 for labourers so that they get their daughters married and 46,638 beneficiaries so far have received Rs 130 crore,” he said.

“Rs 288 crore has been distributed to the families of the workers who died in the course where each of them received Rs 1 lakh, said KCR adding that 39,797 workers’ kins were provided financial assistance of Rs 98 crore for the funeral.
Mentioning the budget spent during the COVID-19 pandemic, KCR said that the state government spent Rs 1,005 crore under various programmes for labourers’ welfare.
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#Telangana #govt #bring #qualitative #change #workers #lives #KCR #Labour #Day
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 1, 2023
Paraguay looks for change as election looms. But that’s not on the ballot

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Paraguay is bracing for what is expected to be one of the most fiercely contested general elections in the country’s short democratic history, with a vote which may see the ruling rightwing Colorado party defeated after more than 75 years of almost uninterrupted power.
The Colorado stranglehold on power has loosened in an election run-up marked by cries for change, pressure from the US, and the rise of a populist “anti-system” candidate known for punching and defecating his way through disputes.
“There’s an enormous difference with this year’s elections and it has to do with financial resources,” said political scientist Rocío Duarte.
For more than a decade the Colorado party has been bankrolled by the enormous wealth of former president Horacio Cartes, who remains the party president and the political patron of its current candidate, Santiago Peña.
But in January, he was targeted with US sanctions for “rampant corruption that undermines democratic institutions” and alleged links to Hezbollah, starving the Colorado electoral machine of funding and access to bank loans.
The current financial blow, along with deep internal party conflicts, has seen Peña fall in the polls to a statistical tie with third-time hopeful Efraín Alegre. Rightwinger Alegre is a candidate for the Coalition for a New Paraguay, a confederation of opposition parties that includes his own Liberal party, the country’s second-biggest political force.
“I’m optimistic that the opposition can win, but I’m very deeply pessimistic about what the Coalition [for a New Paraguay] will be able to do if it’s actually in government,” said political scientist Gustavo Setrini, pointing to a lack of coherent policy proposals from coalition leaders in response to enormous inequality, recession and rising extreme poverty rates.
“The two candidates are different flavours of clientelist neoliberalism. One is more linked to narcotrafficking and authoritarianism, and the other to the Liberal party and nominally more progressive elites,” he said.

Efraín Alegre, the Coalition for a New Paraguay candidate for the Paraguayan presidency, during a campaign rally on Monday. Photograph: Norberto Duarte/AFP/Getty Images
Both Peña and Alegre have pledged not to raise taxes, despite Paraguay having an underfunded state and the lowest tax burden in South America, which greatly benefits society’s wealthiest.
One key difference between the candidates is their position on Paraguay’s diplomatic relationship with Taiwan: Paraguay is the largest of 13 countries to still recognise the island.
Alegre said he would consider switching recognition to China over Taiwan, in line with Beijing’s one-China principle, stating that Paraguay “loses many opportunities” that were not sufficiently rewarded by Taiwan.
“It would be a historic mistake for Paraguay,” said Carlos Fleitas, Paraguay’s ambassador to Taiwan, adding that Taipei is closely observing the elections following Honduras’s recent break with the island.
“The relationship with Taiwan isn’t only economic,” he said. “We share the same values of freedom and justice.”
On the street, however, the relationship with Taiwan “isn’t of importance for voters”, said Duarte. In contrast, she said that widespread discontent with state institutions and traditional parties had fed the rapid rise of the “anti-system” candidate Paraguayo “Payo” Cubas, a candidate who has drawn comparisons to Brazil’s far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro and El Salvador’s authoritarian leader Nayib Bukele.
Paraguayo ‘Payo’ Cubas at a rally in San Lorenzo, Paraguay, at the weekend. Photograph: Norberto Duarte/AFP/Getty Images
Cubas, a former senator who was expelled from Congress and is notorious for physical altercations and defecating in a judge’s office, has employed social media to run a bare-bones campaign. He has said he will instate the death penalty and spoke in favour of establishing a dictatorship, and he is currently polling in third at 23%.
“Payo is the only one who can tear it all down,” said Alejandro Daniel, an Uber driver in the Paraguayan capital, Asunción.
Duarte described Cubas as a belated example of the populist trend which swept across Latin America and the world in the past decade. “Everything reaches Paraguay a few years later, so now we’re seeing this anti-system current here,” she said.
Despite palpable disillusionment with traditional parties, many insist that a non-Colorado government is an essential step forward for Paraguay, where democracy was only introduced in 1989 following the 35-year rightwing dictatorship of Gen Alfredo Stroessner, of which the Colorado party itself was an integral part.
The National Campesino Federation (FNC), a powerful peasant farmer organisation, has taken sides in electoral politics for the first time, backing Alegre and the Coalition for a New Paraguay.
“The coalition offers us a respite. The other option is a continuation of the same politics without healthcare, without education, without land, without work, without productive policies for campesinos,” said the FNC leader Teodolina Villalba.
Alegre, should he win, could also face Colorado majorities in both houses of congress, also disputed on 30 April. And to implement any major changes, he would first have to avoid the fate of former president Fernando Lugo, the only non-Colorado president since democratisation began in 1989.
Leftist Lugo was impeached in 2012 by a hostile congress – including then senator Alegre – in what many analysts saw as a coup that truncated a promising process of deep transformation.
For Setrini, an Alegre administration would hold a position of enormous historic responsibility for ensuring progress in Paraguay’s tortuous process of democratisation.
“Interrupting Cartes’s model of the state is positive,” he said. “But the risk is that if you sell the Coalition [for a New Paraguay] as a change, but it’s totally unworkable as a government, you’re going to end up making people even more sour on democracy.”
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( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

