The Evening Wrap: Union Health Minister confirms two Nipah virus deaths in Kerala

Two deaths reported from Kerala’s Kozhikode district were caused by Nipah virus, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday. He said a central team of experts has been sent to Kerala to take stock of the situation and assist the State government in the management of the Nipah virus infection. According to official sources, samples of four more people from Kerala have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune to test for the deadly virus. Meanwhile, the Kerala government on Tuesday set up a control room in Kozhikode and advised people to use masks as a precautionary measure. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a Facebook post that the government is viewing the two deaths seriously and the health department has issued an alert in Kozhikode. Sedition law: Supreme Court refers petitions challenging validity of Section 124A to Constitution Bench The Supreme Court on September 12 referred petitions challenging Section 124A, the provision for sedition in the Indian Penal Code, to a Constitution Bench while refusing to wait for the Parliament’s word on Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, a draft law proposed to replace the British-made penal code of 1860. A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud found no merit in a suggestion from the government to defer the case instead of referring it to a larger Bench of five judges. Attorney General R. Venkataramani said a “substantive hearing” of the case immediately would be untimely as the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill was before a parliamentary standing committee and may be tabled in the winter session along with Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Bills, which are meant to replace the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, also for the Union, urged the court to not “pre-empt” the Parliament. The court said its resolve against postponing the case was based on a well-settled legal principle that a new penal law would apply only prospectively. Prosecutions under Section 124A, presently on hold following a Supreme Court order in May 2022, would persist even if the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill manages to pass muster in Parliament. “Assuming the new law does come into force, that law will govern only future cases. In so far as pending prosecutions under Section 124A are concerned, they will continue… unless the new law says it has retrospective effect or the Parliament says all pending cases under Section 124A will lapse,... There is no way we can avoid looking into the constitutionality of Section 124A on the ground that a new law may come… Section 124A will operate and govern all prosecutions until the new law takes effect. That is a well-settled proposition. A new penal law cannot be applied with a retrospective effect,” Chief Justice Chandrachud observed. Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Arvind Datar and Gopal Sankaranarayanan accompanied by advocates Vipin Nair, PB Suresh and Prasanna S, have argued for the petitioners that “words or action conveying disaffection to the government cannot necessarily be treated as seditious in character in relation to the state. The state cannot be equated with the government of the time”. Sibal said the new clause proposed in place of Section 124A was “unfortunately worse”. Section 150 in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill avoids using the term ‘sedition’, but describes the offence as any act “endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India”. “What they have proposed is far more draconian,” Sibal submitted. Mehta retorted that though Mr. Sibal termed Section 124A “draconian”, the previous government had not taken the time to get rid of the provision all these years. “Why did they not? Now, the current government is doing it,” he said. However, the court refused to comment on the Bill and its provisions. “We will not examine the new law. It is not even a law today, only a proposal,” the Chief Justice said. Advocate Kaleeswaram Raj, for a petitioner, said a reference to a five-judge Bench was not warranted as the Centre, in an affidavit filed earlier in court, had cast doubts about the constitutionality of Section 124A. However, Chief Justice Chandrachud said any re-examination of Section 124A would have to consider a Constitution Bench judgment of 1962 in the Kedar Nath Singh versus State of Bihar case, which had upheld the legality of Section 124A though limiting its applicability to “activities involving incitement to violence or intention or tendency to create public disorder or cause disturbance of public peace”. However, the Chief Justice said the ambit of the Kedar Nath judgment was confined to