Free Press Bulletin |
Here are the top 5 news updates of October 27, 2021:
The Supreme Court today appointed a three-member panel of cyber experts to probe the alleged use of Israeli spyware Pegasus for surveillance of various people in India including politicians, court staff, journalists and social activists. Stating that “justice must not only be done, but also be seen to be done,” the apex court rejected the Centre’s plea to allow it to appoint an expert committee to investigate the allegations on the grounds that such a course of action would violate the settled judicial principle against bias. The top court urged its former judge Justice R V Raveendran to oversee the functioning of the three member panel and sought a report expeditiously from the committee.
Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya today said that that the BJP-led central government is “pro-farmer but industry-friendly”. “Our Government is pro-farmer but industry-friendly. We see to it that the industries go ahead and sustain. Indian companies never cheat while making supplies. Our character is to maintain quality,” Mandaviya said while speaking at the investor summit. The theme of the summit was “Opportunities and Partnerships in Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices.” The Union Minister further said that when the first wave of COVID-19 hit, the world did not have COVID-19 medicines. “We not only brought our own situation under control, met our own medicine requirements but also supplied medicines to over 150 nations. This is our commitment,” he said.
Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik today claimed the Cordelia cruise drugs party organisers had taken permission directly from the “directorate of shipping” at the Centre and not the state police or the state home department. Speaking to reporters, Malik also claimed that a member of an international drugs mafia was present on the same cruise, and asked how come he was moving scot-free, while some others were arrested, following a raid on the ship earlier this month. Malik also said if the Narcotics Control Bureau Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede’s birth certificate, which the minister had posted online to claim the official forged documents to secure job, turns out false, then he will resign from his ministerial post and retire as a politician.
Responding to the document forgery allegation raised by Maharashtra Cabinet Minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik against NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede, the latter’s father claimed his ancestors were Dalits. Speaking to news agency ANI, Wankhede’s father Dnyandev Wankhede said, “I am a Dalit… all of us, my ancestors are Hindus. How can my son be Muslim.” He further said, “I married to Muslim woman. My wife wrote her name as Zaheida Dnyandev.” “If Nawab Malik continues to intrude in private space and disturb our privacy then we will have to file a defamation case against him,” he added. Malik had earlier accused Wankhede of using a fake birth certificate to secure his government job.
Equity benchmark Sensex tumbled 207 points today, weighed by losses in Axis Bank, Reliance Industries and Bajaj Finance amid a weak trend in global markets. The 30-share index ended 206.93 points or 0.34 per cent lower at 61,143.33. Similarly, the NSE Nifty fell 57.45 points or 0.31 per cent to 18,210.95. Axis Bank was the top loser in the Sensex pack, tanking over 6 per cent, followed by Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, IndusInd Bank, HUL and Tata Steel. On the other hand, Asian Paints, Sun Pharma, Infosys, SBI and UltraTech Cement were among the gainers.
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