- 39 minutes ago
The Supreme Court clarified that it did not approve modifications made by the Election Commission of India to Form 6, rejecting claims cited from an earlier commission press release. A bench declined an interim plea seeking the suspension of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, directing the commission to produce official records concerning the Special Intensive Revision. Meanwhile, the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer dismissed allegations of automated voter deletions under Form 7. In another hearing, the Supreme Court took suo motu cognizance of crimes against women in Delhi, ordering measures to enhance police visibility in vulnerable areas and seeking status reports on the Nirbhaya Fund and municipal streetlighting. Additionally, the Delhi Police Crime Branch took up allegations of harassment raised by detained women protesters and journalists. The bulletin also covers the INDIA bloc’s planned protest march to the Election Commission, a mid-air terror plot confession on a Flydubai flight, a CBI probe into Punjab administrative transfer scams, a pneumonic plague scare in Russia, and political reactions to actor Sanjay Dutt’s talk show comments.
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NewsTranscript
00:01Hello and welcome. You're watching India Today. This is 5 Live and I'm Sonoma Hirotra Kapoor.
00:06Three stories in focus that we've got for you today.
00:08We'll start with the biggest headline that is coming in from the Supreme Court,
00:11which has confirmed that they did not give any nod for Form 6 modifications to the Election Commission of India.
00:19Something that the Election Commission went on record to say.
00:22Something that they put out a press release saying that they've got the nod from the Supreme Court.
00:27And all of this has come as a huge shocker, a huge blow to the current sentiment,
00:33which seems to be going and questioning more and more questions that are coming against the Election Commission of India.
00:39Then there is story number two.
00:41Women protesters have alleged assault.
00:44There is a conversation going on, constantly being spoken,
00:49that several women protesters, including some independent journalists,
00:54were groped, not just by the crowd, but by Delhi police over there.
00:59On this as well, the Supreme Court has got some hard words to say.
01:02We'll tell you what exactly and how has anything really changed on the streets of the capital ever since Nirbiyah
01:07happened.
01:08And then the story that has got the international headlines at the moment.
01:14The Russian Plague Scare.
01:16200 people are in quarantine as we speak.
01:19A 28-year-old anti-plague researcher is dead.
01:23This after a possible lab exposure to the mnemonic plague of the bacteria.
01:29How exactly did that happen?
01:31How do we need to worry if it's bacteria?
01:34Is there medicine available for it?
01:37Can antibiotics be given all of that?
01:38Is what we'll explain you over the course of the programme.
01:41First up, let's quickly take a look at the headlines.
01:46The Supreme Court has declined to pass an interim order suspending the CEC, Ganesh Kumar,
01:50seeking that Election Commission of India's response to allegations.
01:55The Supreme Court seeks EC records to verify if decisions were taken as per law.
02:04Rahul Gandhi's municipal Satyagraha portal triggers a fresh political row.
02:09BJP has now dismissed initiatives, saying it makes no difference to people.
02:14Union Minister Chirak Baswan says Congress needs introspection on its losses.
02:18Rather than Satyagraha.
02:21Chilling new details have emerged on the mid-air terror plot on board the Fly Dubai flight.
02:29Umani co-pilot has confessed to UAE investigators that the ultimate goal was to crash the flight 1073
02:37directly into Tel Aviv airport in a 9-11 type attack.
02:43Fly Dubai incident has triggered a political word of words now.
02:46Congress ally in Kedram, IUML, claims no official confirmation linking Umani co-pilot to terrorism.
02:51BJP has targeted Congress, Rahul Gandhi, and leadership over their silence on Smith's heroism.
03:00Big war of words between Bollywood veterans.
03:02Actor Piyush Mishra has slammed Nasruddin Shah over his silence on Captain Smith's,
03:07dared him to speak on the LPU stir in the lovely professional university stir in Punjab.
03:17And Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman speaks at the Munich Security Conference.
03:21Flag's weaponization of tariffs says the multilateralism is the way forward.
03:29The amounts for Bhagawan Sitaraman government in Punjab.
03:33A high court has ordered CBI probe into the scams and transfers, posting and land use approvals,
03:38unearthed by ED, also naming the OSD to CM Vaan.
03:43The CBI has to submit now a report in two months.
03:59All right, cutting across to some updates coming in straight away.
04:02And this is amid the political showdown over Form 7 now in Karnataka.
04:06Karnataka CEO has issued a clarification on the mass deletions charge.
04:10He says, and I quote here,
04:12To delete any name from the draft roll, the ERO has to issue a notice for hearing.
04:17He has to call both the objector and the voter for the hearing.
04:21So, he has to verify the documents.
04:24Only after that, once he is convinced, can a decision be taken whether to delete it or not.
04:30Not a single voter has been deleted so far.
04:32This is again according to CEC in Karnataka.
04:36And also saying that I have written to all the EROs very clearly to take necessary action.
04:41If after any inquiry, they are convinced that action is needed,
04:45they will take action as per law once they complete the inquiry.
04:50Saga Raj, my colleague, joins us for more details on this.
