| | 5 THINGS FIRST | Lok Sabha polls phase II in 89 constituencies across 13 states; Delhi MCD mayoral polls; Govt bonds worth Rs 32,000 crore to be auctioned; Olympic flame handover ceremony for the Paris Olympics at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens; IPL 2024 – KKR vs PBKS
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| | 1. EC puts onus on parties on Modi, Rahul complaints |  | A curious response- The Election Commission on Thursday issued notices to the BJP and Congress over allegations of model code violations by PM Narendra Modi and MP Rahul Gandhi.
- Acting on complaints by rival parties, the poll panel has sought responses from BJP JP Nadda and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge by April 29.
- Curiously, the EC has not named either Modi or Gandhi in its notices for Nadda and Kharge.
Why it’s different- It is the first time that party presidents have been asked to send their replies for violations of the poll code in campaign speeches.
- The EC has invoked Section 77 of the Representation of People Act, 1951, that parties to name “star campaigners”, who get certain privileges during election campaigns.
- Both Modi and Gandhi are star campaigners for their respective parties. The EC has called on the party presidents to regulate the speeches of their star campaigners.
What EC said- The EC notice says star campaigners are "expected to contribute to a higher quality of discourse, inter alia, by way of providing an all-India perspective, which sometimes gets distorted in the heat of the contests at the local level".
- "The expectation from Star Campaigners is to provide corrective action or a sort of healing touch, when intensity of local campaign disrupts or inadvertently crosses over such boundaries…their speeches in the campaign space necessarily needs to be judged at a higher threshold of compliance," it says.
The complaints- The Congress complained that Modi misled voters with false insinuations and made a divisive speech in Rajasthan’s Banswara on April 21.
- The BJP complained on April 19 that Gandhi tried to "create linguistic and cultural divide” and “tarnish” the image of PM Modi for electoral gains in his speech in Kerala's Kottayam.
A larger point- In its notices, the EC told the party presidents that it is of the "considered view [that] parties will have to take primary and increasing responsibility for the conduct of their candidates in general, and star campaigners in particular". More here
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| | 2. India calls US rights report ‘deeply biased’ |  | It’s about Manipur- India on Friday described a US state department report citing alleged incidents of human rights violations including in Manipur as "deeply biased".
- The ministry of external affairs (MEA) said the US report reflected a poor understanding of India and it attached no value to it.
- The annual report of the State Department highlighted instances of human rights abuses in Manipur following the outbreak of ethnic conflict.
What MEA said- "This report is deeply biased and reflects a poor understanding of India," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
- "We attach no value to it and urge you to do the same," he said at his weekly media briefing.
The US report- Its India section said local human rights organisations, minority political parties and affected communities criticised the central government for the delayed action to stop violence and provide humanitarian assistance in Manipur.
- According to the report, there were some press and civil society reports of representatives of political parties using disinformation tactics against civil society organisations, religious minorities, such as Sikhs and Muslims, and the political opposition, sometimes depicting them as security threats.
On BBC- The report also mentioned the raids by Indian tax authorities on the office of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
- The report said although tax authorities described the searches as motivated by irregularities in the BBC's tax payments and ownership structure, officials also searched and seized equipment from journalists who were not involved in the organisation's financial processes.
- "The government invoked emergency powers to ban screening of the documentary, forced media companies to remove links to the video, and detained student protesters who organised viewing parties," said the US state department, referring to a BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots. Its screening was banned in India. More here
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| | TOI EXPLAINS | | 3. What’s the status of inheritance tax in India and abroad? |  | Political debate- Comments by Indian Overseas Congress chairman Sam Pitroda on inheritance tax sparked a political clash, with PM Modi accusing Congress of advocating higher taxes.
- Congress distanced itself, noting former PM Rajiv Gandhi abolished estate duty in 1985.
What Pitroda said- Pitroda expressed support for an inheritance tax, citing the example of the US. "There's nothing wrong with accumulating wealth, but where do we draw the line? Let me explain, in America, there's an inheritance tax. So, if someone has $100 million in wealth, when they pass away, they can transfer around 45% to their children, while 55% goes to the government….”
