National

NEW DELHI, AUG 24: The Supreme Court on Monday took note of the response filed by the Arunachal Pradesh government in connection with a CBI status report on allegations relating to contracts allegedly awarded to firms connected with close relatives of Chief Minister Pema Khandu. The matter came up before a Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta, pursuant to the Court’s August 3, 2026 order, which had raised concerns over alleged non-cooperation by the state government in providing documents to the CBI and had directed the personal appearance of the Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary (Home) at today’s hearing. Appearing for the state government, a team of senior advocates led by Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta and Advocate General of Arunachal Pradesh Indranil Choudhury submitted that the State had complied with the Supreme Court’s directions in letter and spirit and had extended full cooperation to the CBI by providing all information sought by the investigating agency. The Bench noted that the State had apparently supplied the CBI with documents relating to all contracts, rather than restricting the material to contracts allegedly awarded to firms connected with the Chief Minister’s family. The Court observed that providing such a large volume of documents could make the exercise more difficult and potentially delay the investigation. The Court also took note of the affidavits filed by the Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary (Home) explaining the show-cause notices issued pursuant to the August 3 order. It clarified that the personal appearance of the two senior officers would not be required in future unless specifically directed by the Court. During the hearing, petitioner’s counsel Prashant Bhushan sought that scrutiny of documents be confined to firms allegedly connected with the Chief Minister’s family rather than covering contracts across the State. The Court remarked that the petitioners had created the problem and that the State had supplied more documents than were required. The Bench also considered WPC No. 995/2026, Nabam Kakum versus State of Arunachal Pradesh, which raises similar allegations and has been tagged with the main matter, MA 2216/2026 in WP(C) No. 543/2024. The Court directed notices to all concerned and gave the State the option to file its reply, if required. The Supreme Court directed the CBI to file a fresh status report within two weeks and ordered that the matter be listed after four weeks. The formal order of the Court is awaited.  

NEW DELHI, AUG 24: Ceigall India on Monday said it has received Letters of Acceptance (LoA) from union road ministry to build key section of Lada-Sarli highway in Arunachal Pradesh, at a contract value of Rs 704.70 crore, excluding GST. The project will be executed jointly with Sushee Infra & Mining Ltd (SIML), with Ceigall India holding 74 per cent share and SIML the remaining 26 per cent in the joint venture, a company statement said. The project involves construction of the road from km 85.60 to km 168.00 of the Lada-Sarli section of NH-913 (Frontier Highway) to intermediate lane standard, and will be undertaken on an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode. The project carries a 48-month construction period, followed by a five-year maintenance period. It forms part of the development of the Frontier Highway network in Arunachal Pradesh, supporting the expansion of critical road connectivity in the region. “We are pleased to receive this Letter of Acceptance from the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways for this important section of the Frontier Highway in Arunachal Pradesh,” Ramneek Sehgal, Managing Director, Ceigall India, said in the statement. Ceigall India Ltd is an infrastructure engineering, procurement, and construction company engaged in the development of highways, expressways, bridges, flyovers, railway overbridges, tunnels, and runways. (Source: PTI)      

NEW DELHI, AUG 23: The Cockroach Janta Party will convene a meeting of its national working committee on Monday to review the status of the commitments made by the Centre after the withdrawal of its nationwide agitation on July 25, saying the government is yet to formally communicate the steps being taken to fulfil the assurances. All steps to secure fulfilment of the commitments would be considered, including the possibility of launching another peaceful nationwide agitation, the CJP said. “The CJP called off its agitation in good faith because the government gave its word to the young people of this country,” it said, adding that it would not allow that “good faith” to be mistaken for “weakness”. The CJP also asked students, young citizens, its supporters and volunteers to remain prepared for the outcome of its Monday meeting. The announcements came days after the Supreme Court on August 18 sought a consolidated list of FIRs registered against students and protesters across the country. The CJP said the top court asked the Centre thrice to provide the list so that it could consider exercising its powers under Article 142 to quash the cases. “Despite the court repeatedly asking for this list, the Union government did not commit to providing it,” the CJP said. The outfit said that immediately after the court hearing, its co-convener Saurav Das and legal affairs lead Ratna Singh raised concern that the government appeared to be “cheating” the younger generation after the CJP called off its agitation on the basis of the commitments made during its talks with the Centre. The assurances included withdrawal or quashing of all FIRs arising from the protests, a guarantee that no student or peaceful protester would face punitive action in future and compensation for the families of NEET-UG candidates who committed suicide after the test was cancelled in May due to paper leaks. The CJP also said the government delegation that engaged in parleys with the outfit did not formally reach out to it to place on record the steps being taken to fulfil the written assurances, including on FIRs and compensation. The CJP said its decision to withdraw the agitation was based on the government’s words and warned against any attempt to “dilute, delay, reinterpret or dishonour” the commitments, which would be seen as “vishwasghaat” (betrayal) with the country’s youth. The national working committee meeting on Monday will assess the situation and decide the CJP’s next course of action. The CJP called off its nationwide agitation on July 25, soon after then-education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned and the government gave assurances that students and peaceful protesters would not face punitive action. The campaign also sought action in the NEET paper leak controversy and compensation for the deceased victims. (Source: PTI)    

