Table of Contents
The Hindu Editorial Analysis
We understand the significance of reading The Hindu newspaper for enhancing reading skills, improving comprehension of passages, staying informed about current events, enhancing essay writing, and more, especially for banking aspirants who need to focus on editorials for vocabulary building. This article will explore today’s editorial points, along with practice questions and key vocabulary.
HC reduces security amount to ₹1,227.62 cr for MSC Elsa 3
- The Kerala High Court has lowered the security money that the owners of the ship MSC Elsa 3 have to pay. Earlier, the court had ordered them to pay ₹9,531 crore, but now it has been reduced to ₹1,227.62 crore after reviewing the case again.
- This change modifies the earlier order of July 7, which came in a case filed by the State government. In that order, the court had allowed the detention of another ship, MSC Akiteta-2, which is the sister vessel of Elsa 3.
- The State government had demanded ₹9,531 crore as compensation. This was for sea and coastal pollution and the losses suffered by fishermen after MSC Elsa 3 sank on May 25.
- On July 7, the court had directed that MSC Akiteta-2 should be kept under conditional arrest until the vessel’s owners paid the full claimed amount.
- The government’s demand included ₹8,626.12 crore for environmental damage, ₹378.48 crore for prevention work, and ₹526.51 crore for losses faced by fishermen because of the sinking.
- However, Justice M.A. Abdul Hakhim’s Bench found the government’s arguments weak for ₹8,554.39 crore of the claim. The Bench said there was no proper proof to show the actual level of environmental damage caused by the oil pollution.
- The court also noted that the government had not submitted enough documents to support such huge claims. It said the overall demand was extremely high and not supported by enough evidence to be approved.
Leh under curfew a day after four protesters killed
- Leh town in Ladakh remained under curfew on Thursday, a day after four local people were killed in violent protests. The bodies of those killed were handed over to their families for last rites.
- Police detained many people during the crackdown on protestors. The Ladakh Buddhist Association was asked by the administration to help ensure the cremation of the four villagers happened respectfully.
- The violence broke out on Wednesday at the BJP office and the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council in Leh. Many people were injured, and security forces had to enforce curfew and issue public warnings.
- DGP S.D. Singh Jamwal confirmed that four people had died. Fifteen were seriously injured, one was taken to Delhi for treatment, thirty had minor injuries, and thirty security personnel were also hurt.
- Police filed a case of rioting in Leh and arrested forty-two people so far. The protests took place while climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was on the fifteenth day of his hunger strike.
- Wangchuk has been demanding statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule. Ladakh Apex Body president Chering Dorjey Lakrook said the deaths happened because the police fired on protestors without control.
- The four people killed were: Tsewang Tharchin (46), a retired Ladakh Scouts soldier; Jigmet Dorjay (25); Stanzin Namgyal (23); and Rinchen Dadul (20). All of them died from bullet injuries.
- Lakrook also confirmed that on Thursday there was a meeting with Union Home Ministry representatives in Leh. It was decided that a preparatory meeting would be held in Delhi on September 27 or 28, though the final date is yet to be confirmed.
- The Delhi meeting will have three representatives each from the Ladakh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, along with Ladakh’s MP, to talk with the Centre.
- The LAB also demanded a judicial inquiry, saying many protestors were injured by bullets and pellets. Lieutenant-Governor Kavinder Gupta promised strict action against those who caused the violence.
- Gupta also led a high-level meeting in Leh to review the tense situation. The District Magistrate ordered all schools and colleges in Leh district to remain shut for two days.
- In Kargil, a complete shutdown was observed to show support for Leh. Shops, offices, and schools stayed closed after a call by the Kargil Democratic Alliance.
- KDA co-chairman Asger Ali Karbalai strongly condemned the police firing on protestors. He said the authorities were going after protestors instead of solving the issue peacefully, and he asked for sympathy for the affected families.
- Ladakh MP Haji Hanifa also said that the use of extreme force against the peaceful people of Ladakh was wrong. He added that it only showed the government’s harshness during the protests and strikes.
SC slams MP Government, CBI over inaction in custody death case
- The Supreme Court on Thursday pulled up the Madhya Pradesh government and the CBI for not arresting two police officers accused of causing the custodial death of Deva Pardhi in July 2024.
- The court said that by not following its May 15 order, both had committed aggravated contempt. It pointed out that more than four months had passed, yet the order was not carried out, and it looked like the officers were being protected.
- Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan told the State’s lawyer that it was worrying the earlier order was ignored even though it was very clear.
- The contempt case was filed by Pardhi’s family, saying the May 15 order had been willfully disobeyed. That order had moved the probe from Madhya Pradesh Police to the CBI.
- It had also directed that the guilty police officers should be arrested immediately, within a month. But even after four months, no arrests were made.
- Advocate Payoshi Roy, who appeared for the petitioner, told the court that the government was still paying salaries to the accused officers. She said this raised big questions about the seriousness of following the order.
- Justice Nagarathna asked the State’s lawyer how the government could allow salaries to be paid when the Supreme Court had ordered the officers to be arrested right away.
- The State’s lawyer said the duty to arrest the officers was with the CBI. But Justice Mahadevan said the State could not run away from responsibility in such a serious matter.
- CBI’s Additional Solicitor General Raja Thakare told the court that the two officers had been suspended only on Wednesday. He also claimed they had been hiding since April this year.
- The Bench, however, dismissed this explanation as weak and called the CBI’s efforts an eyewash. It asked why suspension was done so late even though the officers had been absconding for months.
- The petitioner’s lawyer also told the court that one of the accused officers had even gone to a sessions court asking for anticipatory bail. This showed complete defiance of the Supreme Court’s clear arrest order.
- Justice Mahadevan asked how someone ordered to be arrested could dare to file for bail. He said the authorities were clearly protecting him instead of punishing him.
- The Supreme Court has now ordered the case to be listed as the first item for hearing on September 26, so that the matter is dealt with urgently and compliance is checked.
Important Questions
- Why did the Kerala High Court reduce the security money for MSC Elsa 3 owners from ₹9,531 crore to ₹1,227.62 crore?
- What reasons did Justice M.A. Abdul Hakhim’s Bench give for rejecting ₹8,554.39 crore of the Kerala government’s compensation claim?
- What incident at the BJP office and Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council in Leh caused the death of four villagers?
- Why did the Ladakh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance demand a judicial inquiry into the police firing during the Leh protests?
- Why did the Supreme Court accuse the Madhya Pradesh government and the CBI of aggravated contempt in the Deva Pardhi custodial death case?
- How did the petitioner’s lawyer prove that accused police officers in the Deva Pardhi case were being protected despite the May 15 arrest order?
Important Vocabulary
- Detention – the act of officially holding or arresting something.
- Compensation – money demanded or given for damage or loss.
- Bench – judges sitting together in court to decide a case.
- Pollution – harmful substances in the environment causing damage.
- Curfew – an official order to stay indoors at certain hours.
- Cremation – burning a dead body as part of funeral rites.
- Pellets – small hard balls fired as projectiles by police weapons.
- Harshness – the quality of being cruel, strict, or severe.
- Contempt – disobedience or disrespect toward a court order.
- Absconding – escaping or hiding to avoid arrest.
- Suspension – temporary removal from duty or service.
- Defiance – open resistance or refusal to obey authority.
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