04:54Saga, so Karnataka CEC basically saying that there is a human intervention.
04:58It is not an automated, you know, software which is just deleting names altogether.
05:04First, such clarification coming in.
05:10Absolutely.
05:11And this according to the legal rules as per the section 16 to 20 of the registration of electoral rules
05:181960.
05:19And the clarification is given by Anwar Kumar, who is the chief election officer here in Bengaluru,
05:25who have categorically mentioned that whenever there is a process of deletion is being done,
05:31it will be done after a thorough investigation,
05:33where they will summon the person who have given the application to delete,
05:38as well as the authors, whether it is the family members or the author himself,
05:42that he claims that he is still there or he is not dead, he is not transferred to somewhere else,
05:47he is still staying there and he is the author of that particular constituency.
05:50They will summon him or their family members.
05:53And thereafter, the person who have raised the complaint,
05:56both of them will be summoned and the ERO have to conduct the investigation.
05:59There will be a deliberation between them where they have to prove with the documents and everything
06:03that they have been transferred or they have been shifted
06:05or whatever the claims made by the complainant.
06:08And thereafter, the author had to justify saying that he is still there,
06:11that these are the documents to prove that he is still the author from that particular constituency.
06:16So, there will be a lot of deliberation which will be done according to the Chief Election Officer here in
06:21Karnataka
06:22and thereafter, a decision will be taken if at all, if they have to delete the author or not.
06:28Alright, Sake, also a good time maybe to just, you know, dial back a little bit on the story
06:33and educate our viewers on what exactly is Form 7.
06:37Form 6, we know, is the form which is required to be getting a pass from your local election officer.
06:45If you want names included, Form 7 is for deletion.
06:51The controversy so far had been that names are getting deleted without a proper human intervention.
06:57The software is calculating even a small thing like a spelling error or, you know, a name mismatch
07:03or even, you know, sometimes a middle name missing or middle name being there
07:07that causing names to get deleted altogether without a hearing.
07:12Now, we have the Karnataka CEC saying that that's not the case.
07:16There is indeed a human hearing that happens before the deletions take place.
07:22So, where exactly did the allegations sagay then that, you know, these deletions are taking place
07:28without hearing come from?
07:33So, we are outside election commission office, just now the press conference is over.
07:37So, let me explain to you how, what exactly has happened all this while.
07:41So, according to the allegations made by the Karnataka Congress government,
07:44there is a middle man, middle man who claims himself as a BLA who can recommend the names
07:50that these are the people who are not in that particular locality
07:53and they have knowledge about every single person in that particular constituency
07:58and they claim that so-and-so person has been permanently shifted, so-and-so person is dead,
08:05but still his name is in the outer list.
08:07So, they give a recommendation and there was a draft list which was been put out by the election commission
08:13after the special intensive thing which has been done across the state.
08:19And in that particular draft, the people who were alive, they have been mentioned dead
08:23or transferred to some other place.
08:27They have been permanently shifted to some other place.
08:29And that is the reason that the Congress leaders are claiming that there is some kind of a conspiracy
08:34and there is a criminal act done by allegedly by the BJP according to them.
08:40And that is the reason they filed a complaint with the election commissioner stating that
08:43how can you even target them.
08:45And their allegation also says that they are targeting only one particular community,
08:50that is a Muslim community, marginally, I mean SCST, and the other communities in the society.
08:57So, they feel that the traditional Congress authors have been targeted
09:01and it has been allegedly done by the BJP.
09:05And Anbu Kumar has promised stating that he will talk to all the district commissioner
09:10and he will take the report.
09:12And if at all, if there is anything, their ERO will file a complaint.
09:16And he has also given a clarification.
09:18Whatever the FIR which has been registered as of now,
09:21these are the private complaints.
09:23These are not the complaints which has been registered by the election commissioner's office.
09:29That is the ERO of that particular district.
09:32All right, Sakai, they are reporting on what exactly the Karnataka CEC is saying.
09:36We've been getting some conflicting reports from Goa, for example,
09:39where the commissioner had to say that, you know, there were some deletions that took place.
09:43We'll have to go back and really see what exactly is happening.
09:46But at the moment, the update from Karnataka CEC is that
09:49they are not doing deletions without a hearing.
09:55All right, but the other big story and the biggest headline of the day
09:58has come in from the Supreme Court.
10:00The Election Commission said that Supreme Court had signed off
10:03on modifications to be done in Form 6.
10:07But today, the Supreme Court said that it hadn't.
10:10That's the big headline and perhaps the biggest one we've seen in SIR fiasco so far.
10:15But some first, you know, some background that you must know of.
10:19What is Form 6?
10:20Now, Form 6 is the first time voters fill, you know, to get into their electoral rolls.
10:26And during SIR, the form was changed and new applicants were asked for an extra declaration.
10:33Now, on the 26th of September, the Election Commission put out a press note
10:36saying that the declaration had been upheld by the Supreme Court.
10:40Today, the Chief Justice of India, Surya Khan, said in an open court that modified Form 6
10:47has not been approved by us.
