The Evening Wrap: India postpones resumption of international flights

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCI), on December 1, postponed indefinitely the date of resumption of international flights in view of the new variant of COVID-19 virus called Omicron. “In view of the evolving global scenario with the emergence of new variant of concern, the situation is being watched closely in consultation with all the stakeholders and an appropriate decision indicating the effective date of resumption of scheduled commercial international passenger services shall be notified in due course,” the DGCA said. Last week, the authority had announced reopening of international flights from December 15 after a gap of 20 months. It said that countries not in the “at risk” list of the Health Ministry could revert to pre-COVID schedule of flights from December 15, while those in the list could revert to 50%-70% of their earlier schedule. Why should we apologise, ask 12 suspended MPs The impasse between the Opposition and the government over the suspension of 12 MPs from the Rajya Sabha continued as neither side was willing to concede any space. The government wants the “errant” MPs to unconditionally apologise on the floor of the House. On the first day of the sit-in at the Mahatma Gandhi statue on Parliament premises, the MPs said it was for the government to apologise for undermining parliamentary democracy. The Rajya Sabha saw four adjournments on Wednesday, each time after Opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge sought to raise the suspension issue. The Opposition parties held another round of meeting at Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence in the evening to discuss the strategy ahead. According to sources, the suspended MPs would continue their protest at the Gandhi statue and simultaneously the issue would be raised in the House. Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain said, “What should we say sorry for? Parliament is meant to raise the issues concerning the people of the country. Parliament is meant for debate, discussion and dialogue. The government has scant respect for democratic traditions of our country. Do you think we need to apologise to the government for asking questions?” He added that at least one dozen MPs every day moved notices to discuss important issues such as price hike, Indo-China crisis, the farm agitation and so on but none of these notices were admitted. TMC’s Dola Sen said that the only reason the Opposition was forced to disrupt the proceedings was because they were not allowed to speak and debate the relevant issues in the House. Sen was suspended in September 2020 when the farm laws were passed in Parliament and then again in the monsoon session. She said, “The government claims we are habitual offenders, but they are the habitual offenders. Narendra Modi brought in demonetisation with the goal of unearthing black money. The black money didn’t come. Instead, 150 persons lost their lives. And then again, he imposed the farm laws against the wishes of people. In the agitation for over a year, 750 persons were martyred. So who is the habitual offender?” The leaders said the suspension would help the government to bring in more controversial bills. Suspended CPI(M) Rajya Sabha floor leader Elamaram Kareem stated that the BJP government found itself in a tough spot with many of its erstwhile allies and supporting parties deserting them like the Telangana Rashtra Samithi. “Now the Opposition strength is less. That was deliberately done. This suspension has eased some of BJP’s pressure and now they can bring bills and get them passed easily,” he added. The protest also saw many lighter moments. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who was accompanying a Mongolian delegation around the Parliament showing them the sights and sounds, passed by the protest sites. The opposition MPs did not let go of the opportunity and shouted out greetings to him. Birla waved at them in response. Opposition MPs brought in food, tea and toasts for their suspended colleagues who were sitting on dharna. Kharge brought in lunch, while Samajwadi Party’s Jaya Bachchan brought candies and chocolates. Bhima-Koregaon case: Sudha Bharadwaj granted default bail by Bombay HC The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted bail to human rights activist and trade unionist Sudha Bharadwaj in the Bhima Koregaon caste violence case. It, however, rejected the bail pleas of eight other accused — Rona Wilson, Varavara Rao, Sudhir Dhawale, Surendra Gadling, Shoma Sen, Mahesh Raut, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira. They are all lodged at the Taloja Central Jail. Bharadwaj was taken into custody by Pune police on October 27, 2018. She was produced before the Additional Sessions Judge, Pune, K.D. Vadane, who remanded her in police custody for 10 days. On November 22, the public prosecutor filed a report seeking extension of period for investigation. On November 26, she filed for bail under the Code of Criminal Procedure as the 90-day period from the date of her arrest and production before the magistrate had expired. Judge Vadane, however, extended the period of detention by 90 days. Eventually, the chargesheet was filed and on February 21, 2019. Judge Vadane took cognisance of the offence and issued processes against Bharadwaj. Additional Sessions Judge Ravindra Pande and S.R. Navandar also rejected the default bail of all the accused. Advocates Yug Chaudhry and Payoshi Roy appearing for Bharadwaj filed for default bail on the ground that Judge Vadane was not competent to extend the detention by 90 days and for taking cognisance of the offences as he was a designated special judge