Political space given to extremists: EAM on Canada

 He said this in response to queries related to the incident that took place in Canada on Sunday and the ongoing diplomatic row between India and Canada, during a joint press briefing with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong here. 

 In Canada's Brampton, protestors carrying Khalistani flags clashed with people at the Hindu Sabha temple on Sunday and disrupted a consular event co-organised by the temple authorities and the Indian Consulate. "You would have seen a statement first by our official spokesperson and also the expression of concern by our Prime Minister," Jaishankar told reporters in Canberra. The external affairs minister is on an official visit to Australia from November 3-7.

 "Let me make three comments, one, Canada has developed a pattern of making allegations without providing specifics. Secondly, when we look at Canada, for us, the fact that...our diplomats under surveillance, is something which is unacceptable," Jaishankar said. 

 "The third is the incident which the gentleman spoke about, do look at the video. I think that will tell in a way the political space which is being given to extremist forces there," the EAM said. 

 The development comes as India-Canada ties remain deeply troubled over the North American country's alleged support to Khalistani separatists and its accusation of India's involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen who has been designated a terrorist by India. -- PTI

Image: Jennifer Gauthier/Reuters

 The complainant stated that he was heading the Special Investigation Team probing a mining case in which Kumaraswamy is an accused. The probe against Kumaraswamy pertains to allegations that he illegally approved a 550-acre mining lease to Sri Sai Venkateswara Minerals (SSVM) in Bellary district in violation of law, during his tenure as Karnataka Chief Minister from 2006 to 2008.

The SC today upheld the validity of the 2004 Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act. The apex court said it does not violate the principle of secularism. 

The SC therefore set aside Allahabad HC order that had quashed UP Board of Madarsa Education Act and asked state to relocate students to other schools. 

"We have upheld validity of UP Madrasa law, statute can be struck down if State lacks legislative competence," CJI D Y Chandrachud said. 

"The Allahabad HC erred in holding that UP madrasa law had to be struck down for violating basic structure i.e. principle of secularism. The Legislative scheme of UP Board of Madarsa Education Act was to standardise level of education being prescribed in madrasas," the SC said.

Yesterday, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi issued a one-hour ultimatum to rebel candidates to withdraw their nominations, saying it was not in favour of "friendly fights". 

Addressing a joint press conference with NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray warned that action would be taken against rebels who fail to withdraw their nomination by 3 pm.

 A nine-judge bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, however, said states can stake claim over private properties in certain cases. 

 The majority verdict pronounced by the CJI overruled Justice Krishna Iyer's previous ruling that all privately owned resources can be acquired by the State for distribution under Article 39(b) of the Constitution. 

 The CJI wrote for himself and six other judges on the bench which decided the vexed legal question on whether private properties can be considered "material resources of the community" under Article 39(b) and taken over by State authorities for distribution to subserve the "common good". 

 It overturned several verdicts that had adopted the socialist theme and ruled that states can take over all private properties for common good. Justice BV Nagarathna partially disagreed with the majority judgement penned by the CJI, while Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia dissented on all aspects.

 The pronouncement of judgements is underway. 

 The top court had, in the Minerva Mills case of 1980, declared two provisions of the 42nd Amendment, which prevented any constitutional amendment from being "called in question in any court on any ground" and accorded precedence to the Directive Principles of State Policy over the fundamental rights of individuals, as unconstitutional. Article 31C protects a law made under Articles 39(b) and (c) empowering the State to take over material resources of the community, including private properties, for distribution to subserve the common good. 

 The top court had heard 16 petitions, including the lead petition filed by the Mumbai-based Property Owners' Association (POA) in 1992. The POA has opposed Chapter VIII-A of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) Act. 

Inserted in 1986, the chapter empowers State authorities to acquire cessed buildings and the land on which those are built if 70 per cent of the occupants make such a request for restoration purposes. 

The MHADA Act was enacted in pursuance of Article 39(b), which is part of the Directive Principles of State Policy and makes it obligatory for the State to create a policy towards securing "that the ownership and control of the material resources of the community are so distributed as best to subserve the common good". PTI

The decision opens scope for domestic funds to invest in prominent global schemes, especially passive ones, which provide exposure to markets across the globe.

