'An Indian politician who posted a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a begging bowl on Facebook has been arrested in the latest example of what critics say is a clampdown on free speech. It follows more than a dozen similar arrests last year in a clampdown on those attacking the Hindu nationalist prime minister's policies or ideology. Sathiyaraj Balu, a member of a local pro-Tamil party, was arrested on Saturday after he posted a morphed picture of Modi with a begging bowl a day before the prime minister's visit to the southern state of Tamil Nadu...'
'Barely two days after the Supreme Court held his ouster to be illegal and restored him to his position, Central Bureau of Investigation director Alok Verma was sacked by a high-powered committee on Thursday night. The 2:1 decision was made after a more than two-hour long meeting of the panel, which comprises Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the leader of the largest opposition party – Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge – and Justice A.K. Sikri.
'There is a fundamental flaw – both moral and procedural – in the way the committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi removed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director within 72 hours of his reinstatement by the Supreme Court. Of course the Committee violated the principles of natural justice as it did not give Verma a hearing before summarily transferring him. That is only one part of the problem. The larger ethical-legal issue is the prime minister was presiding over a matter in which his office also stands accused.
'Imphal-based journalist Kishorechandra Wangkhem was taken into custody in Manipur under the National Security Act (NSA) and sentenced to a 12-month jail term – the maximum period of detention allowed under the Act. On November 21, Kishorechandra, then working as an anchor-reporter with ISTV, a local news channel, was arrested by Imphal West Police in response to a video he uploaded on social media, criticising the BJP-led state government. In Meitei language, he severely condemned the state chief minister N.
'Few politicians in history have attracted admiration and loathing to the degree that Jawaharlal Nehru has. More than five decades after his death, India’s first Prime Minister remains a supreme political figure and a prime target of disinformation, particularly on social media. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has publicly expressed his view about his party’s respect for Nehru, many of his party’s supporters including some who the PM himself follows, have been at the forefront of spreading misinformation about him.
'Two villagers who told the Central Bureau of Investigation that they saw senior Chhattisgarh police officer S.R.P. Kalluri take part in the burning of dozens of adivasi homes in a 2011 operation had their names taken off the final list of witnesses filed by the agency in its chargesheet after “instructions” from above, leaked CBI documents reveal.
'...The Rafale deal has triggered a political controversy in India over the purchase of 36 twin-engine fighter jets from France. The deal is estimated to cost India Rs 58,000 crore, however, the Opposition in India has claimed that the deal has cost India thrice the amount it was supposed to, and that an Indian partner favoured by the government was unfairly chosen as a partner in the deal...'
'In yet another case of an arrest for sharing a meme, cartoon or message allegedly insulting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an Assam teacher was taken into custody on Monday for his comments on Facebook. According to Northeast Now, Abu Taleb, who teaches Hindi at Lakhipur High School in the state’s Goalpara district, invited trouble when he wrote on the social media platform: “Voting for Narendra Modi’s BJP candidate and garlanding a dog is the same thing”.
'In theory in India, it is politicians who wield power while bureaucrats merely carry out their commands... However, in practice, this system seems to be under strain in the Modi government with the stunning rise of Ajit Doval. Doval, a retired Indian Police Service officer, is currently the National Security Advisor to the prime minister. On October 9, he was also made the head of the Strategic Policy Group which would mean the Cabinet Secretary, the chiefs of the military staffs and the Reserve Bank of India governor will have to report to Doval...
'The government’s 2 am decision to oust director Alok Verma as the director of the Central Bureau of Investigation came hot on the heels of not just his request for sanction to arrest an official considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi but also his interest in the controversial Rafale deal. Last week, the CBI filed an FIR charging Rakesh Asthana – special director in the CBI and a Gujarat cadre police officer propelled to prominence in the agency by the PMO – with bribery and corruption.