under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act. The advocates argued that none of the judges was appointed special judges by the Central government. The second ground was that Bharadwaj had the right to be released on default bail and ought to have been released on January 25, 2019 as the chargesheet was filed only on February 21, 2019. The other co-accused filed a common plea for quashing and setting aside the September 5, 2019 order by Additional Sessions Judge Ravindra Pande. They were represented by advocates Sudeep Pasbola and Barun Kumar, who contended that Judge Pande had no jurisdiction to take cognisance, since the case was not committed by a magistrate. A division bench of Justices S.S. Shinde and N.J. Jamadar directed that Bharadwaj be produced before special NIA court on December 8 to pass an order on terms and conditions for default bail. The 120-page judgment read, “On the touchstone of the guarantee of personal liberty under Article 21 (Right to Life) of the Constitution, in our view, to deprive Ms. Bharadwaj of the indefeasible right on the premise that the application preferred on November 26, 2018 was premature, would be taking a too technical and formalistic view of the matter. In our view, all the requisite conditions to release Ms Bharadwaj on default bail stood fully satisfied. After Munawar Faruqui, now Kunal Kamra’s shows in Bengaluru cancelled Multiple shows of stand-up comic Kunal Kamra from December 1-19 in Bengaluru have been cancelled over ‘threats to close down the venue’ if the shows were held, Kamra said in a statement on Twitter. Kamra, who was in Bengaluru for the shows, has left the city, sources said. This comes days after Bengaluru police advised organisers of Munawar Faruqui’s show that they ‘should cancel the show’ following threats of protests by Hindutva groups. However, in the case of Kamra’s shows, the jurisdictional J.P. Nagar police have not issued any letter to either the venue or the organisers of the show, and there is no clarity as to why the shows were cancelled. “On November 30, a group of ‘local residents’ held a protest in front of the venue – Artkhoj in J.P. Nagar – objecting to Mr. Kamra performing there. Police rushed to the spot and dispersed the crowd,” said Srinath Mahadev Joshi, DCP (South). “The venue has cancelled the shows, and we had nothing to do with it. Since it is an indoors programme, they need not take our permission,” he said. Owners of Artkhoj refused to comment on the issue, only confirming that the shows had been cancelled. “We are not in a position to comment on the matter,” a representative of Artkhoj told The Hindu. “They have been cancelled for two reasons. Firstly, we didn’t get special permission to seat 45 people in a venue that can seat more. Secondly, threats have been made to shut down the venue if I were to perform there. I guess this is also part of the COVID-19 protocol and new guidelines. I suppose I am seen as a new variant of the virus now,” Kamra posted on Twitter. Don’t try to divide Samyukt Kisan Morcha: Rakesh Tikait Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait on Wednesday said farmers would not return to villages until law on guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) was enacted. He urged the government not to spread rumours and try to divide the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM). It seemed the government wanted the agitation to end without talking to farmers across the table. “The government should make it clear if Delhi’s doors are closed for farmers. If that is the case, can farmers shut their doors on the government?” he asked. When the movement was inching towards its conclusion, “the government shouldn’t indulge in jalsaazi [forgery]”. “We are ready to talk across the table. The SKM was, is, and will be there,” he stated. The last card in the hand of the government was to break the unity of the umbrella body of farmers’ unions. “We are meeting on December 4 to decide the future course,” he remarked. The movement was in its final round and farmers should be prepared for it and reach the morchas in large numbers. “A rumour is being spread that farmers are returning home after the farm laws have been repealed in Parliament. I want to clarify that farmers continue to camp at the Delhi borders as only one issue has been resolved,” he observed. Tikait alleged that a section of the media was trying to spread misinformation that the demand for law on MSP was new. “In 2011, a committee was formed and the present Prime Minister was a member of it as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. The committee said in its report a legal guarantee on MSP should be given. We appeal to the Prime Minister to implement the committee’s report. There is no need to form a new one,” he said in a video message. “A committee will be required when the MSP law is enacted, in order to ensure its implementation. Don’t try to confuse us.” Questions on the prospective Seed Bill, Pesticide Bill, and Kisan Credit Card remained and they could be addressed by a committee proposed by the Prime Minister. Tikait asked what would happen to the tractors that were confiscated in Delhi during the protests. “In Haryana alone, there are cases on around 55,000 people. Those cases, in addition to the cases in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, should be taken back. Nobody wants to take these cases home,” he added. Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal to receive $1 million annual salary Parag Agrawal, who has recently been named as the CEO of microblogging platform Twitter, will receive an annual salary of $1 million along with other perks and bonuses. The India-born executive, who succeeds Jack Dorsey in this role, served as Twitter’s Chief Technology Officer since 2017, and has been responsible for the company’s technical strategy. He joined the company in 2011 as a software engineer, leading efforts on scaling Twitter Ads systems, as well as reaccelerating audience growth by improving Home timeline relevance. “...Agrawal will receive an annual salary of USD1,000,000 and will continue to be a participant in the company’s executive bonus plan with a new target bonus of 150% of his annual base salary. Under the terms of the Offer Letter, in December 2021, the Board will grant to Mr. Agrawal restricted stock units (RSUs) with a grant date face value of USD12,500,000,” a regulatory filing by Twitter to the U.S. SEC, said. The filing added that the RSUs will vest in 16 equal quarterly increments (each being 6.25% of the grant) starting February 1, 2022, subject in each case to Agrawal remaining an employee of Twitter through the applicable vesting date. In April 2022, the Board will grant Agrawal performance-based RSUs (PRSUs) with a grant date face value of $12.5 million. The performance goals for those PRSUs will be determined by the Compensation Committee of the Board on or before the grant date. Agrawal, 37, holds a bachelor’s degree from IIT Bombay and a PhD in computer science from Stanford University. According to previous filings, Dorsey had earned $1.40 in 2019 — flat from the year before — as the co-founder believes in “Twitter's long-term value creation potential”. On November 29, Dorsey had announced that he is stepping down from his position, and named Agrawal as his successor. Dorsey will remain on the Board until his term expires in 2022. Agrawal has joined the growing list of India-born CEOs of tech companies that includes names like Sundar Pichai (Google), Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Arvind Krishna (IBM), Shantanu Narayen (Adobe CEO) and Rangarajan Raghuram (VMware). The U.S.-based microblogging platform counts India among its major markets with an estimated 1.75 crore users. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 3,45,97,317 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 4,69,232. In Brief Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed a bill to regulate and supervise assisted reproductive technology clinics. Passed by a voice vote, the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2020, seeks for the regulation and supervision of assisted reproductive technology (ART) clinics and assisted reproductive technology banks, prevention of misuse, and safe and ethical practice of assisted reproductive technology services. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 01 DECEMBER 2021 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Directorate General of Civil Aviation postpones resumption of international flights indefinitely The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCI), on December 1, [postponed indefinitely the date of resumption of international flights]( in view of the new variant of COVID-19 virus called Omicron. “In view of the evolving global scenario with the emergence of new variant of concern, the situation is being watched closely in consultation with all the stakeholders and an appropriate decision indicating the effective date of resumption of scheduled commercial international passenger services shall be notified in due course,” the DGCA said. Last week, the authority had announced reopening of international flights from December 15 after a gap of 20 months. It said that countries not in the “at risk” list of the Health Ministry could revert to pre-COVID schedule of flights from December 15, while those in the list could revert to 50%-70% of their earlier schedule. [underlineimg] Why should we apologise, ask 12 suspended MPs The impasse between the Opposition and the government over the suspension of 12 MPs from the Rajya Sabha continued as neither side was willing to concede any space. The government wants the “errant” MPs to unconditionally apologise on the floor of the House. On the first day of the sit-in at the Mahatma Gandhi statue on Parliament premises, [the MPs said it was for the government to apologise]( for undermining parliamentary democracy. The Rajya Sabha saw four adjournments on Wednesday, each time after Opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge sought to raise the suspension issue. The Opposition parties held another round of meeting at Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence in the evening to discuss the strategy ahead. According to sources, the suspended MPs would continue their protest at the Gandhi statue and simultaneously the issue would be raised in the House. Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain said, “What should we say sorry for? Parliament is meant to raise the issues concerning the people of the country. Parliament is meant for debate, discussion and dialogue. The government has scant respect for democratic traditions of our country. Do you think we need to apologise to the government for asking questions?” He added that at least one dozen MPs every day moved notices to discuss important issues such as price hike, Indo-China crisis, the farm agitation and so on but none of these notices were admitted. TMC’s Dola Sen said that the only reason the Opposition was forced to disrupt the proceedings was because they were not allowed to speak and debate the relevant issues in the House. Sen was suspended in September 2020 when the farm laws were passed in Parliament and then again in the monsoon session. She said, “The government claims we are habitual offenders, but they are the habitual offenders. Narendra Modi brought in demonetisation with the goal of unearthing black money. The black money