April 27, 2023
“It’s time for a change…” Priyanka Gandhi on upcoming Karnataka assembly polls

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Mysuru: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday said that it is time for a change in Karnataka as BJP has not done any constructive work in the state.
While addressing the mediapersons, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “They (BJP) have not done any constructive work for Karnataka. So it is time for a change”.
“In the last three years from every aspect things have got down in the state be it facilities or infrastructure. People rather listening to politicians know from their own experiences about the governance of the BJP,” she added.

She further stated that a corrupt government is being run in the state of Karnataka which has done nothing for the people.
“Karnataka is running a corrupt government and it is a government that has done nothing for the people. We want a government that works for the people, BJP did not do any work for the people of Karnataka,” she said.
In this regard, Priyanka Gandhi also took to Twitter and said, “Actually the people of the state are fighting the election of Karnataka – against the government with 40% commission, against the betrayal done to Karnataka, against the corruption of BJP. Congress is coming – for employment, for relief from inflation, for the welfare of the poor, for the development of the state”.
Earlier Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday hit out at the incumbent BJP government in Karnataka, claiming the “40 per cent commission government” will be reduced to 40 seats in the May 10 Assembly elections.
Addressing a roadshow in Vijayapura, Rahul Gandhi said, “The Congress will form the government in Karnataka with 150 seats while 40 per cent commission government of the BJP will be reduced to 40 seats”.

Reacting to this Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday hit back at Rahul Gandhi over his allegations of terming the Bommai government in Karnataka as ’40 per cent commission BJP government’ and said if the Congress have evidence they should go to court.
“They can talk about it and should go to court if they have concrete evidence. Neither there’s any probe nor there’s any case. How will people believe in such baseless allegations?” he said.
The Karnataka assembly elections will be held in a single phase on May 10, with the counting of votes scheduled on May 13.
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#time #change #Priyanka #Gandhi #upcoming #Karnataka #assembly #polls
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 26, 2023
PRI’s Powerful Agents Of Socio-Economic Change: Manoj Sinha

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SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha On Monday participated in the celebration of National Panchayati Raj Day at Palli, Samba.
On the occasion, the Lt Governor conferred awards to the concerned awardees of UT Level Panchayat Awards. He also launched ‘Mera Samba’ Swachhta App for Community Participation and inaugurated 18 Nokia Smartpurs for Samba & 6 for Anantnag.
The Lt Governor addressed the Panchayati Raj representatives and highlighted the stories of best performing Panchayats of J&K that have been awarded in three categories at the national-level. These Panchayats are inspiring other PRIs for improving delivery of services and public goods, he added.
“As powerful agents of Socio-Economic change and engines of rural development, Panchayats are making a significant contribution to the nation building and empowering the citizens to meet the challenge of sustainable development,” said the Lt Governor.
Collective efforts of common man and Panchayats are playing an important role in realizing big dreams of small villages of UT. By establishing and strengthening three-tier grassroots democracy in J&K, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ensured rapid and inclusive development, added the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor urged all the public representatives to give priority to the underprivileged to realise the Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of Poorna Swaraj through Gram Swaraj. Our efforts should also focus on removing developmental imbalances, he added.
“Rural growth is the main pillar of the Country’s development and to achieve our objectives, Gram Panchayats will have to play a major role in economic empowerment of all the citizens, ensuring benefits reaching the last mile & active participation in grassroots planning and execution,” said the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor said the historic visit of Narednra Modi to Palli laid the foundation for making panchayats in the UT strong and Atmanirbhar

