The Evening Wrap: Chhattisgarh coal levy ‘scam’: ED raids multiple places of Congress leaders

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on February 20 conducted searches at multiple locations in Chhattisgarh, including premises linked to Congress leaders, as part of an ongoing investigation into the coal levy money laundering case, officials said. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party over searches conducted by the ED at the premises linked to Congress leaders in the State and said such acts will not weaken the morale of party leaders who are engaged in the preparation of the party’s upcoming plenary session. The raids come ahead of the three-day plenary session of the Congress from February 24-26 in the State capital Raipur. The State is ruled by the party under Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. “Today the ED has raided the residence of many of my colleagues, including the treasurer of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee, the party’s former vice-president and an MLA,” Baghel said in a tweet. “There is a plenary session of the Congress in Raipur after four days. Our spirits cannot be broken by stopping our colleagues engaged in preparations for the session through such acts. The BJP is disappointed with the success of ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and the truth of Adani being exposed. This raid is an attempt to divert attention. The country knows the truth. We will fight and win,” the CM added. According to officials, the searches are underway since early this morning at over a dozen locations related to MLA Devendra Yadav in Bhilai (Durg district), Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee treasurer Ramgopal Agrawal, chairman of Chhattisgarh State Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board Sushil Sunny Agrawal and party’s state spokesperson R.P. Singh in Raipur. The raids also covered premises of some other ruling party leaders. The officials said the ED is investigating those who have been the beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime of the alleged coal levy scam perpetrated during the tenure of the current government. The ED investigation relates to “a massive scam in which an illegal levy of ₹25 was being extorted for every tonne of coal transported in Chhattisgarh by a cartel involving senior bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians and middlemen”, the agency has alleged. Nine persons, including State administrative service officer Saumya Chaurasia, Suryakant Tiwari, his uncle Laxmikant Tiwari, Chhattisgarh cadre IAS officer Sameer Vishnoi and another coal businessman Sunil Agrawal have been arrested by it till now in the case. Uniform laws on divorce: Supreme Court adjourns hearing on PILs for four weeks The Supreme Court on February 20 said it will examine how far it can judicially intervene in making divorce proceedings gender and religion neutral while adding a rider that it prima facie felt the government and legislature have to take the call ultimately. “We will see how far the court can go,” Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud observed orally. The Bench, however, added that it was for the “government to decide and not for the court to go into” issues like “removing anomalies in the grounds of divorce and make them uniform for all citizens without prejudice on the basis of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth”. The court was hearing a petition, among a batch, filed by Ashwini Upadhyay, represented by senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, to frame guidelines for “uniform grounds of divorce for all citizens across the different faiths”. The government, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, said it had “no objections in principle to make the law gender neutral”. However, it was for the court to consider how far it could “judicially intervene” in the issue. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for one of the parties in the case, opposed the “omnibus suggestions” made in Upadhyay’s petition. Sibal agreed with the court’s prima facie view that the issue should be left to the legislature and the government to decide. “The court cannot be seen to be issuing even prima facie orders in this matter. It can send a kind of signal. This is entirely within the domain of the government and the legislature,” he contended. The court listed the case after four weeks. It has sought details of the entire batch of separate petitions raising varied contentions. One of the petitions concerns the Muslim personal law practice of talaq-e-hasan. Talaq-e-hasan is a form of divorce by which a Muslim man can divorce his wife by pronouncing ‘talaq’ once every month over a three-month period. The petition, filed by journalist Benazeer Heena, has argued that talaq-e-hasan and “other forms of unilateral extra judicial talaq is an evil plague similar to sati”. “Talaq-e-hasan is arbitrary, irrational and contrary to Articles 14, 15, 21 and 25 and international conventions on civil