10:50Let us be absolutely clear, quote unquote.
10:53The court also wants to know who made the change, the court said.
10:57Now, once the record is placed before it, the bench will look at who modified the form and how.
11:03Now, the petition behind all this is not the one about Form 6.
11:07It was the one targeting CEC Ganesh Kumar.
11:10It claims that he took key SIR decisions on his own without the other two election commissioners.
11:17The petitioners wanted him suspended.
11:20The court won't do that for now.
11:22Now, it said it can't press orders on the basis of news reports and that news reports can't be wrong.
11:28But it has issued a notice to the centre, to the election commission and also the CEC
11:34and the election commissioners, Sugbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
11:38The court also wants to see how the commission actually took these decisions
11:42so everything could be coming on paper now, not just part of a newspaper report,
11:48but one that will be part of a court record, will be part of an affidavit that will be submitted
11:53by the CEC.
11:54Now, the questions, what really are they?
11:57Were the decisions unanimous, taken by majority or by the CEC alone?
12:03If the three don't agree, the bench said, a majority can decide,
12:07but it wants to see the record of how they decided, the entire process now under the Supreme Court scanner.
12:15The petitioners also want the ECINET and the ERONET examined.
12:21These are the digital systems, remember, that run the electoral rolls.
12:24The petition also alleges, the petition there, has gone on to make several other allegations,
12:30including Form 6 was changed on ECINET in July, two months after the court SIR judgment.
12:36That's still an allegation, remember, the court hasn't ruled on it.
12:39And one line from the bench, that should actually vary the commission.
12:44It goes on to say, during that hearing, that if an illegality is established,
12:51there will be consequences, and that could include annulling election results.
12:57Now, this comes as a wider fight over SIR that keeps getting louder.
13:03And outside the courtroom, there were some murmurs as well.
13:06Let's take a step back to understand what happened outside the Supreme Court.
13:10Over the weekend, there is a Supreme Court judge, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan,
13:14who, in a public address, said that the right to vote is an essence of citizenship.
13:20Strip millions of people of it, he warned, and you can create a class of citizens who can't vote.
13:25He called that arbitrary.
13:27That was a speech not ruling on SIR.
13:29But on the other side, a former Uttarakhand High Court judge, Justice Lokpal Singh,
13:34has defended SIR with a routine clean-up of the rolls.
13:37He says bogus voters and illegal infiltration are real concerns that cannot be brushed aside.
13:44So, for now, what's happening?
13:46Election Commission has a straight question to answer.
13:50Who changed the Form 6?
13:51And why did the Commission say that the Supreme Court had approved it when, indeed, it hadn't?
13:58All of this will be coming up for hearing.
14:29The Supreme Court has been approved.
14:48From the persona of an Indian citizen, the right to vote or right to be included in the
14:56voters list cannot be detached.
15:01It will be like taking out the soul from the body.
15:06The Indian constitution does not provide for two classes of citizens, one class of citizens
15:13with voting rights and the other class of citizens without voting rights.
15:18Any process which leads to wholesale disenfranchisement of Indian citizens, making them citizens
15:29without voting rights, my view would be outrightly violative of articles 326 and 14 of the constitution
15:40of India.
15:42If any process results in disenfranchising millions and millions of Indian citizens, making them
15:52second class citizens in their own country, in the sense of being citizens without a voting
15:57right, such a process is intrinsically arbitrary.
16:04No amount of water lottery can justify it.
16:10Intensive revision should be done.
16:14So far gross deletition of names are concerned.
16:20It is the election commission of India who can see in a better way.
16:25It is always easy to say that thousands of thousands won't have been deleted.
16:32But you know the people and the population of the particular states.
16:38You can take the example of Bihar and West Bengal.
16:42In Bihar and West Bengal, both the states are adjoining to the Bangladesh and infiltration
16:53cannot be denied.
16:56All right.
16:57And let's get in a perspective from my colleague Anisha Mathur, who's had a busy morning covering
17:01and understanding everything that unfolded in the Supreme Court today.
17:05Anisha, fair to say that so far these were allegations.
17:09So far these were newspaper reports.
17:12Now it's a matter of the court.
17:14Now the court has asked for all the details.
17:17Everything, all the decisions that have been taken regarding SIR, especially those taken
17:23regarding how the modifications were done, when were they done, how the decision making
17:28was taking place, all of that is now a subject matter of the court.
17:33The court gets to oversee and finally, hopefully, we get to hear the truth.
17:39Would it be fair to say that it is not an allegation and a newspaper report any longer now?
17:44The matter is truly subjudious.
17:47Well, Sonal, the matter is subjudious, but it is still an allegation made in a PIL that's
17:52based on a newspaper report.
17:54We must clarify for our viewers and for ourselves, till such time as there is a black and white
18:01response from the ECIF, till such time as there is a finding by an investigation or the
18:07court, it remains an allegation at the moment.
18:10What we have to look at, however, are the questions that are being asked.
18:15Did the ECI take a lawful decision?
18:18Did the three election commissioners take a unanimous or at least by a majority decision?