In recent years, Indian equities have gained higher weights in key global indices.

The move is aimed at facilitating ease of investment in overseas MFs/UTs, bringing transparency in the manner of investment, and enabling MFs to diversify their overseas investments, Sebi said in a circular.

Subsequent to the investment, if the exposure breaches the threshold, an observance period of six months from the date of publicly-available information of such breach would be permitted to Indian MF schemes. This is for monitoring of any portfolio rebalancing activity by the underlying overseas MF/UT.

During the observance period, the Indian MF scheme would not undertake any fresh investment in such overseas MF/UT. It can resume investments in such overseas MF/UT in case the exposure to Indian securities by such overseas MF/UT falls below 25 per cent.

In addition, the regulator said non-compliance will lead to suspension of fresh subscription into the scheme. Also, the asset management company (AMC) will not be allowed to launch any new scheme.

The new framework will come into force with immediate effect, Sebi said.

However, MFs have limited scope to invest in international stocks and MF schemes. This is given that they have exhausted their international investing limit. The regulator has listed several other conditions as well.

MF schemes are required to ensure that all investor contributions to an overseas MF/UT are combined into a single investment vehicle without any side vehicles.

The corpus of an overseas MF/UT should be a blind pool with no segregated portfolios. It should ensure that all investors have equal and proportionate rights in the fund.

-- Abhishek Kumar/Business Standard

Details in a bit. 

 Dhanush (20) was arrested, they said, adding that he has been sent to judicial custody. 

 According to police, Sandhya A S was crossing the road near the Kengeri TTMC (Traffic and Transit Management Centre) on the busy Mysuru Road on Saturday when she was hit by the Mercedes Benz car which then crashed into a bike. 

 After the accident, the accused tried to flee from the spot but was caught by bystanders who allegedly thrashed him. The injured woman and the biker identified as Syed Arbaz (23), were immediately rushed to a hospital where Sandhya was declared brought dead on arrival. Arbaz was treated for minor inuries, a senior traffic police official said. 

 "An alcometer test of the accused driver showed that he had 177 mg/100 ml of blood alcohol content, which was way higher than the legally permissible limit of 30 mg/100 ml," he said, citing preliminary inquiry. Dhanush's father owns a private bus travels company. 

 "We have registered a case under sections 281 (rash driving or riding on a public road), 125 A (Act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the accused car driver at Kengeri traffic police station and arrested him," a traffic official said. PTI

On the final day of canvassing, former president Trump, known for his aggressive rhetoric, held rallies in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan while Harris addressed supporters in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.

 More than 78 million Americans have already cast their votes, according to the University of Florida's Election Lab that tracks early and mail-in voting across the US. Pennsylvania has emerged as the most crucial of the seven battleground states having 19 electoral college votes followed by 16 each in North Carolina and Georgia, 15 in Michigan and 11 in Arizona. 

Other battleground states, Wisconsin has 10 and Nevada has six. The US has 50 states and most of them vote for the same party in every election except the swing states. Based on the volume of population, the states are assigned electoral college votes. Overall a total of 538 electoral college votes are up for grabs. A candidate with 270 or more electoral votes is declared winner in the election. 

 The election is being billed as historic as it has been one of the tightest presidential races in the last several decades.

 "This is the most consequential election in our lifetime," senior US senator Bernie Sanders told CNN, while explaining why Trump as president will be detrimental to the US's foundational values. 

 If Harris wins the race, history will be made as she will become the first woman, first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to become the US President. In his rally in Pittsburgh, Trump again mounted a sharp attack on the Biden-Harris administration and said the American people have suffered "catastrophic failure, betrayal and humiliation" in the last four years. 

 "We do not have to settle for weakness, incompetence, decline and decay," he said. "With your vote tomorrow, we can fix every single problem our country faces and lead America, and indeed the whole world, to new heights of glory," he said. We are just one day away from what will be the most important political event in the history of our country -- but you have to get out and vote! Together, we make America Great Again, Trump said on 'X'.