rights and human rights,” the petition has submitted. It said there should be a “gender neutral, religion neutral, uniform grounds of divorce and uniform procedure of divorce for all citizens”. Rajya Sabha Chairman asks privilege panel to investigate ‘disorderly conduct’ of 12 opposition MPs Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar has asked a parliamentary committee to investigate the alleged breach of privilege by 12 opposition MPs from the Congress and the AAP for repeatedly entering the well of the House, shouting slogans and obstructing its proceedings. According to a Rajya Sabha bulletin, nine of the MPs are from the Congress and three from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The Congress MPs are Shaktisinh Gohil, Naranbhai J Rathwa, Syed Nasir Hussain, Kumar Ketkar, Imran Prattapgarhi, L Hanumanthaiah, Phulo Devi Netam, Jebi Mather Hisham and Ranjeet Ranjan. The AAP members are Sanjay Singh, Sushil Kumar Gupta and Sandeep Kumar Pathak. In the bulletin dated February 18, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat said, “...the Chairman...has referred a question of alleged breach of privilege arising out of gross disorderly conduct displayed by (the MPs)....in violation of rules and etiquette of Rajya Sabha by repeatedly entering the well of the council, shouting slogans and persistently and wilfully obstructing the proceedings of the council, compelling the Chair to repeatedly adjourn the sittings of the Council.” The Rajya Sabha saw repeated disruptions due to protests by the opposition MPs over various issues during the first leg of the Budget Session which concluded earlier this month. In another notice, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat said, “...members are informed that the Chairman, Rajya Sabha has referred a question of alleged breach of privilege arising out of non-adherence to the directions of the Chair vis-a-vis repeated submission of identical notices under rule 267 by Shri Sanjay Singh, Member, Rajya Sabha, under rule 203 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) to the Committee of Privileges for examination, investigation and report.” Chidambaram says half of CWC should be elected; bats for younger leaders’ inclusion Days ahead of the Congress’ crucial plenary session, senior leader P. Chidambaram on Monday said half of the CWC members should be elected as per the AICC constitution and batted for younger leaders’ inclusion in the party’s top decision-making body. In an exclusive interview with PTI, Chidambaram said he has learnt that there are issues about the strength of the electoral college that will elect the Congress Working Committee (CWC) which must be resolved by the party’s poll panel. The former Union Minister asserted that an objective analysis of the political situation will lead to the conclusion that the Congress has to be the “pole” around which Opposition unity in the 2024 Lok Sabha election can be built. Asked whether he believes that elections to the party’s highest decision-making body CWC were essential, Chidambaram said, “My personal view is that one-half of the CWC should be elected as per the Constitution of the party… However, I learn there are issues about the strength of the electoral college that will elect the CWC. These issues must be resolved by the election commission of the party.” On whether he would contest if the CWC polls take place or was he expecting a nomination to the party body, he said, “I have no expectations or personal ambitions. I think younger members must be elected and nominated to the CWC.” The organs of the party should also reflect the diversity of the country and the party, added Chidambaram, who is currently a member of the steering committee that was set up by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to function till the time a CWC is elected. Asked how far would CWC polls be free with the AICC delegates picked by the leadership, the senior Congress leader said he does not agree with the observation that the electoral college was “picked” by the current leadership. “The list of PCC members of each State was finalised at the State level by the State leadership. Each PCC had also recommended the slate of AICC delegates. I believe that the AICC leadership took into account the recommendations and finalised the list of members of the AICC,” Chidambaram said. It was a consultative and collective effort, he asserted and added that if there are any shortcomings, those are also a shared and collective responsibility. Congress general secretary organisation K.C. Venugopal has said the party’s steering committee would meet in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur on the first day of the session, on February 24, and decide whether elections would be held for the CWC. According to the party constitution, the working committee shall consist of the president of the Congress, the Leader of the Congress Party in Parliament and 23 other members of whom 12 members will be elected by the AICC, as per rules prescribed by the working