Newly elected Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla during the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha on 26 June 2024. | Photo Credit: ANI
Lok Sabha Speaker’s resolution on Emergency sparked opposition protests
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on June 26 read out a resolution condemning the imposition of Emergency and calling the decision by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi an attack on the Constitution, triggering a wave of protests by the opposition in the House. Mr. Birla’s reference to the Emergency, shortly after his election as Lok Sabha Speaker, also saw a face-off between the government and the opposition in the first session of the Lower House. Earlier in the day, Mr. Birla was elected as the 18th Lok Sabha speaker after Prime Minister Narendra Modi moved a motion to elect an NDA candidate for a second term.
Hopes of opposition votes will be allowed in Lok Sabha: Rahul Gandhi
Congratulating Om Birla on being elected Lok Sabha speaker for a second term, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on June 26 said he hoped the opposition would be allowed to raise the voice of the people in the House. He also said that the Opposition wants the House to work “often and well” and added that cooperation is very important with confidence.
I hope suspension of MPs will not be repeated in Lok Sabha: Akhilesh Yadav
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav on June 26 congratulated Om Birla on his election as the Lok Sabha Speaker and said he hoped actions like suspension of MPs would not be taken as it undermines the dignity of the House. Mr. Yadav said that he also hoped that Mr. Birla would not be fair to the Opposition and give equal opportunities to their leaders.
Arvind Kejriwal dismissed the Supreme Court’s plea to the Delhi HC to temporarily stay the bail order
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal resigned from the Supreme Court on June 26 saying that “incidents followed” him quickly with the Central Bureau of Investigation reviving the 2022 interrogation to arrest him soon after the Supreme Court of the State pronounced its verdict on the bail granted to him. the trial court on money laundering charges linked to the excise policy case. “In 2022 interrogation and notification by CBI, I (Kejriwal) has been arrested…rearrested yesterday (June 25) while still under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)…The verdict (Delhi High Court) has come… The judgment has various issues,” senior advocate AM Singhvi, for Mr Kejriwal, submitted to the Vacation Bench of Justices Manoj Misra and SV Bhatti.
A doctor, his teenage daughter has tested positive for Zika virus infection in Pune
A 46-year-old doctor and his young daughter have tested positive for the Zika virus in the Maharashtra city of Pune, but their health conditions are stable, officials said on June 26. he was admitted to a private hospital. Medical facilities send blood samples to the city-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) for analysis. On June 21, the report confirmed that he had tested positive for the Zika virus, said Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) health officials.
Tamil Nadu Assembly: Resolution asking Center to caste-based census adopted unanimously
The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, on June 26, unanimously adopted a resolution proposed by Chief Minister MK Stalin, asking the Union government to conduct a caste-based census along with the general population census. “This House considers that caste-based population census is essential for formulating policies to ensure equal rights and equal opportunities in education, economy and employment to every citizen of India. This House, unanimously requests the Union government to start the census work as soon as possible, which has been started from 2021, along with the caste-based population census, this time,” the resolution said.
The Bombay High Court refused to interfere in the decision to ban the hijab on the Mumbai campus
The Bombay High Court on June 26 dismissed a petition filed by nine female students of a college in the city to ban the hijab, burka and naqab in its premises. A division bench of Justices AS Chandurkar and Rajesh Patil said it was not compelled to interfere in the decision taken by the college and dismissed the petition submitted by nine female students, who are in the second and third year of the science major.
Defamation case: Uttar Pradesh court orders Rahul Gandhi’s personal appearance on July 2
An MP-MLA court in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur on June 26 asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to appear on July 2 in a defamation case filed against him for making indecent remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Complainant lawyer Santosh Kumar Pandey said that one Ram Pratap had asked him to be made a party in the case. Opposing the plea, Mr. Pandey said Pratap was not a victim and had nothing to do with the matter.
Militant killed in anti-militancy operation in J&K’s Doda: official
Security forces, engaged in a gunfight with militants holed up in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district since June 26 morning, have recovered the body of a suspected militant at the encounter site, officials said. Heavy gunfire was heard in the Gandoh area of Doda after the security forces spotted and made contact with the militants hiding in the forest area. Officials said the dead body of one militant was found at the encounter site.
Held after 20 years, the polls for the Nagaland civic bodies are over
Polling for 25 civic bodies in Nagaland, which was held after two decades on June 26, was over, officials said. Final poll percentages were not available, officials said. About 20% of the 2.23 lakh voters exercised their franchise on Wednesday in the first two hours of the civic body polls held for the first time in Nagaland in 20 years, officials said. Voting started at 7.30 am with tight security arrangements and will continue till 4 pm.
Kallakurichi hooch tragedy: NCW member Khushbu Sundar makes strong case to transfer probe to CBI
A three-member team of the National Commission for Women, led by actor-politician and member Khushbu Sundar, on June 26 visited Karunapuram, the epicenter of the hooch tragedy in Kallakurichi and conducted an inquiry with the victim’s family. Speaking to reporters, Ms. Khushbu made a strong case for transferring the probe in the hooch tragedy to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CB-CID, which is investigating the case has not submitted its report to the NCW so far, he said. He also said that he did not know why the case had not been transferred to the central agency for effective investigation.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is back in Australia a free man
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange returned to his native Australia on a chartered jet on June 26, hours after pleading guilty to obtaining and publishing US military secrets in a deal with Justice Department prosecutors that ended a drawn-out legal saga. The years-long international criminal case came to a surprise end in an unusual setting with Mr Assange, 52, entering his plea in US district court in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Commonwealth of America in the Pacific is relatively close to Mr. Assange’s native Australia and accommodated his desire to stay out of the continental United States.
NATO has appointed Dutch PM Mark Rutte as its next secretary general
NATO appointed Mark Rutte as its next secretary general on June 26, putting the Dutch prime minister out of the world’s largest security organization at a critical time for European security because of the war in Ukraine. Mr Rutte’s appointment was sealed by NATO ambassadors during a meeting at the 32-nation alliance’s headquarters in Brussels. US President Joe Biden and his colleagues will officially welcome him to the table at the summit in Washington on July 9-11.
Sri Lanka completes debt restructuring agreement after financial crisis
The auction of radio waves that carry voice and data signals for mobile phones ended in two days on June 26, fetching less than 12% of the minimum value of ₹96,238 crore that the government had estimated for the spectrum on offer. “The auction, where a total of 10 GHz spectrum between 800 MHz to 26 GHz was offered, fetched a total bid of ₹ 11,340 crore,” sources said. Five rounds of auctions took place on the opening day of June 25, but on June 26, there was not much action until officials announced the end of the auction around 11:30 a.m.
ICC T20 rankings: Travis Head replaces Suryakumar Yadav as top T20 batsman, Jasprit Bumrah moves to 24
Australian opener Travis Chief on June 26 overthrew India’s Suryakumar Yadav as the number one batsman in the latest ICC T20 rankings. Suryakumar has held the number one position since December 2023, but Head’s impressive performance in the T20 World Cup has taken him to the top even though his team has lost. Head scored 255 runs with two half-centuries, including 76 against India in the Super Eight contest.