The Evening Wrap: Supreme Court allows ED Director to continue till September 15

The Supreme Court on July 27, in a special hearing, extended Enforcement Directorate (ED) Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra’s tenure till September 15, 2023 to serve “public and national interest”. The court had declared Mishra’s continuation as ED Director “invalid and illegal” in a judgment on July 11. It had directed him to quit office by July 31. However, just four days before the deadline, the Centre moved an urgent application in the Supreme Court, saying Mishra’s presence in the saddle was crucial for the country to effectively sail through the ongoing evaluation by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The government asked the court to allow Mishra, who is currently on his third extension and fifth year as ED chief, to continue till October 15. The country’s international image was at stake, the Centre pleaded. Stressing that the court would not have entertained the government’s request in “ordinary circumstances”, especially after declaring Mishra’s continuation as ED Director “illegal”, the Special Bench headed by Justice B.R. Gavai allowed him to carry on at the ED’s helm till mid-September. The Bench, also comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sanjay Karol, made it clear that it would allow no further requests from the government for his extension. It said Mishra would cease to be ED Director from September 15-16 midnight. The hearing began at 3.30 p.m. with a sharp question from Justice Gavai to the government, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. “Are you not giving a picture here that your entire department is full of incompetent people except for this one person... Is it not demoralising for the entire force that except for this one person, the entire department will collapse,” Justice Gavai asked. Justice Gavai said the court could have stopped this person from continuing as ED Director from the very day of the judgment on July 11. “We gave you time till July 31 for the sake of smooth transition,” the judge observed. Mehta agreed that no one was indispensable. He said a good FATF peer review was a five-year exercise. “Continuity in office would help the country and decide the country’s ability, help in international credit ratings, financial arrangements with the World Bank... It is a coincidence that the July 11 verdict came at the time of the FATF review,” he submitted. Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju said there were hostile countries which wanted India to be in the “gray list”. “We are now in the FATF list of compliant countries. A new ED Director would take at least six months to look through and understand the files,” he said. Senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, for a petitioner, said the government’s application was a “review in disguise” of the July 11 verdict. “It is very sad to see the Centre saying the future of the country is on one man’s shoulders. It is the Ministry officials, the Secretary of Revenue, and not ED Director, who engages with the FATF,” Singhvi submitted. Senior advocate Anoop Chaudhary, also on the petitioner side, highlighted the incongruity of a man whose continuity was declared illegal by the top court engaging with the FATF. “Will this not affect the country’s image? The ED Director is only a small cog in the constitutional machinery. Let us not make him into a constitutional figurehead on whom the future of this country depends,” he said. Advocate Prashant Bhushan questioned the timing of the Centre’s application. He said any extension of Mishra’s tenure would be a “gross abuse”. “If the Supreme Court accepts this application, it will make mincemeat of the settled law,” he cautioned. Mehta countered that the petitioners represent various political parties. He said some of the submissions were intent to give the country a bad name. He clarified that what the government wanted to convey was that Mishra’s continuation in office would help the country make an effective presentation in the FATF review. Besides, he said the ED Director directly engages the FATF assessment team on the implementation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. “The nation is strong. We need that continuity to present that strong picture before the international community,” Mehta submitted. CBI to take over Manipur sexual assault case, say officials The CBI will probe the case of sexual assault on two women who were stripped and paraded by a mob in Manipur and the government will seek its trial outside the state, officials said on July 27 The trial would be sought to be held in a court in neighbouring Assam, they said. The officials also said the Union Home Ministry is in touch with both Meitei and Kuki groups and talks are in an advanced stage to restore normalcy in Manipur. The nearly three-month-long ethnic violence in Manipur has claimed over 160 lives. A video of the May 4 incident involving the two women went viral over social media earlier this month, sparking nationwide outrage. The Opposition seized the opportunity to corner the Modi government over the issue which has rocked the Monsoon session of Parliament since it began on July 20. Travesty to pass Bills when no-confidence motion is still pending, says Congress citing rules Opposition bloc INDIA wants the