committee and the rest shall be appointed by the president. Talking about the upcoming Raipur session, Chidambaram noted that it is being held when the Lok Sabha elections are due in about 14 months, and said that it is widely expected that the AICC will issue a clarion call that will convince the people on why it is imperative that there should be a change of government at the national level. “We must also produce a document that will address the aspirations of the people for a peaceful, prosperous and equitable country,” he stressed. The 85th plenary session of the party will be held in Raipur in Chhattisgarh from February 24 to 26. Parliament can amend the law to provide uniform marriage age: Supreme Court Noting that there are some matters which should be left to the “ultimate wisdom of the Parliament”, the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition seeking to enhance the minimum age of marriage of women from 18 years to 21 years, on par with men. “We should not perceive that we are the exclusive custodians of the Constitution. The Parliament is equally the custodian of the Constitution. Parliament can amend the law to provide uniform marriage age. However desirable it is, the power to do so lies with the Parliament. There are some things which only the Parliament can amend and legislate… We cannot enact the law here,” Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud addressed petitioner-advocate Ashwini Upadhyay. Upadhyay had sought the court to strike down 18 years as the minimum age of marriage in statutory laws governing Christians, Parsis, Hindus and in the Special Marriage Act and Prohibition of Child Marriage Act. But the court reasoned that if it struck down 18 years, then it cannot follow it up by legislating or amending the laws to make 21 years as the minimum uniform marriage. “But 18 years is arbitrary,” Upadhyay said. “So, then we strike it down. But can we legislate after that? That is for the Parliament to do,” Chief Justice Chandrachud, heading a three-judge Bench, responded. Besides, striking down 18 years without being armed with the power to enhance the age of marriage to 21 years would prove counter-productive as it would inadvertently throw open the doors for allowing marriage of women less than 18 years of age, and even child marriage, which is a penal offence. “Mere striking down of the provisions by which the age of marriage is fixed at 18 years will not serve the purpose since the striking down of the provisions will only result in there being no age of marriage for women,” the court reasoned in its order. Upadhyay pointed out that Sharia law allowed age of puberty as the age of marriage, and hence there should be a uniform age of marriage across faiths. “The petitioner seeks a legislative amendment to increase the minimum age of marriage to 21 years… It is trite law that this court in its exercise of Article 32 (writ jurisdiction) of the Constitution cannot issue a mandamus to the Parliament to legislate nor can it legislate in a matter entrusted to the Parliament or the State Legislatures to exercise power,” the court said in the order. “If you strike down 18 years as the age of marriage, it will automatically become 21 years,” Upadhyay claimed. However, he could not show any Sections of any law which backed this claim when the court asked him to do so. “Do not make a mockery of Article 32,” Chief Justice Chandrachud told him. Upadhyay, in a disgruntled manner, said the apex court had transferred the case from the Delhi High Court and now had got it dismissed. “We are here to do our duty under the Constitution. We are not here to please you nor are we here to please any sections of the polity. Please understand that. So don’t give us these gratuitous comments on what you feel about us. This is not a political forum,” Chief Justice Chandrachud lashed out at him. One year later, Kyiv stands’: Biden makes unannounced trip to Kyiv; pledges $500 million in new military aid President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit Monday to Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a gesture of solidarity that comes days before the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of the country. Speaking alongside Zelenskyy at MariinskyPalace, Biden recalled the fears nearly a year ago that Russia’s invasion forces might quickly take the Ukrainian capital. “One year later, Kyiv stands,” Biden said, jamming his finger for emphasis on his podium decorated with the U.S. and Ukrainian flags. “And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands. The Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you.” The Ukraine visit comes at a crucial moment in the war as Biden looks to keep allies unified in their support for Ukraine as the war is expected to intensify with both sides preparing for spring offensives. Zelenskyy is pressing allies to speed up delivery of pledged weapon systems and is calling on the West to deliver fighter jets to Ukraine — something that Biden to date has declined to do. In Kyiv, Biden announced an additional