didn’t come. Instead, 150 persons lost their lives. And then again, he imposed the farm laws against the wishes of people. In the agitation for over a year, 750 persons were martyred. So who is the habitual offender?” [MPs suspended from the Rajya Sabha sit in a dharna near the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament on December 1, 2021. ]  The leaders said the suspension would help the government to bring in more controversial bills. Suspended CPI(M) Rajya Sabha floor leader Elamaram Kareem stated that the BJP government found itself in a tough spot with many of its erstwhile allies and supporting parties deserting them like the Telangana Rashtra Samithi. “Now the Opposition strength is less. That was deliberately done. This suspension has eased some of BJP’s pressure and now they can bring bills and get them passed easily,” he added. The protest also saw many lighter moments. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who was accompanying a Mongolian delegation around the Parliament showing them the sights and sounds, passed by the protest sites. The opposition MPs did not let go of the opportunity and shouted out greetings to him. Birla waved at them in response. Opposition MPs brought in food, tea and toasts for their suspended colleagues who were sitting on dharna. Kharge brought in lunch, while Samajwadi Party’s Jaya Bachchan brought candies and chocolates. [underlineimg] Bhima-Koregaon case: Sudha Bharadwaj granted default bail by Bombay HC The Bombay High Court on Wednesday [granted bail to human rights activist and trade unionist Sudha Bharadwaj]( in the Bhima Koregaon caste violence case. It, however, rejected the bail pleas of eight other accused — Rona Wilson, Varavara Rao, Sudhir Dhawale, Surendra Gadling, Shoma Sen, Mahesh Raut, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira. They are all lodged at the Taloja Central Jail. Bharadwaj was taken into custody by Pune police on October 27, 2018. She was produced before the Additional Sessions Judge, Pune, K.D. Vadane, who remanded her in police custody for 10 days. On November 22, the public prosecutor filed a report seeking extension of period for investigation. On November 26, she filed for bail under the Code of Criminal Procedure as the 90-day period from the date of her arrest and production before the magistrate had expired. Judge Vadane, however, extended the period of detention by 90 days. Eventually, the chargesheet was filed and on February 21, 2019. Judge Vadane took cognisance of the offence and issued processes against Bharadwaj. Additional Sessions Judge Ravindra Pande and S.R. Navandar also rejected the default bail of all the accused. Advocates Yug Chaudhry and Payoshi Roy appearing for Bharadwaj filed for default bail on the ground that Judge Vadane was not competent to extend the detention by 90 days and for taking cognisance of the offences as he was a designated special judge under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act. The advocates argued that none of the judges was appointed special judges by the Central government. The second ground was that Bharadwaj had the right to be released on default bail and ought to have been released on January 25, 2019 as the chargesheet was filed only on February 21, 2019. The other co-accused filed a common plea for quashing and setting aside the September 5, 2019 order by Additional Sessions Judge Ravindra Pande. They were represented by advocates Sudeep Pasbola and Barun Kumar, who contended that Judge Pande had no jurisdiction to take cognisance, since the case was not committed by a magistrate. A division bench of Justices S.S. Shinde and N.J. Jamadar directed that Bharadwaj be produced before special NIA court on December 8 to pass an order on terms and conditions for default bail. The 120-page judgment read, “On the touchstone of the guarantee of personal liberty under Article 21 (Right to Life) of the Constitution, in our view, to deprive Ms. Bharadwaj of the indefeasible right on the premise that the application preferred on November 26, 2018 was premature, would be taking a too technical and formalistic view of the matter. In our view, all the requisite conditions to release Ms Bharadwaj on default bail stood fully satisfied. [underlineimg] After Munawar Faruqui, now Kunal Kamra’s shows in Bengaluru cancelled Multiple shows of stand-up comic Kunal Kamra from December 1-19 in Bengaluru have been [cancelled over ‘threats to close down the venue’]( if the shows were held, Kamra said in a statement on Twitter. Kamra, who was in Bengaluru for the shows, has left the city, sources said. This comes days after Bengaluru police advised organisers of Munawar Faruqui’s show that they ‘should cancel the show’ following threats of protests by Hindutva groups. However, in the case of Kamra’s shows, the jurisdictional J.P. Nagar police have not issued any letter to either the venue or the organisers of the show, and there is no clarity as to why the shows were cancelled. “On November 30, a group of ‘local residents’ held a protest in front of the venue – Artkhoj in J.P. Nagar – objecting to Mr. Kamra performing there. Police rushed to the spot and dispersed the crowd,” said Srinath Mahadev Joshi, DCP (South). “The venue has cancelled the shows, and we had nothing to do with it. Since it is an indoors programme, they need not take our permission,” he said. [Illustration: R. Rajesh]  Owners of Artkhoj refused to comment on the issue, only confirming that the shows had been cancelled. “We are not in a position to comment on the matter,” a representative of Artkhoj told The Hindu. “They have been cancelled for two reasons. Firstly, we didn’t get special permission to seat 45 people in a venue that can seat