my diary

PATNA: The Churches of Danapur Cantonment have stood as silent sentinels for over two centuries. They have been silent witness to the most turbulent times in the Indian history. St Luke Church and St Stephen Church were built in the mid 18th century at Danapur Cantonment located at a distance of about 10 km away from Patna. They have virtually weathered the onslaught of time ever since. The forces of three allies -- Mir Qasim of Bengal, Nawab of Oudh Shuja-ud-Daulahand Shah Alam -- were decimated in the decisive battle of 1764. Thus the right of Diwan of Bengal, Orissa and Bihar fell on the British East India Company. To meet the challenges of time, the Britishers had raised six regiments at Danapur during 1756 to 1825. Since a good number of British officers owing allegiance to the Church of England had come to Danapur, establishment of a church became inevitable. According to Father Philip Manthra, St Luke Church is one of the oldest churches in Bihar spread over an ar...

The Centre’s proposal to make instant triple talaq an offence punishable with three-year imprisonment and a fine is an unnecessary attempt to convert a civil wrong into a criminal act. By a three-two majority, the Supreme Court has already declared, and correctly, that the practice of talaq-e-biddat, or instant divorce of a Muslim woman by uttering the word ‘talaq’ thrice, is illegal and unenforceable. While two judges in the majority said the practice was arbitrary and, therefore, unconstitutional, the third judge ruled that it was illegal because it was contrary to Islamic tenets. Its consequence is that the husband’s marital obligations remain, regardless of his intention in pronouncing it. When Parliament enacts a law to give effect to the judicial invalidation of talaq-e-biddat, it must primarily ensure protection to Muslim women against its use. Although the details are not yet available, the proposed Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017, appears to have...

Aadhaar Card  has been made an essential entity in our day to day life and the Government of India is especially focusing on linking important elements like  Pan Card, Sim Card, Bank Account etc.  with the Aadhaar Card. As per the recent announcement, Government has directed the people of India to link their  Bank Account with Aadhaar Card.  Here is all the relevant information that one must know about the linking and its procedure to Bank Account. Turns out you have to link your bank account with  Aadhaar after all.  The Reserve Bank of India has stepped in to strike down news reports that claimed, quoting an RTI reply, it was not necessary to link the  12-digit biometric identification number  with bank accounts, saying the directive remained in force under anti-money laundering rules.  So, the  December 31 deadline  stays put for now. "The Reserve Bank clarifies that, in applicable cases, linkage of Aadhaar number...

             By ruling that marriage cannot be a licence to have sex with a minor girl, the Supreme Court has corrected an anomaly in the country’s criminal law. Under the Indian Penal Code, it is an offence to have sex with a girl below 18 years of age, regardless of consent. However, it made an exception if the girl was the man’s wife, provided she was not below 15. In other words, what was statutory rape is treated as permissible within a marriage. By reading down the exception to limit it to girls aged 18 and older, the court has sought to harmonise the various laws in which any person under 18 is a minor. Overall, the judgment is in keeping with the reformist, and indisputably correct, view that early marriage is a serious infringement of child rights. The judges draw extensively on studies that demonstrate child marriage is a social evil that adversely affects the physical and mental health of children, denies them opportunities for education a...

SHARA CASE It has been about five years since the Supreme Court ordered the Sahara Group, led by Subrata Roy, to refund money that it  borrowed(उधारलियाहुआ)  from investors without sufficient regulatory  clearance(निकासी) . But the Securities and Exchange Board of India, which was tasked by the Supreme Court to oversee the actual transfer of money from the Sahara Group to investors, is  clueless(कोई खबर नहीं/अनभिज्ञ)  about where to find those investors. The total amount, including interest on the initial principal, that needs to be  refunded(वापसकरना)  to investors has  bulged(उभरना/निकलआना)  to about Rs.40,000 crore now. Of this, SEBI has received an aggregate amount, including interest earned on deposits, of about Rs.14,487 crore from the Sahara Group. But according to SEBI’s latest annual report, as on March 31, 2017 only about Rs.85.02 crore, including interest of about Rs.38.05 crore, of this amount has actually been returned to in...