LAW AND GOVERNANCE
Delhi HC Reserves Judgement in Arvind Kejriwal’s Plea Challenging Arrest
The Delhi High Court has reserved judgement in Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and subsequent remand over his alleged involvement in the Delhi Liquor policy case. Kejriwal, arrested on March 21, is currently in judicial custody in Tihar jail. The trial court initially remanded him to six days of ED custody, which was later extended. On April 1, he was remanded to judicial custody till April 15.
SC Issues Notice to Election Commission on Plea Seeking Complete EVM-VVPAT Tally
The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on a plea seeking the counting of all Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) paper slips in the upcoming elections. Currently, only votes in five randomly selected EVMs in each assembly segment are tallied against the VVPAT slips. The petition, filed by lawyer and activist Arun Kumar Agrawal, challenges the ECI’s rule of sequential VVPAT verification, arguing that simultaneous verification could be faster and more efficient.
SBI Refuses to Reveal SOP for Electoral Bonds Storage
The State Bank of India (SBI) has declined to disclose the specifics of its ‘Standard Operating Procedure’ (SOP) followed in the process of storing electoral bond-related data. This response came in an RTI query filed by activist Anjali Bharadwaj. The SBI cited section 8(1)(d) of the RTI Act, pertaining to information that could harm the competitive position of a third party, as grounds for denial. However, Bharadwaj criticized the SBI’s denial, stating that the SOP would reveal important information about the operation of the Electoral Bonds scheme, including the form and manner in which information was maintained on the sale and redemption of Electoral Bonds.
GOVERNMENT SCHEMES
MANAGE Internship Programme
(Ministry Of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare)
Duration: 3-6 months
Eligibility: Completed/ongoing PhD or M.Sc in specified disciplines with minimum OGPA of 8/10 and fluency in English with good writing skills
Stipend: Up to ₹35,000 per month
ICMR Post Doctoral Fellowship
(Ministry Of Health & Family Welfare)
Tenure: 2 years, extendable for 1 more year based on performance
Eligibility: Indian nationals within 3 years of completing PhD/MD/MS with proposed research continuation, max age 32 years (relaxable for certain categories)
Benefits: ₹65,000 per month plus HRA and NPA, ₹3,00,000 per annum for contingency grant, medical benefits, and leave as per ICMR rules
SOURCE-
READ MORE NEWS – 3rd APRIL 2024
