“Violence in the name of faith will not be tolerated, whether it is faith based on community, political ideology, individual or tradition.”
RULING//In a milestone ruling, India’s Supreme Court declared that privacy is a fundamental right for each of its 1.3 billion citizens protected under the country's constitution. India joins the United States, Canada, South Africa, the European Union and the United Kingdom in recognizing that there is such a right. In India, it could have wide-ranging implications. For example, laws that currently criminalize homosexuality could now be struck down on the grounds that what consenting adults do is private.
Nine justices unanimously joined the decision that was an exhaustive treatise on personal liberties. The 547-page judgment overturned earlier cases and declared, “Privacy is the constitutional core of human dignity.” Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar borrowed from former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis and equated privacy with the "right to be let alone." Khehar wrote: "The right to be let alone is a part of the right to enjoy life. The right to enjoy life is, in its turn, a part of the fundamental right to life of the individual."
Privacy advocates had petitioned the court over alleged data mining and challenged a government scheme that assigns every Indian a unique identification, through a socalled “Aadhaar” card. Critics argued the collection of biometric data in connection with the card was intrusive and could conceivably link up data to a person's spending habits, medical records and even bank transactions.
The court reserved judgment on the constitutionality of the Aadhaar scheme for another bench but said, "In an age where information technology governs every aspect of our lives," the court "has to be sensitive ... to the opportunities and dangers posed to liberty in a digital world." And it called on the government to "put into place a robust regime" for data protection.
The court waded into the issue of sexual orientation, calling it “an essential attribute of privacy.” It slammed an earlier Supreme Court ruling that upheld the criminalization of homosexuality on the grounds that the LGBT community was “a minuscule fraction of the country's population.” The court said that was no basis on which “to deny the right to privacy.” The court said the question of privacy between consenting adults was not for it to decide; the issue of lifting criminalization of homosexuality is, the court noted, before another bench.
But with the day's sweeping decision pronouncing India's fundamental right to privacy, nine justices loudly signaled the direction in which they believe India ought to move.
BY-ELECTION RESULT: BJP WINS BOTH GOA SEATS, ONE FOR CM MANOHAR PARRIKAR
POLITICS// Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has won the Panaji Assembly byelection, defeating his nearest rival, Girish Chodankar of the Congress, by 4,803 votes. Mr Parrikar got 9,862 votes against 5,059 by got by Mr Chodankar. Goa Suraksha Manch president Anand Shirodkar got only 220 votes, while 301 people opted 'None of The Above' or NOTA.
By-elections were held in Goa on August 23.
Manohar Parrikar was sworn in as Goa Chief Minister in March 2017 after the BJP formed a coalition government with Goa Forward Party, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and independents.
BJP won both seats that went for byelection in Goa as Mr Parrikar's colleague Vishwajit Pratap Singh Rane won the Valpoi seat.
VENKAIAH AS VICE PRESIDENT
ELECTED// Meet M Venkaiah Naidu, our new Vice President. Naidu, who was nominated by the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), the political group that runs the country, defeated the Congress party’s candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi.
He will be the 13th Vice-President of India and like the President, hold office for a period of five years.
GAITLIN BOLTS PAST USAIN
ATHLETICS// Think of speed on the race track and you think of Usain Bolt. The great Jamaican runner has proved many times over that he is the fastest man on the planet. But last month, in what was his last individual race, Bolt had to settle for a bronze medal in the 100 metre sprint of the IAAF World Championships 2017 underway in London, England. Justin Gaitlin won gold while Christian Coleman came second. Both runners are from the United States. It was only the second individual race final that Bolt has ever lost. Bolt has set the past three world records in the 100 m race, and holds the current world record for the event at 9.58 seconds. Bolt unusually excels at both the 100m and 200 m races and is also part of Jamaica’s gold medal winning relay squad.
ECLIPSED!