- In India you don’t have that. If somebody is worth $10 billion and dies his children get $10 billion. The public gets nothing.”
The controversy- Pitroda's remarks, in line with the Congress manifesto's aim to reduce wealth inequality, and Rahul Gandhi's push for surveys, have raised BJP concerns about wealth redistribution.
What is inheritance tax- Inheritance tax is levied on property inherited upon an individual's death. It differs from estate tax, which is levied on the total value of a deceased person's estate.
- In contrast, inheritance taxes are levied on the recipients of the property, according to the foundation’s definition.
Global perspective- Several advanced nations, including the US, UK, Japan, France, and Finland, have inheritance tax rates ranging from 7% to 55%. However, since 2000, many countries have abolished estate or inheritance taxes.
History of the tax in India- India previously had an 85% inheritance tax abolished in 1985, while measures like gift tax and wealth tax were also introduced, with wealth tax ending in 2015 and gift tax reinstated in 2004, focusing on social equity.
Prospects in India- In 2020, there was speculation about reintroducing estate duty in the Union Budget, and in 2014, then-MoS Finance Jayant Sinha supported the idea of implementing inheritance tax, which stalled at the concept stage. More here
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| | 4. Can govt seize private property in 'emerging' India? |  | A question of law- A Chief Justice DY Chandrachud-headed nine-judge bench is scrutinising a decades-old case to determine whether privately-owned property can be deemed "material resources of the community" and subject to acquisition by the government.
- Simply put, can the government take over private property for public good?
What’s to be decided?- Article 39(b) — under Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) — provides for the distribution of ownership and control of the material resources of the community to subserve the common good.
- Article 31(c) protects a DPSP law even if it violates fundamental rights of equality and various freedoms.
- The court will determine how these provisions can operate in India, which has seen its economic rise on the back of private asset building.
The case- In 1986, the Maharashtra government modified the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Act (MHADA), 1976, allowing the Mumbai Building Repair and Reconstruction Board to acquire certain "cessed properties" for restoration.
- This amendment cited Article 39(b) of the Constitution to justify the move.
The court battle- The Property Owners' Association (POA) of over 20,000 landowners challenged the amendment but the Bombay High Court decided against them in 1991.
- They moved the top court, where the case underwent multiple bench referrals — the last one in 2002 for a nine-bench hearing.
Another twist- In 2019, Maharashtra (under the Uddhav Thackeray government) amended the law again. The law got presidential assent after the Eknath Shinde government came to power.
- The state was empowered to take over properties if landowners failed to restore them within a deadline.
- This move stirred allegations of property seizure and subsequent handover to contractors, prompting legal scrutiny.
An observation- During the hearing, the bench observed that it would be "dangerous" to say that private property cannot be regarded as material resources of the community and taken over by state authorities to subserve the "common good".
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| | | NEWS IN CLUES | | 5. Can you identify this Indian city? | Clue 1: This city was the capital of the ancient Magadha empire
Clue 2: Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru, was born here
Clue 3: It was home to Chanakya, Aryabhatta and Vatsyayana
Scroll below for answer
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| | 6. Bird flu virus in cow milk? WHO says… |  | A health concern- The detection of bird flu virus remnants in pasteurised cow milk in the US has raised concerns about potential human transmission.
- However, experts say there is minimal risk of foodborne contamination and likely no risk to humans.
- The US Food and Drug Administration has found viral particles in milk from affected animals, in the processing system, and on the shelves during a national survey.
- Though pasteurisation had inactivated the virus, PCR tests detected its presence in the samples.
An outbreak- The US is currently facing an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) that has spread among dairy cattle herds throughout the country.
- The H5N1 strain of HPAI has killed millions of poultry during the current wave, affected cows have not fallen severely sick.
- The virus has infected one human, who developed mild symptoms, authorities said.
