The Evening Wrap: SC rejects Bilkis Bano's review plea against early release of rape convicts

The Supreme Court on Saturday dismissed a plea by Bilkis Bano to review its judgement in May which allowed the Gujarat government to consider and release prematurely 11 convicts serving life sentence for gangraping her during the 2002 riots. A Bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and Vikram Nath dismissed Ms. Bano’s review petition by circulation in the chambers. In its May 13 judgement, a Bench led by Justice Ajay Rastogi had concluded that Gujarat was the “appropriate government” under Section 432 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to decide the remission of the convicts in the case. The judgement in May was pronounced on the basis of an application filed by one of the convicts, Radheshyam Bhagwandas Shah @ Lala Vakil, for pre­mature release in terms of its remission policy of July 9, 1992. The 1992 policy was prevalent on the date of conviction. Bano has argued that the early release of the convicts amounted to a violation of her fundamental right to life. She has said the remission policy of the State of Maharashtra, where the trial happened, and not Gujarat would have governed the case. A simultaneously filed writ petition by Bano is yet to be heard by the court. Recently, one of the judges on the Bench before which it was listed, Justice Bela Trivedi, had recused. The writ petition has been referred back to the Chief Justice of India for listing before another Bench. Others like CPI (M) leader Subhashini Ali and TMC leader Mahua Moitra have also challenged the early release of the convicts in separate writ petitions. Their petitions were last heard by Justice Rastogi’s Bench on October 18. Pakistan rejects India’s criticism of Foreign Minister Bilawal’s ‘uncivilised’ outburst Pakistan rejected India’s criticism of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s “uncivilised” outburst against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that it showed New Delhi’s “growing frustration”. The Pakistani Minister resorted to a personal attack against Modi and slammed the RSS after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar described the neighbouring country as the “epicentre of terrorism” during his visit to New York to attend UN events. External Affairs Ministry’s Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Friday said that Bhutto’s “uncivilised outburst” seemed to be a result of Pakistan’s increasing inability to use terrorists and their “proxies”. In a strong condemnation, Bagchi also said Bhutto’s “frustration” would be better directed towards the masterminds of terrorist enterprises in his own country that has made terrorism a part of its “state policy”. Responding to these, Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday issued a statement to media queries and said that the MEA statement was “a reflection of India’s growing frustration over its failure in maligning and isolating Pakistan.” The FO also claimed that India is “desperately using international platforms to advance its agenda to defame and target Pakistan” following Islamabad’s exit from the FATF grey list in October and international recognition of its counterterrorism efforts. It also alleged that India was following a “policy of pettiness towards its neighbours”. Global target for pesticide reduction unnecessary: Bhupender Yadav at COP15 A numerical global target for pesticide reduction in the agriculture sector is unnecessary and must be left for countries to decide, India has said at the U.N. biodiversity conference in Montreal, Canada. Speaking during a high-level segment of the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said that the agriculture sector in India, like other developing countries, is the source of “life, livelihoods, and culture for hundreds of millions,” and support to it cannot be targeted for elimination. “Such essential support to vulnerable sections cannot be called subsidies, and targeted for elimination,” Yadav said. “While they are being rationalised, biodiversity must be promoted through positive investment,” he said. “Similarly, a numerical global target for pesticide reduction is unnecessary and must be left to countries to decide,” he added. The Target 7 of the Global Biodiversity Framework includes the reduction of pesticides by at least two-thirds by 2030. Currently, India alone spends about $30 billion subsidising agricultural inputs, including pesticides. To counter the global biodiversity crisis, at the 2010 UN CBD COP10, almost 200 countries pledged to protect at least 17% of their terrestrial environments and inland water, and 10% of coastal and marine areas by 2020 (known as part of the Aichi Targets). 48th GST Council meeting | No tax increase on any item; nod to decriminalise certain offences: Nirmala Sitharaman The 48th GST Council meeting was held under the leadership of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi. At the conclusion of the meeting Sitharaman said “In this GST Council meeting, there has not been any tax increase on any item. Everything that has been done is to issue clarifications where ambiguity of interpretations prevails.” “The meeting had to be concluded by 1.30 p.m. as most State ministers had other engagements, so about seven agenda items, including the GoM report on setting up of GST Appellate Tribunals, could not be taken up. It also could not discuss taxation on tobacco and gutkha due to paucity of time,” she also said. These pending items will be taken up at the next GST Council meet, about which Sitharaman expressed hope will be held in-person. “The major decisions the GST Council took today included one path-breaking recommendation regarding decriminalising three kinds of offences under the GST law — they pertain to Obstruction to or preventing officers from discharging their duty, deliberate tampering of evidence, failure to supply the information. Moreover, the threshold limits