half-billion dollars in U.S. assistance, including shells for howitzers, anti-tank missiles, air surveillance radars and other aid but no new advanced weaponry. Zelenskyy said he and Biden spoke about “long range weapons and the weapons that may still be supplied to Ukraine even though it wasn’t supplied before.” But he did not detail any new commitments. Biden also got a short firsthand taste of the terror that Ukrainians have lived with for close to a year, as air raids sirens howled over the capital just as he and Zelenskyy were exiting the gold-domed St. Michael’s Cathedral, which they visited together. Looking solemn, they continued unperturbed as they laid a wreath and held a moment of silence at the Wall of Remembrance honoring Ukrainian soldiers killed since 2014. Biden’s mission with his visit to Kyiv, which comes ahead of a scheduled trip to Warsaw, Poland, is to underscore that the United States is prepared to stick with Ukraine “as long as it takes” to repel Russian forces even as public opinion polling suggests that U.S. and allied support for providing weaponry and direct economic assistance has started to soften. For Zelenskyy, the symbolism of having the U.S. president stand side by side with him on Ukrainian land as the anniversary nears is no small thing as he prods the U.S. and European allies to provide more advanced weaponry and to step up the pace of delivery. In Brief: The Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, will pay a state visit to India on February 25-26, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press release on February 20. Scholz will arrive in Delhi on February 25 and will proceed to Bengaluru the next day. He will be accompanied by senior officials and a high-powered business delegation, it said. On his first visit to India as the Chancellor, Scholz will call upon President Droupadi Murmu as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This will be the first standalone visit of a German Chancellor to India since the biennial Inter-Governmental Consultation (IGC) mechanism began in 2011. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 20 FEBRUARY 2023 [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]( Chhattisgarh coal levy ‘scam’: ED raids multiple places of Congress leaders; Baghel says such acts won’t weaken morale of party leaders The [Enforcement Directorate (ED) on February 20 conducted searches at multiple locations in Chhattisgarh]( including premises linked to Congress leaders, as part of an ongoing investigation into the coal levy money laundering case, officials said. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party over searches conducted by the ED at the premises linked to Congress leaders in the State and said such acts will not weaken the morale of party leaders who are engaged in the preparation of the party’s upcoming plenary session. The raids come ahead of the three-day plenary session of the Congress from February 24-26 in the State capital Raipur. The State is ruled by the party under Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. “Today the ED has raided the residence of many of my colleagues, including the treasurer of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee, the party’s former vice-president and an MLA,” Baghel said in a tweet. “There is a plenary session of the Congress in Raipur after four days. Our spirits cannot be broken by stopping our colleagues engaged in preparations for the session through such acts. The BJP is disappointed with the success of ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and the truth of Adani being exposed. This raid is an attempt to divert attention. The country knows the truth. We will fight and win,” the CM added. According to officials, the searches are underway since early this morning at over a dozen locations related to MLA Devendra Yadav in Bhilai (Durg district), Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee treasurer Ramgopal Agrawal, chairman of Chhattisgarh State Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board Sushil Sunny Agrawal and party’s state spokesperson R.P. Singh in Raipur. The raids also covered premises of some other ruling party leaders. The officials said the ED is investigating those who have been the beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime of the alleged coal levy scam perpetrated during the tenure of the current government. The ED investigation relates to “a massive scam in which an illegal levy of ₹25 was being extorted for every tonne of coal transported in Chhattisgarh by a cartel involving senior bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians and middlemen”, the agency has alleged. Nine persons, including State administrative service officer Saumya Chaurasia, Suryakant Tiwari, his uncle Laxmikant Tiwari, Chhattisgarh cadre IAS officer Sameer Vishnoi and another coal businessman Sunil Agrawal have been arrested by it till now in the case. Uniform laws on divorce: Supreme Court adjourns hearing on PILs for four weeks The [Supreme Court on February 