Opposition disrupts Parliament demanding discussion of Adani bribe scheme | Top News of Nov 25, 2024

[00:00:09] Hello, this is your Daily Dose of News from Onmanorama. I'm your host Vishnu and these are the major news stories of Monday, Nov 25, 2024.

[00:00:18] The Parliament was suspended on Monday after disruption by the opposition demanding a discussion of bribery allegations against the Adani group, while major partner Total Energies halted investments into the ports to power conglomerate.

[00:00:32] UP Police arrested 25 people in connection with the violence over a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque in Sambhal and registered seven FIRs naming Samajwadi Party MP Zia Ur-Rahman Bark and local SPMLA Iqbal Mahmood's son, Sohail Iqbal, as accused.

[00:00:50] The Supreme Court dismissed a series of petitions challenging the inclusion of the words socialist and secular in the preamble of the Indian Constitution introduced through the 42nd Amendment in 1976.

[00:01:02] Jaspirid Bhumra led a feisty bunch of Indian cricketers to their most dominant test victory on Australian soil, winning by a massive 295 runs in Perth.

[00:01:12] A report released by the Kerala State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights revealed that the instances of sexual abuse of children in the state were on an upward spiral, leaving them unsafe even in schools and homes.

[00:01:23] Let's get into the details.

[00:01:25] The Parliament was suspended on Monday after disruption by the opposition demanding a discussion of bribery allegations against the Arani group, while major partner Total Energies halted investments into the ports to power conglomerate.

[00:01:37] Gautam Adani and seven other people were last week charged by U.S. authorities with agreeing to pay around $265 million in bribes to Indian government officials.

[00:01:45] The charges related to alleged payments to obtain contracts that could yield $2 billion of profit over 20 years, as well as to develop India's largest solar power project.

[00:01:55] The charges also included making misleading statements to the public despite being made aware of the U.S. investigation in 2023.

[00:02:02] The Arani group has said the accusations as well as those leveled by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in a parallel civil case are baseless and that it will seek all possible legal recourse.

[00:02:13] Police have lodged seven FARs in connection with the violence over a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque in Sambhal,

[00:02:20] naming Samajwadi Party MP Zia Ur Rehman Bark and local SP MLA Iqbal Mahamudsan Sohail Iqbal as accused, officials said on Monday.

[00:02:28] The district administration has already imposed prohibitory orders and barred the entry of outsiders into Sambhal till November 30th.

[00:02:34] Internet services are suspended in Sambhal Tehsil and Monday was declared a holiday for all schools.

[00:02:39] A magisterial probe has also been ordered into the violence.

[00:02:43] Three people were killed and scores of others, including security personal and administration officials, injured on Sunday,

[00:02:48] as protesters opposing the survey of the Shahid Jamal Masjid clash with Poulos.

[00:02:52] A fourth injured person died on Monday.

[00:02:55] Addressing a press conference on Monday, Superintendent of Poulos, Krishnan Kumar said seven FARs have been lodged in connection with the violence,

[00:03:02] six people, including Bark and Iqbal, were named and 2,750 others have been mentioned as unidentified, he said.

[00:03:09] The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a series of petitions challenging the inclusion of the words socialist and secular

[00:03:15] in the preamble of the Indian Constitution introduced through the 42nd Amendment in 1976.

[00:03:20] A bench led by Chief Justice of India, Sanjeev Khanna, and Justice Sanjay Kumar ruled that the parliament's amendment powers

[00:03:27] under Article 368 extend to the preamble, rejecting arguments that the amendment was retrospective and invalid.

[00:03:32] The bench clarified that the preamble is an integral part of the constitution and subject to amendment under Article 368.

[00:03:39] The date of adoption of the preamble does not restrict parliament's power to amend it, observed CGI Khanna,

[00:03:44] dismissing claims that such amendments require constituent assembly approval.

[00:03:48] The judgment emphasized that terms like socialism and secularism in the Indian context are rooted in creating a welfare state

[00:03:54] and ensuring equality.

[00:04:05] The petitions filed by senior BJP leader Dr. Subramanian Swami, advocate Ashuni Kumar Dupadeh and Balram Singh

[00:04:11] argued that the amendment was introduced during the emergency without public consultation and could force ideological conformity.

[00:04:19] Jaspreet Bumra led a feisty bunch of Indian cricketers to their most dominant test victory on Australian soil,

[00:04:24] winning by a massive 295 runs in a remarkable turnaround that will find a pride of place among the country's golden moments in international cricket.

[00:04:32] The stand-in skipper led by example with a match hall of 8 for 72 as India bowled out the hosts,

[00:04:37] who were in pursuit of a mammoth 534 for 238 in 58.4 hours on the fourth afternoon of the opening test of the Bordaga Vaskar Trophy.

[00:04:47] The victory propelled India back to the top of the world test championship standings with 61.11 percentage points.

[00:04:53] India are now 1-0 up in the five test series,

[00:04:55] with regular skipper Rohit Sharma ready to take over during the day-night game starting December 6th in Adelaide.

[00:05:02] The instances of sexual abuse of children in Kerala are on an upward spiral,

[00:05:06] leaving them unsafe even in schools and homes.

[00:05:08] According to a report released by the Kerala State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights recently,

[00:05:12] 21% of such cases were reported at children's homes and 4% in schools.

[00:05:17] The alarming revelations have prompted the state's Child Rights Panel to raise awareness about child abuse among parents, teachers and police officers.

[00:05:25] In 2023, a total of 4,663 Pokso cases were reported across Kerala.

[00:05:31] According to police data,

[00:05:32] Thiruvanandabaram district recorded the highest number of cases,

[00:05:35] while Patranandara district had the lowest, the report said.

[00:05:39] That brings us to the end of this episode.

[00:05:41] Thanks for listening to Daily News Toes,

[00:05:42] hosted and produced by me, Vishnu Murilidharan.

[00:05:44] Follow www.onmonorama.com for detailed updates on the latest news

[00:05:48] and be sure to come back tomorrow.