18:24Was the Form 6 changed by all three?
18:27Was there concerns which were raised, was that addressed?
18:32And more importantly, when the Chief Justice clarifies that we have not approved of change
18:36in Form 6, what does that really mean then for what has happened over the last few months
18:42and what does it now mean?
18:44Because court has asked for the record.
18:47The Supreme Court three judges bench headed by the Chief Justice says, we will see once
18:53the record comes in that the ECI secretary will have to bring us the record.
18:57We will see what has been done.
18:59Repeatedly, this is the stand taken by the Supreme Court today.
19:02Yeah, but Anisha, help me understand, how will these records be ascertained?
19:08Even in the newspaper article, it was very clear that in writing, the other two election commissioners
19:14might have agreed, but the process is what is, you know, under question that, you know,
19:19they were not heard.
19:21How does one factually even prove that?
19:24Like, is there enough even evidence to say or proof any of this?
19:28See, Sonal, that is something that we can only speculate about at the moment.
19:32Remember, the evidences and court works on what is on paper.
19:38If there was an objection in writing, if there was an approval in writing,
19:44who said what in the minutes, who wrote what in the file noting,
19:48if that is what we'll have to eventually see, and a lot will also depend,
19:53and this is something we've been discussing since the morning,
19:56a lot will depend on the record that the ECI actually presents before the Supreme Court.
20:01The court is saying that, you know, let them respond.
20:05There is a mandatory law.
20:06Remember, the Election Commission Act specifically says that decisions have to be taken by majority
20:12or at least by a two is to one, that is by unanimity, I beg your pardon, that is three
20:17zero vote,
20:19or at least by a majority, that is two is to one.
20:22At the moment, we have news reports claiming that two of the ECs had in fact objected to certain changes,
20:29including the forms exchange.
20:31We at the moment do not have the documentation to see what was done.
20:35It is now expected that the documentation, the explanation will be shown to the Supreme Court.
20:42We at the moment do not know what kind of file noting, what kind of documentation will be shown to
20:47the court,
20:47in which manner will it be shown.
20:49Got it. Anisha, one more clarification that I want from you, and this is a critical one.
20:53We are still at very early stage.
20:55Court has just made the statement, the next hearing we'll get to hear more about the matter, etc.
20:59There was a line that was said, which had a lot of confusion earlier on, when the court said,
21:06that if in case it is found that they did not follow process, it will be enulled.
21:12What did they mean by that?
21:13Will they enull the SIR process, the elections?
21:16What exactly is the court saying?
21:18I am trying to ask you, what is the possible extent to which this hearing can really go?
21:24Well, Sonal, the question that you're asking is exactly the question a lot of people are asking right now.
21:29In fact, if you look at what happened in the open court hearing,
21:33the petitioners wanted suspension of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, claiming that he has violated the law.
21:39The court said, well, we can't suspend him till we hear them.
21:42The petitioners again said he has taken a lot of decisions, including the SIR changes.
21:47He said, the court said, well, any decision that was taken unlawfully can be annulled.
21:54It is senior advocate Vikas Singh and senior advocate Menika Guruswamy who pointed out that the result of elections has
22:01been directly impacted,
22:02that several lakh people have lost their votes, that has been impacted by these decisions.
22:07The court said, well, we will have to take a decision, any incorrect decision can be annulled.
22:12But the lawyers also pointed out to the court that an elected result, the elected government cannot be suspended by
22:18the court,
22:19by the court, that election results cannot be annulled by a court, especially after, especially since it has been several
22:27months since the elections.
22:29So, now that question, as you are asking, is something that remains open?
22:34What exactly is the court saying that they can annull?
22:37What they have said is that, very clearly, if the court has said that any decision that is made incorrectly
22:44can be annulled,
22:45directly, first thing that we can look at, the most obvious one, that the change in Form 6 can always
22:50be annulled.
22:50But the impact of that, the larger impact of that, that remains a very, very big question,
22:55and we will have to wait and see how the entire process goes, what kind of questions are asked,
23:00because today was simply a remark made by the court that anything that is wrong, we can correct it.
23:06To what extent, and what are they going to correct, whether everybody…
23:10That remains to be seen.
23:11All of that remains to be seen. Back to you.
23:13All right. Thanks, Anisha, for joining us for the very latest on that.
23:17In fact, we've got more breaking news on that matter. Let me take you straight to that.
23:20We now have a government fact check that has come over the CJP's deleted AC note claim.
23:27Now, the government has said that the press release dated 26 September 26 is available in the public domain
23:32and has not been taken down by the Election Commission of India.
23:35Now, the CJP had claimed earlier in a tweet that the EC had deleted the 26 September press release,
23:42which claimed that EC had upheld the Form 16 order.
23:47So, a fact check there coming in from the government that that EC order, the press release,
23:53where they said that they did get a nod from the Supreme Court for modifications in Form 6.
24:01We are now being told that it is still there.
24:08Aishwarya Pariwal now joins us for more details on this story.