no-confidence motion moved by it in Lok Sabha to be taken up at the earliest as under rules and conventions, no Legislative business can be transacted till such a motion is debated, the Congress said on Thursday (July 27). It is a travesty to pass Bills when the no-confidence motion is still pending, it said. A no-confidence motion by the Congress against the Narendra Modi government was admitted in Lok Sabha on Wednesday (July 17), setting the stage for a showdown between the Opposition and Treasury benches amid concerted efforts by the anti-BJP bloc to force Prime Minister Modi to speak on the contentious Manipur issue in Parliament. Proceedings continued to be disrupted in both Houses with repeated adjournments on Thursday as the Opposition and the government traded barbs over the Manipur issue and the no-confidence motion. In a tweet, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said there is absolute clarity in the stand of the Opposition coalition Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) in Parliament. “We want the no-confidence motion moved by the parties in the Lok Sabha in the immediate context of Manipur, which has been accepted by the Speaker, to be taken up at the earliest. “According to Rules and Conventions, no legislative business can be transacted till the no-confidence motion is debated,” he asserted. “We want a statement by the PM in the Rajya Sabha on Manipur immediately followed thereafter by a discussion under Rule 267, which means that the issue being raised under this Rule takes precedence over all other issues,” Ramesh said. This is the “clear and consistent demand of INDIA parties so that a collective sense of anguish at what has happened in Manipur gets expressed and a collective resolve to promote peace, harmony and reconciliation in the state gets reinforced”, the Congress general secretary said. Congress MP Manish Tewari said it is unfortunate that bill after Bill is being passed in the Lok Sabha in the din. “Kaul & Shakhdar Page 772 Practice & Procedure of Parliament is very explicit. ‘When the leave of the house to the moving of a motion of ‘No confidence’ has been granted no substantive motion on Policy matters is to be brought before the house by the government till the motion of no confidence is not disposed off’,” Tewari tweeted. “If any substantive motion of policy is barred, obviously legislation also cannot be brought which holds the field for 100 years or more,” he said. “I request Speaker Om Birla to start the discussion on the no-confidence motion without let or demur. It is a travesty to pass bills when the no-confidence is still pending,” the Congress MP said. The Opposition has also been demanding that Modi make a statement on the Manipur issue in Parliament before a debate on the matter can be taken up, a demand not accepted by the government. The logjam has been prevailing in both Houses since the start of the Monsoon Session on July 20. More than 160 people have lost their lives and several hundreds have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3. My speech in PM Modi’s programme removed, says Rajasthan CM Gehlot; PMO refutes charge Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Rajasthan’s Sikar district, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said his pre-scheduled three-minute address in the programme had been removed. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) immediately refuted Gehlot’s charge, saying it was the Chief Minister’s Office which said he would not be able to attend it. Gehlot said since his speech had been removed, he would not be able to welcome Modi in the event. He listed his demands for the State through a tweet, which he would have placed in the programme had his address been allowed. The inauguration and foundation-laying of 12 medical colleges was the result of partnership between the State government and the Centre, he added. In its reaction, the PMO said Gehlot had been duly invited in accordance with the protocol, but his office said he would not be able to join. “During the PM’s previous visits as well, you have always been invited and you have also graced those programmes with your presence,” it said in a tweet. “You are most welcome to join today’s programme. Your name is very much there on the plaque of the development works as well,” the PMO said. Unless the Chief Minister had any physical discomfort owing to his recent injury, his presence would be deeply valued, the PMO stated, while referring to Gehlot’s injury in his toes from which he is recovering. Gehlot said he was welcoming Modi through the tweet, while pointing out that this was his seventh visit to Rajasthan during the last six months. He said his demands pertained to permanent recruitment in the Army, loan waiver for farmers in the nationalised banks, caste census, Central funding for medical colleges in tribal-dominated districts and the national project status for the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project. Gehlot later responded to the PMO’s tweet, while affirming that it had not been made aware of the facts. “My address was kept in the proposed minute-to-minute programme by the Union Health Ministry. [But] I was informed last night that I would not be addressing,” he said. The Chief Minister said his office had informed the Union government that he would attend the