the impact of sedition on free speech and expression enshrined in Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. It had not touched upon the effect of Section 124A on the fundamental rights to life (Article 21) and equal treatment (Article 14). The court said the Kedar Nath judgment had to be re-evaluated taking into consideration the substantial advancements made in recognising and evolving new rights since 1962. “As a three-judge Bench, we cannot review the Kedar Nath judgment. Let a five-judge Bench review the 1962 judgment. In case, it says the 1962 judgment does not require modifications and sends it back to us, we are bound by it. The five-judge Bench can also refer it to a seven-judge Bench or it can even make modifications in the interpretation of Section 124A to suit the present times,” Chief Justice Chandrachud explained. ‘Say bye to diesel’: Centre warns automakers of higher taxes in pollution fight The Union road transport minister on Tuesday said he will propose an additional 10% tax on diesel vehicles and warned automakers of even higher levies to come to force them away from diesel-burners and cut fuel emissions and pollution. Nitin Gadkari made the comments at the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) annual conference in New Delhi, where executives of Tata Motors, Mahindra and Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki and foreign carmakers such as Mercedes and Volkswagen had gathered. Gadkari said he will ask the finance minister later on Tuesday for an “additional 10%” goods and services tax on diesel vehicles to tackle problems related to pollution. India currently imposes a 28% tax and additional so-called “cess” is levied depending on the vehicles’ engine capacity. “Say bye to diesel soon, otherwise we will increase so much tax that it will become difficult for you to sell these vehicles,” Gadkari told the conference. “We have to leave petrol and diesel soon and walk on the new path of being pollution free... There should be a diversification (by companies) as soon as possible,” he said in a warning to automakers. Gadkari’s comments sparked widespread discussion among auto executives at the Delhi conference, with some describing the move to Reuters as a “bombshell” announcement. Mercedes India managing director, Santosh Iyer, said many customers still prefer diesel vehicles and any change in tax policies will lead to a shift in automakers’ “portfolio strategy”. “We will need six-odd months to change our production planning processes but we can always vary and shift based on the demand,” he said. Pollution is a growing problem across India. Attempts to cut vehicular emissions, reduce fuel imports and curb stubble burning have not yielded great results in a country where the proposed coal power capacity is the highest after China. The minister later wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, the proposal to increase tax was not “currently under active consideration by the government”. Shares of automakers Mahindra and Mahindra, Tata Motors and commercial vehicle maker, Ashok Leyland, dropped between 2.2% and 2.5%. The finance ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Gadkari has also issued warnings at past SIAM conferences. In 2017, Gadkari told auto executives they should move towards electric vehicles (EVs), saying: “I am going to do this, whether you like it or not. And I am not going to ask you. I will bulldoze it.” India has in recent years promoted electric vehicle sales with tax incentives, though less than 2% of India’s nearly 4 million in car sales last fiscal year were EVs. The government has said it wants EVs to make up 30% of total car sales by 2030. The number of diesel vehicles in the world’s third-largest car market has fallen to 18% from 50% a decade ago, Gadkari said, warning that just like India pushed through stricter fuel emission norms against opposition from the industry, it will similarly drive up taxes to push out diesel vehicles. Veejay Ram Nakra, chief executive officer for the automotive division of Mahindra and Mahindra, told TV news channel ET Now that any change in duty structure “will certainly have an impact on volume of sales.” Ashok Leyland Chief Executive Shenu Agarwal told CNBC-TV18 that instead of taxation, more incentives should be given on electric, hydrogen and other alternate fuels. About 962,000 commercial vehicles were sold in India from April 2022 to March 2023, up 34% from a year earlier, while passenger vehicles sales rose 27% to 3.9 million for the period. “If implemented, this would be a huge negative for commercial vehicle makers, potentially bringing degrowth to the segment,” said Amit Hiranandani, analyst at brokerage SMIFS. Sanatana Dharma row: Will pull out tongue and gouge out eyes, says Union Minister Shekhawat on Udhayanidhi’s