24:12Aishwarya Pariwal started with a tweet that came out from Ashutosh Ranka's handle,
24:16and he said that it looks like, and there was a video attached to it,
24:19which said that it looks like that the Election Commission has deleted that press release.
24:25The government is saying that it's still there. We've not independently checked it, so hard for us to say.
24:30But the government is saying that it is indeed still there.
24:33But on a day like this, give us an understanding of where this day like this,
24:40where so much of embarrassment has come the way of the CEC in saying that they did not get the
24:45nod for modifications in Form 6.
24:47How exactly is the government coping up? How are they dealing with this entire situation?
24:52Well, you know, Sonal, let me tell you, we have independently verified the press note that, in fact,
24:57Ashutosh Ranka is speaking about is available not just on the PIB website, but also on Election Commission's website.
25:04We have personally gone there and checked it, so it is present, but yes, there are some things,
25:09sort of clarification, further clarification rather, that has come in from the Supreme Court side,
25:14in which the Supreme Court said that the modification was something that they had not specifically agreed for.
25:20The Election Commission, however, Sonal, at the moment is maintaining that in the order that was given earlier
25:25by the Supreme Court of India, they had said that it is within the ambit of the Election Commission of
25:29India.
25:30If it wants to tweak something, then it can do so. So this is a battle which I think will
25:35be fought further in the Supreme Court.
25:37But yes, today is the day when further clarification is coming in, especially with regard to Form 6.
25:42And this is the exact same form, Sonal, if you remember, about which both the Election Commissioners,
25:47Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, both of them, had written and said that there were administrative changes that were being made.
25:53But the government standing firmly behind the press release and saying that the press release, in fact,
25:58is available not just on PID, but even on Election Commission's website.
26:02All right, Ashwara. Thanks so much for coming in and making a clarification there on what exactly happened.
26:06But more updates coming in. Let's take you to that.
26:16We are now getting reports that the India Bloc meeting to organize a protest march of all opposition MPs on
26:23Tuesday,
26:24that is tomorrow, October 6th at 10.30 from Makardwar in Parliament House to the Office of the Election Commission
26:31of India, Nirvachan Bhawan.
26:33And Nirvachan Southern, in fact, has been called.
26:37And on the issue, it is Vot Chori and the recent revelations regarding this EC.
26:42The Congress held major meetings and has adopted aggressive stance.
26:46Leaders from all state units, state presidents, party in charges will be present.
26:52And we are told that strategies regarding the planned gherao of the Election Commission on 6th of October are being
26:59discussed.
27:00Delibrations are also underway concerning the preparations for the march that is scheduled on the 8th of October
27:09and strategies to bring alliance partners on board there as well.
27:13The Congress aims to unite opposition parties around the Election Commission issue
27:17and transform this protest into a mass movement.
27:22So, as we speak, that all-important meeting is going on.
27:26And tomorrow's protest details are being looked into.
27:30My colleague Himanshu joins us for more details on this story.
27:34Himanshu, tell us what this is.
27:39Alright, Moshami, my colleague Moshami Singh, who covers the Congress party, joins us for more details on this story.
27:44Moshami, take us through what exactly are the preparations.
27:47We've had a weekend of protests.
27:50We've had left parties.
27:52We've had student unions.
27:54We've had the Cockroach Janta party in different cities across the country hold protests.
27:59And now the Congress party also jumping in.
28:02If the Delhi preparations are anything to go by, the police is not letting people go beyond a particular point.
28:07So, my first question is, do they have the permission to protest?
28:15The parliamentarians would be protesting as on the Makar Dwar.
28:20Now, all MPs have permission to go to the Makar Dwar.
28:25Mr. Kargi has told all the Congress MPs to assemble there about at 10.30 a.m.
28:31And, of course, all the India Bloc MPs would also be present there soon.
28:37And we'll see that they will be, apparently, going towards Vijay Chow or, perhaps, from the other gate towards the
28:45election commission.
28:46Because through the transport, the back gate, the election commission is just 500 meters away from the parliament.
28:54And we've seen protests erupt earlier on that stretch.
28:59We'll have to wait and see whether the cops would really allow them to cross that threshold.
29:05But, it's going to be a lot of protests, dhadna, and slogger hearing is what the opposition is gearing upon.
29:13I would request the output, in fact, to patch me.
29:17If you can see me, I'm standing in front of the camera on live.
29:21So, we could, in fact, have a camera on live.
29:24So, we could, in fact, have a conversation one-on-one.
29:27We've got you on live.
29:28How quick the output really response was to everything that you're saying and how we're listening as well.
29:34Perhaps, so, take me through.
29:36Take me through what exactly is the plan.
29:38Like I said, Delhi police has had enough.
29:40The past three days, there has been constant protest and protest.
29:43There have been detentions.
29:44Over 1100 on Friday.
29:46Several hundred over the weekend as well.
29:48Now, tomorrow, when the MPs jump in.
29:51When leaders of other political parties jump in.
29:55And this time, it's not a surprise one outside Prime Minister's house.
29:57This is a planned one for which you need permission.
30:00For which you need to ensure that safety is, you know, kept in mind as well.
30:05What exactly is the strategy?