NEW DELHI, AUG 23: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has often spoken about swimming as part of his fitness routine. But Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju believes the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha may need some training before taking the plunge into Arunachal Pradesh’s gushing rivers. “Mein yahan ka khiladi hun (I am the player here),” Rijiju said in a post on X on Sunday. The remarks are the latest in a series of good-humoured exchanges between the two political rivals over fitness, including a conversation in Parliament last year and a jiu-jitsu challenge from Gandhi earlier this year. “Many people are saying that I’m also doing like Rahul Gandhi. Rahul ji may take training for such activities, but it’s a normal routine in my life. I don’t take training as these are child’s play for me since childhood. My life is full of adventures,” Rijiju wrote, posting a video of himself swimming in a river in Arunachal Pradesh. “Never go to deep water if you do not know how to swim. Many people have drowned in the river. The rivers in Arunachal Pradesh are huge and very deep,” he wrote. He later posted another video, explaining why swimming in the rivers of Arunachal was different from swimming in a pool or in calmer waters. “Some people might think swimming in gushing rivers of Arunachal Pradesh is like swimming in pools or rivers like the Yamuna. In raging rivers, our head should be up, not down & body should be more upright, not straight as we keep in swimming competitions. Mein yahan ka khiladi hun,” he said. When some drew comparisons with Gandhi, Rijiju responded by pointing to his childhood in Arunachal Pradesh. In December last year, Rijiju posted on Instagram a video of a conversation with Gandhi in Parliament. “Not talking politics, only fitness. I hope he will promote #FitIndiaMovement,” the minister had said. During the conversation, Gandhi reportedly asked Rijiju about his exercise routine and invited him to work out with him. Their conversation also turned to martial arts, with Gandhi suggesting that the two train together. Gandhi referred to a conversation with Rijiju again while speaking in the Lok Sabha during the Budget session in February. He said Rijiju had once asked him how he remained fit and that he had told the minister about his practice of jiu-jitsu. Gandhi then used the martial art to make a political point, describing how a fighter establishes a “grip”, moves to a “choke” and eventually forces the opponent to “tap”. The exchange continued in June after Rijiju wished Gandhi on his 56th birthday. “Thank you for the warm wishes, Kiren Rijiju Ji. When are we doing our jiu-jitsu session?” Gandhi responded. (Source: PTI)    

NEW DELHI, AUG 23: BJP general secretary Smriti Irani on Sunday asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to validate his words on supporting women by backing the implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures and also organising the singing of a full version of Vande Mataram that includes invocation of Goddess Durga at his party office. Interacting with girl students at his ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ outreach programme in Pune on Saturday, Gandhi urged girl students to “smash patriarchy” and lashed out at “Manusmriti mindset”, claiming that it forces a woman to remain under the authority of male relatives at every stage of her life. The former Congress president also said violence is used in society to prevent women from progressing and that 80 per cent of them face harassment. “Since he has invoked religion, I have a request to that prominent leader of the Congress. The verses of Vande Mataram, some of which were halted at the Congress headquarters, contain a reference to Goddess Durga,” Irani, the newly-appointed BJP national general secretary, told reporters here. She was referring to the row over the Congress’ decision to sing only two stanzas of the ‘Vande Mataram’ at their party programmes, which the BJP has decried as an “insult” to the national song. Hitting back at Gandhi, Irani said, “Our religious ethos of Hindus not only upholds the tenet of ‘Yatra naryastu pujyante ramante tatra devatah (where women are honoured, divinity resides)’, but we also worship Goddesses like Bhagwati, Lakshmi and Saraswati.” “We worship Goddess Durga as the embodiment of ‘Shakti’ (divine power). I urge that the full rendition of Vande Mataram, including the verses invoking Goddess Durga, be performed at the Congress headquarters,” she said. Gandhi can put his words spoken yesterday in support of women and their leadership into action by backing the “immediate implementation” of reservation for women and organising the rendition of the full version of Vande Mataram at the Congress headquarters, Irani said. A Bill ensuring 33 per cent reservation for women across the country to enhance the dignity of Parliament through their presence has already been passed, the former Union minister said. “Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi stated at an event that he supports women. Since a key Congress leader has spoken in support of women and women’s leadership, I humbly request him to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative to swiftly implement the bill granting 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament,” she said. PTI