of tax amounts for launching prosecution under any criminal offence defined under the GST laws has been raised from ₹1 crore to ₹2 crore for all offences, other than those involving fake invoices. In the same line, in order to reduce the workload of courts, the compounding amount under certain offences has been reduced from 50% to 200% of the amount, to 25% to 100% of the amount,” Revenue Secretary Sanjay Malhotra said. While the Central government will include these decriminalisation changes in the Finance Bill for 2023-24, States will have to also suitably amend their legislations to bring the changes into effect, he added, noting that it will thus, take time to bring these changes into effect. The Council also decided that the incentive paid to banks by the Central Government under the scheme for promotion of RuPay Debit Cards and low value BHIM-UPI transactions are in the nature of subsidy and thus not taxable. Putin sounds out military commanders on Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought proposals from his armed forces commanders on how they think Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine should proceed during a visit to the operation’s headquarters, the Kremlin said. In video footage released by the Kremlin, Putin presided at a meeting of around a dozen people at a circular table, flanked by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and military Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov. He was then seen at the head of another conference table at the joint task force headquarters, inviting suggestions from a number of military commanders. “We will listen to the commanders in each operational direction, and I would like to hear your proposals on our immediate and medium-term actions,” Putin said. Air Force General Sergei Surovikin, the overall commander of Russian forces fighting in Ukraine, was also shown attending the meetings in still photographs on the Kremlin website. Putin had spent the whole of Friday at the task force headquarters, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Interfax news agency. In Brief: Close on the heels of the hooch tragedy in dry Bihar that left 30 people dead in Saran district, eight more died allegedly after consuming some spurious liquor in two other districts, officials said on Saturday. Six people died in Siwan district adjoining Saran, while Begusarai witnessed two other deaths. The official toll of 30 there is the biggest since Bihar went dry more than six years ago. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 17 DECEMBER 2022 [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]( Dear reader, We have now made it easier for you to manage your The Hindu newsletter subscriptions in one place! 1. Visit [The Hindu newsletters page]( 2. Click MANAGE tab and then click LOGIN / SIGN UP 3. If you don’t have an account with The Hindu, please click SIGN UP OR If you already have an account with The Hindu with this email ID, please login using the email ID Supreme Court rejects Bilkis Bano’s plea to review verdict on Gujarat’s choice of remission policy The [Supreme Court on Saturday dismissed a plea by Bilkis Bano]( to review its judgement in May which allowed the Gujarat government to consider and release prematurely 11 convicts serving life sentence for gangraping her during the 2002 riots. A Bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and Vikram Nath dismissed Ms. Bano’s review petition by circulation in the chambers. In its May 13 judgement, a Bench led by Justice Ajay Rastogi had concluded that Gujarat was the “appropriate government” under Section 432 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to decide the remission of the convicts in the case. [Bilkis Bano argued that the early release of the convicts amounted to a violation of her fundamental right to life. File] The judgement in May was pronounced on the basis of an application filed by one of the convicts, Radheshyam Bhagwandas Shah @ Lala Vakil, for pre­mature release in terms of its remission policy of July 9, 1992. The 1992 policy was prevalent on the date of conviction. Bano has argued that the early release of the convicts amounted to a violation of her fundamental right to life. She has said the remission policy of the State of Maharashtra, where the trial happened, and not Gujarat would have governed the case. A simultaneously filed writ petition by Bano is yet to be heard by the court. Recently, one of the judges on the Bench before which it was listed, Justice Bela Trivedi, had recused. The writ petition has been referred back to the Chief Justice of India for listing before another Bench. Others like CPI (M) leader Subhashini Ali and TMC leader Mahua Moitra have also challenged the early release of the convicts in separate writ petitions. Their petitions were last heard by Justice Rastogi’s Bench on October 18. Pakistan rejects India’s criticism of Foreign Minister Bilawal’s ‘uncivilised’ outburst [Pakistan rejected India’s criticism]( of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s “uncivilised” outburst against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that it showed New Delhi’s “growing frustration”. The Pakistani Minister resorted to a personal attack against Modi and slammed the RSS after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar described the neighbouring country as the “epicentre of terrorism” during his visit to New York to attend UN events. External Affairs Ministry’s Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Friday said that Bhutto’s “uncivilised outburst” seemed to be a result of Pakistan’s increasing inability to use terrorists and their “proxies”. In a strong condemnation, Bagchi also said Bhutto’s “frustration” would be better directed towards the masterminds of terrorist enterprises in his own country that has made terrorism a part of its “state policy”. Responding to these, Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday issued a statement to