20 said it will examine how far it can judicially intervene]( in making divorce proceedings gender and religion neutral while adding a rider that it prima facie felt the government and legislature have to take the call ultimately. “We will see how far the court can go,” Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud observed orally. [A view of the Supreme Court of India.] The Bench, however, added that it was for the “government to decide and not for the court to go into” issues like “removing anomalies in the grounds of divorce and make them uniform for all citizens without prejudice on the basis of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth”. The court was hearing a petition, among a batch, filed by Ashwini Upadhyay, represented by senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, to frame guidelines for “uniform grounds of divorce for all citizens across the different faiths”. The government, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, said it had “no objections in principle to make the law gender neutral”. However, it was for the court to consider how far it could “judicially intervene” in the issue. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for one of the parties in the case, opposed the “omnibus suggestions” made in Upadhyay’s petition. Sibal agreed with the court’s prima facie view that the issue should be left to the legislature and the government to decide. “The court cannot be seen to be issuing even prima facie orders in this matter. It can send a kind of signal. This is entirely within the domain of the government and the legislature,” he contended. The court listed the case after four weeks. It has sought details of the entire batch of separate petitions raising varied contentions. One of the petitions concerns the Muslim personal law practice of talaq-e-hasan. Talaq-e-hasan is a form of divorce by which a Muslim man can divorce his wife by pronouncing ‘talaq’ once every month over a three-month period. The petition, filed by journalist Benazeer Heena, has argued that talaq-e-hasan and “other forms of unilateral extra judicial talaq is an evil plague similar to sati”. “Talaq-e-hasan is arbitrary, irrational and contrary to Articles 14, 15, 21 and 25 and international conventions on civil rights and human rights,” the petition has submitted. It said there should be a “gender neutral, religion neutral, uniform grounds of divorce and uniform procedure of divorce for all citizens”. Rajya Sabha Chairman asks privilege panel to investigate ‘disorderly conduct’ of 12 opposition MPs [Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar has asked a parliamentary committee]( to investigate the alleged breach of privilege by 12 opposition MPs from the Congress and the AAP for repeatedly entering the well of the House, shouting slogans and obstructing its proceedings. According to a Rajya Sabha bulletin, nine of the MPs are from the Congress and three from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The Congress MPs are Shaktisinh Gohil, Naranbhai J Rathwa, Syed Nasir Hussain, Kumar Ketkar, Imran Prattapgarhi, L Hanumanthaiah, Phulo Devi Netam, Jebi Mather Hisham and Ranjeet Ranjan. The AAP members are Sanjay Singh, Sushil Kumar Gupta and Sandeep Kumar Pathak. [Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar] In the bulletin dated February 18, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat said, “...the Chairman...has referred a question of alleged breach of privilege arising out of gross disorderly conduct displayed by (the MPs)....in violation of rules and etiquette of Rajya Sabha by repeatedly entering the well of the council, shouting slogans and persistently and wilfully obstructing the proceedings of the council, compelling the Chair to repeatedly adjourn the sittings of the Council.” The Rajya Sabha saw repeated disruptions due to protests by the opposition MPs over various issues during the first leg of the Budget Session which concluded earlier this month. In another notice, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat said, “...members are informed that the Chairman, Rajya Sabha has referred a question of alleged breach of privilege arising out of non-adherence to the directions of the Chair vis-a-vis repeated submission of identical notices under rule 267 by Shri Sanjay Singh, Member, Rajya Sabha, under rule 203 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) to the Committee of Privileges for examination, investigation and report.” Chidambaram says half of CWC should be elected; bats for younger leaders’ inclusion [Days ahead of the Congress’ crucial plenary session, senior leader P. Chidambaram]( on Monday said half of the CWC members should be elected as per the AICC constitution and batted for younger leaders’ inclusion in the party’s top decision-making body. In an exclusive interview with PTI, Chidambaram said he has learnt that there are issues about the strength of the electoral college that will elect the Congress Working Committee (CWC) which must be resolved by the party’s poll