In the final rallies ahead of the election day, Harris pledged to put an end to divisiveness and called for working unitedly to take the country to a better future. "It is my pledge to you -- if you give me a chance to fight on your behalf as president, there is nothing in the world that will stand in my way," she said at a rally in Pennsylvania. "We rise and fall together. That's the strength of who we are," she said. The vice president also called on people to go out and vote.

"We need everyone in Pennsylvania to vote," Harris said, adding "You are going to make the difference in this election." 

 In the overall campaign in the last few days, Harris has been projecting the election as the one to protect the country's fundamental freedoms, safeguard constitutional values and ensure women's rights. In his rallies, Trump has been promising to rebuild the economy and rid the US from illegal immigrants. Meanwhile, various leading American cities have been brought under tight security as a precautionary measure to prevent any violence after election results are announced. The security cover around the White House and Capitol Hill in Washington DC has been strengthened significantly. -- PTI

 The BSE Sensex declined 326.58 points to 78,455.66 in early trade. The NSE Nifty went down by 86.7 points to 23,908.65. 

 From the 30-share Sensex pack, Adani Ports, ITC, Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank, Power Grid and Hindustan Unilever were the biggest laggards. 

 JSW Steel, Tata Steel, IndusInd Bank, Tata Motors, Maruti and Sun Pharma were among the gainers. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 4,329.79 crore on Monday, according to exchange data. In Asian markets, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong quoted in the positive territory while Seoul traded lower. -- PTI

 The threat message was received on the Mumbai traffic police helpline and an officer read it around midnight, the official said. The person who sent the message claimed he is brother of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, the police official said. "If Salman Khan wants to stay alive, he should go to our (Bishnoi community) temple and apologise or pay Rs 5 crore. If he does not do so, we will kill him; our gang is still active," the message said. 

Police are probing the origin of the threat message and have beefed up security measures for Salman Khan, sources said, adding police are also checking if the message is linked to Lawrence Bishnoi, who is in jail on various charges, including attempted murder and extortion. PTI

The organizers of the solidarity rally pressed Canadian politicians and law enforcement agencies to not give further support to Khalistanis. The details were shared by the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) on social media platform X. The CoHNA highlighted the multiple attacks on Hindu temples across Canada during the Diwali weekend and called on to stop the "Hinduphobia" in the country. 

 "Over a thousand #CanadianHindus have gathered in Brampton to protest against the increasingly brazen attacks on Hindu Temples," the post read. "Yesterday, during the sacred #Diwali weekend, Canadian Hindu temples, coast to coast, came under attack. We ask Canada to stop this #Hinduphobia now!" it added. 

On Sunday, an Indian consular camp at the Hindu Sabha Temple witnessed a "violent disruption" in Brampton, near Toronto. Following the attacks, the Hindu Canadian Foundation, a non-profit organisation working for the Hindu community in Canada, shared a video of the attack on the temple and said that the Khalistani terrorists attacked kids and women. on a Hindu temple in Canada, Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly condemned the "deliberate attack" and said that "cowardly attempts to intimidate" Indian diplomats were appalling and New Delhi expects Canadian authorities to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law.

 The patrolling at Demchok began on Friday, a day after the completion of the troop disengagement process. 

 "Following the consensus reached between the Indian and Chinese sides for disengagement and resumption of patrolling in Depsang and Demchok, the Indian Army patrol to one of the patrolling points in Depsang was successfully conducted today. This is yet another positive step towards maintaining peace and tranquility on the LAC," the Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps posted on X. 

 It was not immediately known which patrolling point the troops patrolled. The Indian Army has commenced a verification patrolling at Depsang, the second friction point in eastern Ladakh, the government said on Saturday.

 Replying to a query at a weekly press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said that following the disengagement agreement with China, the verification patrolling began on mutually agreed terms in both Demchok and Depsang. Last week, Indian and Chinese troops also exchanged sweets at several border points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on Diwali. 

 Sources had earlier said that the areas and patrolling status were expected to be moved back to pre-April 2020 level. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on October 21 said in Delhi that an agreement was finalised between India and China following negotiations over the past several weeks and that it would lead to a resolution of the issues that arose in 2020. 