The virus- The bird flu A/H5N1 strain first appeared in 1996 but since 2020 the number of contaminated bird populations has exploded, and a growing number of mammals have since been infected.
- In March, both cows and goats joined the list, a surprise for experts because until now the animals had not been considered at risk of catching this type of virus.
Risk to humans- Humans have not yet faced a major outbreak risk from the bird flu virus. A person, in contact with infected cattle in Texas, got an eye infection.
- Experts say severe cases can affect the lungs, with approximately half of documented H5N1 cases resulting in death.
What WHO says- The World Health Organization (WHO) says the infection can prove serious — of the roughly 900 cases of H5N1 documented in humans over the past 20 years, half have ended in death.
- However, drinking pasteurised milk has nearly zero risk even if virus traces are found in it.
- The WHO has called for a stronger campaign to establish global detection networks for the H5N1 bird flu virus.
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| | | 8. A big setback for MeToo movement |  | What- New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein ’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with “egregious” improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
- “We conclude that the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes,” the court’s 4-3 decision said. “The remedy for these egregious errors is a new trial.”
The case- Weinstein, 72, has been serving a 23-year sentence in a New York prison following his conviction on charges of criminal sex act for forcibly performing oral sex on a TV and film production assistant in 2006 and rape in the third degree for an attack on an aspiring actress in 2013.
Dissenting note- In a stinging dissent, Judge Madeline Singas wrote that the majority was “whitewashing the facts to conform to a he-said/she-said narrative,” and said the Court of Appeals was continuing a “disturbing trend of overturning juries’ guilty verdicts in cases involving sexual violence.”
- “The majority’s determination perpetuates outdated notions of sexual violence and allows predators to escape accountability,” Singas wrote.
Implications- The state Court of Appeals ruling reopens a painful chapter in America’s reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures — an era that began in 2017 with a flood of allegations against Weinstein.
- His accusers could again be forced to retell their stories on the witness stand.
- The reversal of Weinstein’s conviction is the second major #MeToo setback in the last two years, after the US Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of a Pennsylvania court decision to throw out Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction.
What now- Weinstein will remain imprisoned because he was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
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| | 9. Why Pak biz leaders asked Sharif to mend ties with India |  | What- Pakistan business leaders, in an interactive session with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, have urged him to initiate trade talks with India to promote business and commerce which would greatly benefit the economy of the cash-strapped country.
- Sharif sat down with the business community on Wednesday to find ways to uplift the economy through exports but his resolve was met with apprehensions from industry leaders who said it was “almost impossible” to do business under the current circumstances, particularly with high energy costs and inconsistent government policies, the Dawn newspaper reported.
- Sharif was also asked to extend an olive branch to his political rival incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.
The Pak economy?- The World Bank's biannual Pakistan Development Outlook recent report has highlighted significant challenges ahead, with over 10 million individuals at risk of falling into poverty amidst sluggish economic growth and soaring inflation.
- Despite efforts at economic recovery, its growth is projected to stagnate at a meagre 1.8%, with poverty rates hovering around 40%.
The nation also remains heavily reliant on IMF aid, with $24 billion in external financing required in the fiscal year starting July, about three times its foreign exchange reserves.
Strained ties- The bilateral ties nosedived after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019.
- India’s decision evoked strong reactions from Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties and expelled the Indian envoy while cutting off direct trade ties with India.
- India has repeatedly told Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir “was, is and shall forever” remain an integral part of the country.
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| | ANSWER TO NEWS IN CLUES |  | Patna. Six people, including three women, lost their lives in a devastating fire that engulfed a hotel near Patna Junction in Bihar. The blaze that broke out around 11 am trapped over 20 individuals inside the building. Rescue operations have concluded, with two severely burnt individuals hospitalised in critical condition. Authorities are working to identify the deceased and injured to inform their families. The cause of the fire remains unknown, with forensic experts summoned to investigate. In response, a fire audit of all hotels and commercial establishments, particularly those in congested areas like Patna Junction, has been ordered to ensure strict adherence to fire safety protocols. | |
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