The Lt Governor highlighted the major steps taken to strengthen grassroots democracy in Jammu Kashmir.
“Devolution of Funds, Functions & Functionaries and seamless coordination at each of the levels of three-tier system of Panchayati Raj has given tremendous boost to aspirations of rural society. It is our firm resolve to make PRIs more powerful, efficient and effective,” the Lt Governor added.
The Lt Governor also spoke on progressive policies and schemes aimed at increasing farmers’ income, enhance their skills and directly connect them with various Centrally Sponsored and UT’s schemes.
The Lt Governor called upon the elected representatives to complement government’s efforts in implementation of the groundbreaking 29 projects worth Rs. 5013 crore for the holistic development of agriculture & allied sectors.
I am confident that the success of this Holistic Agriculture development plan will guide the prosperous future of Jammu Kashmir and help in doubling the contribution of agriculture sector in J&K’s GDP in the next 5 years, he said.
The Lt Governor also inaugurated Smriti Kaksh and flagged off ‘SwachhtaKarwan’ to mark the occasion. A compendium on Amrit Sarovars & Coffee Table Book on the capacity building & training of Elected Representatives of J&K was also released.

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#PRIs #Powerful #Agents #SocioEconomic #Change #Manoj #Sinha
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

April 24, 2023
Maha BJP blows off Sanjay Raut’s ‘pipe-dreams’ of change of CM

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Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday sniggered at Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut’s claims that a change of Chief Minister in Maharashtra was allegedly being plotted out in Delhi.
Taking a sharp jibe, BJP spokesperson Ram Kadam said here that Raut is clearly rattled’ and is day-dreaming like ‘mungerilal ke sapne’ with such comments.
“All that’s left for him now is to get a parrot and predict peoples’ fortunes on the roadside,” said Kadam, evoking much mirth in political circles.

Earlier on Monday, Raut contended that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has not lived up to the BJP’s expectations and moves are reportedly underway in Delhi to topple him.
Nationalist Congress Party national spokesperson Clyde Crasto also claimed on Monday that a ‘role-reversal’ was probably in the offing in the state between Shinde and the Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, with ‘hush-hush meetings in Delhi’.
Ahead of the Supreme Court verdict, Maharashtra politics has been agog with rumours of a couple of ‘political earthquakes’ expected in the next fortnight or so with speculation on the fate of Shinde, a change of guard in the state, prominent leaders from the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi switching sides, etc.
However, all top MVA leaders like NCP president Sharad Pawar, state Congress president Nana Patole, Sena (UBT)’s Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve, Raut and others have dismissed all such reports, asserting that the alliance is intact and strongly united.
Nevertheless, Pawar on Sunday confounded political circles by claiming how he could predict whether the MVA will contest the future elections together or not at this moment.

Ruling ally Shiv Sena spokesperson Deepak Kesarkar slammed Raut for being a ‘fake astrologer’, while Fadnavis said that people now don’t take Raut’s daily morning ‘drug-intoxicated’ ramblings seriously.
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#Maha #BJP #blows #Sanjay #Rauts #pipedreams #change
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 24, 2023
‘BJP believes in continuous change’, Shah on denial of tickets

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Bengaluru: Reacting to the denial of tickets to state BJP bigwigs in poll-bound Karnataka, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said at a media conclave here on Saturday that the BJP believes in a continuous process of change.
Shah also underlined that if Congress thinks that it can come to power in Karnataka with the induction of former BJP leader Jagadish Shettar into the party, it is thinking of the impossible.
“Only Shettar has joined the Congress, not our vote bank or the party workers. BJP will retain power with a thumping majority,” Shah said.