panel. The former Union Minister asserted that an objective analysis of the political situation will lead to the conclusion that the Congress has to be the “pole” around which Opposition unity in the 2024 Lok Sabha election can be built. Asked whether he believes that elections to the party’s highest decision-making body CWC were essential, Chidambaram said, “My personal view is that one-half of the CWC should be elected as per the Constitution of the party… However, I learn there are issues about the strength of the electoral college that will elect the CWC. These issues must be resolved by the election commission of the party.” On whether he would contest if the CWC polls take place or was he expecting a nomination to the party body, he said, “I have no expectations or personal ambitions. I think younger members must be elected and nominated to the CWC.” The organs of the party should also reflect the diversity of the country and the party, added Chidambaram, who is currently a member of the steering committee that was set up by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to function till the time a CWC is elected. Asked how far would CWC polls be free with the AICC delegates picked by the leadership, the senior Congress leader said he does not agree with the observation that the electoral college was “picked” by the current leadership. “The list of PCC members of each State was finalised at the State level by the State leadership. Each PCC had also recommended the slate of AICC delegates. I believe that the AICC leadership took into account the recommendations and finalised the list of members of the AICC,” Chidambaram said. It was a consultative and collective effort, he asserted and added that if there are any shortcomings, those are also a shared and collective responsibility. Congress general secretary organisation K.C. Venugopal has said the party’s steering committee would meet in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur on the first day of the session, on February 24, and decide whether elections would be held for the CWC. According to the party constitution, the working committee shall consist of the president of the Congress, the Leader of the Congress Party in Parliament and 23 other members of whom 12 members will be elected by the AICC, as per rules prescribed by the working committee and the rest shall be appointed by the president. Talking about the upcoming Raipur session, Chidambaram noted that it is being held when the Lok Sabha elections are due in about 14 months, and said that it is widely expected that the AICC will issue a clarion call that will convince the people on why it is imperative that there should be a change of government at the national level. “We must also produce a document that will address the aspirations of the people for a peaceful, prosperous and equitable country,” he stressed. The 85th plenary session of the party will be held in Raipur in Chhattisgarh from February 24 to 26. Parliament can amend the law to provide uniform marriage age: Supreme Court [Noting that there are some matters which should be left to the “ultimate wisdom of the Parliament”,]( the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition seeking to enhance the minimum age of marriage of women from 18 years to 21 years, on par with men. “We should not perceive that we are the exclusive custodians of the Constitution. The Parliament is equally the custodian of the Constitution. Parliament can amend the law to provide uniform marriage age. However desirable it is, the power to do so lies with the Parliament. There are some things which only the Parliament can amend and legislate… We cannot enact the law here,” Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud addressed petitioner-advocate Ashwini Upadhyay. Upadhyay had sought the court to strike down 18 years as the minimum age of marriage in statutory laws governing Christians, Parsis, Hindus and in the Special Marriage Act and Prohibition of Child Marriage Act. But the court reasoned that if it struck down 18 years, then it cannot follow it up by legislating or amending the laws to make 21 years as the minimum uniform marriage. “But 18 years is arbitrary,” Upadhyay said. “So, then we strike it down. But can we legislate after that? That is for the Parliament to do,” Chief Justice Chandrachud, heading a three-judge Bench, responded. Besides, striking down 18 years without being armed with the power to enhance the age of marriage to 21 years would prove counter-productive as it would inadvertently throw open the doors for allowing marriage of women less than 18 years of age, and even child marriage, which is a penal offence. “Mere striking down of the provisions by which the age of marriage is fixed at 18 years will not serve the purpose since the striking down of the provisions will only result in there being no age of marriage for women,” the court reasoned in its order. Upadhyay pointed out that Sharia law allowed age of puberty as the age of marriage, and hence there should be a uniform age of marriage