ASTRONOMY// Millions of the people across the United States watched as the day darkened and the stars appeared overhead in the middle of the afternoon on Monday, August 21. They were watching an astronomical event that had returned to the US for the first time in 99 years-a total solar eclipse that could be seen across the country. A total solar eclipse was visible for a few minutes in a thin band of land from coast to coast across the US, while a partial eclipse was visible in all 50 states of the country. Along the path of the eclipse, millions of people gathered to watch the spectacle, even as researchers and scientists performed experiments. This may well be the most watched and photographed eclipse in history! Hundreds of students also participated in many science projects connected with the event.
NORTHERN INDIA HIT BY SWINE FLU
FLU//The dreaded virus swine flu is back, and has already severely affected parts of Northern India. The worst affected state is Gujarat where over 200 people have died due to the disease. In Rajasthan 68 people have died of swine flu in 2017. Other states like Punjab, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh have also been affected. In fact, in Uttar Pradesh, the government has asked schools not to conduct morning assembles to prevent the spread of swine flu. More than 20 people from the state have died of swine flu this year. While Gujarat may be one of the states, Rajasthan, Punjab and Delhi have not been spared the H1N1 influenza, with several deaths being reported from these places. In neighbouring Rajasthan, the viral infection has claimed 68 lives from January 1 to August 17. Of these, 64 patients were from Rajasthan and four from other States. A total of 2,558 samples were collected during this period and 590 of them tested positive. Sixteen deaths were reported from Jaipur district, followed by seven in Kota and four in Ajmer. Rajasthan is followed by Punjab, where 15 persons have died till August 17. Compared to the neighbouring States, the number of deaths in Delhi has been lower, at four. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said the city had so far treated 1,088 cases of swine flu, with 889 patients being residents of the national capital.
Changes to Indian cricket team before World Cup 2019: Kohli
CRICKET// Skipper Virat Kohli has announced that there would be several changes to the Indian cricket team as it begins preparations for the next One Day International World Cup to be played in 2019. Although the event is two years away, Kohli believes that the time to start preparations is here. “I think we need to start planning for the 2019 World Cup. You have to prepare 24 months in advance. We are taking that as a challenge and look to try out different things," Kohli told an Indian newspaper.
His comments may be important as recent news reports have said that MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh may not be part of the future Indian team. Yuvraj Singh has already been dropped for the ODI series against Sri Lanka while Dhoni’s performances have not been as consistent as they used to be. It is likely that the team will use the Sri Lanka tour and the next few ODI tournaments to create a new look team for India.
TERROR ATTACK IN BARCELONA
ATTACKS// Europe, which has been affected by many terrorist attacks in 2017, experienced yet another last month when a van drove into a crowd of tourists on a main road in the Spanish town of Barcelona. The attacks are believed to have been carried out by the terrorist group known as the Islamic State (IS), which is from West Asia. Terrorists are people who use violence as a way of getting what they want. The IS, which is trying to get control of some parts of West Asia, is bitterly opposed to European nations that are fighting against it. As a result, IS has launched terrorist attacks on several European cities such as Paris, London and now Barcelona over the past few months. At Barcelona, on Thursday, August 17, a van containing an IS team slammed into crowds on one of Barcelona’s busiest roads. The van drove through the traffic, killing 14 persons and injuring 100 more. Earlier in the morning, a similar road attack south of Barcelona killed one person and injured six others. While some arrests have been made, the driver of the van is still missing and the matter is being investigated by the Spanish police. Five victims are still in critical condition, while another 19 remain hospitalized. Police shot Abouyaaqoub to death after a manhunt; five other terrorists were killed by cops in Cambrils. Officers arrested four others, but let two go due to lack of evidence. Spain tried to deport the Islamic hate preacher suspected of masterminding the Barcelona terror attacks, but a judge allowed him to stay because he did not pose a “serious threat”. In a written judgment handed down in 2014, the Spanish government was blocked from deporting Abdelbaki Es Satty, 42, after he served a prison sentence for drug smuggling. Judge Pablo de la Rubia stopped Es Satty’s deportation using two EU directives which say member states can only deport non-EU nationals who pose a “serious and present threat to public order or national security and safety”.