programme through video conferencing as per the doctors’ advice because of his foot injury, and the State Ministers would reach the venue. “Even now, I will participate in the programme in the interest of Rajasthan in a non-interactive mode through video conferencing,” Gehlot said, while sharing the minute-to-minute programme as well as the letter sent by his office on the Twitter account. Listen to today’s episode of the In Focus podcast Behind the rapid rise and mysterious disappearance of China’s Foreign Minister President Xi Jinping has dismissed Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang after just seven months in office. Qin has been replaced by former Foreign Minister Wang Yi. This development comes a month after Qin disappeared mysteriously from public view, sparking feverish speculations about his fate. A career diplomat, Qin rose rapidly through the ranks, and was seen as close to President Xi Jinping. In March this year, he was made a State Councillor, a very senior post, and one that he stills holds. Then what explains his sudden disappearance, and now, his sacking? Allahabad HC reserves till Aug 3 its order on ASI survey of Gyanvapi complex The Allahabad High Court on July 27 reserved till August 3 its order on a plea against the survey of Gyanvapi mosque premises by the Archeological Survey of India. The court also ordered the ASI to stay the survey work till then. Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker heard the matter in the afternoon session and reserved his verdict till August 3. The high court was hearing a plea against a Varanasi district court order directing the ASI to conduct a survey to determine if the Gyanvapi mosque was built upon a temple. The court heard the arguments from Anjuman Intezamia Masjid, which manages the mosque, and the Hindu side. Senior ASI officials were also present in the courtroom. The high court on July 26 said that it would take up the matter at 3:30 p.m. on July 27, but Chief Justice Diwaker started hearing the case 15 minutes in advance and reserved its order before concluding the day’s proceedings at 5 p.m. Uddhav Thackeray denies rumours of patch-up with Raj Thackeray Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday, July 27, 2023 denied rumours of joining hands with his estranged cousin and founder-president of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Raj Thackeray. “There is no such discussion as of now. There is no need of speculating in this vein,” said Thackeray, during the second part of his interview with Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on occasion of his 63rd birthday today. Recently, after the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction joined the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena government led by Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde, the MNS started a signature campaign across the State asking the public to express their outrage over the latest political developments where leaders rampantly compromised ideologies for the sake of power. Following its rout in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly election and its general decline in the State’s politics, the MNS had changed its ideological direction by veering towards ‘Hindutva’ politics, signalled by Thackeray’s adoption of a saffron flag incorporating Chhatrapati Shivaji’s royal seal or ‘Rajmudra’ in 2020. Since then, the MNS has inched ever closer to the BJP in an attempt to seize the ‘Hindutva’ space from the Shiv Sena led by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray – the common adversary of Shinde’s faction, the BJP and the MNS. The developments led to speculation about the estranged cousins — Raj and Uddhav Thackeray — coming together. Both leaders have maintained a studied silence on the matter so far, with Uddhav clearing the air now. Singapore to will hang a woman on Friday — the first in 19 years Singapore executed a man Wednesday for drug trafficking and is set to hang a woman Friday — the first in 19 years — prompting renewed calls for a halt to capital punishment. Mohammed Aziz Hussain, 56, was hanged at Singapore’s Changi Prison and has been buried, said activist Kirsten Han of Transformative Justice Collective, which advocates for abolishing the death penalty in Singapore. A citizen of the city-state, he was sentenced to death in 2018 for trafficking around 50 grams (1.75 ounces) of heroin, Han said. Saridewi Djamani, a 45-year-old Singaporean woman, is due to be hanged Friday after she was convicted and sentenced in 2018 for trafficking around 30 grams (1.05 ounces) of heroin, the group and other human rights organizations said. Han said the last woman known to have been hanged in Singapore was 36-year-old hairdresser Yen May Woen, also for drug trafficking, in 2004. “Singaporean authorities must immediately stop these blatant violations of the right to life in their obsessive enforcement of misguided drug policies,” Adilur Rahman Khan, secretary-general of the International Federation of Human Rights, said in a statement. If Djamani is executed as planned, Singapore will have executed 15 people for drug offences since it resumed hangings in March 2022, an average of one execution every month, Transformative Justice Collective, Amnesty International and seven other groups said in a joint statement. Anyone — citizens and