across faiths. “The petitioner seeks a legislative amendment to increase the minimum age of marriage to 21 years… It is trite law that this court in its exercise of Article 32 (writ jurisdiction) of the Constitution cannot issue a mandamus to the Parliament to legislate nor can it legislate in a matter entrusted to the Parliament or the State Legislatures to exercise power,” the court said in the order. “If you strike down 18 years as the age of marriage, it will automatically become 21 years,” Upadhyay claimed. However, he could not show any Sections of any law which backed this claim when the court asked him to do so. “Do not make a mockery of Article 32,” Chief Justice Chandrachud told him. Upadhyay, in a disgruntled manner, said the apex court had transferred the case from the Delhi High Court and now had got it dismissed. “We are here to do our duty under the Constitution. We are not here to please you nor are we here to please any sections of the polity. Please understand that. So don’t give us these gratuitous comments on what you feel about us. This is not a political forum,” Chief Justice Chandrachud lashed out at him. One year later, Kyiv stands’: Biden makes unannounced trip to Kyiv; pledges $500 million in new military aid [President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit Monday to Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy]( a gesture of solidarity that comes days before the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of the country. [US President Joe Biden meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Mariinsky Palace during an unannounced visit in Kyiv on February 20, 2023.] Speaking alongside Zelenskyy at MariinskyPalace, Biden recalled the fears nearly a year ago that Russia’s invasion forces might quickly take the Ukrainian capital. “One year later, Kyiv stands,” Biden said, jamming his finger for emphasis on his podium decorated with the U.S. and Ukrainian flags. “And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands. The Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you.” The Ukraine visit comes at a crucial moment in the war as Biden looks to keep allies unified in their support for Ukraine as the war is expected to intensify with both sides preparing for spring offensives. Zelenskyy is pressing allies to speed up delivery of pledged weapon systems and is calling on the West to deliver fighter jets to Ukraine — something that Biden to date has declined to do. In Kyiv, Biden announced an additional half-billion dollars in U.S. assistance, including shells for howitzers, anti-tank missiles, air surveillance radars and other aid but no new advanced weaponry. Zelenskyy said he and Biden spoke about “long range weapons and the weapons that may still be supplied to Ukraine even though it wasn’t supplied before.” But he did not detail any new commitments. Biden also got a short firsthand taste of the terror that Ukrainians have lived with for close to a year, as air raids sirens howled over the capital just as he and Zelenskyy were exiting the gold-domed St. Michael’s Cathedral, which they visited together. Looking solemn, they continued unperturbed as they laid a wreath and held a moment of silence at the Wall of Remembrance honoring Ukrainian soldiers killed since 2014. Biden’s mission with his visit to Kyiv, which comes ahead of a scheduled trip to Warsaw, Poland, is to underscore that the United States is prepared to stick with Ukraine “as long as it takes” to repel Russian forces even as public opinion polling suggests that U.S. and allied support for providing weaponry and direct economic assistance has started to soften. For Zelenskyy, the symbolism of having the U.S. president stand side by side with him on Ukrainian land as the anniversary nears is no small thing as he prods the U.S. and European allies to provide more advanced weaponry and to step up the pace of delivery. In Brief: The [Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz]( will pay a state visit to India on February 25-26, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press release on February 20. Scholz will arrive in Delhi on February 25 and will proceed to Bengaluru the next day. He will be accompanied by senior officials and a high-powered business delegation, it said. On his first visit to India as the Chancellor, Scholz will call upon President Droupadi Murmu as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This will be the first standalone visit of a German Chancellor to India since the biennial Inter-Governmental Consultation (IGC) mechanism began in 2011. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. First Day First Show Stay up-to-date on all things cinema with the "First Day First Show" cinema & entertainment newsletter. Every week, we bring you movie reviews, news from regional cinema, Bollywood, Hollywood, and beyond, as well as updates from the streaming platforms. Whether you're a cinephile or just looking for your next great binge-watch, we've got you covered. 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