comments Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has said anyone who speaks against the Sanatana Dharma would have his tongue pulled out and his eyes gouged out. A video of Shekhawat making the purported remarks went viral on social media. He was speaking at a public rally in Barmer district of poll-bound Rajasthan last week during BJP’s Parivartan Yatra. Reacting to the recent comments made by Tamil Nadu Youth Welfare Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin against the Sanatana Dharma, Shekhawat said, “We have to stand up to the challenge. We will pull out the tongue of anyone who speaks against Sanatana. We will also gouge out those eyes raised against Sanatana.” “We challenge that no person who speaks against Sanatana will be able to maintain political position and power in this country. They try to attack our culture and history,” he said. On September 2, Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, alleged that the Sanatana Dharma is against equality and social justice, and that it should be eradicated. He also likened Sanatana Dharma to coronavirus, malaria, and dengue fever. In the rally, Shekhawat also said the Opposition INDIA alliance is a grouping of those who have been involved in various scams like fodder scam and others. He said Opposition parties’ objective is to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. “[Congress president] Mallikarjun Kharge says that if Modi wins, Sanatana will become powerful, hence there is a need to defeat him. Two days ago, the DMK Chief Minister’s son made remarks against Sanatana. He [Udhayanidhi Stalin], while comparing it to coronavirus, says that Sanatana culture should be eliminated from the country,” the Jodhpur MP said. Shekhawat said that many invaders tried to weaken Indian culture for 2,000 years. “Rulers like Alauddin Khilji and Aurangzeb tried but ancestors of yours and mine were capable and protect the culture. We swear by all those ancestors, whether it is Maharaja Surajmal, Veer Durgadas or Maharana Pratap, that we will not tolerate those who attack Sanatana. We will throw them away,” the Union Jal Shakti Minister said. 40% sitting MPs have criminal cases, 25% serious criminal cases: ADR About 40% of sitting MPs have criminal cases registered against them out of which 25% have declared serious criminal cases under charges of murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, and crimes against women, according to poll rights body ADR. The average worth of assets per MP from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha is ₹38.33 crores and 53 (7%) are billionaires, the ADR said. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) have analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 763 sitting MPs out of 776 seats of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. This data has been extracted from affidavits filed by the MPs prior to contesting their last elections and any subsequent by-elections. Four seats of the Lok Sabha and one seat of the Rajya Sabha are vacant and four Rajya Sabha seats of Jammu and Kashmir are undefined. The affidavits of one Lok Sabha MP and three Rajya Sabha MPs could not be analysed as these documents were not available. Out of the 763 sitting MPs analysed, 306 (40%) sitting MPs have declared criminal cases against them and 194 (25%) sitting MPs have declared serious criminal cases including cases related to murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, crimes against women, etc, it said. Among the members of both Houses, 23 (79%) out of 29 MPs from Kerala, 41 (73%) out of 56 MPs from Bihar, 37 (57%) out of 65 MPs from Maharashtra, 13 (54%) out of 24 MPs from Telangana and 5 (50%) out of 10 MPs from Delhi have declared criminal cases against themselves in their self-sworn affidavits, the ADR said. About 28 (50%) out of 56 MPs from Bihar, nine (38%) out of 24 MPs from Telangana, 10 (34%) out of 29 MPs from Kerala, 22 (34%) out of 65 MPs from Maharashtra and 37 (34%) out of 108 MPs from Uttar Pradesh have declared serious criminal cases in their self-sworn affidavits. About 139(36%) out of 385 MPs from BJP, 43 (53%) out of 81 MPs from Congress, 14 (39%) out of 36 MPs from TMC, 5 (83%) out of 6 MPs from RJD, 6 (75%) out of 8 MPs from CPI(M), 3 (27%) out of 11 MPs from AAP, 13 (42%) out of 31 MPs from YSRCP and 3 (38%) out of 8 MPs from NCP have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits. About 98 (25%) out of 385 MPs from BJP, 26 (32%) out of 81 MPs from Congress, 7 (19%) out of 36 MPs from TMC, 3 (50%) out of 6 MPs from RJD, 2 (25%) out of 8 MPs from CPI(M), 1 (9%) out of 11 MPs from AAP, 11 (35%) out of 31 MPs from YSRCP and 2 (25%) out of eight MPs from NCP have declared serious criminal cases in their affidavits. Congress slams BJP over reports of lotus being printed on new