foreigners alike — convicted of trafficking more than 500 grams (17.64 ounces) of cannabis and 15 grams (0.53 ounces) of heroin faces the mandatory death penalty. Human rights groups, British business mogul Richard Branson and the United Nations have urged Singapore to halt executions for drug-related offences as increasing evidence shows the death penalty is ineffective as a deterrent. But Singapore authorities insist that all prisoners get due process of law and that capital punishment remains key to helping halt both drug demand and supply. The joint statement by Transformative Justice Collective and other groups noted that Law Minister K. Shanmugam reportedly acknowledged in a 2022 interview that Singapore’s harsh policy on drugs has not led to the arrest of the so-called drug kingpins. “Instead of disrupting drug cartels … the government of Singapore deliberately retains capital drug laws that, in practice, operate to punish low-level traffickers and couriers, who are typically recruited from marginalised groups with intersecting vulnerabilities,” the statement said. The groups said Singapore is out of step with the global trend of more countries moving away from capital punishment. Neighbouring Thailand has legalised cannabis while Malaysia ended the mandatory death penalty for serious crimes this year. The groups urged Singapore to halt all executions and instead pursue effective measures to humanely address drug trafficking in the country. In Brief: MPs from the opposition alliance INDIA will visit Manipur on July 29 and 30 to assess the situation in the north-eastern State which has seen ethnic violence since May 3. A delegation of over 20 Opposition members of parliament will visit Manipur this weekend and will take a first-hand account of the situation in the state, said Congress whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore. The Opposition leaders have been seeking to visit the violence-hit State for sometime but were denied permission in view of the situation there. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, however, had visited a few places in Manipur earlier. Several MPs of the 26-party alliance INDIA will be part of the delegation. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 27 July 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]( Supreme Court allows Sanjay Kumar Mishra to continue as ED Director till September 15 [The Supreme Court on July 27, in a special hearing, extended Enforcement Directorate (ED) Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra’s tenure till September 15, 2023 to serve “public and national interest”.]( The court had declared Mishra’s continuation as ED Director “invalid and illegal” in a judgment on July 11. It had directed him to quit office by July 31. However, just four days before the deadline, the Centre moved an urgent application in the Supreme Court, saying Mishra’s presence in the saddle was crucial for the country to effectively sail through the ongoing evaluation by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The government asked the court to allow Mishra, who is currently on his third extension and fifth year as ED chief, to continue till October 15. The country’s international image was at stake, the Centre pleaded. Stressing that the court would not have entertained the government’s request in “ordinary circumstances”, especially after declaring Mishra’s continuation as ED Director “illegal”, the Special Bench headed by Justice B.R. Gavai allowed him to carry on at the ED’s helm till mid-September. The Bench, also comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sanjay Karol, made it clear that it would allow no further requests from the government for his extension. It said Mishra would cease to be ED Director from September 15-16 midnight. The hearing began at 3.30 p.m. with a sharp question from Justice Gavai to the government, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. “Are you not giving a picture here that your entire department is full of incompetent people except for this one person... Is it not demoralising for the entire force that except for this one person, the entire department will collapse,” Justice Gavai asked. Justice Gavai said the court could have stopped this person from continuing as ED Director from the very day of the judgment on July 11. “We gave you time till July 31 for the sake of smooth transition,” the judge observed. Mehta agreed that no one was indispensable. He said a good FATF peer review was a five-year exercise. “Continuity in office would help the country and decide the country’s ability, help in international credit ratings, financial arrangements with the World Bank... It is a coincidence that the July 11 verdict came at the time of the FATF review,” he submitted. Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju said there were hostile countries which wanted India to be in the “gray list”. “We are now in the FATF list of compliant countries. A new ED Director would take at least six months to look through and understand the files,” he said. Senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, for a petitioner, said the government’s application was a “review in disguise” of the July 11 verdict. “It is very sad to see the Centre saying the future of the country is on one man’s shoulders. It is the Ministry officials, the Secretary of Revenue, and not ED Director, who engages with the FATF,” Singhvi submitted. Senior advocate Anoop Chaudhary, also on the petitioner side, highlighted the incongruity of a man whose continuity was declared illegal by the top court engaging with the FATF. “Will this not affect the country’s image? The ED Director is only a small cog in the constitutional machinery. Let us not make him into a constitutional figurehead on whom the future of this country depends,” he said. Advocate Prashant Bhushan questioned the timing of the Centre’s application. He said any extension of Mishra’s tenure would be a “gross abuse”. “If the Supreme Court accepts this application, it will make mincemeat of the settled law,” he cautioned. Mehta countered that the petitioners represent various political parties. He said some of the submissions were intent to give the country a bad name. He clarified that what the government wanted to convey was that Mishra’s continuation in office would help the country make an effective presentation in the FATF review. Besides, he said the ED Director directly engages the FATF assessment team on the implementation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. “The nation is strong. We need that continuity to present that strong picture before the international community,” Mehta submitted. CBI to take over Manipur sexual assault case, say officials [The CBI will probe the case of sexual assault on two women who were stripped and paraded by a mob in Manipur]( and the government will seek its trial outside the state, officials said on July 27 The trial would be sought to be held in a court in neighbouring Assam, they said. The officials also said the Union Home Ministry is in touch with both Meitei and Kuki groups and talks are in an advanced stage to restore normalcy in Manipur. The nearly three-month-long ethnic violence in Manipur has claimed over 160 lives. A video of the May 4 incident involving the two women went viral over social media earlier this month, sparking nationwide outrage. The Opposition seized the opportunity to corner the Modi government over the issue which has rocked the Monsoon session of Parliament since it began on July 20. Travesty to pass Bills when no-confidence motion is still pending, says Congress citing rules [Opposition bloc INDIA wants the no-confidence motion moved by it in Lok Sabha to be taken up at the earliest]( as under rules and conventions, no Legislative business can be transacted till such a motion is debated, the Congress said on Thursday (July 27). It is a travesty to pass Bills when the no-confidence motion is still pending, it said. A no-confidence motion by the Congress against the Narendra Modi government was admitted in Lok Sabha on Wednesday (July 17), setting the stage for a showdown between the Opposition and Treasury benches amid concerted efforts by the anti-BJP bloc to force Prime Minister Modi to speak on the contentious Manipur issue in Parliament. Proceedings continued to be disrupted in both Houses with repeated adjournments on Thursday as the Opposition and the government traded barbs over the Manipur issue and the no-confidence motion. In a tweet, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said there is absolute clarity in the stand of the Opposition coalition Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) in Parliament. “We want the no-confidence motion moved by the parties in the Lok Sabha in the immediate context of Manipur, which has been accepted by the Speaker, to be taken up at the earliest. “According to Rules and Conventions, no legislative business can be transacted till the no-confidence motion is debated,” he asserted. “We want a statement by the PM in the Rajya Sabha on Manipur immediately followed thereafter by a discussion under Rule 267, which means that the issue being raised under this Rule takes precedence over all other issues,” Ramesh said. This is the “clear and consistent demand of INDIA parties so that a collective sense of anguish at what has happened in Manipur gets expressed and a collective resolve to promote peace, harmony and reconciliation in the state gets reinforced”, the Congress general secretary said. Congress MP Manish Tewari said it is unfortunate that bill after Bill is being passed in the Lok Sabha in the din. “Kaul & Shakhdar Page 772 Practice & Procedure of Parliament is very explicit. ‘When the leave of the house to the moving of a motion of ‘No confidence’ has been granted no substantive motion on Policy matters is to be brought before the house by the government till the motion of no confidence is not disposed off’,” Tewari tweeted. “If any substantive motion of policy is barred, obviously legislation also cannot be brought which holds the field for 100 years or more,” he said. “I request Speaker Om Birla to start the discussion on the no-confidence motion without let or demur. It is a travesty to pass bills when the no-confidence is still pending,” the Congress MP said. The Opposition has also been demanding that Modi make a statement on the Manipur issue in Parliament before a debate on the matter can be taken up, a demand not accepted by the government. The logjam has been prevailing in both Houses since the start of the Monsoon Session on July 20. More than 160 people have lost their lives and several hundreds have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3. My speech in PM Modi’s programme removed, says Rajasthan CM Gehlot; PMO refutes charge [Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Rajasthan’s Sikar district, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said his pre-scheduled three-minute address in the programme had been removed](. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) immediately refuted Gehlot’s charge, saying it was the Chief Minister’s Office which said he would not be able to attend it. Gehlot said since his speech had been removed, he would not be able to welcome Modi in the event. He listed his demands for the State through a tweet, which he would have placed in the programme had his address been allowed. The inauguration and foundation-laying of 12 medical colleges was the result of partnership between the State government and the Centre, he added. In its reaction, the PMO said Gehlot had been duly invited in accordance with the protocol, but his office said he would not be able to join. “During the PM’s previous visits as well, you have always been invited and you have also graced those programmes with your presence,” it said in a tweet. “You are most welcome to join today’s programme. Your name is very much there on the plaque of the development works as well,” the PMO said. Unless the Chief Minister had any physical discomfort owing to his recent injury, his presence would be deeply valued, the PMO stated, while referring to Gehlot’s injury in his toes from which he is recovering. Gehlot said he was welcoming Modi through the tweet, while pointing out that this was his seventh visit to Rajasthan during the last six months. He said his demands pertained to permanent recruitment in the Army, loan waiver for farmers in the nationalised banks, caste census, Central funding for medical colleges in tribal-dominated districts and the national project status for the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project. Gehlot later responded to the PMO’s tweet, while affirming that it had not been made aware of the facts. “My address was kept in the proposed minute-to-minute programme by the Union Health Ministry. [But] I was informed last night that I would not be addressing,” he said. The Chief Minister said his office had informed the Union government that he would attend the programme through video conferencing as per the doctors’ advice because of his foot injury, and the State Ministers would reach the venue. “Even now, I will participate in the programme in the interest of Rajasthan in a non-interactive mode through video conferencing,” Gehlot said, while sharing the minute-to-minute programme as well as the letter sent by his office on the Twitter account. Listen to today’s episode of the In Focus podcast Behind the rapid rise and mysterious disappearance of China’s Foreign Minister President Xi Jinping has dismissed [Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang]( after just seven months in office. Qin has been replaced by former Foreign Minister Wang Yi. This development comes a month after Qin disappeared mysteriously from public view, sparking feverish speculations about his fate. A career diplomat, Qin rose rapidly through the ranks, and was seen as close to President Xi Jinping. In March this year, he was made a State Councillor, a very senior post, and one that he stills holds. Then what explains his sudden disappearance, and now, his sacking? Allahabad HC reserves till Aug 3 its order on ASI survey of Gyanvapi complex [The Allahabad High Court on July 27 reserved till August 3 its order on a plea against the survey of Gyanvapi mosque premises by the Archeological Survey of India](. The court also ordered the ASI to stay the survey work till then. Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker heard the matter in the afternoon session and reserved his verdict till August 3. The high court was hearing a plea against a Varanasi district court order directing the ASI to conduct a survey to determine if the Gyanvapi mosque was built upon a temple. The court heard the arguments from Anjuman Intezamia Masjid, which manages the mosque, and the Hindu side. Senior ASI officials were also present in the courtroom. The high court on July 26 said that it would take up the matter at 3:30 p.m. on July 27, but Chief Justice Diwaker started hearing the case 15 minutes in advance and reserved its order before concluding the day’s proceedings at 5 p.m. Uddhav Thackeray denies rumours of patch-up with Raj Thackeray [Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday, July 27, 2023 denied rumours of joining hands with his estranged cousin and founder-president of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Raj Thackeray.]