Parliament Budget Session | Both Houses adjourned for the day amid uproar over Adani-Hindenburg issue
Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day on February 2 amid sloganeering by Opposition members seeking discussions over allegations of fraud against the Adani Group. A united Opposition, led by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, demanded a probe into the Adani group, either by a Joint Parliament Committee or a CJI-appointed panel. Earlier during the pre-lunch session, proceedings in both the Houses were adjourned till 2 p.m. after the Opposition had demanded a discussion over the diminishing shares of the Adani Group, following accusations by Hindenburg.
Adani Enterprises shares tank over 26%; most group firms also fall
Shares of Adani Enterprises tumbled over 26% on February 2, a day after the firm said it has decided not to go ahead with its ₹20,000-crore Follow-on Public Offer and will return the proceeds to investors. The stock tanked 26.50% to settle at ₹1,564.70 on the BSE. During the day, it tumbled 28.88% to ₹1,513.90 — its 52-week low. Most of the other group firms also declined for the sixth day in a row. The 10 listed Adani Group firms have faced a combined erosion of over ₹8.76 lakh crore in 6 days.
The Supreme Court on February 2 refused to set aside a provision in the election law which allows candidates to contest polls from two constituencies simultaneously. “This is a policy matter and an issue concerning political democracy. It is for the Parliament to take a call,” a Bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud observed. The petition filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, represented by senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, had sought the court to declare Section 33(7) of the Representation of People Act invalid and ultra vires. “Like one-person-one-vote, one-candidate-one-constituency is the dictum of democracy… Section 33(7) of the Act allows a person to contest a general election or a group of by-elections or biennial elections from two constituencies,” the petitioner argued.
Siddique Kappan walks out of Uttar Pradesh jail on bail, calls UAPA a political tool
More than 27 months after being arrested on charges including the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan walked out of Lucknow district jail on February 2. Speaking exclusively to The Hindu outside the Lucknow jail after being released Mr. Kappan expressed full faith in the judicial process and pleaded innocence. “I struggled,” he said minutes after he walked out of jail to camera crews, a small curious crowd and to his wife and teen son, waiting patiently, just as they had for the more than two years since he was imprisoned on his way to Hathras.
Terror funding: HC asks NIA to respond to Hurriyat leader Nayeem Khan’s bail plea
The Delhi High Court on February 2 sought the response of the National Investigation Agency on a plea by separatist leader Nayeem Ahmad Khan seeking bail in a terror-funding case involving 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed. A bench of Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Talwant Singh issued notice to the NIA and asked it to file reply to the petition challenging a trial court’s order denying bail to the accused. The high court listed the matter for further hearing on March 23. Mr. Khan has challenged the trial court’s December 3, 2022 order dismissing his bail plea saying that there was prima facie evidence available against the accused.
The Bombay High Court on February 2 asked the police if its investigation into the alleged suicide of television actor Tunisha Sharma was being done correctly, and observed that they will have to find out if there was instigation on the part of the accused. A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and P.K. Chavan examined the police’s case diaries. The bench was hearing a petition filed by actor Sheezan Khan, 27, Sharma’s co-star who was arrested for allegedly abetting her suicide, seeking for the case to be quashed and to be released from jail by way of interim order.
Inclusive, resilient growth focus of India’s G20 priorities: Jaishankar
India’s priorities for its G20 Presidency are to ensure inclusive and resilient growth with a focus on challenges being faced by the countries of the Global South, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on February 2. Replying to a question in Rajya Sabha, Mr. Jaishankar also listed technological transformation and public digital infrastructure, reform in the multilateral institutions, women-led development and international peace and harmony as key focus areas for India’s Presidency of the grouping.
Iran blames Israel for drone attack, threatens retaliation
Iran on February 2 formally blamed Israel for a drone attack that targeted a military workshop in its central city of Isfahan over the weekend, warning it “reserves its legitimate and inherent right” to retaliate. Iran’s mission to the United Nations, in a letter it published on its website, attributed the attack on late Saturday to Israel.
Australia is removing British monarchy from its bank notes
Australia is removing the British monarchy from its bank notes. The nation’s central bank said Thursday its new $5 bill would feature an Indigenous design rather than an image of King Charles III. But the King is still expected to appear on coins that currently bear the image of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The $5 bill was Australia’s only remaining bank note to still feature an image of the monarch. The bank said the decision followed consultation with the centre-left Labor Party government, which supported the change. Opponents say the move is politically motivated.
PM Benjamin Netanyahu cannot be involved in legal overhaul: Israel Attorney-General
Israel’s Attorney-General has told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he must not be involved in an overhaul to the country’s judicial system proposed by his government, saying in a letter made public on February 2 that he risks a conflict of interest in his ongoing corruption trial. Mr. Netanyahu’s new far-right government has made changing the legal system a centre-piece of its legislative agenda and despite mounting public criticism, has charged ahead with steps to weaken the Supreme Court and grant politicians less judicial oversight in their policy-making.
Tom Brady retires at 45, insisting this time it’s ‘for good’
This time, American football player Tom Brady says he’s done for good. The seven-time Super Bowl winner with New England and Tampa Bay announced his retirement from the American NFL, exactly one year after first saying his playing days were over, by posting a brief video lasting just under one minute on social media. Unlike last winter, though, the most successful quarterback in league history, as well as one of the greatest athletes in American sports, said his decision was final. He briefly retired after the 2021 season but wound up coming back for one more year with the Buccaneers. He retires at age 45, the owner of virtually every meaningful NFL passing record in an unprecedented 23-year career.