 The agreement was firmed up on patrolling and disengagement of troops along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, a breakthrough to end the over four-year standoff. The move marked a significant development in the pursuit of reduced tension along the LAC in eastern Ladakh since the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades. The ties between the two Asian giants had nosedived following the clash. PTI

Over three dozen Indian Americans are running for local bodies and state legislation elections across the country reflecting the growing interest among this small ethnic community to be part of political mainstream. 

"If you are not at the table, you are on the menu, Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi comments at various Indian American gatherings motivating and encouraging community members to run for elections at all levels.

Probably the largest number of Indian Americans running for local offices are in the state of California, which sends two members to the House of Representatives Ro Khanna and Dr Ami Bera in addition to Vice President Kamala Harris whose mother was from India.

Those include Adlah Chisti who is running for County Supervisor for District 11, Aliya Chisti for City College Board San Francisco, Darshana Patel for State Assembly, Nicole Fernandez for San Mateo City Council, Nithya Raman for Los Angeles City Council, Richa Awasthi for Foster City Council and Sukhdeep Kaur for Emeryville City Council. 

Tara Sreekrishnan is seeking to enter California's State Assembly from District 26 in Silicon Valley.

With close to 900,000 Indian Americans residents, California boasts the largest Indian American population in the entire country. Michigan is a presidential battleground, with elections decided by merely 10,000 votes. 

Dr Ajay Raman, is running for Oakland County Commissioner for District 14; while Anil Kumar and Ranjeev Puri are running for the Michigan State House.

Indian Americans are a crucial part of Arizona's growth and diversity. Priya Sundareshan is running for the State Senate in Arizona and Ravi Shah is running for School Board. In Pennsylvania, Anand Patek, Anna Thomas, and Arvind Venkat are running for State House, while Nikil Saval is seeking to enter the State Senate. 

In Illinois, Anusha Thotakura is running for school board and Nabeel Syed for State House.

If elected Ashwin Ramaswamy would be the youngest ever elected to the Georgia State Senate. Of late he has been subject to racial and hate attacks by his opponents. 

In Ohio, Chantel Raghu is running for County Commissioner and Pavan Parikh for County Clerk of Courts, while in Virginia Danny Avula is running for Mayor of Richmond. 

In New York, Jeremy Cooney and Manita Sanghvi are running for State Senate while Zohran Mamdani is seeking to enter the State Assembly. -- PTI

A Peel Regional Police officer has been suspended after a video went viral on social media showing him participating in a pro-Khalistan protest outside a Hindu temple in Brampton, Canada, media reports said, quoting authorities.

The suspended officer is Sergeant Harinder Sohi, an 18-year veteran of the force. Following the suspension, Sergeant Sohi has received death threats on social media, prompting the Peel Regional Police Association to offer "assistance and protection." Sohi at present does not face any allegations of wrongdoing.

Richard Chin, Peel Police spokesperson said that they are aware of the video circulating on social media showing one of their off-duty officers participating in a protest.

"We are aware of a video circulating on social media which shows an off-duty Peel police officer involved in a demonstration. This officer has since been suspended in accordance with the Community Safety and Policing Act. We are investigating the circumstances in totality depicted in the video and are unable to provide further information until such time that this investigation is complete," Chin said, according to CBC News.

Meanwhile, Peel Regional Police asserted that they are taking measures to ensure "peaceful and lawful" planned protests by deploying officers.

Sharing a post on X, the Peel Regional Police wrote, "Officers will be deployed to ensure peace and lawfulness at planned demonstrations. Violence and other criminal acts has no place in our community."

The Pakistan Navy successfully test-fired an indigenously developed ballistic missile having a range of 350 km from a warship, it said on Monday.

"The missile system with a range of 350 km is capable of hitting land and sea targets with high precision," according to the Pakistan Navy.

The system is equipped with an advanced navigation system with features to change its direction and speed.

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf, senior officers of the Pakistan Navy, scientists and engineers witnessed the demonstration of test-firing of the missile.

President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and Services Chiefs congratulated the participating navy units and scientists on the missile test.   -- PTI