30:07Are we hearing that they will be allowed to protest and for how long?
30:15So, we are right here at Indira Bhavan and you can see that, you know, there's a flurry of activities.
30:21A lot of netas going in and out.
30:24Now, that is the buzz or you can say the lull before the opposition actually plans that entire political storm
30:32tomorrow.
30:32Because all the in-charges, the presidents of all the state units are right here with the top brass.
30:40They are being given directives of what's going to happen on October 8th.
30:44How you're going to be a cohesive lot on October 6th.
30:48And that is the strategy that is being planned by the Congress.
30:52Now, remember earlier, the Congress was questioned over whether they're really on the streets.
30:58This time around, it's not just been random, sporadic.
31:02It's been a very planned carpet bombing by the Congress leadership of its youth unit.
31:10The youth Congress, the NSU, we've heard it yesterday, day before.
31:14Every hour, every morning, evening, night, we are seeing sporadic protests by these outfits, these frontal organizations of the Congress.
31:24They don't want to, you know, give that leeway that it's not, the Congress is not on the streets.
31:32And that's been a lot of pulling up by the top brass, specifically Rahul Gandhi, Mr. Kargay, saying that you
31:40have to amplify what we've been saying.
31:42Priyanka Gandhi has specifically said, Congress is not on any side.
31:48That was in the backdrop of leaders raking up the CJP protests, whether we need to align with them and
31:56stand with them.
31:57Then Priyanka Gandhi said that Rahul Gandhi raked up the vote-chori thing, where nobody did.
32:03So now, this meeting is actually a precursor to what's going to follow tomorrow.
32:08At 10.30 a.m., in the parliament, the parliament is not in session, but we'll see a full house
32:14of the India block tomorrow.
32:15Akhle Shiyadav, the TMC leaders, Supriya Sule, Mr. Kargay, Mr. Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, all these leaders will be there
32:27marching towards the EC.
32:29There's an EC ghirao. And remember, it has happened in the past when you saw Khale Shiyadav jumping the barricade,
32:36if you remember.
32:37A few MPs had fainted. They were detained in buses. So perhaps those scenes could perhaps unfold or replay again
32:46tomorrow sooner.
32:47All right. So a couple of interesting days ahead of protests and a lot of bandhu bust, as they say,
32:54to be done by the Delhi police in the days ahead.
32:56Like Mawasamy was pointing out on the 6th, on the 8th and then on the 10th.
33:00That's the protest that has been called in on the 10th by the CJP.
33:03There are going to be successive protests every day demanding the resignation of CEC.
33:09Let's see where this really goes at the moment. The momentum for his ouster is only building up.
33:19But talking about protests, there's an important aspect of it that you must know.
33:23For weeks now, women have been out on the streets protesting, speaking up, demanding accountability.
33:28Today, the highest court in the land actually took up the fight for women's safety with the Supreme Court and
33:37they took the matter Suomoto.
33:39Suomoto cognizance of the case of rape and crimes against women in Delhi.
33:44The bench is asking authorities to move beyond files, beyond portals, beyond assurances,
33:50calling women's safety an endeavour for all of us and stress that authorities must take immediate measures.
33:56A major focus is police visibility according to the Supreme Court.
34:01The court has called for intensified patrolling in areas where women are particularly vulnerable.
34:06That includes bus stops, schools, colleges, parks, other unidentified vulnerable locations as well.
34:13And in fact, Justice Partiwara also pointed out that the police know which areas have high crime rates.
34:19They understand the land and the lay of the land better. They should be doing a better job.
34:25The expectation is clear. Map the locations. Survey them regularly. Strengthen the police presence where the risk is the highest.
34:35In short, public places are adequately lit. One of the issues that had come up during the gang rape case
34:41recently.
34:42And then comes a proposed technological layer to monitor policing as well.
34:47The amicus curiae, in this case an independent legal expert assisting the court, suggested that QR codes be designed and
34:54designated patrolling points.
34:57Police personnel could scan these codes during patrols creating a digital record of whether designated locations were actually being covered.
35:05So it's like a life test on where the person really is.
35:09The amicus also raised questions about grievance redressal mechanisms, including complaints concerning street lights and the CM Jansunbhai system.
35:18The court said that it would await the government's report before sort of assessing how effectively these mechanisms are functioning.
35:26The issue is straightforward. The complaint mechanism only matters if the complaint reaches someone who actually acts.
35:34The bench also sought an update from the Delhi Police Commissioner on the earlier directives.
35:39The court has given four weeks' time now to respond to the file.
35:43And also, it includes Ministry of Home Affairs.
35:47It includes Delhi Police.
35:49It includes Delhi Government's Home Department.
35:51Includes MCD and other concerned agencies as well.
35:55And remember, the scrutiny does not end with policing.
35:58The amicus has said that it also in fact sought details on utilization of the Nirbhaya Fund money
36:04and other government schemes intended to strengthen women's safety.
36:07So the court is now examining the entire safety chain.
36:13And where does police patrolling really fall into that?
36:17How vulnerable areas are identified?