On denial of tickets to senior state BJP leaders, Shah said that various factors are taken into account before preparing the list of candidates.
“The nominees should not be tainted, they should be respectable candidates. Those who have been denied tickets have been convinced about the party’s decision,” the Home Minister said.
Shah also clarified that one can’t brand all the leaders who were denied tickets as tainted. To accommodate new faces and the new generation, many sitting MLA were not given tickets, he said, adding that the change infused in Karnataka BJP is minimal.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Shettar recently quit the party and joined the Congress after being denied ticket for the May 10 Assembly elections. Former Deputy CM Laxman Savadi has also jumped ship to the Congress for the same reason.
Shah, who arrived in Bengaluru on Friday evening, conducted a marathon meeting of party leaders that continued till 3 a.m. on Saturday, during which he gave them specific tasks to ensure victory of the party. He also advised the party leaders not to be over confident and to shed their negative image.

He also said that the defectors should be taught a lesson in the elections, sources said.
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#BJP #believes #continuous #change #Shah #denial #tickets
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 22, 2023
No change of guard ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Saturday due to Eid

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New Delhi: There will be no change of guard ceremony on April 22 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan as it is a gazetted holiday on account of Eid, an official statement said on Friday.
The change of guard ceremony is a military tradition that is held every week to enable a fresh group of the President’s Bodyguards to take charge.
“The change of guard ceremony will not be held this Saturday (April 22, 2023) at Rashtrapati Bhavan due to gazetted holiday on account of Eid-ul-Fitr,” said the statement issued by the President’s office.

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#change #guard #ceremony #Rashtrapati #Bhavan #Saturday #due #Eid
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 22, 2023
Gautam Navlakha moves SC seeking change of address for house arrest

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New Delhi: Activist Gautam Navlakha, who was ordered to be kept under house arrest in a public library in Mumbai in connection with the Elgar Parishad-Maoist link case, on Friday moved the Supreme Court seeking a change of address.
A bench of Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna was told by counsel for Navlakha, that the place, where he is under house arrest, is a public library and needs to be vacated.
“All I am seeking is change of address in Mumbai”, Navlakha’s counsel said, requesting for urgent hearing.

Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, who was appearing in another matter in the court, said he had no idea about the mentioning of the application and sought time to respond to it.
The bench said it will take up the matter for hearing on next Friday.
On November 10, last year, the top court allowed Navlakha, who was then lodged in Navi Mumbai’s Taloja prison in connection with the case, to be placed under house arrest owing to his deteriorating health.
Noting the activist has been in custody since April 14, 2020, and prima facie there is no reason to reject his medical report, it had said Navlakha does not have any criminal background except this case and even the Government of India had appointed him as interlocutor to hold talks with Maoists.
The case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which the police claim triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial on the outskirts of the western Maharashtra city.

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#Gautam #Navlakha #moves #seeking #change #address #house #arrest
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 21, 2023
Altaf Bukhari Calls For Reconciliation To Bring Positive Change In JK

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SRINAGAR: Apni Party President Altaf Bukhari emphasised that reconciliation is important to shape the destiny of Jammu and kashmir and its people.
According to a press release Bukhari was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a party event, in which a large number of political leaders and activists from central Kashmir’s Badgam district joined the Apni Party at its headquarters in Srinagar.
Apni Party president said, “The militancy has taken a backstage in JK and the people have been contributing to restoring the normalcy here; therefore, the time has come to start a reconciliation to shape up the destiny of this land and its people in a positive manner.”
Bukhari expressed his worry about the prevailing drug menace in society and yet again called for comprehensive efforts by one and all to eradicate the menace and protect the young population from falling prey to it.
“As you know, Apni Party has already launched a campaign named ‘Say yes to life and say no to drugs’ with a range of initiatives, but the problem needs to be tackled on a large scale and everyone from the society, especially our religious leaders, need to come forward to play their vital role in eradicating the drug abuse from the society.”
Stressing on the release of the veteran religious leaders, Altaf Bukhari said, “The prominent religious leaders including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Moulana Abdul Rasheed Dawoodi, Moulana Mushtaq Ahmad Veeri, and others who are in jail must be released because these veteran social and religious leaders have huge following in the Valley can play an important role to help eradicate social evils including drug abuse in the Valley.
He further said, “Jammat Islami JK must be allowed to carry out its religious activities so that it can help eradicating social evils including the growing drug menace in Jammu and Kashmir.”

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#Altaf #Bukhari #Calls #Reconciliation #Bring #Positive #Change
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

April 18, 2023