more. Secondly, threats have been made to shut down the venue if I were to perform there. I guess this is also part of the COVID-19 protocol and new guidelines. I suppose I am seen as a new variant of the virus now,” Kamra posted on Twitter. [underlineimg] Don’t try to divide Samyukt Kisan Morcha: Rakesh Tikait Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait on Wednesday said farmers would not return to villages until law on guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) was enacted. He [urged the government not to spread rumours and try to divide the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM)](. It seemed the government wanted the agitation to end without talking to farmers across the table. “The government should make it clear if Delhi’s doors are closed for farmers. If that is the case, can farmers shut their doors on the government?” he asked. When the movement was inching towards its conclusion, “the government shouldn’t indulge in jalsaazi [forgery]”. “We are ready to talk across the table. The SKM was, is, and will be there,” he stated. The last card in the hand of the government was to break the unity of the umbrella body of farmers’ unions. “We are meeting on December 4 to decide the future course,” he remarked. The movement was in its final round and farmers should be prepared for it and reach the morchas in large numbers. “A rumour is being spread that farmers are returning home after the farm laws have been repealed in Parliament. I want to clarify that farmers continue to camp at the Delhi borders as only one issue has been resolved,” he observed. Tikait alleged that a section of the media was trying to spread misinformation that the demand for law on MSP was new. “In 2011, a committee was formed and the present Prime Minister was a member of it as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. The committee said in its report a legal guarantee on MSP should be given. We appeal to the Prime Minister to implement the committee’s report. There is no need to form a new one,” he said in a video message. “A committee will be required when the MSP law is enacted, in order to ensure its implementation. Don’t try to confuse us.” Questions on the prospective Seed Bill, Pesticide Bill, and Kisan Credit Card remained and they could be addressed by a committee proposed by the Prime Minister. Tikait asked what would happen to the tractors that were confiscated in Delhi during the protests. “In Haryana alone, there are cases on around 55,000 people. Those cases, in addition to the cases in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, should be taken back. Nobody wants to take these cases home,” he added. [underlineimg] Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal to receive $1 million annual salary Parag Agrawal, who has recently been named as the CEO of microblogging platform Twitter, will [receive an annual salary of $1 million]( along with other perks and bonuses. The India-born executive, who succeeds Jack Dorsey in this role, served as Twitter’s Chief Technology Officer since 2017, and has been responsible for the company’s technical strategy. He joined the company in 2011 as a software engineer, leading efforts on scaling Twitter Ads systems, as well as reaccelerating audience growth by improving Home timeline relevance. “...Agrawal will receive an annual salary of USD1,000,000 and will continue to be a participant in the company’s executive bonus plan with a new target bonus of 150% of his annual base salary. Under the terms of the Offer Letter, in December 2021, the Board will grant to Mr. Agrawal restricted stock units (RSUs) with a grant date face value of USD12,500,000,” a regulatory filing by Twitter to the U.S. SEC, said. The filing added that the RSUs will vest in 16 equal quarterly increments (each being 6.25% of the grant) starting February 1, 2022, subject in each case to Agrawal remaining an employee of Twitter through the applicable vesting date. In April 2022, the Board will grant Agrawal performance-based RSUs (PRSUs) with a grant date face value of $12.5 million. The performance goals for those PRSUs will be determined by the Compensation Committee of the Board on or before the grant date. Agrawal, 37, holds a bachelor’s degree from IIT Bombay and a PhD in computer science from Stanford University. According to previous filings, Dorsey had earned $1.40 in 2019 — flat from the year before — as the co-founder believes in “Twitter's long-term value creation potential”. On November 29, Dorsey had announced that he is stepping down from his position, and named Agrawal as his successor. Dorsey will remain on the Board until his term expires in 2022. Agrawal has joined the growing list of India-born CEOs of tech companies that includes names like Sundar Pichai (Google), Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Arvind Krishna (IBM), Shantanu Narayen (Adobe CEO) and Rangarajan Raghuram (VMware). The U.S.-based microblogging platform counts India among its major markets with an estimated 1.75 crore users. [underlineimg] Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The [number of reported coronavirus cases from India]( stood at 3,45,97,317 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 4,69,232.  [underlineimg] In Brief Lok Sabha on Wednesday [passed a bill to regulate and supervise assisted reproductive technology clinics](. Passed by a voice vote, the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2020, seeks for the regulation and supervision of assisted reproductive technology (ART) clinics and assisted reproductive technology banks, prevention of misuse, and safe and ethical practice of assisted reproductive technology services. 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