36:20Where the public spaces are properly lit?
36:22Where the complaints are actually addressed?
36:25And whether funds meant for women's safety are being effectively used at all?
36:32All of that under the court scanner.
36:40In fact, it's been a busy day at the Supreme Court because there's more news from there.
36:44Supreme Court has laid down a clear test for women's safety in Delhi.
36:48And can a woman there actually feel safe in public space?
36:52But on the streets of Delhi, women protestors are making disturbing allegations.
36:57And the very police meant to protect them are now facing allegations of manhandling them, even harassing them.
37:06At the Parliament Street police station, protesting journalists and YouTubers were detained.
37:11Women protestors allege misbehaviour, manhandling, assault by crops, also groping allegations.
37:17They say and also allege that police refused to register an FIR when they took that matter forward.
37:24Now, in a video posted by the Congress, a male police personnel can be seen grabbing and dragging a woman
37:33protester away.
37:35You see that visual on your screen.
37:37In these visuals, no female police officer is seen near.
37:40Other visuals show a woman being pushed by a police personnel with female cops also seen handling women protestors.
37:48The protestors also say that the visuals show how women were treated during the entire detention scene.
37:54And the leader of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi, has alleged a wider pattern of women being silenced in Delhi.
38:02He alleges that male cops misbehaved with women.
38:06He says cameras were snatched from female journalists and journalists' complaint did not lead to an FIR.
38:12That meeting happened there.
38:14And the Delhi police, meanwhile, while all these allegations are flying at them, has disputed all of them.
38:20It says that action was taken on the complaints received.
38:24Police say three women alleged manhandling and women were medically examined and all complaints were sent to the crime branch.
38:31The allegation here is pretty stark.
38:34What happened when the women asking for safety says that they were mistreated by those men to provide?
38:40There are clear allegations going against officers in the Delhi police who have been named and said that they went
38:47on to grope women protestors.
38:51All allegations so far, we'll have to see where this goes.
38:57We are in the morning of 6 hours.
38:59We are here from 6 to 6, but now at 6.
39:01We are here.
39:03We are here.
39:05We are here.
39:06We are here.
39:06We are in the morning.
39:10We have to know when I am here.
39:12We are here.
39:16We are here.
39:17foreign
39:54All right. So that was a statement from the Delhi police. Let me cut across to my colleague
39:58Anshul Singh joining us for more details on the matter. Anshul, over the weekend, there
40:03were lots of allegations made specifically by women protesters, some by independent women
40:10journalists as well. We heard claims from Yogendra Yadav. Now Rahul Gandhi has jumped
40:15into the matter as well. The allegation is very clear. In fact, for our viewers who are
40:19just waking up to the story, the protest that took place on Sunday was specifically against
40:24those officers and specifically against Delhi police for having manhandled the women protesters.
40:31Now in all of this, what is the status of the FIR that the women journalists wanted against
40:37the COP? Has that been registered? Yes or no?
40:44So no, no FIR has been registered till now. What Delhi police is telling us that they are
40:48very serious with the kind of allegations that have been put forth and all these allegations
40:52are being looked into with true honesty. So at this point in time, as the complaint has
40:56now been transferred to the crime branch, the crime branch of the Delhi police is going through
41:00the video recordings that were made from the side of the Delhi police personnel. Remember,
41:07in all these protests, there are hundreds of such photographers and videographers that are deployed
41:13or employed by the Delhi police and are deployed on ground zero to make sure that each and every
41:17minute of the protest is captured. Apart from that, the Delhi police is also trying to get their hands
41:22on the eyewitnesses who might have seen all these allegations happening in real time so that that
41:28could become a tangible evidence before which an FIR with the exact allegations and the exact sections of
41:34the BNS could be registered. So yes, in the next few days is what Delhi police is telling us that
41:39it will take
41:39some time. In the next few days, they will reach a conclusion if at all there is an FIR that
41:44is necessary in this entire matter.
41:46Can you jog my memory a little bit and tell me, under the law now, under the law that came
41:52in post-Nirbhaya,
41:53Justice Verma committee report and the recommendation that were adopted, if a woman today walks up to a cop and
41:59says that she has been,
42:00you know, manhandled, she has been groped, there has been some kind of, you know, inappropriate behavior that has been
42:07shown towards her,
42:08isn't it incumbent upon the government, isn't it incumbent upon the Delhi police or any police for that matter to
42:15register
42:15that FIR now under the law?
42:21Well, yes, that is what the law states. It is mandatory for the police authorities to register an FIR but
42:27even for that there needs to be
42:28prime FSI evidence that the police should see either that could come out in the form of the MLC on
42:34the on the victim.
42:35If at all, there are any injuries and injury marks on the outer layer of the body as well.
42:40That could also suffice for the police to go ahead and register an FIR.
42:44But in this case per se, what the police says that there are no injuries that were visible and that
42:49has not come out in the MLC as well.
42:50And hence, they will have to investigate deeper to just get a prime FSI sense that something like this has
42:57happened.
42:57And then register an FIR and then carry out a detailed investigation that will take some time.