( “There is no such discussion as of now. There is no need of speculating in this vein,” said Thackeray, during the second part of his interview with Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on occasion of his 63rd birthday today. Recently, after the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction joined the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena government led by Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde, the MNS started a signature campaign across the State asking the public to express their outrage over the latest political developments where leaders rampantly compromised ideologies for the sake of power. Following its rout in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly election and its general decline in the State’s politics, the MNS had changed its ideological direction by veering towards ‘Hindutva’ politics, signalled by Thackeray’s adoption of a saffron flag incorporating Chhatrapati Shivaji’s royal seal or ‘Rajmudra’ in 2020. Since then, the MNS has inched ever closer to the BJP in an attempt to seize the ‘Hindutva’ space from the Shiv Sena led by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray – the common adversary of Shinde’s faction, the BJP and the MNS. The developments led to speculation about the estranged cousins — Raj and Uddhav Thackeray — coming together. Both leaders have maintained a studied silence on the matter so far, with Uddhav clearing the air now. Singapore to will hang a woman on Friday — the first in 19 years [Singapore executed a man Wednesday for drug trafficking and is set to hang a woman Friday — the first in 19 years — prompting renewed calls for a halt to capital punishment](. Mohammed Aziz Hussain, 56, was hanged at Singapore’s Changi Prison and has been buried, said activist Kirsten Han of Transformative Justice Collective, which advocates for abolishing the death penalty in Singapore. A citizen of the city-state, he was sentenced to death in 2018 for trafficking around 50 grams (1.75 ounces) of heroin, Han said. Saridewi Djamani, a 45-year-old Singaporean woman, is due to be hanged Friday after she was convicted and sentenced in 2018 for trafficking around 30 grams (1.05 ounces) of heroin, the group and other human rights organizations said. Han said the last woman known to have been hanged in Singapore was 36-year-old hairdresser Yen May Woen, also for drug trafficking, in 2004. “Singaporean authorities must immediately stop these blatant violations of the right to life in their obsessive enforcement of misguided drug policies,” Adilur Rahman Khan, secretary-general of the International Federation of Human Rights, said in a statement. If Djamani is executed as planned, Singapore will have executed 15 people for drug offences since it resumed hangings in March 2022, an average of one execution every month, Transformative Justice Collective, Amnesty International and seven other groups said in a joint statement. Anyone — citizens and foreigners alike — convicted of trafficking more than 500 grams (17.64 ounces) of cannabis and 15 grams (0.53 ounces) of heroin faces the mandatory death penalty. Human rights groups, British business mogul Richard Branson and the United Nations have urged Singapore to halt executions for drug-related offences as increasing evidence shows the death penalty is ineffective as a deterrent. But Singapore authorities insist that all prisoners get due process of law and that capital punishment remains key to helping halt both drug demand and supply. The joint statement by Transformative Justice Collective and other groups noted that Law Minister K. Shanmugam reportedly acknowledged in a 2022 interview that Singapore’s harsh policy on drugs has not led to the arrest of the so-called drug kingpins. “Instead of disrupting drug cartels … the government of Singapore deliberately retains capital drug laws that, in practice, operate to punish low-level traffickers and couriers, who are typically recruited from marginalised groups with intersecting vulnerabilities,” the statement said. The groups said Singapore is out of step with the global trend of more countries moving away from capital punishment. Neighbouring Thailand has legalised cannabis while Malaysia ended the mandatory death penalty for serious crimes this year. The groups urged Singapore to halt all executions and instead pursue effective measures to humanely address drug trafficking in the country. In Brief: [MPs from the opposition alliance INDIA will visit Manipur on July 29 and 30]( to assess the situation in the north-eastern State which has seen ethnic violence since May 3. A delegation of over 20 Opposition members of parliament will visit Manipur this weekend and will take a first-hand account of the situation in the state, said Congress whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore. The Opposition leaders have been seeking to visit the violence-hit State for sometime but were denied permission in view of the situation there. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, however, had visited a few places in Manipur earlier. Several MPs of the 26-party alliance INDIA will be part of the delegation. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [Sign up for free]( Today’s Top Picks [[Data | Chandrayaan-3 mission: How tough is it to land on the moon?] Data | Chandrayaan-3 mission: How tough is it to land on the moon?]( [[Adapting to the new normal | Work-mind Balance podcast Ep 4] Adapting to the new normal | Work-mind Balance podcast Ep 4]( [[Ajit Pawar will eventually become Chief Minister, says Praful Patel] Ajit Pawar will eventually become Chief Minister, says Praful Patel]( [[U.N. chief Antonio Guterres warns Earth in ‘era of global boiling’] U.N. chief Antonio Guterres warns Earth in ‘era of global boiling’]( Copyright @ 2023, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [try here]( Manage your newsletter subscription preferences [here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](