uniform of Parliament staff The Congress on September 12 accused the BJP of making the “Parliament a one-sided partisan thing” amid reports that the ruling party’s poll symbol, a lotus, is being printed on the new uniform for Parliament staff. Congress whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore questioned why the lotus was being added and not a tiger or a peacock, the national animal and the national bird respectively. “Why lotus only? Why can’t a peacock or why can’t a tiger? Oh, they’re not BJP party election symbol. Why this fall sir Om Birla,” Tagore said on X, using the hashtag “#NewDressforParliamentStaff”. A media report suggested the Parliament staff will have a new dress code with the lotus printed on it. “Why is the government not ready to put Tiger in the Parliament staff’s dress, because Tiger is the national animal. Why are they not ready to put the Peacock, which is the national bird, in the dress? But they chose to put the lotus in the dress code of the Parliamentary staff, because the BJP’s symbol is the lotus,” Tagore said in a statement. How cheap they are. They did it in G20 also. Now also they are doing it and saying it is the national flower. This kind of pettiness is not right. Hope the BJP grows up and not make the Parliament a one-sided partisan thing,” he alleged. Tagore said the Parliament is becoming a part of a party’s symbol. “It is unfortunate. The Parliament was above all parties. It shows that the BJP is interfering in every other institution,” he said. In Brief: Bajrang Dal member and self-styled cow vigilante Monu Manesar, wanted by Rajasthan Police in connection with the murder of Nasir and Junaid in February this year, was on September 12 detained by the Haryana Police. The Rajasthan Police said that he would be later handed over to them. Confirming the detention, Bharatpur Superintendent of Police Mridul Kachawa said the Rajasthan Police had received the information that their Haryana counterparts had detained Manesar. Kachawa said the police officers from Bharatpur were in touch with the Haryana Police officers. “Haryana Police are carrying out their procedure and our officers are in contact with them. When their procedure is completed, our team of the district police will initiate action,” Kachawa said in Bharatpur. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 12 September 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]( Union Health Minister confirms two Nipah virus deaths in Kerala [Two deaths reported from Kerala’s Kozhikode district were caused by Nipah virus]( Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday. He said a central team of experts has been sent to Kerala to take stock of the situation and assist the State government in the management of the Nipah virus infection. According to official sources, samples of four more people from Kerala have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune to test for the deadly virus. Meanwhile, the Kerala government on Tuesday set up a control room in Kozhikode and advised people to use masks as a precautionary measure. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a Facebook post that the government is viewing the two deaths seriously and the health department has issued an alert in Kozhikode. Sedition law: Supreme Court refers petitions challenging validity of Section 124A to Constitution Bench The Supreme Court on September 12 referred petitions challenging Section 124A, the provision for sedition in the Indian Penal Code, [to a Constitution Bench]( while refusing to wait for the Parliament’s word on Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, a draft law proposed to replace the British-made penal code of 1860. A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud found no merit in a suggestion from the government to defer the case instead of referring it to a larger Bench of five judges. Attorney General R. Venkataramani said a “substantive hearing” of the case immediately would be untimely as the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill was before a parliamentary standing committee and may be tabled in the winter session along with Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Bills, which are meant to replace the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, also for the Union, urged the court to not “pre-empt” the Parliament. The court said its resolve against postponing the case was based on a well-settled legal principle that a new penal law would apply only prospectively. Prosecutions under Section 124A, presently on hold following a Supreme Court order in May 2022, would persist even if the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill manages to pass muster in Parliament. “Assuming the new law does come into force, that law will govern only future cases. In so far as pending prosecutions under Section 124A are concerned, they will continue… unless the new law says it has retrospective effect or the Parliament says all pending cases under Section 124A will lapse,... There is no way we can avoid looking into the constitutionality of Section 124A on the ground that a new law may come… Section 124A will operate and govern all prosecutions until the new law takes effect. That is a well-settled proposition. A new penal law cannot be applied with a retrospective effect,” Chief Justice Chandrachud observed. Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Arvind Datar and Gopal Sankaranarayanan accompanied by advocates Vipin Nair, PB Suresh and Prasanna S, have argued for the petitioners that “words or action conveying disaffection to the government cannot necessarily be treated as seditious in character in relation to the state. The state cannot be equated with the government of the time”. Sibal said the new clause proposed in place of Section 124A was “unfortunately worse”. Section 150 in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill avoids using the term ‘sedition’, but describes the offence as any act “endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India”. “What they have proposed is far more draconian,” Sibal submitted. Mehta retorted that though Mr. Sibal termed Section 124A “draconian”, the previous government had not taken the time to get rid of the provision all these years. “Why did they not? Now, the current government is doing it,” he said. However, the court refused to comment on the Bill and its provisions. “We will not examine the new law. It is not even a law today, only a proposal,” the Chief Justice said. Advocate Kaleeswaram Raj, for a petitioner, said a reference to a five-judge Bench was not warranted as the Centre, in an affidavit filed earlier in court, had cast doubts about the constitutionality of Section 124A. However, Chief Justice Chandrachud said any re-examination of Section 124A would have to consider a Constitution Bench judgment of 1962 in the Kedar Nath Singh versus State of Bihar case, which had upheld the legality of Section 124A though limiting its applicability to “activities involving incitement to violence or intention or tendency to create public disorder or cause disturbance of public peace”. However, the Chief Justice said the ambit of the Kedar Nath judgment was confined to the impact of sedition on free speech and expression enshrined in Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. It had not touched upon the effect of Section 124A on the fundamental rights to life (Article 21) and equal treatment (Article 14). The court said the Kedar Nath judgment had to be re-evaluated taking into consideration the substantial advancements made in recognising and evolving new rights since 1962. “As a three-judge Bench, we cannot review the Kedar Nath judgment. Let a five-judge Bench review the 1962 judgment. In case, it says the 1962 judgment does not require modifications and sends it back to us, we are bound by it. The five-judge Bench can also refer it to a seven-judge Bench or it can even make modifications in the interpretation of Section 124A to suit the present times,” Chief Justice Chandrachud explained. ‘Say bye to diesel’: Centre warns automakers of higher taxes in pollution fight The Union road transport minister on Tuesday said [he will propose an additional 10% tax on diesel vehicles]( and warned automakers of even higher levies to come to force them away from diesel-burners and cut fuel emissions and pollution. Nitin Gadkari made the comments at the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) annual conference in New Delhi, where executives of Tata Motors, Mahindra and Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki and foreign carmakers such as Mercedes and Volkswagen had gathered. Gadkari said he will ask the finance minister later on Tuesday for an “additional 10%” goods and services tax on diesel vehicles to tackle problems related to pollution. India currently imposes a 28% tax and additional so-called “cess” is levied depending on the vehicles’ engine capacity. “Say bye to diesel soon, otherwise we will increase so much tax that it will become difficult for you to sell these vehicles,” Gadkari told the conference. “We have to leave petrol and diesel soon and walk on the new path of being pollution free ... There should be a diversification (by companies) as soon as possible,” he said in a warning to automakers. Gadkari’s comments sparked widespread discussion among auto executives at the Delhi conference, with some describing the move to Reuters as a “bombshell” announcement. Mercedes India managing director, Santosh Iyer, said many customers still prefer diesel vehicles and any change in tax policies will lead to a shift in