43:04But at this point in time, since there are no physical injuries per se,
43:08and the prime FSI allegations that have been put forth, these are very, very serious.
43:11And hence, the Delhi police says that they are taking this seriously and trying to investigate it from every angle
43:16so that if at all there are some other charges that the victim or the survivor per se is not
43:21able to inform the police about,
43:23that could also be added in the FIR and stricter action could be taken against such police personnel.
43:27If Delhi police will actually register an FIR against its own people.
43:30Let's see if Delhi police will go ahead and actually make charges against its own DCPs, its own DCPs as
43:37well.
43:37So let's see if that really happens.
43:38But for the moment, thanks, Anshul, for joining us with the very latest on the story.
43:44In other news, no peace in India.
43:47Well, that's a remark by Sanjay Dutt that has now gone viral.
43:51He said that in a talk show.
43:52But it's become political controversy now.
43:56Dutt has clarified that his words were part of a scripted, light-hearted, Munna Bhai-style exchange with no intention
44:03to offend.
44:03But the political backlash continues with the BJP attacking Dutt and the Congress using the remark to question the atmosphere
44:10in the country.
44:12Here's how it unfolded.
44:16No peace in India.
44:18Three words that have triggered a storm.
44:22And in the eye of the storm is Sanjay Dutt.
44:25Speaking on Shekhar Suman's show, Dutt said, and I quote,
44:31The people of this country are so lovely.
44:34There should be peace here.
44:35I can't feel that peace in our country anymore.
44:39We Indians are large-hearted people and we are hospitable.
44:43We have given so much and we should always remain that way.
44:48I pray to Shivji that those days come back soon, unquote.
44:53The backlash grew online with people asking what peace was Dutt referring to.
44:59And now Dutt has offered a clarification.
45:03The actor says his remarks were part of a scripted, light-hearted humor in Munna Bhai's style and his words
45:10are being taken out of context,
45:12adding that there was never any intention to hurt, offend or disrespect any individual, community or institution.
45:22Now Shekhar Suman has stepped in to defend his guest.
45:25Suman says, and I quote,
45:28Shekhar tonight is not anti-government, saying that Dutt has huge respect for India and its people.
45:35Suman adds that what Dutt said was positive and never meant to malign anyone.
45:41But the controversy has now moved beyond social media and into politics.
45:46BGP MLC Padi Naifu K has launched a sharp attack on Dutt.
46:08But Congress cited the comment to allege that the atmosphere in the country has changed.
46:32A remark on peace and now a full-blown political storm.
46:37Dutt says it was just scripted humor.
46:41Suman says it was taken out of context.
46:44But the Munna Bhai remark has clearly struck a political nerve.
46:48Bureau Report, India Today.
46:53A health alert is unfolding in Siberia after a laboratory technician linked to a specialized anti-plague research facility died
47:02following pneumonia.
47:03Here's what happened.
47:04The woman has been identified as Daria Shipilova, a laboratory technician at the Anti-Plague Institute.
47:10Reports said that she died after developing pneumonia with a suspected dangerous infection now at the center of the investigation.
47:18But there is an important caveat over there.
47:21Plague has not been confirmed by the Russian authorities.
47:25Authorities have nevertheless moved very quickly to contain any possible risk.
47:29What is the risk and what is the fallout?
47:32Nearly 200 people have been quarantined with identified contacts placed under medical supervision.
47:38Three hospitals in the region have been sort of implemented with the faced quarantine measures as well.
47:44The people under observation have reportedly tested negative and shown no symptom at least.
47:48So far, an aluminium plant near the laboratory has also been asking its employees to wear masks as a precaution.
47:57And Moscow has sent senior health officials to the region.
48:01The Russian chief sanitary doctor, Anna Popova, travelled to the region and held an emergency meeting.
48:08That's how alarming it was.
48:10But what exactly caused Shipilova's illness remains unclear.
48:14The governor of the neighbouring region said that the woman had died possibly from the plague.
48:20But the Russian health watchdog has not confirmed that.
48:23And the former head of the agency has reportedly said the infection was most likely not that at all.
48:28Adding to the question is a reported incident involving a broken test tube at the research facility.
48:34So, what would sort of, you know, pneumonomic plague really mean if confirmed?
48:39And why is this becoming such a scare all the way from Russia to the United States?
48:44Now, this is a form of plague caused by a bacteria.
48:47Now, unlike the bubonic plague, it affects the lungs.
48:51It can spread into people through respiratory droplets.
48:55Symptoms can include fever, headache, weakness, breathing difficulty, chest vein, coughing.
49:00In severe cases, coughing up blood or watery mucus as well.
49:04The disease can be serious and potentially fatal if untreated.
49:08But early treatment with appropriate antibiotics can be effective.
49:13Now, for now, the key fact remains that Russia has not confirmed the outbreak
49:17and authorities are investigating the cause of death.
49:20But it is enough for the Russian authorities to send in their chief sanitation officer there
49:27and also for the US to be watching over the situation.
49:31The WHO, however, has not made any remarks, at least so far.