Wednesday, March 11
Following Rahul Gandhi's claim that Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma would face jail time for alleged corruption, Sarma responded sharply, asserting his Assamese identity and dismissing Gandhi's remarks as detached from reality. Sarma linked Gandhi's visit to violent clashes during an eviction drive in Goalpara, accusing him of encouraging encroachment.
The Supreme Court has commuted the death sentences of two convicts, emphasizing that the brutality of a crime cannot be the sole determinant for capital punishment. The court stressed the importance of considering mitigating circumstances such as socio-economic background and psychological state. The convicts will now serve life sentences without the possibility of remission.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray criticized the recent violence in the Maharashtra Assembly, decrying the decline in political decorum and demanding accountability. He questioned the obsession with power and the silence of critics who usually target MNS workers. Thackeray also warned against wasting public funds on such incidents and the potential for future escalation, urging impartial action from the state government.
The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court denied bail to a juvenile accused in a narco-terrorism case, who was to be tried as an adult. Investigations revealed the accused was actively involved with a narco-terror gang smuggling drugs and firearms from Pakistan, led by a Pakistan-based operative.
The Supreme Court addressed a remission plea. It involved a convict in a J&K case. The court stated creating fear is a terror act. This applies even if anti-terror laws are not used. The case involved killing an army informer. The court expressed reservations about granting remission. The J&K government opposed remission under its policy.
The Supreme Court has questioned the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad's social media posts, specifically regarding the seizure of his devices. Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta directed the SIT to confine its investigation to the two FIRs and complete it within four weeks.