media queries and said that the MEA statement was “a reflection of India’s growing frustration over its failure in maligning and isolating Pakistan.” The FO also claimed that India is “desperately using international platforms to advance its agenda to defame and target Pakistan” following Islamabad’s exit from the FATF grey list in October and international recognition of its counterterrorism efforts. It also alleged that India was following a “policy of pettiness towards its neighbours”. Global target for pesticide reduction unnecessary: Bhupender Yadav at COP15 A numerical global target for pesticide reduction in the agriculture sector is[unnecessary and must be left for countries to decide]( India has said at the U.N. biodiversity conference in Montreal, Canada. Speaking during a high-level segment of the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said that the agriculture sector in India, like other developing countries, is the source of “life, livelihoods, and culture for hundreds of millions,” and support to it cannot be targeted for elimination. “Such essential support to vulnerable sections cannot be called subsidies, and targeted for elimination,” Yadav said. “While they are being rationalised, biodiversity must be promoted through positive investment,” he said. “Similarly, a numerical global target for pesticide reduction is unnecessary and must be left to countries to decide,” he added. The Target 7 of the Global Biodiversity Framework includes the reduction of pesticides by at least two-thirds by 2030. Currently, India alone spends about $30 billion subsidising agricultural inputs, including pesticides. To counter the global biodiversity crisis, at the 2010 UN CBD COP10, almost 200 countries pledged to protect at least 17% of their terrestrial environments and inland water, and 10% of coastal and marine areas by 2020 (known as part of the Aichi Targets). 48th GST Council meeting | No tax increase on any item; nod to decriminalise certain offences: Nirmala Sitharaman The [48th GST Council meeting]( was held under the leadership of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi. At the conclusion of the meeting Sitharaman said “In this GST Council meeting, there has not been any tax increase on any item. Everything that has been done is to issue clarifications where ambiguity of interpretations prevails.” “The meeting had to be concluded by 1.30 p.m. as most State ministers had other engagements, so about seven agenda items, including the GoM report on setting up of GST Appellate Tribunals, could not be taken up. It also could not discuss taxation on tobacco and gutkha due to paucity of time,” she also said. These pending items will be taken up at the next GST Council meet, about which Sitharaman expressed hope will be held in-person. “The major decisions the GST Council took today included one path-breaking recommendation regarding decriminalising three kinds of offences under the GST law — they pertain to Obstruction to or preventing officers from discharging their duty, deliberate tampering of evidence, failure to supply the information. Moreover, the threshold limits of tax amounts for launching prosecution under any criminal offence defined under the GST laws has been raised from ₹1 crore to ₹2 crore for all offences, other than those involving fake invoices. In the same line, in order to reduce the workload of courts, the compounding amount under certain offences has been reduced from 50% to 200% of the amount, to 25% to 100% of the amount,” Revenue Secretary Sanjay Malhotra said. While the Central government will include these decriminalisation changes in the Finance Bill for 2023-24, States will have to also suitably amend their legislations to bring the changes into effect, he added, noting that it will thus, take time to bring these changes into effect. The Council also decided that the incentive paid to banks by the Central Government under the scheme for promotion of RuPay Debit Cards and low value BHIM-UPI transactions are in the nature of subsidy and thus not taxable. Putin sounds out military commanders on Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought proposals from his armed forces commanders on how they think [Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine]( should proceed during a visit to the operation’s headquarters, the Kremlin said. In video footage released by the Kremlin, Putin presided at a meeting of around a dozen people at a circular table, flanked by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and military Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov. He was then seen at the head of another conference table at the joint task force headquarters, inviting suggestions from a number of military commanders. [Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks as he visits the joint staff of troops involved in Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, at an unknown location.] “We will listen to the commanders in each operational direction, and I would like to hear your proposals on our immediate and medium-term actions,” Putin said. Air Force General Sergei Surovikin, the overall commander of Russian forces fighting in Ukraine, was also shown attending the meetings in still photographs on the Kremlin website. Putin had spent the whole of Friday at the task force headquarters, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Interfax news agency. In Brief: Close on the heels of the hooch tragedy in dry Bihar that left 30 people dead in Saran district, [eight more died allegedly after consuming some spurious liquor]( in two other districts, officials said on Saturday. Six people died in Siwan district adjoining Saran, while Begusarai witnessed two other deaths. The official toll of 30 there is the biggest since Bihar went dry more than six years ago. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. Interested in daily updates from Tamil Nadu? 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