automakers’ “portfolio strategy”. “We will need six-odd months to change our production planning processes but we can always vary and shift based on the demand,” he said. Pollution is a growing problem across India. Attempts to cut vehicular emissions, reduce fuel imports and curb stubble burning have not yielded great results in a country where the proposed coal power capacity is the highest after China. The minister later wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, the proposal to increase tax was not “currently under active consideration by the government”. Shares of automakers Mahindra and Mahindra, Tata Motors and commercial vehicle maker, Ashok Leyland, dropped between 2.2% and 2.5%. The finance ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Gadkari has also issued warnings at past SIAM conferences. In 2017, Gadkari told auto executives they should move towards electric vehicles (EVs), saying: “I am going to do this, whether you like it or not. And I am not going to ask you. I will bulldoze it.” India has in recent years promoted electric vehicle sales with tax incentives, though less than 2% of India’s nearly 4 million in car sales last fiscal year were EVs. The government has said it wants EVs to make up 30% of total car sales by 2030. The number of diesel vehicles in the world’s third-largest car market has fallen to 18% from 50% a decade ago, Gadkari said, warning that just like India pushed through stricter fuel emission norms against opposition from the industry, it will similarly drive up taxes to push out diesel vehicles. Veejay Ram Nakra, chief executive officer for the automotive division of Mahindra and Mahindra, told TV news channel ET Now that any change in duty structure “will certainly have an impact on volume of sales.” Ashok Leyland Chief Executive Shenu Agarwal told CNBC-TV18 that instead of taxation, more incentives should be given on electric, hydrogen and other alternate fuels. About 962,000 commercial vehicles were sold in India from April 2022 to March 2023, up 34% from a year earlier, while passenger vehicles sales rose 27% to 3.9 million for the period. “If implemented, this would be a huge negative for commercial vehicle makers, potentially bringing degrowth to the segment,” said Amit Hiranandani, analyst at brokerage SMIFS. Sanatana Dharma row: Will pull out tongue and gouge out eyes, says Union Minister Shekhawat on Udhayanidhi’s comments Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has said[anyone who speaks against the Sanatana Dharma would have his tongue pulled out and his eyes gouged out](. A video of Shekhawat making the purported remarks went viral on social media. He was speaking at a public rally in Barmer district of poll-bound Rajasthan last week during BJP’s Parivartan Yatra. Reacting to the recent comments made by Tamil Nadu Youth Welfare Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin against the Sanatana Dharma, Shekhawat said, “We have to stand up to the challenge. We will pull out the tongue of anyone who speaks against Sanatana. We will also gouge out those eyes raised against Sanatana.” “We challenge that no person who speaks against Sanatana will be able to maintain political position and power in this country. They try to attack our culture and history,” he said. On September 2, Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, alleged that the Sanatana Dharma is against equality and social justice, and that it should be eradicated. He also likened Sanatana Dharma to coronavirus, malaria, and dengue fever. In the rally, Shekhawat also said the Opposition INDIA alliance is a grouping of those who have been involved in various scams like fodder scam and others. He said Opposition parties’ objective is to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. “[Congress president] Mallikarjun Kharge says that if Modi wins, Sanatana will become powerful, hence there is a need to defeat him. Two days ago, the DMK Chief Minister’s son made remarks against Sanatana. He [Udhayanidhi Stalin], while comparing it to coronavirus, says that Sanatana culture should be eliminated from the country,” the Jodhpur MP said. Shekhawat said that many invaders tried to weaken Indian culture for 2,000 years. “Rulers like Alauddin Khilji and Aurangzeb tried but ancestors of yours and mine were capable and protect the culture. We swear by all those ancestors, whether it is Maharaja Surajmal, Veer Durgadas or Maharana Pratap, that we will not tolerate those who attack Sanatana. We will throw them away,” the Union Jal Shakti Minister said. 40% sitting MPs have criminal cases, 25% serious criminal cases: ADR [About 40% of sitting MPs have criminal cases]( registered against them out of which 25% have declared serious criminal cases under charges of murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, and crimes against women, according to poll rights body ADR. The average worth of assets per MP from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha is ₹38.33 crores and 53 (7%) are billionaires, the ADR said. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) have analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 763 sitting MPs out of 776 seats of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. This data has been extracted from affidavits filed by the MPs prior to contesting their last elections and any subsequent by-elections. Four seats of the Lok Sabha and one seat of the Rajya Sabha are vacant and four Rajya Sabha seats of Jammu and Kashmir are undefined. The affidavits of one Lok Sabha MP and three Rajya Sabha MPs could not be analysed as these documents were not available. Out of the 763 sitting MPs analysed, 306 (40%) sitting MPs have declared criminal cases against them and 194 (25%) sitting MPs have declared serious criminal cases including cases related to murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, crimes against women, etc, it said. Among the members of both Houses, 23 (79%) out of 29 MPs from Kerala, 41 (73%) out of 56 MPs from Bihar, 37 (57%) out of 65 MPs from Maharashtra, 13 (54%) out of 24 MPs from Telangana and 5 (50%) out of 10 MPs from Delhi have declared criminal cases against themselves in their self-sworn affidavits, the ADR said. About 28 (50%) out of 56 MPs from Bihar, nine (38%) out of 24 MPs from Telangana, 10 (34%) out of 29 MPs from Kerala, 22 (34%) out of 65 MPs from Maharashtra and 37 (34%) out of 108 MPs from Uttar Pradesh have declared serious criminal cases in their self-sworn affidavits. About 139(36%) out of 385 MPs from BJP, 43 (53%) out of 81 MPs from Congress, 14 (39%) out of 36 MPs from TMC, 5 (83%) out of 6 MPs from RJD, 6 (75%) out of 8 MPs from CPI(M), 3 (27%) out of 11 MPs from AAP, 13 (42%) out of 31 MPs from YSRCP and 3 (38%) out of 8 MPs from NCP have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits. About 98 (25%) out of 385 MPs from BJP, 26 (32%) out of 81 MPs from Congress, 7 (19%) out of 36 MPs from TMC, 3 (50%) out of 6 MPs from RJD, 2 (25%) out of 8 MPs from CPI(M), 1 (9%) out of 11 MPs from AAP, 11 (35%) out of 31 MPs from YSRCP and 2 (25%) out of eight MPs from NCP have declared serious criminal cases in their affidavits. Congress slams BJP over reports of lotus being printed on new uniform of Parliament staff The [Congress on September 12 accused the BJP]( of making the “Parliament a one-sided partisan thing” amid reports that the ruling party’s poll symbol, a lotus, is being printed on the new uniform for Parliament staff. Congress whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore questioned why the lotus was being added and not a tiger or a peacock, the national animal and the national bird respectively. “Why lotus only? Why can’t a peacock or why can’t a tiger? Oh, they’re not BJP party election symbol. Why this fall sir Om Birla,” Tagore said on X, using the hashtag “#NewDressforParliamentStaff”. A media report suggested the Parliament staff will have a new dress code with the lotus printed on it. “Why is the government not ready to put Tiger in the Parliament staff’s dress, because Tiger is the national animal. Why are they not ready to put the Peacock, which is the national bird, in the dress? But they chose to put the lotus in the dress code of the Parliamentary staff, because the BJP’s symbol is the lotus,” Tagore said in a statement. How cheap they are. They did it in G20 also. Now also they are doing it and saying it is the national flower. This kind of pettiness is not right. Hope the BJP grows up and not make the Parliament a one-sided partisan thing,” he alleged. Tagore said the Parliament is becoming a part of a party’s symbol. “It is unfortunate. The Parliament was above all parties. It shows that the BJP is interfering in every other institution,” he said. In Brief: Bajrang Dal member and self-styled cow vigilante Monu Manesar, wanted by Rajasthan Police in connection with the murder of Nasir and Junaid in February this year, was on September 12 [detained by the Haryana Police](. The Rajasthan Police said that he would be later handed over to them. Confirming the detention, Bharatpur Superintendent of Police Mridul Kachawa said the Rajasthan Police had received the information that their Haryana counterparts had detained Manesar. Kachawa said the police officers from Bharatpur were in touch with the Haryana Police officers. “Haryana Police are carrying out their procedure and our officers are in contact with them. When their procedure is completed, our team of the district police will initiate action,” Kachawa said in Bharatpur. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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